Tips for those selling or trading your stuff

jimh0220

jimh0220

Feedback: +60 / =0 / -0
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Apr 15, 2008
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OK, there are alot of us here that love to swap or buy or sell our gears and knives. That said, maybe we could all help those on the site with what helps us all want to do business with you. I'll start:

Pictures! Clear, clean, and easy to see. If you use a photo site and post links, please make sure the links work.

Price, or what you are looking for trade. If you list something for sale (paying members), it helps to know how much you are asking. If you are trading, tell us what you are looking for in exchange. Then we know if we have what you want, and it kinda lets us know an approximate value you're putting on your stuff. Nobody likes to insult by offering the wrong stuff for a trade.

Other suggestions?
 
Preferred payment methods and details...
What destinations will u be willing to ship to?
And yes! Pictures, moar is better :)
 
I tried asking for exactly what I wanted but got zero replies. In reality I just sometimes want something different. I just made a trade with a very nice person who had just that.
 
Good Idea Jimh0220, and good start on suggestions. I know we all want the most we can get for our knives, etc but when selling a stock manufactured knife that is not NIB (meaning it hasn't been opened and played with), get real with what you want for it. If I can buy the same knife online somewhere for $60, why would I want to give you $75 for it? I know there is a book listing collectible knives and their "value". If I have a knife for sale, it is because I want to sell it for some money to buy another knife. I don't expect to make a profit from a knife I paid top dollar for, and then decide I don't want it and try to make money by selling it to another person. It would be different if I was able to buy wholesale and then mark it up for a profit if I was in the business of selling knives. All this to say, be realistic on pricing your knives. I know ... Bit#@, Bit#@, Whine, Whine!:witless:

Blessings, (really)

Omar
 
Excellent point Omar! Well put.

Another suggestion: REPLY! Email, post, pm, vm, whatever. Just answer politely, whether or not you're interested in an offer. I've ignored some folks' future offerings because they were either rude or never answered my offers. I also look for opportunities to to future business for the cool folks I may or may not have done business with in the past. Nice people get better offers too.
 
Pictures! Clear, clean, and easy to see. If you use a photo site and post links, please make sure the links work.
Click to expand...

And don't post links to other sites. No "For pictures, here's the origional thread!"
 
More than once I have received a nib knife without any paperwork. Once without the Benchmade bag etc...

If it's nib, to me, it should have the axis lock blue tab behind the clip.

If it's been sharpened tell me that! It may not be important to you but it is to me. Trust me, I can get any knife as sharp as you can, that's not the point.

So I guess I'm saying be honest and THOROUGH. I'll do my best to do the same and ask thoughtful questions. ;)

Good thread btw.
 
It's not JUST pictures, but real closeups. Show me closeups of the lockup, the centering, both sides of the blade, each side of the scales. TELL me if the lockup is solid or if there is blade wiggle or lock-rock when you try to "gently" move the blade tip left and right, up and down. I want to know all about scratches, bumps, mars, and anything that keeps this knife from being as brand new.
Pictures are NOT so very important if the seller advertises the knife as "NEW IN BOX" or "AS NEW IN BOX." Either it is, or it isn't. In the event that a knife has been used, then the pictures become much more important. For knives which are described "as new in box," more simplistic photos are fine, as most of us can use Google to find out more specifics of a particular model.
I want to know whether the blade edge is "factory" or has been sharpened at some point after the sale. It makes a LARGE difference to me. I try to purchase only factory edges. That is just my personal opinion, as most knives that I purchase are as new or NIB.
For payment, many of us like PayPal (PP), and sellers expect immediate payment using PayPal. You(as seller) can use "standard" PP and add about 3.5% to pay your seller's fees, or just ask for PP Gift. Be careful, however, as using the "Gift" option is something that PP rules disagree with. Also, if there is a problem with receiving your money or a knife, the fact that PP Gift option was used might well keep you from a good resolution with PayPal. As I understand it, PayPal will "support" you when the standard payment option is used.
Feedback is important. Positive feedback is really important, in my book. If a guy pays right away, give the buyer positive feedback. If you receive a knife in the mail, as it was advertised, leave the seller positive feedback.
IF a seller tries to scam you with a knife that is worse than advertised, let him know you will return it. Negative feedback can help (REALLY) to keep out some of the repeat scammers.
I recommend mailing a knife using USPS Priority flat rate boxes, and they come in a lot of different sizes. The cheapest (smallest) one is good for almost every folder ever made, and costs only about $5.40 to mail it. I don't bother with insurance, buying or selling, unless the knife costs more than $200. USPS automatically gives you a tracking number when you mail the box, and I've never "lost" a knife in the mail, with or without insurance, in the last year and sixty or more transactions.
Usually common sense and common courtesy will result in a good transaction. It is rare that it doesn't. Most folks are honest, and a honest description and pictures of a knife will go a long ways to ensure a mutually satisfactory transaction. If information is left out of the description in the thread, then PM or email the fellow and ask about it.
You can let a seller or trader know, reasonably, that mutual satisfaction is expected or the trade or sale will be reversed, with both parties responsible for mailing it back again.
This is a fun hobby, and strict honesty and full disclosure in our dealing helps to keep it that way.
Sonnydaze
 
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One thing that could really help (for trades) is allowing rough value figures. I have seen many a terrible offer trickle in (stuff like offering a beat up $20 knife for a $50+). It would be nice to get a rough figure when you have less common knives to trade. I have many a knife that has no exact value, either from condition of scarcity.

One huge thing that would help is trade threads working like normal threads where they get bumped from posts. With the 2 week repost rule, you pretty much get like 2 days of offers then over a week of total silence because so few people go past the first 2 pages.
 
I really like this line from Spark's Rules for the Exchange and Discussion Forum:
"Be honest and provide an accurate & detailed description of the item. Don't forget to mention defects, blemishes, new, used, or other problems. When in doubt, be pessimistic with your descriptions."
Especially the part about being pessimistic with your descriptions. On more than one occasion I've purchased goods (not knives and not here), only to discover when the item shows up that it didn't match the condition listed. This is definitely a pet peeve of mine.
 
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Hello there- I like this thread...As a seller, always list your requirements to the buyer thoroughly and highlight them in Red saying 'Please Read'. Do not expect the Buyer to be a mind reader and try to keep it as simple as possible. You are Selling the item, so you make the decision on how your product should be listed, but it's in the details. If a Buyer expresses interest, pull up their profile and look at their feedback. If you are not comfortable, PM the Buyer and get explanations before closing the deal. The Buyer should do this as well, just educate yourself as much as possible and look at other sales threads for ideas and Communicate, Communicate, Communicate! Just my two cents as I do not often comment to threads, but this brings up a good topic!
 
My biggest gripe is formatting and presentation of information.

  • Put what you're selling in your thread title. Although it seems obvious to do so, a lot of people do not put what they're selling in their titles. People regularly do this in all threads, too. Waste of clicks and misleading or ambiguous titles. Heck, I put prices in my titles, too, to save time. There's this one guy who sells sometimes in the Busse & Bussekin selling forums, and he always just puts "Busse" in the thread title. No, really??? :eek: [Edit: Yikes, in fact he has one in there that he just opened yesterday. no offense, man; just using you as an example.]
  • Emphasize important info. There are lots of key pieces of information that should stand out, like item, prices, condition, and shipping details. You can use font weight, color, size, anything, but some insist on putting everything in a huge wall of text with their life stories. What makes this worse? Multiple knives.
  • Use a consistent structure per knife if you have multiple knives. Each knife's details should be accompanied by a picture, not a list of all knives followed by a barrage of pictures. There's no consistency in the structure the latter way, and it's just difficult to navigate. Are you interested in something you read, or are you interested in something you see? Doesn't matter, too bad, it'll force you to constantly scroll up and down and up and down to match the details with the picture anyway.
  • Use more lists, and use them correctly. They emphasize points and are quicker to read than textual rambling.
 
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jimh0220 said:
Other suggestions?
Click to expand...

The more communication that occurs up front, the less chance there is of a problem later. This is a maxim not only for Bladeforums, but for all human interaction. For example, describing clearly which party has the risk of loss during transit. I will say that I have the risk of loss as a seller up to the point that the USPS says its been delivered, at which time the buyer assumes the risk. That kind of stuff. This is also why legal documents are so detailed. The more issues you resolve before the fact, the fewer you have to deal with after.
 
It would be helpful to other forum members that once an item is sold or traded, that the item status is put into the original thread title. This courtesy may help members skip that particular thread once sold or traded and not waste their time looking through the post. Thanks! :)
 
One thing that annoys me is when I put something up for sale or trade and get 10 emails but only 1 post in the actual thread. I really like being able to check out profiles/feedback before dealing with someone, which is much easier when they post in the thread. Even just leaving a little message like "Email sent". I can usually check out the time-stamps as well to match up who sent which email/offer. Also, I've been confused before when someone said they sent an email but it was sent to the wrong person, and I received an email from someone else who didn't post in the thread. Spent most of the conversation thinking I was talking to one forum member but it ended up being someone different entirely. The deal didn't end up working out but it was still confusing. I know I could take the initiative and ask for their profile but that seems sorta rude to me.
 
Invective said:
One thing that annoys me is when I put something up for sale or trade and get 10 emails but only 1 post in the actual thread. I really like being able to check out profiles/feedback before dealing with someone, which is much easier when they post in the thread. Even just leaving a little message like "Email sent". I can usually check out the time-stamps as well to match up who sent which email/offer. Also, I've been confused before when someone said they sent an email but it was sent to the wrong person, and I received an email from someone else who didn't post in the thread. Spent most of the conversation thinking I was talking to one forum member but it ended up being someone different entirely. The deal didn't end up working out but it was still confusing. I know I could take the initiative and ask for their profile but that seems sorta rude to me.
Click to expand...

This isn't much of a tip to a seller, but it is annoying to other buyers. I've been burned before. I was first to post that I'd take something, so I sent payment. Hours later, I found out some secret ninja guy or something had already emailed and paid for it. Took me a few days to get the PayPal refund initiated after a bunch of odd communication with the seller, then another week for PayPal to do its job.

Since then, I've resolved to always put in my for sale threads that I'll only consider replies in the thread or initiated in the thread just out of convenience to other buyers.
 
Quite simple really. READ THE STICKIES IN THE EXCHANGE....

:)
 
One thing I would add is this.
Please don't hijack my sale / trade thread by posting pics / links of your offer or your trade thread in my thread.
I don't know about anyone else, but I feel that is very disrespectful.
 
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