"Knife People" more price sensitive?

[Bolster]

I was talking to a "knife person" friend the other day, who sells on eBay. He has been selling in many categories, and no small number of knives included. Many Kershaw, but some Spyderco and many other brands too.

Of all the categories he sells in, on eBay, he says that the "knife people" are the most price sensitive customers. I asked how he gauged that. He said (1) A knife can sit for months, then he lowers the price by a dollar or two, and then it will sell right away. (2) He says of all the items he's selling, he gets more unsolicited lowball offers on knives (many of them rude, he says), than on any other product category he sells. So the picture he paints of the eBay knife purchaser, is that of a person who is exceptionally price conscious. "Tight," is the (nice) word he used.

What do you think of this report...accurate summary, or inaccurate anecdote? Introspection: I would have to say that I'm pretty "tight" when buying knives, and will sometimes spend (valuable) time to find a particular knife that's a couple dollars less...my time being worth more than the discount I've found. I wonder if knives being a "commodity," ie, you are going to get pretty much exactly the same thing, no matter where you buy it, plays into this. Another hypothesis is that rich people (who spend easily) tend not to be buying knives....maybe knife people are a category with less discretionary cash to spend.

But I would be interested to hear your ideas on the above.

[ladybug93]

since most of us have more knives than pockets or hands, we can afford to wait for a deal for most knives we're looking for. i can't speak for the rudeness though. some people just want to be angry.

[SG89]

Ebay is a cesspit. Didn’t used to be so bad.

[cjk]

Most people think their stuff is worth more than it is.

Is your "knife person" buddy one of those folks that lists stuff for absurdly high prices? Desirable stuff which is honestly represented and reasonably priced usually sells.

Like I'd guess a lot of us, I look at Spyderco stuff on ebay pretty regularly. I have quit looking at anything but auctions. That filters out the vast majority of the overpriced nonsense.

Hopefully any questions I ask of sellers aren't seen as rude. Keep in mind that if anybody is asking questions, they're interested in your stuff. That interest can be cultivated into a sale. I'd say about half or more of the questions I ask sellers on ebay go unanswered. If a seller won't bother to answer questions, I won't bother to bid on their stuff.

Sure, I'm cheap except when I'm not.

[Evil D]

I couldn't say, but I can say if he's getting insulting offers, he's pricing way too high because the person making the offer isn't lowballing, they don't expect him to take the offer, it's a way of saying that's a ridiculous asking price.

[yablanowitz]

Is it rude to mention their asking price makes me think they've been smoking crack?

I suspect that knife buyers do their homework more than other catagories, so they know when someone is trying to squeeze an extra buck or two out of a deal. Since we are talking about mass produced items, not one-off customs, we are less likely to pay the extra when a little patience can save us those dollars.

[cjk]

I also see Spyderco stuff which is still available new from retailers get bid up over actual retail street price, especially considering taxes and shipping. Ebay charges me tax.

Cheap people wouldn't do this.

Go search for "spyderco", then sort the results for highest prices first. Some of the results are honestly pretty funny.

[vivi]

I guess I'm one of them.

I've messaged people trying to sell micarta handled street beats for $400+ if they'll come down to the $200-250 ballpark, which is what I paid for my last one.

Messaged a guy that was trying to sell a swamp rat hairy carry for $475 if he'd take $250. he said no. the knife is still listed on ebay.

The more you know, the more you know. I'm not paying $500 for a street beat, because I know better. Just like I'm not paying $200 for a catcherman that looks like it spent twenty years in a tacklebox.

I never have issues selling my knives because I price them reasonably. e.g. when I sold my zwear shaman I could have asked for another $50 and still made a sale.

[RamZar]

The flipper (profiteer) crowd is strong in the knife world.

[cjk]

go search for "spyderco g10 manbug" right now. really. You'll laugh.

[Coastal]

I definitely look for the lowest price I can find at a particular time, but I don't wait for deals to show up. I don't look around for very long, if a knife I want is available at a somewhat reasonable price. I also take targets of opportunity if they're interesting enough. In the past several months a Caribbean, a Military 52100, a Cricket, a Chaparral Stealth Ti, and a Manix 2 showed up on eBay with BINs so low I had to buy them, even though the only ones I really wanted were the Caribbean and the Millie (this is how I learned that the others are really cool knives). On the other hand, there's a point I won't go beyond, no matter how much I want a knife. I don't know exactly what the point is, but if a knife is over $300, it better be damned desirable. I paid a lot more in the past, but not anymore.

What all that says, is that I'm not price sensitive, if it's within my price range.

[Spicy Suplex]

go search for "spyderco g10 manbug" right now. really. You'll laugh.

Frig! Which lucky forum member will snatch up this extremely reasonably priced Manbug I wonder! Oh the excitment!

► Show Spoiler

It's 700 for those not wanting to look

[Manixguy@1994]

I have to really want a knife before I buy it on eBay. The price has to be reasonable. Why pay for even new when you can buy from a range of dealers tax free and free shipping ?

[vivi]

ebay is definitely hit and miss. I've gotten $40 pacific salts but passed on used $400 C95's.

[RustyIron]

Another hypothesis is that rich people (who spend easily) tend not to be buying knives....maybe knife people are a category with less discretionary cash to spend.

I think you might be close...
The more affluent folks might not be shopping for a new knife on eBay, especially inexpensive knifes. If you can typically save 10% by shopping on eBay, and you're buying a $60 knife, you've saved $6. Big whoop. If your time is valuable, it might make more sense to just buy the knife at Walmart or any of the many online retailers.

Although I have no data to support this, I think that eBay is the realm of the younger people, who are generally less affluent than the old folks. The youngsters grew up on Tik Toks, tip taps, and instant messaging. It takes no time and no effort to shoot off a dozen messages like, "U take 135?" They think they're shrewd negotiators. Maybe they are, and that's the way the game is played on eBay. I don't have a solution for your friend, as eBay has evolved into a platform that caters to the clickety-clickers.

PSA for the younger folks:
If you want to make a deal with a dinosaur, we don't respond well to tippy-taps. Phone conversations can go either way. Handshakes and eye contact are the foundation from which negotiations can emerge. Just sayin'...

[Bolster]

Interesting range of responses. Most seem to be in defense of the tightwad, at this point.

I'm curious what Sal would say. From his perspective, are his customers more on the "generous" end, or on the "pinch-penny-tight" end of the spectrum? Judging from Spyderco prices, I'm thinking, generous. If people weren't willing to open their pocketbooks and spend a little extra for a quality or luxury item, Spyderco wouldn't have much of a market.

Maybe the dealers get the bulk of the "generous" shoppers, and the "pincy-pennys" end up shopping eBay for deals (assuming friend's report is valid).

[gspam1]

go search for "spyderco g10 manbug" right now. really. You'll laugh.

And it's not even G10, those are pink FRN scales. It's used though, so that adds value

[cjk]

go search for "spyderco g10 manbug" right now. really. You'll laugh.

And it's not even G10, those are pink FRN scales. It's used though, so that adds value

I don’t think it’s even a manbug either

[Evil D]

Btw, what is the opposite of "price sensitive", gullible?

[Oloung1]

Interesting range of responses. Most seem to be in defense of the tightwad, at this point.
.....
Maybe the dealers get the bulk of the "generous" shoppers, and the "pincy-pennys" end up shopping eBay for deals (assuming friend's report is valid).

I think your assessment is pretty close, at least for me. If I am casually surfing ebay this is what I typically see for spyderco listings:

• 30% flipper pieces
• 60% "BNIB" pieces priced at authorized dealer stock
• 8% counterfeits
• 2% used knives

So, I'd rather window shop on BF for flipper prices, buy BNIB at an authorized dealer, skip the counterfeits and just focus on the Used knife listings on eBay.