Thank you to everyone that responds. I am new to collecting knives and I started my collecting with a Limited Edition # 282 of 300. Benchmade and I also purchased a ADAMAS 275 Sibert Benchnmark as well. I am really getting interested in buying all sorts of them. My question is, I don't know much about them, how they are valued, fair market value (I don't want to get ripped off) I just need resources to learn these things. Thank you.
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New to Knifes, need help.
- Thread starter speedy77
- Start date
Welcome. Read this...it should tell you just about all you need to know
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/904093-NEW-MEMBERS-Please-read-this-WHAT-IS-MY-KNIFE-WORTH
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/904093-NEW-MEMBERS-Please-read-this-WHAT-IS-MY-KNIFE-WORTH
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2015
- Messages
- 184
Sounds like you are of to a good start on a collection. I find it is good to be cautious especially when buying on this here interwebbythingy! But some times taking a chance is worth it.This thread could possibly be of help to you also.http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/117482-Immunize-yourself-against-fakes GOOD LUCK and hope to see some pics of your collection soon.
Ok, I get it. I am not suppose to ask about how to know the market values? I don't understand that.
No. You are not allowed, at your membership level, to ask what your knives' fair market value is.
justsomedude
Gold Member
- Joined
- May 23, 2011
- Messages
- 1,140
Checking old sales threads here (although many people remove prices from closed threads you can still build an understanding of value after a while of looking at new sales) and on auction and knife resale sites is a great way to determine values. You may ask for advice but you may not ask how much a specific piece is worth.
With most similar things on the internet being free it can at first seem odd that you must pay for a membership here in order to ask certain questions or post certain types of thread. But you will find that this forum is somewhat unique and that paid subscriptions can actually be quite valuable. Especially since you will probably start wanting to buy and sell here if you're really going to get into collecting.
Regarding knife collecting:
My advice is that if you're going to get into knife collecting for the sake of collecting, you should look into handmade, "custom" knives. Production knives are fine, don't get me wrong, and many people enjoy collecting certain brands/manufacturers, but handmade knives (handmade anything, really) is just a whole 'nother ball game. Many people start with production knives, then move to mid-techs like CRK, Hinderer, Strider, etc. and finally handmade, custom pieces. Having the foreknowledge of seeking to create a collection and how much you have to spend/invest puts you in the privileged position of being able to skip straight to the high end should you so choose. You'll also find that high end knives in general have great resale value so you can hone your tastes without losing too much.
If you're interested in production knives, decide what it is about the company you like first or else you'll find yourself with a bunch of knives you don't particularly care about and aren't attached to wondering what the point was. With Benchmade for instance, do you like the cool materials used in Gold class limited editions? Spyderco regularly collaborates with great designers and they do a lot of 'sprint runs' of their more popular models with cutting edge steels (pun intended). Great Eastern Cutlery revives classic brands and patterns with incredible variety and top notch F&F.
Finally, welcome to the forum! You'll find tons of great people and sub-communities, stunning works of art and craftsmanship, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll go broke. Cheers!
With most similar things on the internet being free it can at first seem odd that you must pay for a membership here in order to ask certain questions or post certain types of thread. But you will find that this forum is somewhat unique and that paid subscriptions can actually be quite valuable. Especially since you will probably start wanting to buy and sell here if you're really going to get into collecting.
Regarding knife collecting:
My advice is that if you're going to get into knife collecting for the sake of collecting, you should look into handmade, "custom" knives. Production knives are fine, don't get me wrong, and many people enjoy collecting certain brands/manufacturers, but handmade knives (handmade anything, really) is just a whole 'nother ball game. Many people start with production knives, then move to mid-techs like CRK, Hinderer, Strider, etc. and finally handmade, custom pieces. Having the foreknowledge of seeking to create a collection and how much you have to spend/invest puts you in the privileged position of being able to skip straight to the high end should you so choose. You'll also find that high end knives in general have great resale value so you can hone your tastes without losing too much.
If you're interested in production knives, decide what it is about the company you like first or else you'll find yourself with a bunch of knives you don't particularly care about and aren't attached to wondering what the point was. With Benchmade for instance, do you like the cool materials used in Gold class limited editions? Spyderco regularly collaborates with great designers and they do a lot of 'sprint runs' of their more popular models with cutting edge steels (pun intended). Great Eastern Cutlery revives classic brands and patterns with incredible variety and top notch F&F.
Finally, welcome to the forum! You'll find tons of great people and sub-communities, stunning works of art and craftsmanship, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll go broke. Cheers!
He is asking for a source, like a knife collectors price guide, not for a price on a knife he owns.
justsomedude
Gold Member
- Joined
- May 23, 2011
- Messages
- 1,140
If it helps you better understand why you aren't allowed to ask about value: Paid memberships are required to sell knives here. Since that means you're using the site for profit, and since the owners spend a lot of money to support the sales forums here I think it's pretty obvious why you must pay to sell. Asking for values is only a small step removed from selling, if it was allowed people would simply get valuations for free then go sell somewhere else.
You might just want to ask for valuations because you're considering buying the knife and don't know if the asking price is fair, but there's no way for us to determine whether you're really buying or selling so there's just no way to safely allow it.
Also, if you're buying something not that rare you can easily find out what it's worth with a quick web search. If you're buying something rare then it's worth is exactly what you're willing to pay for it!
You might just want to ask for valuations because you're considering buying the knife and don't know if the asking price is fair, but there's no way for us to determine whether you're really buying or selling so there's just no way to safely allow it.
Also, if you're buying something not that rare you can easily find out what it's worth with a quick web search. If you're buying something rare then it's worth is exactly what you're willing to pay for it!
Thank you for clearing that up. I don't want to make waves on my first posting. I was just asking for advice.
No. He asked for fair market value.
Its no biggie from a new member. No harm, no foul. :thumbup: Its just not allowed.
So if I started a post asking for good price guides, I'm in the clear?
Comeuppance
Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 4,765
I would strongly advise quite a bit of "lurking" around both this forum and the forum's "for sale by individual" exchange forum. The latter is where you will see a lot of knives changing hands and the kind of prices that sell quickly, slowly, or not at all. eBay is not a terrible resource either - simply search and go into the sorting options and select "sold items only" and you'll see the going prices for the item.
Searching this forum using "(knife name) sale" will give you a pretty good list of results, generally. Even a google search for the same will get you retail MSRP values and different forums' sales of that item.
Accurately placing a value on a knife is very difficult, as demand will change the value week-to-week. There was a time when a Spyderco Paramilitary 2 was very difficult to find, and would fetch prices upwards of $150. Now, they can be found quite regularly for $95-$100 just because supply is plentiful.
You'll also find that asking what something is worth is generally ill-received. That's the kind of thing you have to determine for yourself using the aforementioned resources.
Searching this forum using "(knife name) sale" will give you a pretty good list of results, generally. Even a google search for the same will get you retail MSRP values and different forums' sales of that item.
Accurately placing a value on a knife is very difficult, as demand will change the value week-to-week. There was a time when a Spyderco Paramilitary 2 was very difficult to find, and would fetch prices upwards of $150. Now, they can be found quite regularly for $95-$100 just because supply is plentiful.
You'll also find that asking what something is worth is generally ill-received. That's the kind of thing you have to determine for yourself using the aforementioned resources.
Start with the makers website. Then do a search here. Then do a search for known forgeries and what to look for, if you can find it. Shop around trusted knife dealers. Again there is a place here that people vent about bad dealers, sellers. There are books at barns noble that may cover this exact topic,
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2013
- Messages
- 1,487
Keep an eye on the for sale forum. People usually price their knives at market value or below. You can tell when it is below market value when there are multiple offers to buy. Some sellers keep the price posted after they sell, some remove it. This practice was debated a month or so ago. I prefer to see what they sold for, the contrary view is that removing the sold price protects peoples privacy.
Entirely!