Buying & Selling custom knives on the Internet

Maybe it's a piece a collector is selling, or it's a piece that has been on a dealer site for a while. Often it's a small price adjustment which is the final hurdle to securing a deal.

One phrase that I have learned throughout the years which is tactful and gets results is: "What's the best you can do?"

When asking this, it achieves a few things:

  • You aren't claiming the value isn't worth what is being asked.
  • You are showing you are a very interested buyer. Close to a deal.
  • When asked, you put the power of the transaction back into the seller's hands. Really a strong emotional dance that the seller needs to lead.
Worse case scenario, the seller tells you it already is as low as they will go. Best case scenario (and this has often surprised me!) they make you an offer which is less than you were anticipating.

Works in all fields of transactions, not just knives.

Coop
 
Kevin Jones said:
You can also turn it around; where the seller ask "Make me an offer".
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Also true. But... this one can lead to insults and lowballing. Just too many variables. Years ago, BF did not have a strict policy about pricing on the for sale forums. The bickering and tension in there was real because of this.

It's a valid method, but a little less effective.

If the seller comes back with this retort after you've asked WTBYCD, he's looking for trouble.... :p

Coop
 
ptgdvc and others,
You guys all listed some very valid points. Any maker worth his salt will do whatever is within reason to ensure the buyer is happy. Your reputation is everything in this business. We also need to protect our investments too, in both time and materials. We have to be businessmen as well as knifemakers. I find that to be even more challenging than knifemaking!

Thanks for the great post, and all the valid points brought up from both sides. I Know I just added some finishing touches to my own Terms and Conditions web page based on some comments here. Hopefully it will help to avoid any future problems or misunderstandings.

Thank You,
Scott
 
Dear Valued Customers,

Thank you for you interest. :thumbup:

Recent Forum discussions have caused me to reformulate and simplify my normal business practices. ;)

The prices in the fast paced area of custom knives are constantly changing and accordingly it is impossible to determine the exact market price of any given knife until the exact moment of purchase. Therefore, I will require; a $5,000 advance deposit for EACH Bowie, a $3,500 one for Fighters and a $2,000 one for Hunters PRIOR to the actual transaction, in order to guarantee you the best possible price.

I will need this deposit for each knife that you maybe interested in purchasing or that I have decided could be a good idea for you to buy. In the case of ART knives, I will determine the increased level of deposit required on a case by case basis. Your deposits should be made in the form of untraceable bearer bonds and will require 60-90 days to clear. The bonds will be kept VERY securely in one of our many international bank accounts located in Nigeria, the Isle of Sark, or my hall closet.

We like to know a little bit about our customers. You can't be too careful in this day and age. It would be helpful for us to have ALL your bank and credit card information, your Social Security number, mother's maiden name (not nice to forget Mom!) and three fully executed and notarized powers of attorney, just in case. Polaroids of you in an inappropriate pose with a farm animal, would be fun, but are not required.

The buyer will be responsible for all shipping and insurance expenses, including but not limited too, payment and expenses for armed couriers from our Blackwater subsidiary. We will be happy to combine shipments to save you time and money (for a reasonable fee, to be determined).

The actual market selling price of the knife will be determined solely by our Senior Valuation Expert (ME) at the exact moment of the transaction.

As an added bonus, you will be automatically enrolled in our Golden Circle Custom Club. Each month our expert will select an exciting new piece, from an up and coming maker, to add to your permanent collection. You will receive an instant 10% discount on each GCCC knife, as an added bonus. All of our normal business practices and policies will apply to GCCC knives.

Inspection Period:
Your knife will receive a quick look/see from our expert before it leaves our facility.

Return Policy:
The knife has already undergone an thorough inspection by our expert prior to leaving our facility, so there is never any need to return it. The work has been done for you!

Credits:
You will get credit every single day for your wisdom in doing business with us.

Trade In Policy:
Your collection IS a permanent monument to pass on to your children. Our expert will absolutely prevent your legacy from being diminished in any way.

Refund of your deposit:
From time to time, our interests and hobbies may change. You may decide to buy a home or start eating again. We understand, but hasty decisions can be costly decisions! After a 365 day cooling off period, we will review your request and decide what is best for you. We are THE experts after all.

It really helps for the buyer and seller to always have a clear understanding of our business relationship. Any issues not expressly covered by these terms and conditions, should be referred directly to our Director of Customer Care, Mr. Paulie Walnuts.

We look forward to expanding our profitable relationship in the future.

Remember our motto: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT*

Sincerely,

The Expert:D

*EXCEPT when the customer is wrong and disagrees with our expert, in which case our expert is ALWAYS right. Always remember, we are the experts, and we are here to do a professional job for and on you!
 
Now that's the New York I'm talking about. :D
I was wondering how long it would be before you posted it, I almost did!

ALL hail "The Expert" :thumbup: :thumbup:

Oh, by the way check's in the mail.
 
This is an interesting set of "Rules". I don't think I have ever had a real problem with any makers when I was collecting and most makers probably followed something very similar. We do at Twin Blades and have found that most people that are buying knives are some of the best people to deal with that you could ask for.
I do have a couple of questions from the makers view point that deal with the few customers that aren't included in the group I mentioned above.

How long do you wait, once you have sent notice to the customer that his knife is ready, before you sell it to someone else? We don't take deposits. Contact was tried by phone, E-mail and US Mail.

If a customer commits to purchase a knife, how long do you wait for payment before you assume the deal is busted? We collect as much information about contacts as we can get, and use them all. The check is usually going to be mailed tomorrow.

While we have had this happen only a few times in the last five years, it is still aggravating.
 
From my Ts and Cs page: Payment in full is expected when your knife is complete and ready to ship. We will contact you, and payment is expected in a timely manner. Knives not paid for after 30 days from completion are subject to sale to the general public, and any deposits paid will not be refunded. Please be sure we have your updated contact information.
Scott
 
Hmathews said:
How long do you wait, once you have sent notice to the customer that his knife is ready, before you sell it to someone else? We don't take deposits. Contact was tried by phone, E-mail and US Mail.

If a customer commits to purchase a knife, how long do you wait for payment before you assume the deal is busted? We collect as much information about contacts as we can get, and use them all. The check is usually going to be mailed tomorrow.

While we have had this happen only a few times in the last five years, it is still aggravating.
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Just set a reasonable time and make it clear to the buyer from the outset. Thirty days seems pretty reasonable to me. That should be more than enough time, but it is always best to give the customer a little more time than should be required.
 
Tanguay Custom Knives said:
From my Ts and Cs page: Payment in full is expected when your knife is complete and ready to ship. We will contact you, and payment is expected in a timely manner. Knives not paid for after 30 days from completion are subject to sale to the general public, and any deposits paid will not be refunded. Please be sure we have your updated contact information.
Scott
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I would suggest contacting the customer during the week BEFORE you actually start to work on his knife. If you can't reach him, I would not start building the knife until you do reach him. This would also give the customer an extra week's notice that it is now time to actually have his money in hand, which can't hurt. It also gives everyone another chance to confirm that they are on the same page.

P
 
I concact the customer a week or two before starting the knife. If I can't make contact, I move on the the next on my list. This happened last fall with a gentleman who placed an order by phone and one way or another I got a his phone # wrong and no other contact info. This is the main reason I want an email, mailing address and phone number.
 
We don't have a problem with making the knife because we aren't going to make one that we think we will have a problem selling. We will give extra time if the customer requests it and we agree that a reasonable amount of time if we don't hear from them would be 30 days before we sell it.
 
I agree with Don. Call the customer a week or two ahead of starting the knife just to let them know its time. If they don't want the knife then you can always put it off till it is better for them. I will have them send a check when the knife is done and call them when it ships. I expect them to call me when the knife is received. Any problems or not happy or whatever can be took care of then. You must have a big deposit for the odd stuff that no body else would want and at least enough to cover making a regular knife.
 
The internet is a funny place. When I was still a relative newbie at doing this, I actually backed away from a deal on a knife that I was really lusting after in my evillittle heart because the seller insisted that I send postal money orders as opposed to a cashiers check. That struck me as odd. Of course, I later found out that the seller, who shall remain nameless (Peter.....sorry dude....lol) had an impeccable reputation and did this because a number of knife folks had been ripped off with counterfeit paper of types that you would never expect to be bogus. Live and learn, eh? i have been very lucky buying custom knives on the net. My only two bad experiences with Eay, etc. have been with guitar stuff.
 
Sorry Joe! :o

The widespread availability of scanners and photoshop software has made Certified checks, Bank checks, Credit Union money orders...you name it even US Postal money orders all suspect. The Banks have also gotten even greedier :mad: by taking up to 10 business days to process out of state instruments.

I prefer US Postal money orders because I can simply cash them when I actually mail the package. There is no gray area. The cash is in my hand and the buyer's knife is in the mail. The system has worked perfectly and does provide some strong protection for the buyer in case I start mailing out rocks, instead of knives. ;)

P
 
They suck! Just want a cut of the transaction. I can't even ask how much a freakin' knife is worth!
 
ptgdvc said:
Sorry Joe! :o

The widespread availability of scanners and photoshop software has made Certified checks, Bank checks, Credit Union money orders...you name it even US Postal money orders all suspect. The Banks have also gotten even greedier :mad: by taking up to 10 business days to process out of state instruments.

I prefer US Postal money orders because I can simply cash them when I actually mail the package. There is no gray area. The cash is in my hand and the buyer's knife is in the mail. The system has worked perfectly and does provide some strong protection for the buyer in case I start mailing out rocks, instead of knives. ;)

P
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It's cool..........the funny part is that I knew you lived in a very nice part of Weschester County (my ex-wife did her freshman year at Sarah Lawrence) so I thought you might had a bad experience day trading or were hiding from the IRS or the wife's divorce attorney.....:D On a slighly different topic, do any of you know who is on deck to buy John White's MS test dagger? I saw it at Batsons and it is a humdinger:thumbup:
 
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