Schrade collectors.. a bad thing?

M

Mountainwind

Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
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I was reading some posts in general, and noticed a few posts about how collectors were driving up the prices on ebay. Is this not our right to buy what we need, at a price we can afford, just so we can add to our collection?
I have paid twice what a knife was worth, just because it was really hard to find, and might not find another one, and will do so again if I have to.
I guess if they do not like the prices, they do not have to buy, and... will help keep the prices down for us.:D
 
Paid double? No, maybe double the previous market value. Each of us decides what we are willing to pay for a knife, and that is the market value to us. If we do not get the knife at that price, we might decide the market value is higher for that knife, and bid more on the next one. For the most part, collectors are the ones buying the Schrade WIP. It is dwindling now, after some two years of brisk sales where on any given day, a "Schrade" search returned from a thousand to three thousand hits. The title search just hit 1677 items found for schrade, and title and description hit 2329 items found for schrade.

Yes, quite a few knives are just recirculating. Look at the known sellers that bid, and watch those same knives come back up in a few weeks hoping to make a profit. Are they driving up prices?

I dunno. Market prices just...are. I can still buy a NIB LB7 for $27.00. Last MSRP was $62.95 in 2004. How is that price inflated when I can still buy it below dealer wholesale from two years ago? Sure, knives in demand have gone above their MSRP like the 51OT. Older MIB bring more. I just don't see collectors being a problem. Every month I see collections being liquidated, either by the collectors changing interests or directions, or from estates.

A non-collector looking for a user knife can find them. Why would they insist on buying a mint example to baton through a log, reprofile on their bench grinder, or rehandle? Used knives are always cheaper. Besides, I haven't bought them all, not yet!:D

Codger
 
I try to tell myself that as a collector I don't need to buy every Schrade knife made within the next year ( I should have underlined "try", it's not always an easy mantra to follow!). I've found that after spending a week kicking myself for backing off on a knife that seemed unreasonably expensive, another one will eventually turn up again, usually sooner rather than later, and someimes quite a bit cheaper. Prices are often driven up when a couple of bidders grasp a particular knife and go on a wild bidding war just to be the one to win without regard for the actual value of the knife. Once they're out of the picture you'll usually find a better price on the next go round. I try to keep in mind that when a knife was produced in the volumes that most Schrades were produced ( or even when say there were only a thousand made), there should be a steady flow, or trickle, moving on the open market.
Eric
 
It is my novice opinion that a disciplined collector sets his own price and no one can change it but himself. Last year, I kept track of every purchase I made and figured out the average price I paid for a MIB LB7, 885UH, 77OT, etc... After I had the average price for at least 5 examples of the same knife I bought, I used that average price as my ceiling and tried to pay a little less for the next one. Today I won an auction for a MIB 885UH in the "Sharp Idea" box for $18.05 delivered. The hunt for a real steal is half the fun for me.

Again, just my novice opinion, but price seems to be a fluid thing on eBay. I don't think anyone can say overall prices are being pushed up or down by any one group of buyers for a sustained period of time.
 
Personally, I look at auctions like this as an indication where things are going:

scout knife

While the "scout" theme makes it desirable for BSA collectors, I see the same thing happening with alot of the Schrade offerings. $44, with almost a day left in the auction, and $7 shipping? Pretty high price for a knife that is not "new".

I have seen alot of knives, mostly open-stock stuff, go for double what I paid for similar patterns a couple years ago...

Glenn
 
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