I have never traded a knife

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

I love that approach. You definitely represent the "trade" end of the sell-trade spectrum. The challenge is to know which knives to buy multiples of in order to make them available for future trades. Have you developed a strategy for deciding which knives to buy for future trade transactions? Do you favor certain brands or styles?

I don't buy multiples, but during my transactions I find certain aspects get covered by more than one knife. Therefore if I am getting heavy in, say VG10 knives, I may offer more of my Spyderco knives. Or a selection from partly serrated users if I am trying to trade into another user.

Like I said before my collection is about diversity and duplicates don't really follow with that, although exceptions have been made for good deals or the right knife. I just buy what I like- usually based on value and features, and over the past 15-20 years have accumulated many knives over a wide spectrum so I feel that I have a lot to offer in trade. Of course things like Balisongs and automatics are not legal here so I will have a large hole in my collection until I am elected and change the laws . I find that worrying about values and strategizing about what to purchase takes the fun out of it. Plus as a user I'm not concerned about condition as much as other traders- I want knives, not safe queens- so I don't hold mint condition in very high regard.

I guess my strategy is buy whatever the heck looks like I will use and is a good value, then try and give it up in trade if it has been a while without use or if I feel I can get a better knife for me out of it. Sometimes I've been known to trade down just to give a newbie a taste of a better knife. It's all about the fun of knives and knife collecting.

 

[elkins45]

There can occasionally be a cash upside to trading, if you have something someone else really wants. I had a used Busse Sarsquatch up for trade a few years ago and a fellow traded me a really nice rifle for it just because he wanted it so very badly. I didn't really need another right handed rifle so I took that gun and traded it straight up for a S&W 686 revolver (pre-lock) that would have sold for around $600.

If I had been selling that knife outright it would have lingered in the exchange a LLLOOONNNGGGG time before someone would have paid $600 for it!

 

[bld522]

I don't buy multiples, but during my transactions I find certain aspects get covered by more than one knife. Therefore if I am getting heavy in, say VG10 knives, I may offer more of my Spyderco knives. Or a selection from partly serrated users if I am trying to trade into another user.

Like I said before my collection is about diversity and duplicates don't really follow with that, although exceptions have been made for good deals or the right knife. I just buy what I like- usually based on value and features, and over the past 15-20 years have accumulated many knives over a wide spectrum so I feel that I have a lot to offer in trade. Of course things like Balisongs and automatics are not legal here so I will have a large hole in my collection until I am elected and change the laws . I find that worrying about values and strategizing about what to purchase takes the fun out of it. Plus as a user I'm not concerned about condition as much as other traders- I want knives, not safe queens- so I don't hold mint condition in very high regard.

I guess my strategy is buy whatever the heck looks like I will use and is a good value, then try and give it up in trade if it has been a while without use or if I feel I can get a better knife for me out of it. Sometimes I've been known to trade down just to give a newbie a taste of a better knife. It's all about the fun of knives and knife collecting.

I like your attitude. Thanks. :thumbup:

 

[rickc71]

I'll say I prefer trading because my collection is full of users. I don't buy or own knives to be desktop divas or sit on a shelf to be gazed at.I buy them to carry, use,and sometimes abuse.But never to sit and be admired from afar. Trading gets me higher end knives that have seen some use for lower end "prices". Pretty much the same reason I don't buy new cars,let someone else put a little wear on it and take the depreciation,while I sit back and wait for them to realize they need the next "latest and greatest" and I snatch up a good deal on something I never would have paid sticker price for. I've gotten nice customs and great high end folders by trading and have yet to be dissatisfied with my trades. I offer up what I am willing to part with and look for what I want.Sometimes things present themselves that I didn't even know I wanted until they were offered in trade. Example; I just got a beautiful custom bowie in trade for a katana I had offered up.That sword came from a buddy who is big into that kind of stuff as payment for work I did on his Triumph.It did nothing but decorate my office and collect dust. Now I have a gorgeous 20+ year old custom bowie which probably would have never crossed my path or come into my collection except the trader wanted the katana,opened his safe and the bowie was among the offerings.(I'm looking for help identifying the maker on the bowie,BTW) Not something I would have sought out if I had sold the sword and had cash in my pocket,and probably couldn't have found or afforded it with what I could have sold the sword for anyway.

In another trade for a Case O.S.S. stiletto,I got a very nice Luke Smith custom.That knife was a gift from 10 or 12 years ago.Nice blade,but completely impractical. I almost literally forgot I had until I found it during a move.After offering it for sale on CL for a few weeks I finally decided to put it up for trade or back in the safe. Two days after I put "will trade" on it,Luke calls me up(we live about 30 minutes apart) and offers me my pick of his inventory for the Case.Needless to say,he has a Case Stiletto and I have a Luke Smith custom that has barely come off my hip since the day I got it.

So trading opens up a whole new side to knife collecting that wouldn't be available to you otherwise.I've got blades I would never put up for sale just to have the cash in my pocket,but my collection is full of things that might go on the trading block if the right knife comes along to scratch my current "itch". There are a lot of knives out there not listed on any site for sale or sitting on a local shelf with a price tag,but the variety and quality of knives that get offered up for trade is truly amazing at times.Plus, if you trade right,your knife is probably going to be worth more in 10 years,can't say that about dollars these days.

 

[Bellasdaddy]

It's fun. And, money doesn't buy happiness!

 

[PitbullShogun]

Personally I don't like trading knives. I'd much rather buy or sell a knife straight up. I've traded a grand total of Twice and both times I was left with an overwhelming feeling of "meh". No one was at fault or anything, just wasn't anything to do cartwheels over for me anyway. I wrote a quick blog entry on trading, check it out if you are interested.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/entry.php/90-How-To-Trade-Knives-and-Gear-Successfully

when i first joined bladeforums this was my bible to trading. since then i have picked up a few tips and tricks to not getting screwed over. i highly recomend that anyone interested in trading for the first time reads this blog.

 

[Skimo]

I've made one knife trade with a man that I consider a good friend, setting the rules to the trade is the important part, and being friends, we had open and frequent communication, I ended up with an early model NIB 710 and he got my NIB 722BK. I think trading is a good thing, but around here rummaging through wtt threads I've only ever found one or two knives that I want, but the trader wants knives that I don't have, so in that area I have to agree that cash is king.

 

[RevDevil]

when i first joined bladeforums this was my bible to trading. since then i have picked up a few tips and tricks to not getting screwed over. i highly recomend that anyone interested in trading for the first time reads this blog.

Cool, glad it helped you out some. If you have any suggesqtions for changes, let me klnow and I'll edit them in.