Ebay

[ssmtbracer]

How safe is it to buy spyderco on ebay are they most of the time real and not factory 2nds? I know your not allowed to sell fakes on ebay. But where do most of you get your from

[unit]

Well, that is a tough one. No one can guarantee you much of anything regarding fakes, seconds, or misrepresented blades in online auctions...many here "police" the suspicions looking ones, but it would be hard to keep up with them all.

Some of the bigger dealers are mostly reputable, but if you ask enough people you will find disgruntled buyers occasionally.

I greatly prefer dealing with my local guy, but not everyone has a great local dealer.

Love that screen name. I have a pretty fair passion for my SS too!

[vampyrewolf]

good pics are the trick. Can usually spot the 2nd notch, though I have seen a worked spine to hide it a couple times.

[THG]

If you buy off ebay, just don't expect the knife you get to be as good as the one you saw in the pics.

[2cha]

I've read that resorting to ebay and paypal protections takes time, but doesn't it also work if the knife is materially misrepresented? I recently had an issue with a large seller who has received some negative attention here in the past. As soon as I spotted the issue, (after auction closed but before shipping) and didn't receive what I thought was the appropriate response, I ramped up with communications to the seller and to ebay resolution center. The problem was resolved in a way that was most difficult for the seller, and made me the happiest, instead of just refunding my money which would have turned me off the seller, but left me satisfied.


I've had luck on ebay to date. On the other hand, I'm not as picky as some (no judgment of the picky meant or implied). I also won't buy from someone unless they have a good track record that goes back a good while.

[The Deacon]

It really depends on what you're looking to buy, your level of knowledge, and your level of skepticism. Buying current models can be reasonably safe if you stick with reputable eBay dealers. Poorfish comes to mine, but there are a number of others as well. Buying from individuals, even if they are "powersellers" can be more risky, unless you know your Spydercos very well and know how to spot a factory second. Generally speaking, for older knives the safest bet is someone in the US or Canada with LESS THAN 500 feedbacks, and a 99% or better positive feedback score. Even then, you need to know what the knife you're looking at is suppose to look like.
For new knives from dealers, stock photos in the auction listing are ok, but for knives from private parties, avoid auctions which use them, those with poor quality photographs, and those with photographs of the left side only since Spyderco always notches factory seconds on the right side.

If you buy off ebay, just don't expect the knife you get to be as good as the one you saw in the pics.

Not at all sure I'd agree with that. I've purchased a considerable number of older Spydercos on eBay and, while a few did look worse, IMHO almost all of them were properly represented. A few were even better than I expected because what I was forced to assume were scratches when looking at the photos must have only been "foreign matter".

[ssmtbracer]

So where is a good place to buy them online.

[unit]

I recently had an issue with a large seller who has received some negative attention here in the past.

I bet I know the dealer you are talking about. I had a similar issue. In my case a single set of photos on one knife was used to sell many knives (some large dealers state that is is impossible for them to photograph every knife they sell so they use stock photos). The knife I received looked nothing like the photos on the auction...it was damaged, but in a pristine box. The return was not smooth and quick.

So where is a good place to buy them online.

Perhaps this will help?
http://www.spyderco.com/dealers/index.p ... A&state=FL
I would look at your city and those near you and perhaps your will find a good dealer that you can work with.

[ssmtbracer]

What do guys think of these I already got the superhawk and I am thinking about getting the gayle bradley from the same seller if I can win the auction. If not I will get the other one. The delica I got from white mountain knives which I think is a good seller.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWNX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWNX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

[ssmtbracer]

What about spydie guys on ebay.

[tac]

What about spydie guys on ebay.

See the post right above your 3:59PM post.

[RIOT]

ive never had a single problem with buying a Spyderco on ebay, i think im lucky though, i dont buy anything with a generic picture, it must be a picture taken from the seller

[peacefulNeasyfeelin]

I just find eBay prices no longer attractive anymore. Far better off buying from dealers or forums. ...

[RJNC]

I've always had good experiences with ebay. You just need to be knowledgable.

[SteelDragon]

Originally Posted by ssmtbracer
What about spydie guys on ebay.

See the post right above your 3:59PM post.

I notice a lot of people not happy with this seller on this forum and was curious why he doesn't chime in on these threads and try to defend his business and make things right? Spyderco sells him alot of knives so it can't be all bad for him and he must be making alot of money off Spydie fans. Looks like he bought a big share of the 500 blue Manix Sprint Run to sell on ebay.

[HistoricalMan]

What about spydie guys on ebay.

I've always avoided that seller because his prices seem to be slightly elevated as far as dealers go.

[Reeper22]

Ebay is always a gamble. Look for sellers with high ratings. Also check the trade subforum on bladeforums.com

[mikerestivo]

Ebay has some risk to it, but has some built-in buyer protection, and there is additional protection via Paypal if you pay that way.

I had to utilize the Paypal protection several years ago on a Seiko kinetic watch that I got that was a "frankenwatch" - the band and the face were authentic Seiko products, but the crystal and the movement had been swapped and were bogus. I ended up contacting paypal, which forced the seller to refund my money after they investigated the issue. I got my cash back, sans shipping cost, and had to waste my time with the problem, but at least there was something to fall back on.

I have never had a problem buying a knife off of ebay, knock on wood. Deacon gave a good primer on this issue above with regard to pitfalls and such.

[Ben_1323]

The buyer protection policies on eBay are quite good. As soon as you get your knife, inspect it to make sure it's not a fake or second, and make sure it's as good as they advertised. If it isn't what they described, you can get it resolved in the manner of your choice, either through the seller or by reporting the problem to eBay and escalating the transaction. The latter should only be used if the seller doesn't respond to your contact or they refuse to take care of the problem.

Be careful to look closely at the photos, though, because if the imperfection you are dissatisfied with is in the photo in the description, then eBay may consider it accurately described. But it depends on the specific case though.

[THG]

Not at all sure I'd agree with that. I've purchased a considerable number of older Spydercos on eBay and, while a few did look worse, IMHO almost all of them were properly represented. A few were even better than I expected because what I was forced to assume were scratches when looking at the photos must have only been "foreign matter".

Let me rephrase it: if you're buying from an ebay store that runs a business selling knives, then it's probably okay. If it's a regular member selling on ebay, then I wouldn't count on the knife being in as good as the described condition or even the pics (pics often aren't all that accurate.)