Knowing something about knives that come back around

[jujigatame]

Among the several forums where knives get bought, sold and traded it's not uncommon to see a knife you used to own come back up on the market, and it may have already passed through the hands of a few folks between then and now as well.

My question is this: if you see a knife advertised as being NIB/mint condition and you know it's not, does it bother you? If so, would you contact the seller to mention it?

I know part of this comes down to variations in how people grade the condition of a knife. To a certain degree there are reasonable differences I would just put down to that variation and think no more of it, but there are also cases where I see knives called NIB that most certainly are not, and I know because I used to own them. That bugs me because I think folks should be getting an accurate representation of what they're buying/trading for. On the other hand, it's not my knife any more so what place do I have in the equation?

Thoughts?

 

[rifon2]

When I sell a knife as NIB, it's NIB.
And if I buy one advertised as such, it's what I expect.
"NIB" for me can include taking it out of the box for pictures, but that's it.

 

[T.K.C.]

I believe in being completely honest. Yes, it would bother me greatly to see a knife that I KNOW is not NIB, being advertised as such!! That is just wrong and dishonest. I have contacted people regarding things like this, and I got reamed for it!!

 

[SIFU1A]

i suppose one could send a custom back for refurbishment and sell as LNIB, i wouldnt do that though, the key word in the phrase "like new in box" is "new" imho, and if its been refurbished its not "new" though probably as good as new.

that said most folks are gonna be able to tell if its LNIB and if its not then problems occur.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Mint is supposed to mean that no one has touched it since it left the maker or manufacturer. I have a friend who thinks mint means it still works.

If it was a friend of mine getting shafted, I'd want to let him know, but remember to be very careful about interfering in a sale. You may be sure you know what knife it is, but what if it's another one of the same model that the man bought mint and kept mint, that he's selling for the money and because he's still got your old user that works fine for him. Lots of guys get more than one, one for the pocket and one for the shelf, of anything they like.

Caveat emptor, let the buyer beware. If you're tempted to suggest the knife may not be as advertised, please do not do so by posting in the sale thread. That is an infraction offense.

 

[jujigatame]

I'm only talking about a few cases so far where I know the knife is same one, and that's based on the knife having a serial number or other identifying number that I recognize. Otherwise, when it comes to production knives, I agree it could be tough to know.