Dealers who put sold knives on their site

Some makers are so rare that there's no pricing information available. Some dealers are able to sell the item better than others due to their knowledge or their network. I started a thread on valuable vs. rare as my thoughts were taking me exactly along the same lines.

I think that if you bought a Steinau or (to keep that within our universe) a Fogg 5 years ago, it's very possible to have a chain of 3 or 4 sales within a couple months, with everyone making a very nice little bundle.
 
Kevin Jones said:
I like the way Daniel O'malley (Blade Gallery) has a maker's archive section on his site where you can view every knife he has sold.
I believe Great Lakes does this too.

A great reference tool, unfortunately thought they don't include the sales price.
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Yep,,Thats how I set up my site as well but with an extra twist. The only makers names that show up on the main page are the ones that have something available,,so the names come and go as I get new stuff in. Then I also maintain a gallery with previously sold.
 
I usually leave an entire run posted on the available knives page of my site, marking them as sold, until the next run is ready- then I move anything sold to the "Gallery" page. This is just because it requires me to spend less time rearranging things on my site, and gives me more time in the shop. I have to admit, maintaining my website isn't my favorite thing to do- but it is a must!
 
I wish you guys would make up your mind.

Take the sold knives off....No leave them on as a reference. Take them off...Leave them on.

I have "dummy" pages (these are there so I don't have to make up that makers page again). It appears that these can be found with certain search engines.

So going through search engines can be frustrating as you may be going in the "back door" to a site.

I leave many of my Vanguard knives on the site as occasionally I can get one back.

Others I leave up that are marked sold as I hope to get another some day.

WWG
 
I really like the way BladeGallery has included a previously sold knives section for each of the makers they represent. It gives me a chance to see hundreds of knives I wouldn't get to see otherwise.
 
I like seeing sold knives. Especially the high end and rare ones.
Sometimes you never get to see them. It gives me a chance to see what the maker is doing and always provides more education.

I like reading and seeing pics of sold knives in print and on the net and thank the dealers who go to the trouble and use their time to do so.

Saying this is a bad thing is about like saying I don't want to see knife books because the knives in the books have been sold.
 
Joss said:
I have noted that people tend to remove the sale price on the classifieds area on this forum. This is weird to me, unless specifically requested by the buyer.
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I could not agree more. The price is there for all to see, but once it's sold it becomes a state secret?? :mad:

On the issue of knives being posted for the first time as "SOLD". This bothers me not at all. I have worked with dealers to procure knives for me from particular makers - could be a knife they have on order with that maker or one they source elsewhere. There have also been occasions when I have heard from a maker that they are completing a knife for a particular dealer and then I contact the dealer to see if it is spoken for. In either case, the knife is going to be sold the moment the dealer gets it, but it make sense for them to post it because: a) it shows other prospective customers that they carry that maker's work and b) it promotes that maker's work. Besides, I am clearly not alone in liking to see as many pictures as possible of custom knives being produced.

Roger
 
Guys, think about it also from a makers perspective.

Makers sell knives to dealers at a discount because the dealers provide a valuable service to makers - promotion. If the dealer sells a knife without that knife ever seeing the light of day, then the maker doesn't get the exposure he should. How better to promote a maker than to have his work professionally photographed and displayed with a "sold" tag just beneath it?
 
I agree with wanting to see sold knives. I am learning more each day and it is really neat to see archieved knives that have been sold. It give me an idea on a makers menu so to speak.

What really gets me is when a dealer will post on his site that a certain maker will have a certain model arriving soon. When you see that makers name removed from the "soon to arrive" portion of the site you look for a picture and cannot find it. Okay so I missed getting a chance to purchase the knife before it even arrived, but at least I would like to see a photo. That rubs me wrong. Does not happen all the time, but does occasionally.
 
I like seeing "sold" knives on a dealer's website, even if the knife was never made available to the public, because it gives collectors a chance to see a maker's work, even if they don't have a chance to buy that particular piece. It is good advertising for the maker, and it can help give the collector more information about a certain maker and his work.
 
Another vote for leaving them posted with a "sold" tag.

The only time I find it annoying is when certain juicy knives stay up for months, and months and months, cluttering things up.

It really all depends on the way the dealer presents it. If the navigation makes sense, by the time you see "sold", it isn't so much of a surprise.

Some dealers that have very little stock or dealers that let a select group know in advance what they have end up with mostly "sold" signs. I don't traffic those sites much as it is frustrating.
 
I like to see "sold" items also with the price. I do not understand why the price is removed once the item is sold.

David
 
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