Purveyor etiquette?

J

Jinxstarr

Joined
Jun 13, 2005
Messages
20
Hello everyone,

Have a quick question for the forum - I've narrowed down my choices for my first custom purchase which will be made from an on-line purveyor. What I would like to know is whether their prices usually negotiable? I have e-mailed one dealer already and the price was set, so I'm wondering if anyone discounts custom prices from list? Is it even good form to ask?

Thanks again,

Cristian
 
It never hurts to ask a purveyor respectfully, although I never do so to a maker. Once you establish yourself as a steady customer, you might be have better results. Some purveyors price their knives at a fair price and stick to it.
(Sometimes it depends upon the deal they have with a maker.) Keep in mind many of these folks are running a business with a 25% margin, if they want to stay in business that does not leave much wiggle room at all. Plus if they are selling at a price point the makers knives sell at, they are not doing the maker or themselves a favor by selling below that point.

A good purveyor buys the "right" stuff and knows what the knife should sell for in the market. They will price it at that level and the knife will move. If the knife is "festering" in inventory that is another story. (Meaning there is a mistake someplace.)
 
Hi Christian,

As Bastid pointed out if the delaers are buying the "right stuff" the it will move quickly and there will be no room for discounts. Do some research and find out what the maker sells the knife for.

One way to find out if a knife may have the "wrong stuff", i.e. being over priced. Ask the purveyor what their trade in policy is. If they don't have one or will only give you x amount of dollars on a knife if you were to trade it back in. If the purveyor is not willing to stand behind the knife they are selling, perhaps this is a knife you should not be buying.

If the purveyor does not have a trade in policy your question should not be if they will take less money. It should be why?

WWG
 
Whether buying a knife from a dealer, maker or collector / enthusiast, it pays to do your homework and figure out how much the knife SHOULD cost before you even think about pulling the trigger.

It won't cost you anything to ask for a discount, just be prepared to hear "no" an awful lot, particularly since you will have no purchase history with that dealer.

I agree that a trade-in-for-what-you-paid is a terrific policy, which, near as I can figure, all of two dealers have. It is a great insurance policy and does indeed show that the dealer stands behind the knife and his assesment of its value. But if those two dealers (if there are more than 2, someone wise me up) don't have and can;t quickly get the knife you are looking for, then doing your own research is your best insurance policy.

Roger
 
when it comes to dealers, if the piece seems fairly priced to me and it's something i really want, i'll throw down the cash if i have it.

if however i see something that i like, but i feel the price is high i'll wait. either i'll be proved wrong and the piece will move, or it'll sit. if it's still there several months later i'll make the dealer an offer of what i think the fair price is - and i always offer cash. sometimes i get yes, sometimes i get no.

one that puzzed me recently though - got a 'no' on an offer for a piece that's been sitting for quite a while (fair enough), and immediately after the dealer raised the asking price on the piece - that just confuses me.
 
I don't believe that purveyor prices are set in concrete. There may be only a little wiggle room, but anyone who is a dealer will set prices so that there is some. What determines the price of anything? - what buyers are willing to pay. A experienced purveyor knows this. If he feels an item will sell within a "reasonable" time at the price he sets, you will probably get a no when asking for a discount. However, like any other dealer of any merchandise, he makes money by moving merchandise, not holding it for "too" long. It's called supply and demand.
 
I guess it doesn't hurt to ask.

The only time I would offer less than the asking price is if I think the knife is overpriced. I don't personally believe in haggling.
 
It never hurts to ask: "What's the best you can do...??"

You might be surprised at the outcome. Sure works better than trying to negotiate for me.

Coop
 
... for your helpful replies - I'll make use of your suggestions.

Roger - thanks for the tip on the trade-in, never heard of such a thing in any other hobby. I don't think my watch dealer would be as generous :).

Would you also mind listing here the dealers you know of who have such a "warranty" - and if that's against forum rules I'd appreciate it if you could send me a PM at jinxstarr@yahoo.com. I'll make sure to ask this anyway of any purveyor I communicate with.

Thanks again,

Cristian
 
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