Wow... I paid too much for that knife

Triton

Triton

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So I was at the local blade shop yesterday, it's actually a pretty decent little shop. He's got some of the same junk you will find in the mall knife stores but he confines it to one table of shop and in the rest he stocks things from Benchmade, Kershaw, Sog, Microtech, Buck etc.

Anyway I had taken a buddy and we were in their perusing the wares and what turned out to be a mini-ruckus caught my eye. I asked to see it and played with it a bit. Darn it's a nice knife! Anyway, we continue browsing because he had the ruckus listed at 210 and there was no way I was paying that much for it. My buddy bought a small slipjoint and we were actually heading for the door when he yells at me that he will sell me the mini-rukus for 185 including tax. I screwed up. I had no idea what a min-ruckus cost new, and I knew that he was probably still going to make some money on it, but figured what the heck I can spend a few bucks to support the local guy... Man! Did I get screwed or what? When I got back to the computer I checked for what a mini-ruckus should cost. Looks like around 140 dollars... so I was supporting the local guy to the tune of nearly 50 bucks. The moral of the story is... don't impulse buy and do your homework. Duh. :rolleyes: I already knew that.

So how about you guys. Anyone else want to fess up as to how they overpaid for something or other?
 
I've paid way, way too much for a large portion of the knives in my collection. I used to only buy retail, until this was no longer a possibility for me and I discovered online shopping. I think I paid $200 for a Benchmade 942, $175 each for my 710 and 806. I didn't know any better! Although just recently I did shell out way too much for my mini-rukus at my local gun shop, even though I knew how much I could get it for online. I think I shelled out $200 for it, but I like the guy who runs the store and I felt like supporting retail. I never really got hosed at retail for any Spydercos, all anyone seems to carry are Enduras, Rescues and Delicas.
 
Some one has to be the RETAIL fish, or profit margin for the week. That's why they have buyers like ***. It's good for the economy.
 
About a month ago I spent a week in my ancestral homeland (Connecticut) and I bought a Kershaw Shun Santoku for around $142 at a retailer at one of those outlet malls. I have since seen them online for between $20 and $35 less than what I paid (not counting shipping). I'm not immune to buyer's remorse when I see it cheaper after I make a purchase but let's look at the advantages of making the purchase I made:

I am not a scumbag who paws over a vendor's goods and takes their time so I can go try to find it cheaper somewhere else, so I have maintained my integrity and purchased from the vendor who invested in providing helpful sales staff to help me with my purchase.

I was actually able to handle the piece and determine that it felt comfortable in my hand, which you can not do with an online purchase, and which is supremely important with a chef's knife that will be a fixture in my hand whenever I cook for years to come. (Have I ever mentioned that I am a fairly legendary cook among my acquaintances, having learned from my brother who is a professional chef?)

After determining that I wanted to purchase, I was able to have the clerk display all four of the santokus that they had in stock so I could meticulously examine each one, eliminating and choosing, until I settled on the one that I felt was the best of a very, very good lot.

Did I pay a bit more than I could have? Sure I did. Do I regret it? I usually do regret paying more than necessary, but I got a wonderful knife at a fair price and I am not only satisfied but actually delighted with its performance. I can live with the couple of extra bucks I paid. If I had purchased online I would never be 100% confident that I got a perfect knife and I would not have made an investment in protecting my future ability to handle the goods in a brick-and-mortar store before spending my money. Be happy with your purchase, Triton - you wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't worth it to you at that time.
 
mycroftt said:
About a month ago I spent a week in my ancestral homeland (Connecticut) and I bought a Kershaw Shun Santoku for around $142 at a retailer at one of those outlet malls. I have since seen them online for between $20 and $35 less than what I paid (not counting shipping). I'm not immune to buyer's remorse when I see it cheaper after I make a purchase but let's look at the advantages of making the purchase I made:

I am not a scumbag who paws over a vendor's goods and takes their time so I can go try to find it cheaper somewhere else, so I have maintained my integrity and purchased from the vendor who invested in providing helpful sales staff to help me with my purchase.

I was actually able to handle the piece and determine that it felt comfortable in my hand, which you can not do with an online purchase, and which is supremely important with a chef's knife that will be a fixture in my hand whenever I cook for years to come. (Have I ever mentioned that I am a fairly legendary cook among my acquaintances, having learned from my brother who is a professional chef?)

After determining that I wanted to purchase, I was able to have the clerk display all four of the santokus that they had in stock so I could meticulously examine each one, eliminating and choosing, until I settled on the one that I felt was the best of a very, very good lot.

Did I pay a bit more than I could have? Sure I did. Do I regret it? I usually do regret paying more than necessary, but I got a wonderful knife at a fair price and I am not only satisfied but actually delighted with its performance. I can live with the couple of extra bucks I paid. If I had purchased online I would never be 100% confident that I got a perfect knife and I would not have made an investment in protecting my future ability to handle the goods in a brick-and-mortar store before spending my money. Be happy with your purchase, Triton - you wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't worth it to you at that time.
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Thanks Mycroft, :) That does help me feel a little better. It IS a nice knife. I'm a little scared to carry it though, afraid I'll lose the flipping thing...
 
Two weeks ago I paid $150 for an Apparition at one of my favorite old time hardware stores here , I'm not bummed at the store for charging a lot , I'm bummed at me for buying a lemon at a huge markup.
 
Triton said:
...It IS a nice knife. I'm a little scared to carry it though, afraid I'll lose the flipping thing...
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Now wait a minute -- unless you bought it just to add to a collection and want to keep it pristine, you need to carry it. Otherwise you won't be getting your money's worth!

Of course there's also this mini Rukus on ebay which has a current bid of $73 (kick a man when he's down? Me? ;-)

I bought (and paid full price for) a William Henry knife that is basically a piece of jewelry so I've been there too.
 
Well, I overpaid for a Buck Strider folder, the one that looks like the SNG, Spyderco Native III, Cold Steel small stockman and CRKT Navajo at Country Knives in Lancaster PA. Great store, great staff, lots of discontinued models, horrible prices. This was before I started buying on the forums too.

I also paid a little more than I would have liked on a Benchmade Rukus NIB at a small stall at a farmers market in Dundalk MD. This was Easter weekend, and I knew the prices on the Rukus model. Was a case of the "I've gotta have it."

Made up for it later on last month when I got a good price on a NIB Benchmade Skirmish :).
 
Joel Stave said:
Now wait a minute -- unless you bought it just to add to a collection and want to keep it pristine, you need to carry it. Otherwise you won't be getting your money's worth!

Of course there's also this mini Rukus on ebay which has a current bid of $73 (kick a man when he's down? Me? ;-)

I bought (and paid full price for) a William Henry knife that is basically a piece of jewelry so I've been there too.
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Ouch. That was just mean. :p
 
yes, i've been sucked in by ebay because i did not do an online search first.
"rare abalone/pearl beautiful folding ladies knife". wow, i got it for $36 plus shipping to Canada. then i looked around a little. these RoughRider, Steel Warrior, etc., are beautiful looking knives, but made in China and retail for $10 to $12 ! i still do not understand how you can sell anything at that price and make a profit, even if you don't pay your workers. it's value to me ? an inexpensive ebay lesson: for every prospective purchase, read between the lines as well; what is not being said, but left to assumptions ?, and, always spend time to do a thorough online search BEFORE bidding. a perfect example of "buyer Beware" roland
 
Carry it and use the devil out of it. Years from now you'll remember you bought it while spending the day with a friend, all the more important if something should happen to that friend. If you buy it online you'll have no sentiment for that extra $50.00.
 
I've bought numerous knives at the local knife store (River's Edge in Columbus, Ohio) knowing full well that I could get them for less online. I do it because I want to support a bricks and morter store in my city. The guys who run it are great, and I value being able to handle something before I buy it. That said, they don't get 100% of my business as I buy from good online stores too.
 
Pretty much any knife sold here in the European North goes for "too much". Shipping and fondling costs, customs, negate the benefit from ordering overseas. I find myself only buying sale items and from the local auctions site...
 
I've been eyeing the Kershaw KO Leek for a bit, and saw one in a shop in Eureka Springs, Arkansas over the weekend for $72. I couldn't remember what the MSRP was, but I would have bought it, had it not been serrated. Came home and bought the plain blade version online for 30 percent off its MSRP of $69.95.

That works. :thumbup:
 
Suspect we've ALL been down that road:eek:

But, it doesn't matter that much provided the knife pleases and is a quality individual.There's always some loudmouth who claims they can get everything cheaper grrhh!

The REAL problem is when you get palmed off with a second or substandard via mail order, that's a bummer.OR when some thief steals your knife in transit which is what I'm suffering from now.Some unspeakable **** has stolen my Bark River Nebula in Green Linen. Fed up!
 
Don't know if this will help, but... anytime I get ready to spend for something that's not a necessity of life, I judge it's value by whether I'm willing to pay the asking price, not by what someone has determined is the MSRP or the "street price". I buy a lot of stuff only after I've been able to handle it (knives, guitars, WW 2 books / videos / music) because it's important to me to make sure that it will be a fit for my use or collection.

Once I've decided that I like it enough to buy it, the only question that concerns me is whether it's valuable enough to me for me to part with what the current owner wants. Sometimes I pay more than what's considered "retail" or "fair" or street", sometimes I pay less. But when I buy like this, I don't look back. At the time I bought it, the item was worth more to me than the money I gave for it, so I'm happy with the purchase.

I should add that I buy for keeps. I'm not a trader and I don't stock up on stuff for later disposal.
 
I have bought a ton of knives on the internet that didn't suit me. They looked good, but it's always a shot in the dark when you don't have a chance to handle the knife. Who cares if you paid a little more? You got a chance to handle the knife, you liked it and you bought it. No unpleasant surprises. In the long run, you probably saved money.
 
Before I knew better, I bought a BM 960 for $200.00 at the Bass PS.:mad:

I really liked it and had the money, so I figured what the heck. Sometimes it pays to do your homework.
 
Some really good points being made, thanks guys! Really I was just thinking misery loves company and so asked for the confessions but you guys are doing a lot to make me less miserable. :thumbup:

It is a nice knife, think I will carry it tomorrow. :)

How the heck did they get away with calling this thing the mini Rukus anyway??? It's a good sized knife...
 
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