Online knife stores, do you expect/appreciate more than just the specs?

The more detail on the specs the better, what the company brochure says doesn't matter too much.

Country of origin is a big deal with me, I won't buy an unknown.
 
StretchNM said:
The trivia information and how many elk I'll dress with the knife is pure hyperbole, BUT, the problem I have with many retail sites is their lack of specifications. Whether or not I'm familiar with the knife, I want to see:
- overall length
- blade length
- blade profile
- blade thickness
- Steel type
- edge grind
- scale material
- lock type (folders)
- sheath material and design
Click to expand...
Ditto to that list and add blade width as well.
 
Like a lot of knife buyers I do most of my knife shopping online.I don't have a "brick and mortar" knife shop to go to.
So more and better pics are a must!
The sad truth is that some manufacturers and sellers use shockingly bad/small/low res pics.
You need more than just overhead/profile pics, pics from a few different angles give you a better sense of the knifes dimensions.
Good pics from multiple angles (along with detailed specs) sells knives!

Actually the pics posted here are often light years ahead of those used by companies trying to sell knives!
 
Knife weight is helpful along with other specs mentioned.

One other feature I like on on-line websites, is the customers also baught summary.

Finally, a good search engine and ability to sort by brand is crucial. I like it when websites subcategorize within a brand. e.g. fixed blades, folders etc.
 
Knowing the specs is very important to me. I always do the research before going to buy a product. That being said, when buying a knife I prefer to hold it in my hand and inspect 2 or 3 to choose the one I really want.
 
Along with some good detailed specs, it is always nice to have some good hi-res photos. Now I understand that it is hard for a store of any size to take the time to photograph every model knife they sell, but please give me more than a blurry thumbnail like I see on some sites.
 
On top of all said so far , a way to select knife by type : Slipjoint/lockback , framelock , fixed blade 3"-5" , fixed 5" - 7 " , etc would be nice. And a site that dont take forever and a day to load.
 
StretchNM said:
- overall length
- blade length
- blade profile
- blade thickness
- Steel type
- edge grind
- scale material
- lock type (folders)
- sheath material and design
Click to expand...

Also
- clip type and position
- country of origin
- a good photo, and if with a clip a second photo of the clip side of the knife
 
Besides all the good suggestions above i have a few general comments.
One of my pet peeves are online sellers who seem reluctant to state their location! Sometimes finding out where they are is like like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
I've been forced to email a few companies just to ask "where are you?"
PLEASE put your mailing address/location on your opening home page, preferably at the top of the page. The home page should also have a link to the shipping policies, please also state who you ship with and where you ship to (domestic international).
 
Grind is one of the most important elements that I rarely ever see on production blade sites.
 
More is better in all the above categories, but none of the above is going to get the "buy" button pushed by me if a low price and reliability of the dealer are not established.
 
What shipping options one can choose from.
Whether the seller accepts international orders or not.
 
Geez, we're a pretty demanding lot aren't we?!?:D
I've put together a summarized list of all the suggestions posted so far, on what we would like to see in an online knife retailers web site. I've added a few of my suggestions to the bottom of the list too.

- good clear picture/s
- pictures of the knives in someone's hands
- clip placement
- picture showing lockup
- overall length
- blade length
- blade profile
- blade thickness
- Steel type
- edge grind
- scale material
- lock type (folders)
- sheath material and design
- Hardness
- blade width
- clip type and position
- weight
- country of origin
- other customers also bought:
- good search engine
- sort by brand/subcategory
- mailing address/location (clearly displayed)
- shipping policies/shipping options (clearly displayed)
- Links to manufacturers product page
- warranty - or links to manufacturers policies page
- fact/data sheets on materials
- buyer reviews

As an overseas buyer, I also find it a little frustrating when I've added several items to a shopping cart, only to find out at the checkout that the seller doesn't ship internationally.
I believe that for any online business, the longer you can keep a customer at your site, the greater the chance that the customer will purchase something. Providing lots of information on your site will help to "reel them in" once they've/we've found your website.
I'll usually research before buying, with Bladeforums being a big part of my research process. If a site has useful and reliable information on blade/handle materials etc., I'll often bookmark their homepage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top