Buying & selling pet peeves

[Locutus D'Borg]

Sellers who post only the front of a folder and not the clip side. Because if the seller doesn't say, you can't tell if its a framelock or other. And sometimes the seller will post 3 photos of the same side.

And I strongly prefer listing the blade length and steel type.

 

[Burke]

The guys who have paragraphs of terms and conditions dictating how they must be communicated with sound like self-important pricks who are going to be super-difficult to deal with so I just avoid. Communicating clear reasonable expectations in a sentence or two is fine. Telling me how I can or can’t use Bladeforums or pre-dictating favorable terms for yourself is a no-go for me.

 

[ooitzoo]

Sellers who post only the front of a folder and not the clip side. Because if the seller doesn't say, you can't tell if its a framelock or other. And sometimes the seller will post 3 photos of the same side.

And I strongly prefer listing the blade length and steel type.

Along this same theme, I'd add guys who post a random iCloud / Dropbox folder with pics of 578 knives in it for a sale thread with 1. I don't want to sift thru mountains of garbage in order to get to a picture of the knife / item in question.

The guys who have paragraphs of terms and conditions dictating how they must be communicated with sound like self-important pricks who are going to be super-difficult to deal with so I just avoid. Communicating clear reasonable expectations in a sentence or two is fine. Telling me how I can or can’t use Bladeforums or pre-dictating favorable terms for yourself is a no-go for me.

For me, I'd say this is forgivable but also stupid. There's nothing wrong with stating your terms in advance but, when your terms are either extreme or require JD to figure out, you're likely scaring people away or just trolling.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

-Selling a bunch of folders and the pictures have them all closed...
-Selling a bunch of knives and not numbering the photos... Yeah, I have a question on the 3rd for the right, sixth one up from the bottom, next to the brown one..... :/ Not That brown one, the other brown one.....
-Selling, not listing the model (not everybody is a fanboy), blade length, steel type, handle material. Idk this stuff?
-Horrible far away, dark pictures... You are selling a $2K knife and your pics look like you used a digital camera from 1996

 

[JTR357]

Playing 20 questions in the comments to a sale thread always irks me. If I miss something obvious in the description then cool ask away.

The problem starts when you into "what's your best price on this?", "can you ship this to my uncles sister-in-law's first cousin in Timbuktu?", or "can I pay for this in panera gift cards and good vibes?" When asked in PM, I'll tolerate it. When asked in the thread, I'll be less then cordial.

I've noticed some people lock the thread after they create it & say "PM me with offers". That would solve the overly chatty problem.

 

[ooitzoo]

I've noticed some people lock the thread after they create it & say "PM me with offers". That would solve the overly chatty problem

Yeah, I am on the verge of doing this myself. I like the transparency that not locking a thread brings. Plus, if I do miss something, I want to be able to correct it right then and there.

 

[71rockstar]

People who don’t list basic specs - Blade length, steel type, blade play etc.

People who ask for feedback but never leave it.

People who lowball fair prices thinking this is Craigslist or Fleabay.


These things make me less than pleasant.

I'm guilty of the first one (not the blade play part, but blade length, grind angle, country of origin etc). Maybe I should change that.

I've always just assumed if I'm in here selling a used "John Doe insert knife name" that the buyer knows what it is.

Admittedly though, when I see "Blade length?" as a comment in a sale thread I wonder why the person asking has never heard of Google...

 

[Sharp & Fiery]

My selling peeve is “for g&s add…” super annoying.

Also, it’s against the exchange rules and started happening again more frequently.

 

[ooitzoo]

Admittedly though, when I see "Blade length?" as a comment in a sale thread I wonder why the person asking has never heard of Google...

I think it depends on the knife. If you're talking about a custom or something otherwise not widely available (and hence google won't help) then you should list the specs. But I do agree in the instance you're selling a production knife. Unless otherwise stated, it's safe to assume that Para2 is going to be same length as listed everywhere else.

My selling peeve is “for g&s add…” super annoying.

Also, it’s against the exchange rules and started happening again more frequently.

View attachment 2581603

I don't mind "for G&S add $x" but I find "for G&S add 3.5%" to be silly. I always read that and go "really though?"

 

[luethge]

I'm guilty of the first one (not the blade play part, but blade length, grind angle, country of origin etc). Maybe I should change that.

I've always just assumed if I'm in here selling a used "John Doe insert knife name" that the buyer knows what it is.

Admittedly though, when I see "Blade length?" as a comment in a sale thread I wonder why the person asking has never heard of Google...

Google often times does not have the answers.

And

Often times I’m lazy and don’t want to search for specs.

A Knife like a Fiddle back forge Duke - comes in a few different steels, different tangs, stock thicknesses and grinds. A knife like Sargent Edged Tools M4-6 won’t pop up with specs very easily. For production knives google is perfect ( 90% of the time I’m after production knives anyway ).

Just kind of nice to see some basic info on a sales post.

 

[Sleepereaper]

I think the shipping is my biggest irk. When I post something to sell I will already have the shipping supplies out and when I receive the payment I immediately box it up verify info and will ship same day. If it’s while I’m at work I’ll go on my lunch. As long as your not paying at 4:29 pm and expect same day shipment lol

 

[ChicagoCertified]

I've noticed some people lock the thread after they create it & say "PM me with offers". That would solve the overly chatty problem.

I've noticed this with the scam attempts that are happening here too. A newer member may say, "I'll take it, here's my email …" and then get scammed because they just put their email in the comment section and the scammer nabbed it.

 

[Ilikesharpstuff]

The one that comes to mind for me is posting pictures of the knife with parts/accessories that are not included with the sale. Aftermarket clips. lanyards and beads, aftermarket hardware, etc. It doesn't matter if you advertise that they won't be included, the pictures should show the knife exactly as it will arrive to me. If you plan to take them off anyway, stop being lazy and take them off before you take photos for your listing. Don't ask maximum value and put minimal effort into your advertisement.

 

[ooitzoo]

Google often times does not have the answers.

And

Often times I’m lazy and don’t want to search for specs.

A Knife like a Fiddle back forge Duke - comes in a few different steels, different tangs, stock thicknesses and grinds. A knife like Sargent Edged Tools M4-6 won’t pop up with specs very easily. For production knives google is perfect ( 90% of the time I’m after production knives anyway ).

Just kind of nice to see some basic info on a sales post.

I'd add modified knives to this as well.

 

[tantox]

I like to see photos of the model number on the box if that is included. It is pretty simple to snap an extra photo of the box label. I list model numbers as possible in threads when I know them, and it makes it really simple to look up the specs and MSRP on any given knife.
One of my favorites is having to ask for information from the DOB card of a CRK because the seller did not include a photo of the info card in the box that details the model name, steel, handle material, inlays, special editions etc.

 

[71rockstar]

Google often times does not have the answers.

And

Often times I’m lazy and don’t want to search for specs.

A Knife like a Fiddle back forge Duke - comes in a few different steels, different tangs, stock thicknesses and grinds. A knife like Sargent Edged Tools M4-6 won’t pop up with specs very easily. For production knives google is perfect ( 90% of the time I’m after production knives anyway ).

Just kind of nice to see some basic info on a sales post.

This is why I'm planning on changing the way I do it. I personally don't browse the sales area to buy something random I've never heard of, but I DO click on knives I'm not familiar with in hopes of seeing something I like. Having all of the info right in front of me would definitely be helpful.
I used to think it was "weird" to see people cut and paste the description of the knife from a business site, but I'm starting to think it's not a bad idea

 

[kreole]

One of my pet peeves is the apparent drop in basic knife literacy. Maybe not so much on Blade Forums as on reddit's Knife Swap subforum, which I used to use often. Just the other day I was selling several different knives there. I always try to briefly describe the action, detent, lockup, blade seating, etc. With some of the knives I'd say "good detent," or "light detent," or "strong detent." On a Benchmade axis lock knife (which has no detent) I wrote something like "no detent, of course, but strong bias towards closure and does not shake loose." I had multiple people messaging me saying "what do you mean by 'no detent'? Have you modded the knife?" I was honestly shocked.

Detent has a broad definition. Anything that prevents motion is a detent. Mechanical watches have a detent (that's what it is called) that is basically the same thing as what holds the blade closed on a Axis lock. I think there's an argument to be made it has a detent. Do you perhaps mean more specifically a staked detent ball rather than detent?

 

[luethge]

This is why I'm planning on changing the way I do it. I personally don't browse the sales area to buy something random I've never heard of, but I DO click on knives I'm not familiar with in hopes of seeing something I like. Having all of the info right in front of me would definitely be helpful.
I used to think it was "weird" to see people cut and paste the description of the knife from a business site, but I'm starting to think it's not a bad idea

Completely agree

 

[Gary W. Graley]

One of my pet peeves is folks that do not edit the title of their post once the knife/item has Sold, it is a small curtesy I think and also placing it at the beginning of the title would be helpful.
G2

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

I haven’t been a member here for very long and I still see myself as an outsider for the most part.

That said, I really prefer as much transparency in a classified ad and one thing that struck me after joining is the fact that many people edit their prices to “sold” after the fact or outright delete the price. As a result I can’t see if someone got a deal and is flipping something. Seems like taking away the ability to edit a classified ad would cut down on potential issues and wasted time for the mods.

The other thing about it that bothers me is when makers do it! Why delete your pricing (as a maker)? Don’t you want people to see what you have to offer for the money?