What is considered "new".

A

Amaranth

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Jul 19, 2009
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I have a blade I want to put up on feebay, and this knife is new, never used for cutting anything, even paper, and never sharpened.

All the packaging is intact, and it was only opened for inspection. Could I list this as "new", or is it like a car, once ownership changes hands, it's considered used?
 
Yes, that would be considered new. It would technically be NIB (new in box) since you have all the original packaging. I have a number of 'new' knives where I know I'm the second or even third owner.

To eliminate all confusion, your add could simply state all the stuff you mentioned above.
 
I would go with what elkins45 is saying. If the person is indeed honest to the information provided I wouldn't mind buying the knife even if I were to be the 5th owner. As long as the description is accurate to the physical appearance and condition of the knife.
 
Splitting hairs perhaps...I would be tempted to say "LNIB" since it's previously owned but this is a nit. Post pictures if you can - it helps avoid buyer/seller misunderstandings...
 
I regard as "not new" any knife that has been purchased by the consumer and fondled with the same fingers used to pick boogers, change diapers and all manner of other activity not suitable for discussion herein.

It may be LNIB, but to me its not "new" if someone has played with it on the couch while passing gas and watching ESPN.

Thats how I ride, anyway. So in my view, almost none of the knives sold at B/S/T are actually NIB. :thumbup:
 
If I buy a brand new knife and am very careful with it (which I am) only hold it very easy and looking at it with an easy soft gaze, replacing it in it foam padded box (after wiping it with soft silicone impregnated cloth) I have the right to sell it as MINT in BOX.
If I don't do this and flick it or carry it, fondle it excessively (or look at it with a hard stare:D) I can't say it's mint in box.
 
powernoodle said:
I regard as "not new" any knife that has been purchased by the consumer and fondled with the same fingers used to pick boogers, change diapers and all manner of other activity not suitable for discussion herein.

It may be LNIB, but to me its not "new" if someone has played with it on the couch while passing gas and watching ESPN.

Thats how I ride, anyway. So in my view, almost none of the knives sold at B/S/T are actually NIB. :thumbup:
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LOL! You make some valid points! :D
 
Sal Glesser said:
If it's been taken apart, it is not new.

sal
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Amaranth said:
I have a blade I want to put up on feebay, and this knife is new, never used for cutting anything, even paper, and never sharpened.

All the packaging is intact, and it was only opened for inspection. Could I list this as "new", or is it like a car, once ownership changes hands, it's considered used?
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Sal, I may be mistaken, but I was thinking that when the OP said "opened for inspection" he meant the box, not the knife...if it's been taken apart, all bets are off...
 
Sal Glesser said:
If it's been taken apart, it is not new.

sal
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By "Opened for inspection" I meant that the knife was taken out of the box to make sure it was the correct model, and did not have any visible flaws.

Thanks everyone for your responses to what could have been perceived as a "dumb question!" :o
 
Amaranth said:
Thanks everyone for your responses to what could have been perceived as a "dumb question!" :o
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I don't think it's a dumb question at all.

What's "Like New"? "LNIB"? "NOS"? "New"? "Mint"? "MIB""? "NIB"?

As a seller, you want the potential buyer to know what they're getting.
And as a buyer, I want to know what I'm getting.


To me, "New" means never opened, never touched since leaving the factory.
"Mint" and similar words describe the physical condition of an item that has, in fact, been opened.
 
Question for the group: do you think there's a difference between MIB and LNIB ?
 
I find it is best not to even think about your knives too hard, the electromagnetic waves thus emitted may lower the condition and value. :D
 
JNewell said:
Question for the group: do you think there's a difference between MIB and LNIB ?
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Yes, I'd say a knife declared to be MIB can be held to a higher standard that one described as NIB, but I'm sure others will feel differently.

To me, NIB simply means the knife is exactly as it came from the manfacturer. Nothing more, nothing less. A knife can have imperfections, even defects, and still be legitimately described as NIB. MIB, on the other hand, implies the knife is, at the very least, free from obvious imperfections.

As an example, a knife with blade that is visibly off-centered could be legitimately described as NIB, but not as MIB. One can argue that doing so would be deceptive, but it's not dishonest unless the seller has expressly stated that the knife was better than it actually is.

Paul
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To me, MIB describes the actual physical condition of an item - whether a knife or otherwise.

But the word "Mint" is somewhat of an issue, because different people can have different ideas of what "Mint" actually means.
And those different ideas seem to increase in proportion with the cost of the item: the most subtle "ding", mark, or scratch becomes magnified as the price goes up.
 
Best to take MIB with a grain of salt concerning old desirable Spydercos, especially on eBay. I've found most are merely made into the most desirable rating possible, by sellers wishing to extract every last dime out of the auction. In fact I've bought a couple described as "Mint" that were at best LNIB.
 
I've wondered this before. When I've sold knives in the past, I've generally called then "LNIB" if I've opened them more than a few times, cut some paper, etc, and "NIB" if it's basically in the exact condition that it was when I bought it. I always provide a full and detailed description of the knife just so that the seller knows exactly what they're getting, though-I think this is the main thing.
 
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