I'm pretty much done buying knives

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Am i missing something? I haven’t seen half price CRK’s, hinderers or striders? They seem to be commanding the same price or more than they were 10-15 years ago.

But i understand being done with something, maybe its time to take a break and do something else for a while… bladeforums will still be here and people gonna keep making/buying/selling knives!
 
JTR357 said:
BTW, I know I said 2002-2025, because that's when I started buying quality knives. I was interested in knives in my teens in the 80's & 90's but they were pretty much all crap; think BudK stuff.
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I was at Ft. Campbell when they opened a Calvary store, right outside the front gate! 😀

Even back then it was overpriced, most of the stuff I bought, was through the mail.

At least we had a place to fondle all the toys we wanted.
 
I have been downsizing quite a bit recently and also been taking quite a loss on each but its not unexpected given what I buy and how I buy. I have decently priced knives in the 400-600$ range but nothing crazy nothing custom and all get used.

No box, all have been sharpened and carried so yes, if one is looking to flip knives as some kind of investment than I am sure that market is dwindling. It is easier than ever to get a quality cutting tool that may even have some previously "fancy" features like super steel, Ti, bearings etc from a normal run of the mill factory produced knife shop and have it shipped to your door in under a week brand new.

There will always be a market for specialty blades and some of the more intricate work out there but that's niche.

I would say, if one is getting into the knife game to make real money, steer clear. Better off putting whatever you are going to spend on those knives into a portfolio with safe investments and watch it grow between 5-10% a year. If you do it for fun or to get a great pocket companion to complete tasks that is great and you'll get a lot of joy in that endeavor.
 
Hvactech said:
You’re buying the wrong ones apparently. My Les George knives have never sold at a loss.
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Hell yea bro, those that jumped on the LG bandwagon only 2 years ago have been very lucky. Currently my LG collection is worth considerably more than what I have invested. However, I don’t consider knives as an investment but rather that’s just luck. On the flip side though, even having a hobby that maintains 75-50% of its value is pretty damn good. They will never be worth nothing.
 
JTR357 said:
This is it. I KNOW I have been overpaying for a long time. When I buy a knife for $400 & I decide I don't like it that much, I'll put it up here & I can't even get half of that. So, what I'm saying is I'm done buying new knives. On the rare occasion when I do buy again, it will be used. I'm not giving up the hobby, just the way I do it. I feel like I've wasted so much money on things that only I feel are valuable.
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It didn’t take me long to figure out buying used on the secondary was the only way to go. Especially on the higher end knives. And considering so many used knives aren’t actually ever used at all means you can get a great knife at a discounted cost that will maintain its value on the secondary if you decide to sell later.

I have recently been buying customs from a maker I’ve become a big fan of. I honestly don’t know how well they will hold value but considering they’re made with my input on design etc, I feel less likely that I would ever sell them because I’m getting a knife exactly the way I want it.
 
Any one of the discontinued Chris Reeves One Piece line, if bought at MSRP (i one or two hundred USD) in the early 2000s could now be resold at something in the thousands.

Wish I bought a Loveless Drop Point Hunter in the 1970s . . . .
 
VorpelSword said:
Any one of the discontinued Chris Reeves One Piece line, if bought at MSRP (i one or two hundred USD) in the early 2000s could now be resold at something in the thousands.

Wish I bought a Loveless Drop Point Hunter in the 1970s . . . .
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Wish I would've picked up a CRK survival knife, back when they first hit the market.

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I see collecting knives as an investment… to my own happiness and mental health. It’s way cheaper than a therapist and you get to own the enjoyment forever. Sure, the financial value doesn’t increase much in comparison to holding something like stocks or gold, but you don’t get to play with those any time you want, bringing them to the woods, chopping down trees, making fires, slicing food… the list goes on and on. But yes, definitely having financial security through other investments and keep knives as health investment. Win-win!
 
mitchnola said:
Hell yea bro, those that jumped on the LG bandwagon only 2 years ago have been very lucky. Currently my LG collection is worth considerably more than what I have invested. However, I don’t consider knives as an investment but rather that’s just luck. On the flip side though, even having a hobby that maintains 75-50% of its value is pretty damn good. They will never be worth nothing.
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Yep, the only LGs that I've sold at a loss was on purpose to get more of his fantastic knives in folks hands that had never checked one out. Typically those were private transactions not advertised in the marketplace here.
 
I only buy knives that I like or that I am interested in...so I am not worried about re-sale what so ever. I fully intend on my collection going to my kids when I leave this world! (They can do with them what ever they see fit) But in the here and now, I do agree with some other posters that knife prices are crazy right now! I can barely justify paying top dollar for the knives I want let alone some of the prices for the "Grail" list contenders like Oz, Koening, McNees, CRK, etc...Maybe because they all seem like unexciting cookie cutter frame locks to me. I am more eager to drop some coin on knives with more exotic locking systems or even more robust, over built specs. Lately, I have very little interest in budget knives or anything that looks typical. My interests have moved to more "exciting" offerings and also to knife companies/makers that are closer to their customers! I love supporting companies like Knafs, Demko, Big Idea, T Kells and Spartan because they are visible, relatable and reachable! That means a lot more to me than a high priced knife from a ghost company.

Sorry to ramble on but I hope some of this makes a little sense, LOL!
 
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For the folks asking about CRKs & Striders. I tried to sell a small Sebenza 31 with micarta inlays & S35VN on here for $285 & nothing but "crickets". I'm kind of glad I pulled it because it grew on me later. Same with Strider. I tried to sell a 3V SNG with the Monkey Frag handles. I couldn't get $475 for it & I paid close to $600. I had a short sword from Busse, F18 I believe. Sold it here but lost $100. I never used it. I have never in my life made a profit or even came out even when selling a knife. Maybe I'm just a terrible salesman?? I know my pics could use improvement. 🤷🏼‍♂️
 
I'm going to keep supporting this forum regardless of my buying habits. I'm not a Gold member so I can sell. That was never the case. I've been a member here twice as long as any other forum I've been on. There's so much knowledge to be had here & most of the members & mods are cool too.
 
JTR357 said:
For the folks asking about CRKs & Striders. I tried to sell a small Sebenza 31 with micarta inlays & S35VN on here for $285 & nothing but "crickets". I'm kind of glad I pulled it because it grew on me later. Same with Strider. I tried to sell a 3V SNG with the Monkey Frag handles. I couldn't get $475 for it & I paid close to $600. I had a short sword from Busse, F18 I believe. Sold it here but lost $100. I never used it. I have never in my life made a profit or even came out even when selling a knife. Maybe I'm just a terrible salesman?? I know my pics could use improvement. 🤷🏼‍♂️
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Condition does matter, even with CRK. Did you have the box, docs and other goodies with it? Was it right when the shift to Magnacut happened and everyone thought S35VN was suddenly trash? (It's not.) Those factors matter too.
 
WedgeAntilles said:
Condition does matter, even with CRK. Did you have the box, docs and other goodies with it? Was it right when the shift to Magnacut happened and everyone thought S35VN was suddenly trash? (It's not.) Those factors matter too.
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Condition wasn't a factor. It looked brand new even though I was the second owner. I had all the original papers & packaging. Yes, I think it was the Magnacut/S35VN trash factor that had a lot to do with it. I will buy up all the S35VN CRKs for a fraction of the price, because it's a darn good steel.
 
JTR357 said:
Condition wasn't a factor. It looked brand new even though I was the second owner. I had all the original papers & packaging. Yes, I think it was the Magnacut/S35VN trash factor that had a lot to do with it. I will buy up all the S35VN CRKs for a fraction of the price, because it's a darn good steel.
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I have a lot of CRK S35VN. I love it.
 
Blues said:
Your mistake was looking at it as an investment. (Or, more accurately, a financial one.)
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Yep.

I buy knives because I like knives. :)
The prices have gotten really stupid for a bunch of brands, so I don't buy them (that will change if I find a sack of gold bars)...but there are still some surprisingly great knives out there at reasonable prices!
 
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