Concerns about greed in Giveaways? Impossible!

It is disconcerting, the extent to which some folks will go just to get their hands on something for nothing. Whether it's human nature or just the way of things, it can still be off-putting, even in the most genteel of forums.

Over the years I've given away many knives from my collection, both custom and production, as well as gift memberships.

If the roll of the die (so to speak) should land upon one who does not meet the criteria set for the giveaway, or is otherwise "unworthy" due to word or deed, I will not select that individual and will find another who is. The one thing I won't do is pre-select a winner even if I am particularly fond of one person over another.

Perhaps the most disappointing of all was one instance where I gifted a custom knife to a member here who complained in an open thread about another member who had taken his knife and not sent the one he was promised in trade.

Oh, he thanked me up and down in the thread for sending him the custom knife to help him get over his disappointment and he contacted me privately to ask me for my address to send me a little memento in return. I declined a couple of times but he was insistent and so I eventually sent it to him. Strangely enough, like the person who he bitched openly about on the forums, he never sent the memento (whatever it might have been) yet remembered to continue selling and trading on the forums.

It didn't stop me from giving away other knives and gifts but it certainly does give one pause when a person claiming to be an injured party turns out to be as guilty as the one he pointed a finger at to begin with.

Regardless of our human failings, (my own included), the good folks here do make up for it to a great extent even though several such disappointments have largely led to my own withdrawal from the day to day activities of the forums.

Here's wishing all of you happy and healthy holidays now and in the days ahead.
 
leghog said:
Do whatever you want in your own GAW, but do think twice before cross linking someone else's GAW from one forum/subforum to another. The gifter can announce his own GAW in other subfora if he so chooses, and we should never assume he wants other to cross link his GAW into other fora/subfora. I just isn't our place to do so in another's GAW.
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So if you had spent some time in the Becker sub you would have seen that they linked the Becker gaw in the Becker sub. Though they did not link the entire week of giveaways.

Though due entirely to the nature as to how you had to enter, re sharing/liking on facebook, sharing on google plus, sharing the youtube video... Do you see something linking these ways to enter? You had to let other people to know that you liked the Ka-bar company and wanted to get the word out. That being said, cross linking was very likely one of the ways they were hoping to get the word out, if for no other reason then having more entrants to spread the word via entering.

Please look further into a subject if you are going to try to speak at length the reasonings as to why one should or should not do something. Especially when The object of the Giveaway was to get the company name spoken about by add many people as possible.
 
NJBillK said:
So if you had spent some time in the Becker sub you would have seen that they linked the Becker gaw in the Becker sub. Though they did not link the entire week of giveaways.

Though due entirely to the nature as to how you had to enter, re sharing/liking on facebook, sharing on google plus, sharing the youtube video... Do you see something linking these ways to enter? You had to let other people to know that you liked the Ka-bar company and wanted to get the word out. That being said, cross linking was very likely one of the ways they were hoping to get the word out, if for no other reason then having more entrants to spread the word via entering.

Please look further into a subject if you are going to try to speak at length the reasonings as to why one should or should not do something. Especially when The object of the Giveaway was to get the company name spoken about by add many people as possible.
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For whatever it's worth, I have no issue with you cross-listing the GAW, actually I owe you some thanks, as you 'Beckerheads' helped fill up a ton of spots. The only reason I put it in 'General Knife Discussion' was to open it up to as many members as possible, I felt that was the best 'cross roads' spot. (I was wrong about that)

I think my next GAW will be in the GBU, I love this place....!
 
It is sad to see the greedy people who just want anything for free and enter every giveway.
In my last one I put "must have at least 100 posts of substance." That way good members who have let their formerly paid subscriptions lapse were still included, and "members" who only post in the exchange or for giveaways, or otherwise don't contribute positively to the forum can be ignored.

Even if everyone added some kind if nicety to their entry post, you have to figure some of them would be BS. Leeches and scammers can be pretty good at saying whatever it takes to get something free.
Also keep in mind too that some members send PM's or emails with their thanks or well wishes. Just because it isn't posted for all to see doesn't mean it isn't being said.
 
NJBill, you are getting too soft and sensitive! :-P

I tend to overlook such events and enjoying the forum, or the giveaway! Merry Christmas. :-)
 
Haze said:
The gaggles of people just looking for free stuff is one reason I only do giveaways in a particular sub forum out of sight from the regesterd users.
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+1. All my GAW's are located there as well.

Blues said:
Regardless of our human failings, (my own included), the good folks here do make up for it to a great extent even though several such disappointments have largely led to my own withdrawal from the day to day activities of the forums.
Here's wishing all of you happy and healthy holidays now and in the days ahead.
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You are missed Elliot. A very Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to you and T.:)

Best wishes

Steven
 
Great job blues.
I think it is a great idea to post them in sub forums. That is why I stay away from becker and traditional give aways. I do read there but dont participate enough to ever join those so I dont.
I will do the same in the future.
Matt
 
I'm not going to lie. I put my name in often. Might as well, worth a shot. I try not to be greedy. I don't care about people who put their names in, if you don't, you wont get chosen for one. As long as you contribute to the forum, I see no problem in putting yourself out there. I won a leather sheath years back and I still have and use it. I love this forum. Merry Christmas all.
 
I consider myself more a dealer than a collector. I have a small collection, but most knives I get I have a plan of selling for a profit someday. For that reason, I don't feel comfortable entering giveaway's. The purpose of the gifter is to give the knife to someone who will enjoy it, not profit from it.

It reminds me of last spring. My family makes maple syrup every March. Last year our town had a weekend set where any maple producer could list their address on a website, and it would be advertised. People could come out and see how syrup is made, and get a free tasting. We offered free hotdogs and drink for those that came, and the main purpose was to help get some sales of our syrup. After a long day, we went through $300 worth of hotdogs and Coke, and only sold about $50 worth of maple syrup. People sure do love free-bies.
 
Rookie82 said:
I consider myself more a dealer than a collector. I have a small collection, but most knives I get I have a plan of selling for a profit someday. For that reason, I don't feel comfortable entering giveaway's. The purpose of the gifter is to give the knife to someone who will enjoy it, not profit from it.

It reminds me of last spring. My family makes maple syrup every March. Last year our town had a weekend set where any maple producer could list their address on a website, and it would be advertised. People could come out and see how syrup is made, and get a free tasting. We offered free hotdogs and drink for those that came, and the main purpose was to help get some sales of our syrup. After a long day, we went through $300 worth of hotdogs and Coke, and only sold about $50 worth of maple syrup. People sure do love free-bies.
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I can only speak for myself, but at the end of the day, I could care less what the winner does with the knife.

You just can't reasonably do a GAW and have preconceived expectations of how it will play out from beginning to end.
You do it for yourself, and because you want to give back, in this case to a community that has given so much to me....

If you want to try to control reactions, or what is going to be done with the knife by the winner, or other variables, why not just give it to a friend?

It's like your 'Maple Syrup' analogy, most people are smart enough to figure out the food isn't free, but a means to try to sell your syrup. It's not an act of kindness, it's free hot dogs and drinks being used as a lure....

'Giving something away for free' let's all just let the idea of that sink in for a minute...
 
Maybe your syrup was too expensive. I used to live in syrup country, Grade B is my favorite. Many people think I am crazy to pay the prices for the real deal when Mrs Butterworth's is one tenth the cost. I buy mine in NH, and lug it 800 mile home, but in NH nobody gives free samples, but then it's Yankee country :)
 
brownshoe said:
Maybe your syrup was too expensive. I used to live in syrup country, Grade B is my favorite. Many people think I am crazy to pay the prices for the real deal when Mrs Butterworth's is one tenth the cost. I buy mine in NH, and lug it 800 mile home, but in NH nobody gives free samples, but then it's Yankee country :)
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I thought that at first, but after talking to many of the other producers on the Maple Tour, it was pretty consistent. 300 - 500 visitors came in, about 25 of them bought anything. But 80% took the free food/drinks. It was an attempt to make sales, and it turned out to not be a winning idea. The next year, the Maple Tour participants dropped down from 20+ to 5. And you're right, once you have the good stuff, it's hard to go back to corn syrup.

And JR88Fan, I didn't mean to impose that the giveaway's aren't providing the giver a warm feeling. I agree with your statement. All I meant to say was that for me personally, I won't enter a giveaway unless it is a knife I want to collect.
 
Rookie82 said:
I thought that at first, but after talking to many of the other producers on the Maple Tour, it was pretty consistent. 300 - 500 visitors came in, about 25 of them bought anything. But 80% took the free food/drinks. It was an attempt to make sales, and it turned out to not be a winning idea. The next year, the Maple Tour participants dropped down from 20+ to 5.
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It rarely is a winning idea, unfortunately. I has become all too common for many to simply want something for free. However, in your case, even though actual sales were miniscule compared to the freebees handed out, in the long run ... you may have found a few more future customers. because this statement is so true: "And you're right, once you have the good stuff, it's hard to go back to corn syrup."

I am probably not far from you (southeast Erie county). Sent one of my favorite knifemaker buds (Alan Davis) a jug of syrup from the 2014 run (grade A, because I wasn't sure what might tickle his taste buds). I could practically see him grinning from ear to ear all the way from Texas to PA!
 
I have lived here in NH since 1975, where do you find free syrup?

a GAW is exactly that, a give away. Once you give anything to another he/she owns it and can do with it like anyone else can do with property they own.
 
Maple syrup so good. I put it on baked apples and pears + bourbon as one of the sides for Christmas dinner. It was a smash hit!
 
I thought I'd contribute a few words, being brand new to the forums here, and having actually been one of those who posted a fast reply in the GAW thread in question. I can't help but have a knee-jerk defensive response in this case as I know myself not to be a person of no substance, nor a person with only material concerns. I don't troll the forums for GAW posts - I actually contributed to only one other GAW post because I felt the need to share with the OP, and other contributors, my love of dogs (they were asking about pets), which I did at length. In this case I happened to see the thread and was taken by gesture given the recent surgery (been there multiple times and know what that's like), and had thought I would write a longer post, but was in some way distracted and or called away by real life, and just let it go at what I'd written fully intending to write more later. Didn't happen. I'm quite sure my motivations were not greed, and I'm sure that might hold true for others who posted in brief as well. Life sometimes gets in the way, and 10 second attention spans are difficult to stay on top of and try to wean one's self from, as is the attachment/detachment of social media and to all these people represented by only words on a screen, and not flesh and blood and all that goes with it. Nevertheless, yes, I agree, on face value, bad form and not exactly a communal gesture, in sharp contrast to the motivations behind many GAW's I suspect, which are a very communal generous gesture.

My wife and I donate things fairly regularly to those who might use them or want them more than we do. We give them away to our neighbors through Craig's List and on the street, or sometimes through various charities. On occasions we happen to meet face to face with some folks who are taking something we give away. Some say allot, while others have said next to nothing. It would not occur to me to lump all those who did not stop to thank us, or ask after our well being, or those who fill the Good Will shops or pick up things inexpensively that others give away, as being greedy... or anything really at all in particular. I just wouldn't presume to know them or their motivations at all. Like JR88FAN, I think, we're just happy to make someone else happy, and or help them out in some way. We're especially glad to see something going to good use and appreciation. Anyway, it's nice to see others being so generous in their community. Thought I'd offer up that perspective since it's from the other side of that coin, as it were.
 
Hey sharp, I think the op's original point and he used an example, was that there are those who participate on the forum and often go after free things without actually taking part in this community of knife hobbyists or care to learn about those giving away stuff.

To me it's just stuff so I try not to take it so serious. Most blades whether it's a made in China rough rider, seki city delica, 8cr13mov steel, titanium handle or s90v would provide 95% of us, years of use in one blade. It's like what all of the old timers would say about their grandpappies who would carry a Schrade and sharpen it down to a toothpick and that would be their only knife for 30 years.

Yet I'm certain that most all of us have multiples that would keep us tooled for three lifetimes.

If I had to be honest there are many selfish, POS ppl out there in the world, the world is full of greedy ppl. But that won't stop me from participating in GAW's or expecting anything from the winner in return or vice versa.

Being jaded over a material item doesn't do anyone's soul any good and will turn their heart to black. It's like yin and yang, fire and water, god and the devil if you believe in such. This world that we live in is all inclusive, the full spectrum of life, and we each have a choice to choose from right and wrong and the spectrum that we choose to walk in. It's a waste of time worrying about what other ppl do. As its not a reflection of your own deeds or intents or the lives we live in the real world.

I feel very blessed. I'm doing a GAW right now in general. Giving away two knives an opinel and a delica or Byrd Cara Cara. All of them are great value knives.

Five days a week and even on weekends I carry a cheap $9 whittler by Rough Rider. I love it! But for Christmas I asked my lovely wife for a Sebenza and she granted me my wish. I have an Elmax blur sitting in my drawer and I don't know how many other knives sitting elsewhere some of which were given to me.

I say if you can help brighten someone's day do it! You'll feel better about this hobby as often times it gets borderline obsessive. So doing something kind like a GAW helps me in a small way keep things in perspective about how lucky I am.

Btw I saw on a thread someone just picked up a Zero Habu! Gorgeous blade! Some ppl are even luckier I see ROFLMAO. What a sweet knife that Habu! I know if I picked that up I would still carry the RR $9 whittler 5 days a week regardless. When you love knives you just love them. And the ppl on this forum are all very kind in sharing their love of knives.

In short I hope folks don't get offended by outing greedy folks but also I hope that it doesn't stop ppl from doing gaw's.

There was this dude in one pay it forward thread who was accepting all kinds of crap in the pif, yet he bullied some high school thread for trying to accept a knife when that kid hadn't given anything. The kid noted that the only good folder he had was a made in China folder and that he only had one folder. I had accepted a GAW in that thread and ended up Contacting the kid and sent him the Delica that I received. I have been keeping a delica in my collection ever since someone was kind enough to introduce me to that most awesome utilitarian tool.
 
SharpJax said:
I thought I'd contribute a few words, being brand new to the forums here, and having actually been one of those who posted a fast reply in the GAW thread in question. I can't help but have a knee-jerk defensive response in this case as I know myself not to be a person of no substance, nor a person with only material concerns. I don't troll the forums for GAW posts - I actually contributed to only one other GAW post because I felt the need to share with the OP, and other contributors, my love of dogs (they were asking about pets), which I did at length. In this case I happened to see the thread and was taken by gesture given the recent surgery (been there multiple times and know what that's like), and had thought I would write a longer post, but was in some way distracted and or called away by real life, and just let it go at what I'd written fully intending to write more later. Didn't happen. I'm quite sure my motivations were not greed, and I'm sure that might hold true for others who posted in brief as well. Life sometimes gets in the way, and 10 second attention spans are difficult to stay on top of and try to wean one's self from, as is the attachment/detachment of social media and to all these people represented by only words on a screen, and not flesh and blood and all that goes with it. Nevertheless, yes, I agree, on face value, bad form and not exactly a communal gesture, in sharp contrast to the motivations behind many GAW's I suspect, which are a very communal generous gesture.

My wife and I donate things fairly regularly to those who might use them or want them more than we do. We give them away to our neighbors through Craig's List and on the street, or sometimes through various charities. On occasions we happen to meet face to face with some folks who are taking something we give away. Some say allot, while others have said next to nothing. It would not occur to me to lump all those who did not stop to thank us, or ask after our well being, or those who fill the Good Will shops or pick up things inexpensively that others give away, as being greedy... or anything really at all in particular. I just wouldn't presume to know them or their motivations at all. Like JR88FAN, I think, we're just happy to make someone else happy, and or help them out in some way. We're especially glad to see something going to good use and appreciation. Anyway, it's nice to see others being so generous in their community. Thought I'd offer up that perspective since it's from the other side of that coin, as it were.
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Thanks Sharp, I enjoyed your post. I think you get the meaning of 'giving' anything away, it's about giving, and not expecting something for it, that would be 'selling'.....

Life long dog lover as well, currently hiking as much as time allows with my very insane Bullboxer!

Good to have you on the forums.....
 
Thanks for the thoughtful responses. Both made me smile. My dad had an Old Timer that he'd sharpened down to a shadow. He taught me how to handle a knife. He was an artist and would carve sculptures from wood (he used specialized blades for that most of the time). I spent his last month of his life with him and have a photo I took of him still carving, preparing for a show we would put on after he was gone.

Yes, there is so much joy in giving, and life would be empty without dogs! Good to be here and feel lucky to have love, and such good fortune to have enjoyed life for so many years. The GAW are reminders there are good people around me. I try not to give the opposite side of that coin much precious energy.
 
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