How can someone buy a GEC these days?

Fred Sanford

Fred Sanford

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I just want to be able to buy one from an online knife dealer like I used to. Do I understand correctly, that what keeps happening is that a few folks buy everything up and then resell for a higher price?

Until recently I had no idea of the supply/demand issue currently going on with GEC knives.

Is there anything that the average person can do to get one? Can I buy right from GEC?

Any idea why GEC and/or the dealers don't limit purchase amounts?

Please forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere already. The search engine has been sucking lately here.

Thanks much,
David
 
Fred Sanford said:
I just want to be able to buy one from an online knife dealer like I used to.

Is there anything that the average person can do to get one? Can I buy right from GEC?



Thanks much,
David
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Nope, there are none in stock anywhere, they sell out in seconds...

Best shot is to actually go to the factory store and see what they have on hand, other than that, if you are not a computer ninja able to get one on a drop, the secondary market is the only way. These things are sold on pre-order wait lists and "special customer" status in some instances. It's a rigged game of limited supply and high demand.
 
afishhunter said:
Makes me wonder how the flippers get (several) of them to put up on the big auction site the same day as the release. 🤔

EDIT:
B BrotherJim posted just before I did. I suspected some dealers may be doing that, maybe even GEC itself.
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I highly doubt that GEC would partake of such a practice. Every indication I see of the company is of the utmost honest intentions. The fact that they became a phenomenon is out of their control, and also is the market frenzy that ensued. The whole thing is like the Beany Baby frenzy that occurred a few decades ago. Just wait till gas hits ten bucks a gallon and things may be way different regarding these trinkets...
 
Fred Sanford said:
I just want to be able to buy one from an online knife dealer like I used to. Do I understand correctly, that what keeps happening is that a few folks buy everything up and then resell for a higher price?

Until recently I had no idea of the supply/demand issue currently going on with GEC knives.

Is there anything that the average person can do to get one? Can I buy right from GEC?

Any idea why GEC and/or the dealers don't limit purchase amounts?

Please forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere already. The search engine has been sucking lately here.

Thanks much,
David
Click to expand...
Almost every time I’ve scored one over the last year or so has been luck, checking my email at the right time or a drop. The drops are brutal though.
 
This sucks. Thanks for the replies.

So basically if you’re not rich, or have a ton of time on your hands, you’re screwed. SMH.

GEC could stop this but they choose not to. I’d bet they are plenty aware. Oh well. I just will not buy them anymore.

Also, WTF? Why was this moved to feedback? It has nothing to do with feedback. Whatever.
 
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Fred Sanford said:
GEC could stop this but they choose not to. I’d bet they are plenty aware.
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They’re plenty aware that their knives have exploded in popularity. How do you want a somewhat still new company meet an explosion in demand?

Ramp up production? How, they’re limited by their factory size.

Get new machines that can run parts faster? That ruins the whole point that they still build their knives on old traditional machines.

Get more workers and run 24/7/365? Everyone is struggling to find workers, much less competent to run cutlery manufacturing equipment.

They could have limited the amount of the dealers in their network to better control the flow and distribution but you’d still have a huge increase in the amount of people buying. There really isn’t much of an answer but everyone wanting GEC to expand and do all these other shenanigans isn’t it I don’t think.

Quality will suffer.
 
You can maybe get one from the secondary market at a very inflated price. Dealers can’t be trusted to do the right thing.

I know for a fact that some dealers are responsible for the mess. I wont name them but they know who they are. About 2 years ago I had signed up for two different knives from two different dealers I had previously done business with. As soon as the drop hit with 6-7 knives, I put one each in cart and they were gone by the time I could check out. Then five minutes later they were on the bay for an inflated price through those same dealers. I wont be doing any more business with either one of the dealers who are very prominent and were on this forum at that time. I don’t even look at there web site or forum page. They are history for me !
 
GEC are great knives in high demand. I don't sign up for drops or buy them on the secondary market anymore. Maybe you should become an authorized GEC dealer. LOL
 
Fred Sanford said:
I just want to be able to buy one from an online knife dealer like I used to. Do I understand correctly, that what keeps happening is that a few folks buy everything up and then resell for a higher price?

Until recently I had no idea of the supply/demand issue currently going on with GEC knives.

Is there anything that the average person can do to get one? Can I buy right from GEC?

Any idea why GEC and/or the dealers don't limit purchase amounts?

Please forgive me if this has been discussed elsewhere already. The search engine has been sucking lately here.

Thanks much,
David
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Another option, you can trade one of your older GEC knives, for a newer release knife you want.
 
Still fairly new to American traditionals, have a few GEC that I bought on the Exchange.

Now, what I learned in the last few months is that there are other classic traditionals with at least comparable F&F, in similar patterns, and more reasonable used prices. Love my Schatt & Morgan File&Wire knives, for instance.

Having to work with flippers takes all the fun out of this hobby. One of the reasons I stopped buying Hinderers. Just change to different brands, I recommend.
 
Fred Sanford said:
Also, WTF? Why was this moved to feedback? It has nothing to do with feedback. Whatever.
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Oh, I don't know. Seems appropriately right next to all the other threads complaining about the collect----ability, or lack there of, with GEC.
Jsega51 said:
They’re plenty aware that their knives have exploded in popularity. How do you want a somewhat still new company meet an explosion in demand?

Ramp up production? How, they’re limited by their factory size.

Get new machines that can run parts faster? That ruins the whole point that they still build their knives on old traditional machines.

Get more workers and run 24/7/365? Everyone is struggling to find workers, much less competent to run cutlery manufacturing equipment.

They could have limited the amount of the dealers in their network to better control the flow and distribution but you’d still have a huge increase in the amount of people buying. There really isn’t much of an answer but everyone wanting GEC to expand and do all these other shenanigans isn’t it I don’t think.

Quality will suffer.
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Perfectly summed up. Darn popularity ruins everything.
 
craytab said:
Oh, I don't know. Seems appropriately right next to all the other threads complaining about the collect----ability, or lack there of, with GEC.

Perfectly summed up. Darn popularity ruins everything.
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Queen/Schatt&Morgan/Daniels owned era closing didn’t help either. It left a hole for those collectors to turn to GEC’s. Everyone already knows Case quality since they’re so easy to get and better made knives clearly caught eyes of collectors and users.

Perfect storm of events for them to gain advantage. I’ve had so many that I cry in my beer when I think of how easily I let them go for others lol. I can’t keep up with following the drops so I just sit back and can sometimes get them on the exchange.

Fred Sanford Fred Sanford participating in the Trad. Forum helps also because you make friends and that’s a great avenue to get some you’re looking for. The guys with the fast fingers and big collections don’t always flip for profit, they’ll let them go for respectable prices. Be patient for now, I’m sure GEC will make a move when they know it’s a benefit to everyone. This isn’t a big Corporation, it’s a small town factory smaller that could fit inside a typical microbrewery. 🍺
 
GEC knives are nicely made and they have some great patterns but the prices they are going for now is outrageous considering they are only 1095 steel. Even if they were premium stainless the price would be high. There’s other knives that will cut just as good if not better for under 100 and less if you find a sale. And you can actually find them in stock regularly. That’s what I did and I’m happy as can be.

I guess if collectors want to pay that much for gec that’s their business but someday they might not want to spring for those prices. Then what’s gonna happen?
 
Dont forget the people who buy up knives just to hopefully force trades for other knives. Had to deal with that myself the other week from a facebook group. Unfortunately there are too many people who seem to care more about the monetary value of the knives than the knives themselves. Its very easy to pick apart who they are as I have accumulated a long list of flippers here and in the facebook groups. Sadly, it is what it is.
 
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