Double Edge Dave
Moderator and Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 1999
- Messages
- 1,379
With the worlds biggest knife show only a few days away, I thought it would be appropriate to start a thread about show etequette. This is by no means a comprehensive list. Please feel free to chime in.
Always ask before picking up a knife off a table. The answer will almost always be yes. It will start the contact with the maker/vendor on a positive note.
Do not flick somebody else's folder open.
You can tell more about the smoothness of the action by opening it slowly anyway. It can loosen up or damage a knife a lot faster than normal use.It also means an unfamiliar knife won't slip out of you hands, which leads to the next suggestion.
Be careful when picking up or replacing a knife. There is nothing that makes an exhibitor madder than hearing one of their knives hitting another. They may also hold you responsible for damage.
Don't ask a whole bunch of questions or tie up a lot of an exhibitor's time if you have absolutely no intention of buying anything. I am not talking about a friendly exchange and asking a few logical questions and examining a few knives. There are people who will pick up every knife on the table, ask every question possible, and then walk away saying they were not interested in buying anything that day. That is beyond the bounds of being reasonable.
Try to minimize the fingerprints you put on others knives. It is better to pick one up by the scales than polished bolsters or blades. Of course you want to thouroughly examine a knife, but it can be done with a little care and you won't leave fingerprints on every surface. Also, a lot of folks do not want you to wipe off their knives when returning them. They have special cloths for that. It is amazing, but I have seen scratches occuring on a polished blade just by wiping it down with an unsuitable cloth.
Be careful about sharpness testing. Personally, I won't buy a knife that is not shaving sharp. However, I wait until I have looked at it thouroughly, worked my deal with the exhibitor and am ready to buy it before I shave arm hair with it.
Lots of dickering occurs at shows. I suggest that you will have more luck offering what you think is a fair price and sticking to it. People who lowball with the hopes of meeting a price in the middle end up shooting themselves in the foot. Makers/vendors are generally independent types and will blow you off without consideration if you make an offer they consider insulting. In the same vein, avoid saying stuff like there is only a few dollars of material in a knife and it can't be that much work to put one together. Try it! Most of the time makers have a very good feel for their reasonable profit and how their prices align with similar pieces from other makers. Helpful hint: CASH TALKS! You can often get a better deal by offering the old green stuff.
As I said at the start, these are suggestions and don't cover the complete subject. Most of it boils down to common sense and the Golden Rule.
See you in the aisles
David
------------------
AKTI# A000150
NC Custom Knifemakers Guild member
NC Knife Knuts member
[This message has been edited by davidb415 (edited 06-03-2001).]
Always ask before picking up a knife off a table. The answer will almost always be yes. It will start the contact with the maker/vendor on a positive note.
Do not flick somebody else's folder open.
You can tell more about the smoothness of the action by opening it slowly anyway. It can loosen up or damage a knife a lot faster than normal use.It also means an unfamiliar knife won't slip out of you hands, which leads to the next suggestion.
Be careful when picking up or replacing a knife. There is nothing that makes an exhibitor madder than hearing one of their knives hitting another. They may also hold you responsible for damage.
Don't ask a whole bunch of questions or tie up a lot of an exhibitor's time if you have absolutely no intention of buying anything. I am not talking about a friendly exchange and asking a few logical questions and examining a few knives. There are people who will pick up every knife on the table, ask every question possible, and then walk away saying they were not interested in buying anything that day. That is beyond the bounds of being reasonable.
Try to minimize the fingerprints you put on others knives. It is better to pick one up by the scales than polished bolsters or blades. Of course you want to thouroughly examine a knife, but it can be done with a little care and you won't leave fingerprints on every surface. Also, a lot of folks do not want you to wipe off their knives when returning them. They have special cloths for that. It is amazing, but I have seen scratches occuring on a polished blade just by wiping it down with an unsuitable cloth.
Be careful about sharpness testing. Personally, I won't buy a knife that is not shaving sharp. However, I wait until I have looked at it thouroughly, worked my deal with the exhibitor and am ready to buy it before I shave arm hair with it.
Lots of dickering occurs at shows. I suggest that you will have more luck offering what you think is a fair price and sticking to it. People who lowball with the hopes of meeting a price in the middle end up shooting themselves in the foot. Makers/vendors are generally independent types and will blow you off without consideration if you make an offer they consider insulting. In the same vein, avoid saying stuff like there is only a few dollars of material in a knife and it can't be that much work to put one together. Try it! Most of the time makers have a very good feel for their reasonable profit and how their prices align with similar pieces from other makers. Helpful hint: CASH TALKS! You can often get a better deal by offering the old green stuff.
As I said at the start, these are suggestions and don't cover the complete subject. Most of it boils down to common sense and the Golden Rule.
See you in the aisles
David
------------------
AKTI# A000150
NC Custom Knifemakers Guild member
NC Knife Knuts member
[This message has been edited by davidb415 (edited 06-03-2001).]
