Having to (gulp) sell knives to pay bills.

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We all go through it. Believe me.
But with my family counting on me. Selling my toys means nothing when times got hard the last two years. Eventually you will have the money to get new and better toys.
Happy new year.
 
I definitely agree about holding onto things with sentimental value. My sell items usually start with knives I really don't carry and/or use and go from there depending on how much I need to cover myself. Most production knives are fairly easy to acquire at a decent price, especially if you shop the exchange here.

I've had to do the same thing and will probably have to again. Same goes for others. Good luck to ya and wish you the best!
 
have you considered other items that you have that might help more than selling your knives? I'd bet if you take a look around the house you can find some things you no longer use, and just have stashed away. Old watches, cell phones, gimmicky appliances, etc. I think Ebay has a list somewhere of items to look for that actually sell. If it comes down to only having knives to sell, I think the one you will likely never use and would get you the most money, should be the first to go.
 
I feel your pain recon0317.

Over the past couple years my knife collecting and collection have had some serious fluctuations centered around a couple of big life events. It's always hard to let go of some nice knives but when all is said and done, they're just things.

An interesting theme I've found with my own collection is that I tend to put my less expensive knives through more hard use and subsequently become more attached to them. So for me it tends to be the pricey ones that hit the chopping block first, especially since it's more convenient and faster to sell one barely used high-end knife than a bunch of well used affordable ones.

In recent times I've thought about selling my entire collection except for a few users and pieces with sentimental value, just so I can get a leg up on my bills and pay off a chunk of debt. It seems logical, and would likely be a smart financial decision but knife collecting isn't exactly a logical hobby.
 
bikerdave47 said:
the guy ASK for "Opinions and Thoughts" that's what I gave him.....he calls me Names because of a Typo? come on Members!
Click to expand...

When I read your response, it caught me off guard, so I re-read the OP's opening statement as I knew I had missed something....the part where he asks or even vaguely infers anything even related to asking for $/etc. Nope, it's not there. The guy is just sharing what he's going thru having to sell knives that mean something to him. Look, I'm not going to make any assumptions about who you are, the "type" of person you must be, what you must have gone through in the past....because that's no different than you sharing your assumptive opinion about the OP....but I will say that calling him out on the MC thing was too far. He only mentioned his service to illustrate why the knife means so much to him....My Dad has done the same thing....he's still got his Kabar 40 years after his Marine Corps service, and it's not so that he can display it on the mantel and wait for people to ask about it so he can bring up his service & then hold his hand out, it's because the damn knife holds memories within it for him, period. I've got to say, I've seen some strange responses here on BF, but yours is way up there - congrats.
 
Sorry to hear you got to let some of your knives go, knives are replacable in better times ;)
Excuse Bikerdave, i guess he didn't stand in front of the line when the grey matter was handed out... jeeeeezzz

Wish you all the best ;)
 
@Bikerdave47

I have seen a lot of harsh posts on BFs lately and yours is the epitome of a useless, unwarranted attack. Just saying...

@OP, It hurts to sell toys and collectibles when the need arises but it is probably a smart thing to do. Hang in there.
 
Been there, done that. These times will pass too. After all, it is just a knife. Times get better, more knives get purchased. Gotta do watcha gotta do for the family.
 
Been there too. It always sucks to let go of any type of collection due to finances. I have always kept the sentimental stuff and sold the high dollar stuff. As a result my knife collection now consists of 95% rare or discontinued knives. I also try real hard not to buy those unless I know they are at least twice the value I pay for them. In this case the bay can be your friend. Unfortunately I have lots of spare time to research the bay.
 
I've sold off stuff in the past that was tough. Not to pay bills but to fund a trip or other things but it's no different. After all it's just a knife. You could always buy another some day.
 
It's never easy to part with loved ones (knives). I've had to do it a few times. These days I actually keep a couple high end knives around, that I may actually even like, but I don't carry them, just in case the need to sell comes up. I may take them out, on occasion, and dream about using them as an EDC, but I hold back, until I have another high end knife to take it's place. This has worked for me the past 10 years, or so, and I've finally accumulated a decent collection of $200+ knives that end up making it into EDC status.

Yes, I could turn around my collection and buy a decent used car, or pay off a couple credit cards, but where's the fun in that? :D Overall, I'm doing much better, as the years go by, and I'm thankful to have a good job that is VERY secure.

Sentimental knives do hold much more value than you could ever get from a sale. I could live off of Ramen, potatoes and rice for a long time, if needed. :D
 
I've been there for quite awhile myself. I'm not in a position where I need to sell my knives. But there are some I know I'll never use . . . mostly my fixed-blades. Like the OP, however, I have an emotional connection to quite a few of them. And selling toys is never easy.

I'm getting ready to retire and move out of state. The question is whether I want to take those knives with me or sell them and use the money to help pay for the move.

Decisions, decisions . . .

And yeah, bikerdave could have been a little kinder. :thumbdn:
 
I would sell the 800 dollar custom for sure, definitely keep the kabar and at least a good folder. And for the lack of respect from previous posters ,thanks for ur service!!
 
bikerdave47 said:
the guy ASK for "Opinions and Thoughts" that's what I gave him.....he calls me Names because of a Typo? come on Members!
Click to expand...

You come out guns blazing by calling him a 'disgrace to the Corp.' and now you're crying because he called you a 'jerkoff'? Grow a pair. You don't know anything about him, his situation or his service; you're way more in the wrong here with what you said.

Anyways, OP, to your point - while others said you can move the production stuff easier than the custom, just keep an eye on whether the production stuff is still made. Certain models can be really hard to get if they're no longer made. You also mentioned that you got your PM2 for $80 - don't price your stuff based on what you paid for it, price it on what's a fair market price. If you paid $80 and the current price is $200, you selling it at $150 is still a net benefit for both parties.

This stuff's never fun, but hopefully it goes easily. Best of luck
 
Been there brother. Still haven't recovered my collection from when times were tough for me and mine. I guess I just got used to not having a big collection anymore. I do miss a full stable though :(. Hoping for the best for you.
 
I liquidated a bunch of knives about a year and a half ago due to debt; I still regret about 80% of them leaving.

Not only did I take a loss (substantial in some cases) on the prices on many; some were hard to find and now I don't have enough extra cash to replace them...

The knives sold ended up making me about $2,000.00 but cost me over $500.00 to ship everything so it really wasn't worth it at all IMHO. Not to mention the time and effort spent managing sales threads with multiple knives and emails, PM's and posts to respond to and then having to box up stuff and get it to the post office once stuff sold.

Ultimately, I could have leveraged other options to dig me out of the hole I was in, both financially and mentally. Now, I will not be selling, or trading ANY of my knives unless it's stuff that I know I am not going to miss or use.

YMMV.

Good luck OP, we're in this together! ;):thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::rolleyes::D
 
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I've been there. Sold off quite a few higher end users to pay taxes. Sold a custom slip joint this winter. One of a kind. Only one in the world, pattern made just for me. Listed it because it had the best chance of selling and freeing up money for a house closing (sold in one day).

I'll regret that one.

I did not take any hidden agenda from the OP, bud did find some one to add to my ignore list from the trolling response.
 
Like others here, I also have had to sell knives to pay bills and stuff from time to time, but it never gets any easier...hang in there ;-)
 
Most of my knives are commodities that I may sell or trade on a whim, or when money is needed. There are a small few that I would not want to have to part with though. Don't sell the ones that are not replaceable unless absolutely necessary, you will most likely regret that. You can also go through other items that you may not use and won't miss, and sell those first. Good luck, I have been there too.
 
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