I am helping liquidate an estates knife collection

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I have been asked to help my late friend's widow liquidate both the firearms, and knife collection of my late friend. Most of the knives are Al Mar's with lots of pre-production knives. Almost all the knives are like new..many still in the box.

I have told her that the best way to find out what the market truly will pay for knives is by using on line auctions. However, I don't know which on line auction sites will end up with her netting the most for the collection. Fees, and commissions seem to vary wildly from site to site, and I'm certain that some sites get more viewing from "high end" bidders.

With that in mind, which on line knife auction sites would end up with her getting the best deal? I'm even open to ebay if that will get her the best deal. Please let me know which auction sites would work out best. My guess is that if there is a consistent recommendation from members here for auction site "x" rather than "y", or "Z", then she will use that one.

Thanks very much in advance. Not a task I look forward to, but I won't say no when my friend's widow asks for help.
 
My humble advice is to avoid the possibly frustrating and traumatic experience of auctioning each piece individually in the hopes of garnering a higher dollar amount, especially when emotions are fragile at a time of death. You may find a better alternative to auction sites by contacting estate buyers that specialize in guns and knives. Collectors Firearms, Houston TX is one of many such specialists. Visit www.collectorsfirearms.com for reference. I do not endorse them, but a quick search using keywords "estate buyer" and "firearms", "knives", turned them up as a possible solution to your challenge.
 
You can get a Gold membership and sell them here with NO fees.Do your research on ebay and list them here for slightly less and if they are good knives,they will sell.
 
I would endorse the idea of an estate buyer. A close friend if mine's husband died recently. He was a gun collector; she couldn't stand them. He had dozens, possibly hundreds of firearms and 5K rounds of ammo. Putting this on an auction site would have been an enormous amount of work, plus taken forever. Keep in mind, too, that you then have to go to the post office all those times, for each item.

Se contacted an estate agent knowledgeable in the field, he paid a fair price, came and collected everything.
 
Seals said:
You can get a Gold membership and sell them here with NO fees.Do your research on ebay and list them here for slightly less and if they are good knives,they will sell.
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:thumbup: This would be an excellent and relatively inexpensive way to sell them.
 
Arakiel said:
My humble advice is to avoid the possibly frustrating and traumatic experience of auctioning each piece individually in the hopes of garnering a higher dollar amount ...
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Me too. I recommend Bernard Levine (for the knives, not the guns). Even after his commission you'll end up with more than you would probably get auctioning them yourself.

knifeexpertcardmac004.jpg


He also has a forum here: Bernard Levine's Knife Collecting & Identification
 
I had been through the same thing, not guns and knives, but antiques and slot machines after my father died suddenly. We kept a few for nostalgia, but basically found a dealer and made a good deal to sell everything to help pay for the 10k funeral costs etc... just get rid of it and be done with it, as your peace of mind is worth more. GL and sorry for the loss
 
Se contacted an estate agent knowledgeable in the field, he paid a fair price, came and collected everything.
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Given that you don't even know how many guns there were, how can you possibly know that she was paid a fair price?

AFA the OP goes, I would suggest ebay or here for the knives, and gunbroker for the guns. If there are more than, say, a couple of dozen knives and/or guns, I would also suggest that you make a deal with her for 10% of the net in order to cover your time and effort. The packing and mailing is a major time consumer. Or, help her do it herself with your advice.

It also depends on her mental and financial circumstances, but a "group" sale to a dealer will not get her anymore than 75% of the value maximum and possibly much less. Auctions typically take at least 20 and usually 25 to 30% on smaller value consignments, often with listing photo fees, etc and then there is the often substantial lag time between initial contact and finally receiving the money.
 
Seals said:
You can get a Gold membership and sell them here with NO fees.Do your research on ebay and list them here for slightly less and if they are good knives,they will sell.
Click to expand...

That would be against the rules here. You are NOT suppose to sell some one else's knives. They are suppose to join up to sell them. :)
 
I've been through this a few times with relatives. I've never seen, or heard of an estate agent paying a "fair" price for collections.Gunstores same when buying in lots. They are probably paying less than .30 cents on the dollar of true values. Some times less. That's been my experience anyway. A desirable piece may get a better price but a slow mover or niche item they'll just about want you to give them like they are doing you a favor.

Good luck.
 
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