Why do some models hold their value and others don't

Tantos are very very much a love or hate kind of thing. I don't think it is being a Busse that is so much the issue as it is the style. I am very much in the "not for me" camp. Then I think you battle with Busse Tantos being that much different to the vast majority of knives that use that blade style and also landing outside the budget parameters of many of the regular buyers of those knives. Just my thoughts of course.

Cheers

Andy

 

Timing is everything. When I was a financial advisor, we used to say - "There are no bad investments, only bad timing."

The tantos you have listed are outside of the norm of Busse offerings so your post will have to be seen by the right person (a fan of Busses and a fan of tantos), at the right time (when they want/need a new knife), and when they have the cash to burn. A lot of stars have to line up but given enough time, it'll happen.

Up until @Adam Fischer recently posted some of those Last Rites (a more recent Busse tanto), every one I saw hit the exchange sold almost immediately for significantly more than what they had cost from Wauseon. I believe one of his sold and the rest are still up. I attribute this to Blade Show just happening last weekend.

Give it a couple of months and the exchange will be a different place.

 

Well, it is all about demand and supply. Trust me over the years, all the knives dive and go up. As for Tanto's, since they are the rarest of all blade styles, eventually they will be very expensive, just not after they are released. I absolutely love the Last Rites. No plans on giving mine up. It hits all the spots including chopping mass. There was a time when you could not give away an SHBM, believe it or not. When the FBM's were released, people were dumping SHBM's for cost. Wish I had picked them all up.

 

I thought you DID pick them all up!

 

LMAO.

 

I agree with the tanto being one of those love it or hate it kind of things. I'm kinda weird in that sometimes I love them and sometimes I dont. For instance, the lines of the Public and Fatback Defenders compliment the tanto point beautifully, like they were meant to go together, and I would love to have one, but some of the others where they reground the end of an existing blade design just don't look "right" to me.

 

I always liked the PT-5. That was a wild Tanto.

 

My Last Rites tanto blade is the only 8in busse knife i have that can cut the air easily with that "wooosh" sound

 

I reiterate the supply and demand sentiment. Everything always works off supply and demand. Right now it looks like the supply of Busses is very high. If that is correct then it’s a better time to be buying then selling.

 

That's true. The Busse supply is higher than usual.
Perhaps the much quicker turnaround time from Busse factory is contributing to the "oversupply"

That said, certain models are just that desirable that they get snatched up QUICK.
For example, there was a short Butaniku that went in 2 minutes.... And I thought I was quick to the draw

I saw your listing recently.... Very interesting tanto shapes. I hope you good luck in finding a willing buyer.

 

It's getting to be the summer too, people paying for vacations, kids' camps, and such. Then you got them single dudes chasing bikinis instead if INFI like fools. Ice caps are melting, Yellowstone is about to erupt, The Greater Depression is upon us, Nightforce just released a 2.5-20x scope, it all factors into most of us being cash strapped right now. But the biggest problem is they're tantos.

Historically the best month to sell knives is October. *Can someone verify that? I may have just made that up.

 

Everybody loves those dam Scotch Dispensers!

 

My camp tramp and hogb8 woosh too lol .i saw a huge tanto from busse on the exchange for 300 bucks seems low value to me for an awesome looking knife the argonne assault style grip and nice camo job if i had more cash i would of bought it too but alas i have reality calling.me back lol.
Tantos rock but lack a lil bit of ultilitarian use so i think people would rather a curved blade tip for most uses .i can even get a mini 5 inch bokken i made to whoosh

 

That's why I have never collected Busses as an investment. Of course, selling a knife for more than you paid for it is nice, but for myself I include some intangibles in the true value of my Busses:
- The thrill of the hunt, fining a grail model, completing a set, etc.
- Satisfaction of ownership. As an engineer, I value great design, durability, functionality, materials, etc. That is why black canvas is my favorite handle material.
- Being a part of the Busse community
- The performance of my users
- Just pure old enjoyment. If it wasn't for that, I would never have done it.

At my age I know that I will have to start selling them off one of these days. But no matter the price, I will not "lose" anything.

 

There are so many Busse knives out there. Most of them will not make money

 

So true.
There's gotta be better way to invest your hard earned money than dump it into knives.

 

Cobalt nails it on the "Last Rites" There have been a couple I have really liked but were well above what I was willing to fork out at the time "regrets" but, I was too new to understand at the time. It happened to be one of my picks lower on the list from the Ganza, but when I received it? Damn, what blind luck that was and I can't reiterate that enough, I absolutely LOVE LOVE that blade -but it's one of those things that until you hold it, you just don't know.
Here's the other thing about those for sale, those are cerakote, so the steel underneath is as perfect as a satin blade should one choose to strip it- but those are also what I would call "Classics" that doing so might be the wrong thing to do - IDK about how those fell out in how they were offered- but they are certainly in the group of desirable in that there is a finite number of them.

As with all the other comments here based on good observations, it really does come down to timing. Don't give them away~I personally don't have the stones to low ball someone no matter how bad I might want it, just not who I am, I also consider it to be rude and an insult. If you don't have to, let it ride, it will happen. I know that eventually, the right person will come along at the right time for everything..... patience.

 

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Yeah, the LR carries some heft to it for more utilitarian uses. It is a large knife that due to design seems smaller than it really is