Need advise, how to sell a LOT of knives

NMGW

NMGW

Joined
Jan 3, 2017
Messages
7
Guys I am new to the forum and I need some advise on how to sell a lot of knives. My MIL sold knives at gun and knife shows in the southwest for 20 years. She finally gave it up at 84, but still has several hundred knives left over. Most of them are what I consider quality knives Buck, Case, Bear&Son, etc. If I sell them 2 or 3 at a time it will take me at least a year, and that might be my best option but thought I would ask you guys if inventorying all and offering the entire collection would be a valid option. I am just trying to recovery close to what she has in them, but that will likely be over $5K. Or should I sell them in groups? Buck, then Case etc. I know to sell on this forum I have to become a gold member and I have no problem with that but most of what I see being sold are singles or small lots. Let me know what you think and thanks in advance for the help.

NMGW
 
If you sold them as singles you'll make the most money but will take the most time. Breaking out by maker will make it go faster but will drop your profit since it will be rare that a buyer will want all of them and they'll want a little profit for themselves for having to sell the others off.

One lot on a big auction site will get them gone. However, not at street price of course.

So, it really comes down to your time and hassle if you want to max the profits.
 
You could upgrade your membership status to Gold or Platinum (Gold and higher will give you the ability/permission to sell knives here), introduce yourself to the community, and list your knives for sale in the "Exchange" section of Bladeforums.
 
selling them on the exchange is one way ebay is another. I do not recommend putting them in groups.even if it takes longer to sell, people might only want 1 or two out of the group you put them in, and it might take longer to sell. you just have to consider it a little side business until they are sold. ive been selling knives I bought for over 20 years and selling them 1 by 1 is the best way to go if you want to make the most.you can possibly sell like 3-4 of the same brand together, like 4 bucks, 3 spyderco,but individual is the best way.you also need to price them reasonably; if you ask for top dollar or at similar prices everyone else is offering, its going to take much longer to move them. you need to be patient and take good pictures, and list any defects/scratches marks, unless they are all new in boxes,or you might face problems with returns/refunds,too.
 
If they are new old stock, there are some dealers that might take some of them off your hands for resale in bulk quantities. Obviously, since they are going to then need to sell them for a profit, you won't get top dollar.

Selling them individually will net you the most money, and be the most work and hassle. You'd have to photograph each one, describe it, and try to pick a good price. The Exchange forum here is a great place but it's not an auction so if you set the price wrong you don't get great results. If you overprice an item, it doesn't sell. If you underprice it, it will sell fast and you leave some money on the table. The only fees you are out are shipping and Paypal, plus the gold membership one-time fee.

Ebay might get you better prices on individual knives because of the bidding system and wider audience, but you have higher fees and more risk of a hassle from buyers. You still have the issues of having to photo, list, and manage each auction plus all of the shipping and feedback. Lot of work if you're not already into it.
 
If you're thinking about selling that many knives here, I would check with a moderator first to see if you might need the "Dealer" membership.
 
I had about 40 knives between 30-100 bucks, when I started my collection I just bought EVERYTHING, now that I have found what I like, I took the 40 cheap knives plus 3-4 150$ and went to a small outdoor store, sold them as a batch, try small outdoor knife stores
 
Thanks all for the advise, I think what I will do is upgrade to gold and sell them here in groups based on manufacture and type. So I will put up for sell all the Case Stockmans at one time, then all the Peanuts etc., that way folks can select the color they want. Then the ones that don't sell in a week I will eBay them. I thought about eBaying everything and I have sold a lot on eBay but some buyers on eBay just want to cause trouble, or get something for nothing.

I did note the tip about checking with the mods if I need to become a dealer, so if any mods are listening please respond else I will send a message.

Thanks to all who responded... look forward to selling here.
 
It may be worth trying to find a gun-and-knife show in you local commuting area. Tables can run up to $100, or more. I really don't know the going rate these days, but it should be reasonable. If you find yourself selling at a show, you may be able to find a dealer there who would be willing to give you a cut-rate buy-out bargain. May not make the most money, but would sure save a lot of hassle.

Or you may find you like the idea of hanging out with a bunch of like-minded individuals at a show, and keep the business going. :D

Same thing could happen here. Hang around a while, and find out what the modern quality companies have available. Once you sell enough knives to fund new purchases, you may get to the point of enjoying our hobby, yourself. :)
 
Welcome.
I hate to be "that guy", and I in no way mean to disparage your MIL; but, these days, many knives found at such shows are cheap knockoffs. I don't know if it is as widespread with traditionals, as it is modern folders; but it could be a point of concern (for you, as the current seller, as well as potential buyers).

As others have stated, the best choice depends on whether your main goal is getting the best price, or getting them gone ASAP.
Best of luck with your decision, and your eventual sales effort.
 
theobetts said:
I would be looking at something local, gun show or even a flea market.
Click to expand...

This would definitely be a good idea if you're going to be selling that many knives. A local gun show or knife expo would be the best place because you can lay it all out and see what sells. Then if you have anything remaining, come upgrade to Gold membership and sell the remainder of your collection on the Exchange here.

Otherwise, upgrade to gold and sell a few at a time. Selling singles will get the most money but will be time consuming. If you sell in groups, try to keep them somewhat small because huge sales threads can just get ridiculous/overwhelming. Good luck.
 
Inherited a large collection about a year ago. Cherry picked what I wanted to keep in my personal collection then sold everything else off on the Bay. The auction approach helped boost my profit but I did have to deal with a few @55HOLE buyers. Netted about $4K and took me about a month.
 
I would suggest picking 10 or so, photograph and catalog them, search the net to find what reasonable prices should be, get a gold membership, and list them here on the exchange. This will give you a feel for how much work it is to field questions, deal with purchases and payments, package for shipment and carry them to the post office. Then think about how much work it would be for 200 knives and if you want to tackle that project. Believe me it is a pretty good chore to list 5 or 10 for sale and carry through with it. But you can probably make nearly twice as much money that way.
 
Gold membership and just start listing them. Do large group shots and post them and let people come to you. Pluck out the expensive ones and sell them separately.
 
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