Is Amazon a good place to get knives?

D

DCutty

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I don't see much discussion about buying on Amazon. They seem to have good prices bit is it trustworthy ect?
 
Amazon isn't an official dealer here on BF, and also Amazon isn't necessarily one seller. There are things fulfilled by amazon, and then listings by other people through Amazon, and...

That said, I've had good luck buying through Amazon. Every once in a while, their prices beat eBay and knife-specific retailers - but they rarely beat the exchange. I typically just wait for what I'm looking for to pop up on the exchange or the 'bay at a good price, as a little bit of patience means the difference between paying 70% of MSRP and paying 40% of MSRP. When you work retail for less than ten bucks an hour and have an appetite for $150+ knives, patience is your friend.
 
I got a Chinese knockoff of a ZT0600 once and a junkyard dog with a smashed box. Ordered a Zing and they sent me something else. But they have an excellent return policy. If you see the seller has a Chinese name don't buy it.
 
I've always had good luck with my purchases. The very very few problems I've had, were corrected completely and quickly.
 
Well, to be honest it really depends which seller is actually selling the knife... If it's from amazon themselves then it really depends on where they acquired the knives from. Though I would advise against buying any of them off of amazon unless you have money to blow as you could get the same knife right here on the forums for a lot less.... Now if it is a cheapo $20 or $30 knife then who cares?...At that price the fake isn't gana be much worse ;) ....

If your intending to buy a "real" knife.. $300+ then you may want to consider possibly getting it elsewhere then amazon.... I could be wrong but now I believe amazon also charges you tax due to a new law they passed.. though I could be wrong... But if I am right then I wouldn't see the appeal to pay more for the knife then you would on here and add tax to that....?

If you want the knife to be brand new take a look at blade-hq.... they have pretty reasonable prices, and are a very legit place to do business with.... Goodluck!
 
I buy off of Amazon all the time, and from several different sellers. I've never had a problem and have always been very pleased. I would say buy with confidence, but I would check the feedback for the certain sellers if it's not coming directly from Amazon.

The most recent knife I got off of Amazon came from their seller Knife country USA and I couldn't be more happy. A wonderful knife at a wonderful price.
 
I've bought probably close to ten knives on Amazon and I've never been dissapointed with any of them.
 
Sounds like a good way to go, for the most part. Their spydies are about half it looks like and it's real tempting to do
 
We have lots of threads on this topic already:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ld-I-buy-a-knife-from-Amazon?highlight=Amazon
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...on-how-do-i-tell-if-its-real?highlight=Amazon
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1060302-para-2-and-amazon?highlight=Amazon


There are a lot of good knife specialty stores available. Some folks that are penny pinchers by nature looove Amazon. Personally, I'd rather go with a store that specifically sells knives, than give my money to a big box store.
 
There are a lot of good knife specialty stores available. Some folks that are penny pinchers by nature looove Amazon.
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And Lord knows saving money isn't in the way to live anymore.

On the other hand, MANY of the sellers on BF have a presence there on Amazon and use that as a giant venue to sell their wares rather than to be relegated to a closet boutique store. Since Amazon created the Amazon "partners" concept many years ago, you can buy from a reputable dealer and they will in turn ensure that nothing goes wrong.

I purchased a knife from a registered, respected, well loved BF dealer a few years back and got a knife that had the blade so badly off centered that it rubbed hard and scratched (not scuffed, not blemished, SCRATCHED) the blade. It also had difficulty on the opening as the last 25 degrees or so to get it fully opened felt like the knife was not going to open.

I contacted the seller, and he emailed me back in a couple of days. He was very cagey about things and told me he wasn't likely to take the knife back and that I should just take it up with the manufacturer. He actually required me to take a picture before he would think about it (to show the scratches and the open gaps on the back) doing anything. He was sad to report that the manufacturer had screwed both of us, and that I needed to get that knife to the manufacturer as soon as I could to get the matter resolved.

Mentioning BF did nothing even though he is a vendor here. However, mentioning American Express did. They contacted him after I sent them pictures of the knife, and they went back and forth a bit, and then with the threat of them simply wiring my money back to me with or without his permission, he very graciously decided to take the knife back. So much for Mom and Pop, the specialist knife store that caters to knife guys.

Something similar happened with Amazon when I bought some flashlights, and it was an Amazon approved "partner" I purchased from. I sent the seller an email informing them that one of the four flashlights didn't work. I heard nothing after a couple of attempts and a few days. I contacted Amazon and had an email in my box with a reply form in about 5 hours. I filed the Amazon, heard from the seller quickly, and he refunded the money for one flashlight. Without Amazon, no telling where that would have wound up.

I bought a Robert Klaas stockman knife on ebay that was used, and supposed to be German in origin. I got the knife, and it wasn't marked. I remember seeing it in an older AG Russell catalogue, and dug it out. AGR said it was made in China. Called AGR, talked to a service rep and the indeed confirmed that they had a batch that had no stampings on the blades except the Klaas logo and a model #.

I contacted seller and told them I hoped it was an honest mistake, BUT I also felt that since they had stated specifically that it was German made, it could be considered fraud, and they could be banned from Ebay. I sent the same email to Ebay. I had my money back in 24 hours from sending the emails out.

I like the 800 pound gorilla on my side, whether it is AMEX or Amazon or the 'bay. I don't have the time or patience folks here to do grind on for days and days to resolve an issue, or wait weeks for a manufacturer to repair a knife. With the quality of knives so spotty these days (in many cases my favorite domestic brands) I like to know I can buy with confidence. If the most I have to put in the hat to return a defective product is one way shipping, I am fine.

Robert
 
RevDevil said:
We have lots of threads on this topic already:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ld-I-buy-a-knife-from-Amazon?highlight=Amazon
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...on-how-do-i-tell-if-its-real?highlight=Amazon
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1060302-para-2-and-amazon?highlight=Amazon


There are a lot of good knife specialty stores available. Some folks that are penny pinchers by nature looove Amazon. Personally, I'd rather go with a store that specifically sells knives, than give my money to a big box store.
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Thanks for helpin out a nube. Pershiate it!
 
Given the quantity, and diversity, of dealers and makers that are members here why not play it safe and use them? Number of times that I have been ripped off? Zero! Number of bad shopping experiences? Zero!
 
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Robert,

I'm glad that works for you. Seems to me that you have a no-nonsense method and it's worked out. The problems people have here are mostly of their own doing. For example, sending Paypal Gift payment to a complete stranger with no real presence here. Or paying a custom maker in full or a partial deposit, then they come complaining after it is far too late and expect us (the community) to jump and stomp out feet along with them. Somewhere along the line accountability and personal responsibility have to be given their proper space within ourselves when we make purchases.

Now, other folks that may not be as season as you are in buying items, may feel that they want to support a mom and pop knife store, rather than the online Wal-Mart, selling everything under the sun, ever invented, beating and slashing prices like a wildman. They may feel a deeper nostalgic feeling of wanting to help smaller shops stay in business. Who knows. I've literally bought hundrs and hundrs of items from Amazon, usually for clients in my field of work. I've had some problems with some transactions, and it hasn't all been smooth sailing with them.

In short, to each their own. Amazon doesn't know anymore about knives than they do about car batteries. They only thing they know is that they sell them both, period. I would rather my money go to the smaller shops, to people that will inspect a knife before sending one out to me, or that make an effort to possibly reserve one for me with no money down, or get me a special serial number I might be after. Can't get that from Amazon, but you can get most everything else. The 1/2 ton gorilla is nice, but then again, being practical is all a gorilla anyone really needs.

Also, one question for you. Is that bad dealer you experienced still a member on here? I would guess no.
 
Dragon_Man said:
Given the quantity, and diversity, of dealers and makers that are members here why not play it safe and use them?
Click to expand...

Today I was looking for a certain Cold Steel knife with a 5.5" tanto blade. A BF dealer has it at $109.95 shipped. Amazon is $100.29 shipped. Now, what has this BF dealer done for me that make me want to give him an extra $10 bill (more or less)? Do I reward him for charging me more? Mr. RevDevil thinks that makes me a penny pincher, but if a $10 bill means nothing to some of you guys then just send me a few of them. That $10 bill pushes my Suburban 45 miles down the road.

In this case, it turns out that an auction site had this knife at $90.40 shipped, so that's where I bought it. Its a dealer with 307,000 sales (more than all BF dealers combined) and 99.7% positive feedback. Should I have given that extra $20 to the BF dealer just to be a swell guy? How about if he lowers his prices so he can be the swell guy? When a BF dealer does me the favor of having the lowest price, I do them the favor of buying from them. That's about as fair as it gets.

As for Amazon, I have bought zillions of knives from them without a single issue. When I received a Buck Vantage with a predictable badly off center blade that rubbed the liner (thanks Buck), Amazon shipped me a new Vantage before I even got the old one back in the mail to them (at their expense). I get "free" 2 day shipping with my Prime account, and so on.

I give Amazon, eBay vendors (with zillions of sales and excellent feedback) and BF dealers all high marks. A+'s across the board. But my money goes to the one with the best price.
 
They dont have a great selection, but if I see something I like, I buy it without any hesitation.

they have excellent service and delivery.

even non knife related things, my GF bought jewelry and wanted to return it, they said 'keep it' and still returned money. I'm sure thats rare but it happened.
 
RevDevil said:
Robert,

I'm glad that works for you. Seems to me that you have a no-nonsense method and it's worked out. The problems people have here are mostly of their own doing. For example, sending Paypal Gift payment to a complete stranger with no real presence here. Or paying a custom maker in full or a partial deposit, then they come complaining after it is far too late and expect us (the community) to jump and stomp out feet along with them. Somewhere along the line accountability and personal responsibility have to be given their proper space within ourselves when we make purchases.
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Well, there are two sides to a transaction, and I am careful and attentive to hold up my end. I have been self employed for about 30 years now, and taking care of business means a lot to me. BOTH sides have to fulfill their part of the contract or transaction.

Besides, I would never think to ask anyone to do my conflict resolution. You screw me, I will find a way to reciprocate. I wouldn't in my wildest dreams think of coming here to complain enough to have a rep from BF contact a problem vendor. I think it is great that folks take the time to do that, but I am so used to fighting my own battles I would rather turn things over to an entity that can get the immediate attention and inflict immediate consequences if there is unfair treatment by a vendor.

RevDevil said:
Now, other folks that may not be as season as you are in buying items, may feel that they want to support a mom and pop knife store, rather than the online Wal-Mart, selling everything under the sun, ever invented, beating and slashing prices like a wildman. They may feel a deeper nostalgic feeling of wanting to help smaller shops stay in business. Who knows. I've literally bought hundrs and hundrs of items from Amazon, usually for clients in my field of work. I've had some problems with some transactions, and it hasn't all been smooth sailing with them.
Click to expand...

No one is perfect, that is for sure. But again, if you are yearning to order from an old fella in his overalls that hand buffs every knife that goes out the door with his worn kerchief and only sells the best that he receives from a distributor, you can still do that by using an Amazon partner. Some use the same names they use here, some use others. But you can still find the small shop if you look. One of the problems I have with the small shop though, is the fact that they often are significantly higher than a larger store. My local knife store sells every knife at MSRP, and higher if the knife is discontinued or deemed "rare" or "hard to find". And with the price being 30 to 40% higher than the 'net, you get a lot of attitude from the knife guys as they consider themselves more "weapons guys" than knife folks.

I buy a lot as well for my business, general construction contracting. I have no heartburn about buying from Amazon or anyone else that has the best prices on saw blades, saws, extension cords, nail guns, etc. ALL of the local suppliers are owned by national companies or investment groups from other cities, so buying locally does little. In some cases I am forced to buy through the internet because local lumberyards and supply houses simply don't carry parts or tools I need. They are loaded to the gills with Chinese stuff, but the good stuff that is job site quality is hard to find.

RevDevil said:
In short, to each their own. Amazon doesn't know anymore about knives than they do about car batteries. They only thing they know is that they sell them both, period. I would rather my money go to the smaller shops, to people that will inspect a knife before sending one out to me, or that make an effort to possibly reserve one for me with no money down, or get me a special serial number I might be after. Can't get that from Amazon, but you can get most everything else. The 1/2 ton gorilla is nice, but then again, being practical is all a gorilla anyone really needs.
Click to expand...

All of my knives are users. I want a well made knife and have a reasonable expectation of quality. Quality, not perfection. But the last time I bought a nice stockman from my favorite vendor here on BF (after buying about 10 knives from him previously) I had a problem. I called him and got a lecture about knives and the knife business (my first pocket knife was in my pocket in 1960) and what a proper knife should be. We talked a bit, and he agreed the knife was flawed, but told me that I would probably just get another knife from him that was flawed in some other way as he didn't have the time to cherry pick the lower end knives. This was a $75 knife so I guess when you are selling $500 knives, these are the economy line. Had that been Amazon, etc., they would have insisted he take it back. As it is, it is slightly dangerous to carry so it sits in the drawer unused as it has for a couple of years. And this is a knife from a respected vendor here that is small enough to run his business out of his garage.

RevDevil said:
Also, one question for you. Is that bad dealer you experienced still a member on here? I would guess no.
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He is not. Still in business, but not around these parts. I have bought several knives from vendors on the BF list, and all but two guys I referenced (one in the earlier post and the one in this one) have been great. I willingly paid them a bit more than the big box stores because I felt like I got more bang from my buck. I never mind paying for added value.

Robert
 
I am new to the forum and haven't purchased a membership yet so I am new to the sales aspect of the forum but, to support the great folks here and the admin for facilitating a safe buying experience. I will consider the advice and thank you to everyone who chimed in! Love being here!
 
Well, maybe I am not lucky, I tried to buy a CRKT M16-13SFG from an amazon seller, it was never arrived. The seller was ABCD Sales. They were selling it cheaper than other sellers (including Amazon.com), so I decided to make it a try. Nope, never arrived. Well though, this won't affect me to buy from amazon again, just from that seller. If you see a seller called ABCD Sales, NEVER BUY IT FROM THEM!
 
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