The Last Original Remington Bullet Knife...NOT!

[KnifeHead]

Ok, do it...go to Ebay, copy and paste the part of the title (not the NOT part) and use it to search the auction of the same name. There you will find it in all it's glory just waiting for that special someone to rescue this very last Bullet knife from it's hearless owner. I think it's acctually pronounced "burret"

You know someone is going to buy that eventually. Poor sap

I recently bought what looked to be a nice OLD knife on Ebay, at least from the images it looked nice. It was advertised as a Vintage Stag Camillus. Well, it was Vintage Stag and looked to be before 1930 vintage stag...maybe older. But when I got it, it was all wrong. It was supposed to be a regular jack and had been ground on enough on the back strap that it was an IRREGULAR. The original pen blade was replace with a STOCKMAN blade(I should have looked much closer at the crappy images that were supplied.) But the stag looked SOOOooooo good and the listing said "no cracks in the stag" and "good snap" on the main blade that was "half stopped". Well, the main blade had a half stop but the "pen" (uh spey) blade was cam end. DANGIT WHY ME WHY ME!!!!

So I ask the guy if I can send it back. He hesitates but says ok. I end up paying his stupid "handling fee" of 15% which he should have not charged me because it was incorrectly listed. It should have been listed as "Reworked/Counterfeit Vintage Stag Handles with a Camillus Main Blade-from-who-knows-where-and spey-blade-out-of-some-old-stockman Knife"
After a few emails of him telling me how wrong I was in so many words and how right his "experts" were (he called me an "expert" too, just like his quote-experts-unquote) I knew he was extremely RIGHT and I was pitifully WRONG. I was WRONG alright...I should have made him jump thru some hoops to supply some better images because there just wasn't enough there for me to go on based on what was supplied in the auction.

To make me realize I was even more "WRONG" than I thought I was, he told me he sold the knife a mere 2 hours after re-listing it. I didn't bother to tell him that that just proves the new buyer knows as much about knives as his "experts". He told me the guy was very happy with the knife when he got it. Good for him....poor miserable sap!

No big whoop. I only lost a few bucks and some time dealing with the guy. He's probably just an antique dealer trying to make a buck or two and doesn't claim to know much about knives. Beware of those guys! Do some research, give it some time, find a someone that doesn't sell crap and make friends with them so you don't get stuck in the end and we start calling you Ben Dover

Any more Ebay horror stories....old knife butchery and mayhem? It was sad to see that old knife abused like that. I would much rather have seen broken blades in that great looking old handle.

 

[Trent Rock]

(I should have looked much closer at the crappy images that were supplied.)

Or you should not have bought it because IT HAD crappy pictures

I bought a Western L66 fixed blade
The first knife i ever bought off EBAY
Some chump took a Dremel tool to the blade or something:thumbdn:
Major grind marks:thumbdn:
I don't blame anyone but myself for being a "misinformed consumer"
Asymmetrical information
"Buyer had more knowledge then seller"
What ever you want to call it
I learned from my mistake and now only buy knives with numerous, clear, big pictures

I thought about turning my Canon resolution settings to LOW and using shitty lighting and trying to resell it
But that's not my style
I'll just keep it as a reminder of my mistake
Plus I use it a lot because it can't really get anymore damaged!!!

 

[db]

I don't think Blues has a problem with links to ebay that show scams and are wornings. Ebay really is a buyer beware place I pretty much avoid it these days.

 

[KnifeHead]

Trent Rock...AMEN BRUTHA! I think it's not that difficult to get good images of things that you want to sell on Ebay. Bad/few images from a seller that has a thousand transactions might be a good indicator to stay away.

db...I didn't link the Ebay auction because there are hundreds of them that are very similar and I didn't really want to rant about how bad the particular auction was. If a certain points to be made, I'd say it is:

1. Try to know more about what you are looking at on Ebay...gather more info if possible before you buy.

2. Try buying from someone that has done you right in the past and stick with them for future purchases if possible and practical.

3. Don't get in a pissin contest(which I didn't and quickly defused any potential of that) with these yahoos. They are clueless drones and they are making plenty of money off of people that don't know any better. This makes us the bad guys in their minds...we are dangerous because we know they are selling junk.

The seller told me that he "didn't have to be an expert to sell things". This is the response I got after pointing out that he misrepresented the knife. OK...

 

[VCM3]

In a recent conversation with a fellow member here,he told me of how,in the past,he actually called upon Bernard Levine for help and advice.
I think that is a pretty good way to get some accurate help.
-Vince

 

[db]

All are very good points. Pics only show so much and really you have to trust the seller on ebay to be honest. That is how even someone who knows what they are doing can be easily taken on ebay. Ebay also has some good points you can find alot of stuff not commonly found, but there is more risk to buying on ebay.

 

[Zip7]

Some of the shill on there is amazing. I still remember carnival shills with the little miracle vacuum cleaners and whatnot.

I won't buy anything on there that is...

DEAD MINT
or
I'M CALLING IT MINT...
PRAISE GOD MINT
SLAP YA MAMA MINT

and I don't bid if the seller is from Kentucky or really anywhere near the Appalachians.

and I avoid those guys who seem to have a never ending supply of perfect case knives from the 70's and older.

 

[JPD1998]

I don't buy any vintage or custom knives on Ebay, I just don't know enough .... I saw a knife listing over the weekend that almost got me. It was for an "old Remington Bullet Knife" , it definitely looked old , but the shield ( well worn) didn't fit the knife. It was too big and crudely fitted in place. I did some quick research and found out that the knife pattern / scale combo didn't exist.

In this instance the tipoff was that the seller was way too vague and claimed ignorance. Especially since he/she claimed to have been in possession of the knife for years. Even when asked a question by a buyer , the response was vague.

Same with so called custom knives , there seems to be a ton of re handled cheap knives that are being called "custom".

 

[Blues]

It's a crap shoot for sure, but I've been lucky with the few purchase I've made. (Old I. Wilson butcher knife, "Daddy" Barlow, etc.)

My last knife purchase from ebay was a pleasure however. I wanted to buy a vintage single blade Russell Barlow in excellent (near mint) condition.

Fortunately, I was able to have a friend, who is the historian/archivist for Russell, purchase one on my behalf. After it passed muster with him he sent it to me. If he doesn't know a good one when he sees it, nobody does.

Now that's what I call a rewarding ebay purchase. :thumbup:

 

[Lion]

I've had good luck with older knives and ebay so far. Part of that is probably my refusal to spend much. I'm expecting a knife that's a bit beat up and that's what I get. If the condition is too good, I might be able to bring myself to use it and I wont buy anything I can't use. Low expectations; the secret to successful ebaying.

Leo