Nordic Knives - Update

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Roefisher

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It is with deep regret that I post this. The deciding factors were support from a couple of fellow CRK forum members who urged me to post this warning and then especially because of a fellow who emailed me to say the exact same thing happened to him.

How would I feel if someone else was mislead and I didn't let you all know beforehand. So, here is my story.

I ordered a mammoth Ivory and Gold Sebenza for $850 (this is full retail price) from Nordic Knives. When it arrived;

The white box was damaged
The Birthday Card was missing
The knife had minor scratching and several blemishes
The Gold Thumb Lug's tip was worn off, back to titanium
The Leather slip case has cracked leather, from heavy usage

It is obviously secondhand, but yet there was no mention of this when it was advertised and I payed full retail price.

I have emailed Nordic three times without any reply.

This is very poor business practise, and only for the fact we are the world apart, I would purse legal action. As it stands now, I have to send it back to Anne Reeve for a full refurbishment.

As another person had the same problem, I am not unique in my misfortune. Therefore you must be informed about it. A very poor deal for me.

Mark.
 
I purchased the Randall Model 14 Attack that i carried on active duty from Nordic. They have always dealt with me in an aboveboard manner.

Did you only email them??
You should call the shop in Solvang.
 
I just called Nordic an asked. He confirmed that the do NOT label used knives as used. So buyer beware.

Also I asked if they respond to email sent, and he assured me that they do.
 
I know Dave Harvey to be a very trustworthy person. I would think he would address this, I'd try calling.

I am a little put off by not labelling knives as used! Buyer beware just isn't good enough in todays world of Inernet trade.

Win
 
DaveH said:
He confirmed that the do NOT label used knives as used. So buyer beware.
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Sorry to hear you had trouble Roefisher. :mad: That's a very poor business practice. “Caveat Emptor” should not be the rule when dealing with a retailer be they internet, brick and mortar, or in Nordic’s case, both. I guess I’ll delete them from my “Favorite Knife Dealers” bookmark.
 
DaveH said:
I just called Nordic an asked. He confirmed that the do NOT label used knives as used. So buyer beware.
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This isn't just poor business practice, it's deception and dishonesty. Doing that sort of thing in my part of the world would probably end up in you spending some time in court!
 
Yes, I was very disappointed and then equally perplexed as to wheter to post about it. I debated the issue all afternoon to myself, and with a couple of fellow forumites privately before reluctantly posting the details of the incident.

For me, it was a balance of not wanting to upset anyone who had a good deal with them (I have no doubt there are lots of happy customers) and my experience.

I still dislike this type of issue, it is dirty. But, on advice from a couple of very experienced people here, I decided to take the plunge and post.

My main fear was coming on here sometime in the future and reading about a fellow member being sold a second-hand knife at full shop price, without prior knowledge. I respect everyone here and would feel terrible for holding out on them, indeed that prospect bothered me as much as my own loss.

Overall, a very sad situation. If anyone is spared the trouble I now have, it’s done it’s job. I suppose it is a warning to us all. Thanks to the people who have researched and verified the facts.

Warm Regards to you all.

Mark
 
I've bought from them in the past and everything got here ok but knowing their policy I don't think I'll be going there anymore. Sorry to hear it Roe.

oil
 
DaveH said:
I just called Nordic an asked. He confirmed that the do NOT label used knives as used. So buyer beware.



That's deceptive business practices. Not ethical. With so many trustworthy knife dealers around why would anyone deal with this guy after knowing this? I know I won't.
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Something like this is not good for the internet dealers.
Bought a few from Nordic through the years,and no problems,but this is BAD JU JU


Randy
 
Sorry to hear of your misfortune, Mark, and I can certainly understand your disappointment.

That said, I would be very surprised if Dave Harvey refused to refund on any purchase made from Nordic, based on my experience with him. And I don't think you're saying he refused to refund your purchase price, although I can see how the price of international shipping alone can be a significant issue in your case. Sounds like the problem was more in communication, and obviously, I don't know why.

Just for the record, when asked, Dave has always been very forthcoming with me about the condition of his knives. I've decided to send purchases back to him with no objections from him at all--full refund, no questions asked.

Further, the issue of labeling of knives as "used" is not quite as clearcut as some might imagine. If you're a regular viewer of the Nordic Knives website, you'll note that many of Dave's knives are of an older vintage, so there's no way for him to know what they've been through first hand. He typically will give a brief description of condition on these. In my experience, if you email him, he will faithfully answer all questions with whatever detail you wish to pursue, and will often take more pictures of particular aspects of a knife for you.

Also from personal experience, there are many knife dealers on the web who do not label knives as "used" if they appear to be in good condition. In fact, most of the dealers I've done business with accept trades, and there's no way for them to know what those knives have been through except for what the trading party has told the dealer. I've traded knives to dealers that have been put up for sale on their websites with less description of flaws than I gave the dealer to begin with. I've been surprised by this practice, but after a while, one learns to ask questions before buying from a web dealer--such as, "Is the knife new, or was it a trade-in?...Are there any visible flaws on the blade, the guard, the handle, or the sheath? ... If it's a folder, does the blade center?...Is there any movement when the blade is deployed, vertical or side-to-side?...etc."

I can understand how people are put off when they discover that internet knife dealers aren't always offering new-in-box merchandise. But I also think it's out-of-place to condemn one dealer for doing it, when it has become fairly common practice.

Hopefully these kinds of complaints on discussion forums will serve to put dealers on notice that they need to take more pains to describe their products when the products were not purchased new from a maker.

Also, I'm certainly not excusing the sale of a knife that was obviously used, as appears to be the case here. I dont know if the knife was simply not inspected adequately or what--in any event, it was wrong. But for me at least, I don't think this one instance is enough to make a judgement that Dave is not an honest dealer. And I think the question of whether knives are labeled "used" or not can be a little tricky--not quite as easy a call as one might assume on the surface.

In this case, on a Sebenza that apparently was advertised as new and was sold for full retail price, obviously something went very wrong.

Will
 
I too have purchased knives from Nordic Knives and always without a hitch.


But. . . . .not labeling used knives as used. :eek: :barf: I'll echo some of the sentiments. . . .it's a crock of ka-ka, a piss poor business practice, and deceptive as helll ! :grumpy:


It would take a fire brigade and several rescue crews to scrape me off the ceiling after popping the box on a $800+ knive. . . .only to find is 2nd hand !
 
Will York raised some interesting points though. In the knife world, just what does "used" mean?

For example:

If you buy a new Sebenza from your favourite dealer, open the box and look at it, close the box and sell it to me, is this "used"?

If you take that same Sebenza out of the box and peel an apple with it, wipe it off, put it back in the box and sell it to me, is that "used"?

If you EDC it for 12 months, sharpen it half a dozen times then sell it to me, we can probably safely say it's used.

What I'm saying here is that there are shades of grey. This does NOT absolve the seller from misrepresenting what he is selling though. He should, at the very least, let the prospective buyer know that he is not getting a knife straight from the manufacturer.
 
A full and accurate description of the knife and even if the knife was in pristine condition but not new, a phrase like "pre-owned" might be the way to go.

Edit - Wanted to add that I have been buying knives from Nordic for several years and consider them good people.
 
I think they figured they would get away with it because he was from Europe. Whatever the reason was there is no excuse. Any reputable dealer will tell you the condition of the knife if it wasn't new. The fact that other people had good dealings with these people doesn't change the fact that he was decieved.
 
imho its pretty easy to tell if a knife is used, if its has scuffs/blemishes its a used knife, easy enough, i would flip out if i paid full retail for anything and it wasnt listed as used and was used, that sucks imho, wont be buying anything from nordic myself, ever.

what really really sucks is most who would buy an $800+ knife are collectors who collect knives, unless its something REALLY rare a used knife with blemishes is useless and isnt worth but a fraction of a new knife.

that is not a good biz practice imho, and is certainly not ethical and probably isnt legal imho.
 
gajinoz said:
Will York raised some interesting points though. In the knife world, just what does "used" mean?

For example:

If you buy a new Sebenza from your favourite dealer, open the box and look at it, close the box and sell it to me, is this "used"?

If you take that same Sebenza out of the box and peel an apple with it, wipe it off, put it back in the box and sell it to me, is that "used"?
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A knife is a tool generally used for cutting. If it cuts something, it's used.

A vintage knife that has never cut anything is not used IMHO.

If I were to pay $800 for a knife and was not told it was used I'd be pist.

When I sell a knife and I don't know it's history I try to describe the condition as well as I can.

JC III
 
I think that all deals should be based on honesty.

$$$ are not all that counts :mad:


For example in this "comunity" will all talk about things that we like, we show our points of view about this or that, just like a big group of friends :D .........and sometimes we do business with each other.

$$$ are not the main issue and when some dealer decides that wants to make big $$$ at whatever cost I think we should all be very upset.

About the used or not used question it is really quite simple:
We all know about knives and all we(sellers) have to do is to inform exactly what we would want to be informed of when we are buying.

Hope you can understand my english ... :o


Regards

Jose :)
 
Anything that wasn't bought straight from the factory is used.

"Pre Owned" would be a fine term., If something is "mint" or "near mint" or "good" doesn't make it new.
 
I sent an email to Nordic Knives directing them to this thread so maybe there will be another side of the story before long. But I still agree that it was mis represented. :(

oil
 
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