So many Swiss Army knives on ebay (from airport security)

[jk904jk]

I just bought two used classic keychain swiss army knives off ebay. The ammount the seller has is huge considering that they are all used. There are so many used classic keychain knives for sale. I have to assume alot of them are from TSA officials.

 

[JTR357]

This is a disgusting trend I'll have no part of.I don't care if they had a Sebenza for $100.I wouldn't buy it,based purely on principle.It's just another example of the TSA/Feds capitalizing(& or raping the public) from the 911 tragedy.You want to take my knife?Sure,just destroy it in front of me.Don't confiscate/steal it,then sell it for your own profit.That's like a double kick in the nuts as far as I'm concerned.
However this is totally irrelevant to me,since I don't fly.If I can't drive there,I don't go there.

Just my opinion.Take it however you want.

 

[orca8589]

There was an article a while back on how the TSA defrays some of their costs by auctioning these confiscated knives. They supposedly do not sort through them, but sell them as is. Right.

JTR - I pretty much agree with you. After Ken Onion had his knives stolen out of his luggage, I don't trust the airlines or the TSA at all

Anyway, I've bought a couple lots of these SAK Classics off ebay, from a guy in the Pac-NW. I'm cleaning them up, and they'll go to a bunch of our scouts at our campout this summer.

Other than that, I can't see what anyone would do with so many of them anyway.

thx - cpr

 

[Dagon]

> However this is totally irrelevant to me,since I don't fly.If I can't drive there,I don't go there.

Mmh - no interest to visit Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Bruges... ?

 

[elkins45]

I work in Frankfort, KY (the state capitol) and occasionally attend the monthly state surplus auction. Month after month there are boxes full of confiscated knives for auction, but the stuff in the boxes is almost 100% junk. The good stuff is picked out and sold on eBay.

 

[sidecutter]

anybody dumb enough to try to get on a comm. aircraft with a knife needs to have it taken away. seems like we still hear about people who " forget " about having a gun in their luggage. back in the '70's i flew with usually 2 knives on me. not any more. sad. oh well.

 

[JTR357]

> However this is totally irrelevant to me,since I don't fly.If I can't drive there,I don't go there.

Mmh - no interest to visit Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Bruges... ?

I have absolutely No interest in visiting Paris.I could get into detailed reasons about this,but this is a family forum.
As far as the other three,I'd like to visit,but I feel no immediate need to.If I go through my whole life without visiting Europe,that'd be fine by me.

I'd much more prefer to visit the whole of North America(except Mexico :barf,than the rest of the world.

 

[Razzierb]

Yeah ... I resent this too. Had a small Spyderco Jester taken a couple of years ago at the airport (forgot I had it). The guy actually had the stones to pocket it right in front of me. One of his peers saw him and called him out. Likely he picked it up later ... bum ...

 

[Dagon]

I'd much more prefer to visit the whole of North America(except Mexico ),than the rest of the world.

Well, I think it's your loss. Meeting people from other cultures is an enriching experience, as I learned during several (business and private) trips to all continents. And I have fond memories of Palenque, San Cristobal, etc in Mexico...
But anyway, this discussion is off-topic here.

 

[Peter Parker]

This is a disgusting trend I'll have no part of.I don't care if they had a Sebenza for $100.I wouldn't buy it,based purely on principle.It's just another example of the TSA/Feds capitalizing(& or raping the public) from the 911 tragedy.You want to take my knife?Sure,just destroy it in front of me.Don't confiscate/steal it,then sell it for your own profit.That's like a double kick in the nuts as far as I'm concerned.
However this is totally irrelevant to me,since I don't fly.If I can't drive there,I don't go there.

Just my opinion.Take it however you want.

You are so right:thumbup:!

 

[jackknife]

Quite frankly, I love it. I think its a great idea to recycle the knives from TSA to customers.

Be honest now; unless you've been living in a cave or under a rock since 9-11, its very well known that you don't take a knife to the airport, unless it's in your checked bag. For a person to be going through security in this day and age, and then have a knife they "forgot" about on thier person, that tells me that they deserve to have it taken from them on grounds of gross carelessness, or stupidity. Wake the eff up, there are rules, and they apply to you. If you don't like the rules, don't fly. It's a very simple formula.

I love going to the local gun show where a lady always has a huge box of TSA knives for sale. Mostly sak's. The small ones like classics go for 3 dollars, two for 2.50, and three or more for 2 bucks a shot. They are mostly in very good shape, and just need a cleaning with warm soapy water and an old toothbrush. I have bought many of them from her as give aways to non knife people I run into that are in need of a knife. I know that I've converted a dozen people at least to the carrying of a knife with the little TSA hand out classics. If their former owners didn't think enough of them to put them in checked bagage, then the new owners may value them a bit better.

I've never had any problem at any airport, and I've never arrived at my destination without my sak's in my checked bag.

But I guess its alot like speeding; the ones who get alot of tickets are the ones griping about the radar traps.

 

[orca8589]

Quite frankly, I love it. I think its a great idea to recycle the knives from TSA to customers...

* * *

...But I guess its alot like speeding; the ones who get alot of tickets are the ones griping about the radar traps.

+1, on everything JK said there. May as well re-use them.

thx - cpr

 

[Idaho Jarhead]

You obviously will always have the 10 percenters, but I feel the TSA, like the USPS, gets a bad rap unfairly. Most of those officers are good and hard working.

As far as the contraband sales are concerned, I don't have any problems with it as long as they are taken and sold honestly. I have no patience for lying or thieving though.

As a side note, I know for a fact that TSA uses some of the more unique confiscated goods for training purposes. The amount of training required by that job is incredible.

 

[Masteroffajitas]

This is a disgusting trend I'll have no part of.I don't care if they had a Sebenza for $100.I wouldn't buy it,based purely on principle.It's just another example of the TSA/Feds capitalizing(& or raping the public) from the 911 tragedy.You want to take my knife?Sure,just destroy it in front of me.Don't confiscate/steal it,then sell it for your own profit.That's like a double kick in the nuts as far as I'm concerned.
However this is totally irrelevant to me,since I don't fly.If I can't drive there,I don't go there.

Just my opinion.Take it however you want.

Wait, so no trips outside N. America?

 

[JackNate]

This is one of the reasons I don't keep a knife on my regular set of keys. Too easy to forget its there.

 

[22-rimfire]

Up until 9-11, I always flew with at least one knife in my pocket and usually at least another one in my brief case (carry on). Rarely was it a problem. Never hijacked a single plane during any of the many flights I took. I once ran into a wrinkle with carry on baggage going through the metal detector/X-ray..... I discovered that I had a switch blade knife in my hard surface brief case that had slipped behind the fabric. I apparantly had been flying with that for quite some time until they found the metal object in my case that could not be explained. I had wondered where that thing got to? I chuckle about it now, but it was a bit of a pain when it happened. No they did not confiscate it; I checked the bag in as regular luggage. I never lock my checked luggage. I have been known to wrap with duct tape however for hard surface luggage.

Once tried to take a blow gun with darts (yes a real one) as a carry on from Brazil. The airline kicked on that one. It did not appear at the other end of the flight.

Now, can't carry knifes or many other normal things I used to carry. I have lost my baggage enough times that I usually had one change of clothes in a carry on just in case.

There is a store in my area where TSA sells stuff that has been lost or surrendured on flights. You can get some real bargains if that is your thing.

 

[Sevorius]

I can't understand how anyone could walk past all the signs, posters and warnings, then try to go through security with a knife..... that being said, I think they could at least offer the option of letting the person step out of line to go mail it home, give it to a friend, put it in their car, or rent a storage locker and leave it until they return. There is a word for taking something that doesn't belong to you, it's called stealing. The customers should have two options, forfeit the knife, or leave and come back without it, but it should be their choice not the TSA's.

 

[elkins45]

I can't understand how anyone could walk past all the signs, posters and warnings, then try to go through security with a knife..... that being said, I think they could at least offer the option of letting the person step out of line to go mail it home, give it to a friend, put it in their car, or rent a storage locker and leave it until they return. There is a word for taking something that doesn't belong to you, it's called stealing. The customers should have two options, forfeit the knife, or leave and come back without it, but it should be their choice not the TSA's.

I once forgot I was carrying my Leatherman Squirt when I was going through security at the Louisville airport. They offered to let me take it back to my car, but I had been dropped off by a friend that particular time. The other options were to surrender it or to spend $10 for a service that lets you mail it back to yourself. I opted to spend the $10 and a TSA officer took my info, filled out the mailer and dropped it in the box. A couple of weeks later my knife showed up in the post office.

 

[22-rimfire]

I can't understand how anyone could walk past all the signs, posters and warnings, then try to go through security with a knife.....

I can. If you EDC a particular knife, you have it with you every single day. You forget about it and it becomes part of your normal wardrobe. Some people feel that way about their carry guns as well. But I would be surprised if someone forgot about that under normal airport comings and goings.

I carried a SAK into a court house. Put it in the little bucket prior to going through the X-ray. Sorry, you can't bring that in here.... My response was that I always have it with me and forgot about it, which I did. Took it back to the car and came back through security.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

> ...Mmh - no interest to visit Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Bruges... ?

Amsterdam, Vienna, Taiwan, Prague, Wales, Budapest?

BTW keep a preaddressed Priority mail envelope in your luggage just in case ya forget, then ya can mail it instead of lose it.