Knives on Ebay??

B

bass

Joined
Dec 13, 2000
Messages
32
What have been people's experiences buying knives on ebay. When the seller says NIB is that usually the case?
 
EBAY is a crock of Sh!t. If you buy from someone who does not live in your state (which is usually the case), then you have no legal recourse because of civil suit jurisdiction problems. I know this because I got burned by some paper corporation in Michigan. They are still operating, still scamming people, and still earning their ticket to hell. And if you think the law is going to do anything about it, hah!, think again. They are too busy writing speeding tickets.

Do yourself the favor and spend the little bit more to get the knife from a good supplier.

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Stay back! or I'll...OUCH...cut myself.
 
So far I have received what I expected on ebay. For NIB knives I often find I can get better deals at regular online merchants. Your best deals are when someone does a really bad job of describing his product and the customers can't find him. I got a Puma lockback knife with a D2 alloy blade for $32.00 because the vendor only described it by an obscure part number and left out key words like "knife" in his description.

Ebay's greatest value is for odd used objects with a relatively small number of interested customers. For example I got a great deal on a couple old razor hones last week. There are not a large number of people looking for razor hones so I got a great deal. It would be hard to fake razor hones to sell. Where would a crooked seller find pictures of razor hones? It can be done, but it wouldn't really be profitable. BTW, the world has run out of the classic Belgian razor hone stone and the old stuff is better than new.



[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 03-07-2001).]
 
I've got many wonderful items including knives from eBay sales. It's a collector's dream! You've got to watch prices since they can get out-of-control. Just the other day I saw a knife sold by a dealer for $14.50 plus S&H. If you go to the dealer's website following the link on the auction listing, you can buy the same production knife for $12.00.

I've seen dishonesty on eBay, yes. In one case, I found myself bidding against what I believe was the seller (very similar e-mail addresses). I let the knife go to the "other bidder". Later, the seller contacted me and said that his other sale had fallen through and he'd sell me the knife for the same price. I declined and counter offered 10% below my lowest bid. He declined. Several days later he e-mailed back offering to accept that. I declined.

Everyone else I've dealt with via eBay has been great. I ususally find that the item exceeds the discription since sellers usually tend to be modest and try to error on the conservative side.

I won an auction for some nice looking silver cuff links some time ago. I was surprised when the seller told me he was in Indonesia and asked me to send US cash. Well, it was only something like $30, so I figured I'd take a chance. I honestly expected to be ripped off. What arrived shortly was a wonderful pair of outstanding silver cufflinks made by this man's family. I receive compliments on them practically every time I wear them. I've since gone back to him and purchased several additional items of wonderful silver jewlery each time mailing US cash.

Normally, I pay by postal money order and ask the seller to ship via US Mail. This makes any funny business a federal matter and the Postal Inspectors can be very nasty, especially where postal money orders are concerned.

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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com


[This message has been edited by Gollnick (edited 03-07-2001).]
 
I've won 82 auctions on E-Bay, probably 80 of the items were very accurately described. Most of the items (knives and collectibles) were below market value. I've also seen a bunch of stuff offered for higher than, or get bid above, its market value. Not that it is a guarantee but check the sellers feedback record. Most folks are very vocal if they think a seller ripped 'em off. I always use a USPS money order and also save a copy of the e-mail's until it's a done deal.
Regards,
Clyde
 
As far as eBay goes, you used to be able to get some good things there before it got so wildly popular. It's become a business for lots of folks & a scam artist's wet dream. Caveat Emptor big time. They've stopped allowing autos & "evil" looking things like the Corby "Devil's Right Hand" copies & such. I've also encountered the Phanton Bidders a couple of times & wouldn't pi$$ on those sellers if they were on fire. ALWAYS use USPS Money Orders- that's just about the only protection you have.

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"Never give a sword to a man who can't dance" (Celtic Proverb)
AKTI# A000107
 
I got hosed once on ebay. It was for an ethernet card. I paid the guy $13 for it and never received the item. He wouldn't return my emails. I was pissed but called it a loss. I should have been more careful about looking at his feedback. That is the most important thing to look at, IMO, before bidding. That and how long they've been selling for. Good luck.

Steve
 
I've done pretty good on ebay, although I've only bought a handful of knives off there, I've gotten what I expected, and had good service.


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Chris
 
Every knife I have gotten from Ebay has been exactly as described. You need to do your homework and make sure that you cannot purchase the knife somewhere at a better price before you start bidding. Always check the seller's feedback rating. Go into the feedback site and read what other buyers have said about their purchases from that particular seller. Chances are if their transactions were bad yours will be too. I just picked up a NIB MOD LadyHawk for $99. This was my second purchase from the dealer. So far, so good!
Remember, don't fall so in love with a knife that you end up in a bidding war with another bidder. Many times you will end up paying more for the knife than it's worth. In the back of your mind you should have a set maximum bid that you are willing to pay. Don't let yourself go over that maximum bid. Also, wait until the last possible moment to bid on the knife. It seems that early bidding always increases the price of the knife. Especially, if several people want it.
 
I had a lot of luck selling on ebay and had rave reviews even though I was getting what I thought were pretty strong prices. I subsequently regret selling a few pieces, but have developed good buy/sell relationships with several people there and have never been completely ripped off on a buy.... occasionally disappointed, but not more often than from bf members, which is to say rarely.

I do know that ebay aggresively throws you off for selling real sized autos!
 
First off...I have never been to Ebay. I will not buy used goods unless I can handle them.

It is a personal preference, not a rule for others.

That being said, I have a friend at work...his wife buys 'dollar store' wrought iron plant hangers etc and regularly sells them for more than ten times their worth on Ebay. She has quit her regular job and spends the day on the computer. She posts great descs and pics (no attempt to deceive)...people know what they are getting.

Maybe some areas are 'iron defecient', I don't know, but it makes me very wary.

Steve-O
 
Same here - nothing but praise for eBay. Everything I've gotten has been as described. I still only use USPS money orders, though, just in case. I'm currently waiting on a plain edge MOD Trident I got for $135 through eBay. And the good thing is, the guy who was selling it lives a few towns away from me, so I can try to find him if I don't get it.
biggrin.gif
 
I've done very well. I've bought a dozen or so knives but lots of computer equipment.

It's the same old story as everyone else is telling. You have to know exactly what the item is worth, look at feedback, and you'll only do really well with specialized items.
 
I've bought about 25 knives on Ebay, the only bad incident, was my own fault. I will continue to buy on Ebay, as the prices are generally below dealer cost. Al
 
I have a few "secrets" for shopping on Ebay.

1) Consider the shipping price along with the cost of the product. If shipping seems high, bid lower.
2) Don't make the bidding personal. I post a price that I am willing pay and I do not bid above that price. Period. I don't care if it's only a nickel more, I won't pay it. I lose about 95% of my auctions this way, but when I get my price, It's practically a steal. Most recent example: I just picked up a Mike Franklin Hawg's Tooth folder (production model) for $20.00 with shipping. A little over a year ago I got a deal on a couple of Damascus Elishewitz knives. $300.00 each. The guy needed money and no-one else bid.
3) I search and mis-spell words on purpose. IE: "digital camara" instead of "digital camera." Bought a nice Kodak off a guy for $50.00 once. Boy was he mad.
smile.gif

4) Sniping. (Waiting until the last second to place a bid.) I hate it. I don't do it, but it seems to work for some. I have better things to do than sit there and wait.
 
I've had good experiences on ebay. It is important to know what you are buying, and not to assume anything. I always discuss my purchases in depth with the sellers before I bid. If they are friendly and responsive, I bid. If not, I don't.

Caveat Emptor!

Brandon
 
I've gotten quite a few deals on eBay. Like said before, the odd ones usually don't go as high.

I use the search option religiously to get ideas on the going prices, and to find the different and unusual pieces. I got two "keramik" pumas for $60 apiece and that was less than half of retail. Just sold one the other day for a major profit.

Dutch auctions are great, too. I found one dealer who will list in the title: "Knife, knives" along with whatever, and most people will assume it is only one knife. Got two Puma Pearl 4-stars for $19 each. Another great deal.

Watch out for "Custom" knives, though. Mostly they are $10 kits put together by amatuers. Unless it is a known maker, BEWARE.

Check the feedback, definitely.

Good Luck, and Happy Hunting,

Daniel D.
 
I've done pretty well both buying and selling. The key is to watch the feedback. And after the sale, make sure you leave feedback, and ask for feedback in return. It's like our own GB&U forum, but you can only leave one piece of feedback per sale, with no editing or deletions.
 
I have managed to buy two knives on E-Bay after trying for 3 months. One was a CASE mini-copperlock and one was a custom fixed blade drop point skinner. Both knives were as advertised and I got one for sure at $15 below the internet knife dealers posted price. I have bid on probably 20 FRN Spyderco knives and never won an auction. The brand is well known with the general public and the bids are way too high and many times the blade is serrated and I want a plain edge but I bid anyway. Twice I gave up and ordered a Goddard and a Dragonfly from DiscountKnives.com. I have also ordered knives from 1SKS. Also the reserve sometimes ruins a good buy and many times the first bid (by the seller?) is close to the prices at the internet knife stores. I keep trying though. I have had much better luck bidding on CASE knives and the handle materials are great! I like tactical knives but other companies could learn a thing or two from CASE.
 
Oops! Looking at another thread made me realize that I did not order the Spydercos from discountknives.com. In fact I ordered them from another internet store www.knifecenter.com. I have had very good service from this company. They have a nice feature that indicates on the screen whether the knife is in stock. I did have to cancel an order once because an item could not be shipped before christmas 2000. This was due to the manufacturer though. I usually go to this site to get an idea what a new knife sells for before going to E-Bay. If the E-Bay bid price gets too high I come back here and order the knife.
 
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