Hello Knife folks,
I just inherited a bunch of knives and I have no idea where to start. I don't want to keep them. Is there a large knife trading website to list these?
I have 13 Great Eastern Cutlery knives. A few are prototypes. All in the boxes in mint condition. They mostly appear to be from 2007. My dad owned a gun/knife shop. I have other knives in boxes and leather sheaths. I just have no idea where to start to get rid of them. Advice? I am trying to steer clear of Ebay.
LostonFidalgo wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 5:38 pm
Hello Knife folks,
I just inherited a bunch of knives and I have no idea where to start. I don't want to keep them. Is there a large knife trading website to list these?
I have 13 Great Eastern Cutlery knives. A few are prototypes. All in the boxes in mint condition. They mostly appear to be from 2007. My dad owned a gun/knife shop. I have other knives in boxes and leather sheaths. I just have no idea where to start to get rid of them. Advice? I am trying to steer clear of Ebay.
As Kennedy said, you won’t have an issue selling them, but pricing can be tough. Some models bring way more than others. I know you want to steer clear of eBay but it would get you the most money. Short of that there are a lot of honest and reputable knife dealers on here who might buy the whole lot for a fair price(obviously leaving room for them to profit some too) and you can be done in one shot.
Most of the time you'll find a six digit number stamped on the back of the main blade near the hinge. That number can be decoded into useful information identifying the knife. You can check various sources for pricing information, eBay sold items, AAPK store, Bladeforums Exchange, etc. All have to be taken with a grain of salt, knife collectors are notoriously fickle, A price of $300 from six years ago may have changed considerably depending on many factors.
A hint: Make sure the tube matches the knife. While it's true that you're selling a knife, inadvertently putting a $200 knife in a $600 tube is a bad look... And of course vice-versa.
Here's a short article that explains GEC's numbering system.
I agree with eBay probably bringing you the most money. If you
have a lot of knives however, it could be very time consuming.
It will however give you a fast lesson on appreciating the
different knives if you don't already.
Good luck and Welcome! If you do like knives post a few here
with pictures.
Look at the model number associated with each knife and do an internet search to get some idea of the price a knife may be selling for. All good advice above. Educate yourself before trying to get rid of them. GECs are in short supply and high demand.
Tim
“Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, leave the rest to God.” - Ronald Reagan
I am a fulltime dealer for many years now who recently joined AAPK. From my experience, if you want immediate cash and not have to sell them yourself, selling to a dealer would be a good option in one fell swoop. With this many GECs, the research of models and price might take some time, if you enjoy doing it yourself. As with anything relating to money, the honesty runs the gamut when it comes to what each party consider fair price. Informative dealers will usually tell you what the last 12-20 years of average and trending pricing is for the model, and offer you their fair price.
If you do consider selling them yourself online like Ebay, take into account their final selling fee of about 15%. You also need to purchase packing materials, etc which can be about 1-3% of your listing price, depending if you want to pay for shipping insurance or not. Potential sellers will ask questions, so be prepared to respond within 24 hours to keep their interests going. When knife is sold, payment and fulfillment takes place, in which you have to pack and ship, which can take 1-3 mins per knife if you already have materials and thermal label printer. I normally do USPS Priority Mail since buyers want them right away (who wouldn't?). Potential returns from buyers are also possibilties, so that will eat into your profit margin. Ebay has the most audience so this is a great marketplace for knives as I sell them there myself and on my website.
Since you will be likely selling over $600 worth of knives (laws change so beware), Ebay will generate a 1099-R for the year that they are sold. This need to be reported on your personal income tax, and pay proper taxes on them as some kind of capital gain. Depending on your tax bracket, you will be adding additional percentages off your final selling price.
To shorten the story, expect your final fee to be about 20-25% of the listing price when selling on Ebay. If selling to dealers, you will get all kinds of offers as they too need to make a living.
There is another way such as consigment (30%-40% going rate) that may be worthwhile investigating to get the better price. They will take care all of your selling for you at usually the highest price. Hope that helps. If I make this more complicated, I apologize in advance.
LostonFidalgo wrote: ↑Tue May 23, 2023 8:59 pmIt's been kind of overwhelming
the call for help coupled with the fine knives that you’ve inherited is a siren to most of our members here … BTW, our members also love pictures which will only work towards increasing the feeling of being overwhelmed. Hang in there Mandy!
Some very good advise has thus been posted, Mandy, so you have options. IMHO, a store here at AAPK would likely see profits while at the same time you won't be as tied-up and busy as you'd be with Ebay, allowing time for you to get more acquainted with the knives, plus you'll save the 15 points.
Good luck with whichever way you choose to go, and to AAPK!
That's great advise, Fly, it's really nice having another knowledgeable knife person here!
Many times folks will join up, post 1 post, and then disappear never to be heard from again, so I was happy to see you joined with a Gold membership which is the costliest option, cuz it indicates to me that you'll stick around and not just "Fly" by night! lol! Sorry, couldn't resist! to AAPK!
Thank you. I may just post them all here. Thanks so much for all the helpful advice. Everyone has been so kind.
Madmarco wrote: ↑Tue May 23, 2023 9:52 pm
Some very good advise has thus been posted, Mandy, so you have options. IMHO, a store here at AAPK would likely see profits while at the same time you won't be as tied-up and busy as you'd be with Ebay, allowing time for you to get more acquainted with the knives, plus you'll save the 15 points.
Good luck with whichever way you choose to go, and to AAPK!
You did not make it more complicated. I so appreciate the time and effort to help me.
I will take full stock of what I have and let you have a look. It will take a few days. There are many in boxes, and some that are not. I don't know the history of any of them. I need to really dig in and figure out what I have.
I am a fulltime dealer for many years now who recently joined AAPK. From my experience, if you want immediate cash and not have to sell them yourself, selling to a dealer would be a good option in one fell swoop. With this many GECs, the research of models and price might take some time, if you enjoy doing it yourself. As with anything relating to money, the honesty runs the gamut when it comes to what each party consider fair price. Informative dealers will usually tell you what the last 12-20 years of average and trending pricing is for the model, and offer you their fair price.
If you do consider selling them yourself online like Ebay, take into account their final selling fee of about 15%. You also need to purchase packing materials, etc which can be about 1-3% of your listing price, depending if you want to pay for shipping insurance or not. Potential sellers will ask questions, so be prepared to respond within 24 hours to keep their interests going. When knife is sold, payment and fulfillment takes place, in which you have to pack and ship, which can take 1-3 mins per knife if you already have materials and thermal label printer. I normally do USPS Priority Mail since buyers want them right away (who wouldn't?). Potential returns from buyers are also possibilties, so that will eat into your profit margin. Ebay has the most audience so this is a great marketplace for knives as I sell them there myself and on my website.
Since you will be likely selling over $600 worth of knives (laws change so beware), Ebay will generate a 1099-R for the year that they are sold. This need to be reported on your personal income tax, and pay proper taxes on them as some kind of capital gain. Depending on your tax bracket, you will be adding additional percentages off your final selling price.
To shorten the story, expect your final fee to be about 20-25% of the listing price when selling on Ebay. If selling to dealers, you will get all kinds of offers as they too need to make a living.
There is another way such as consigment (30%-40% going rate) that may be worthwhile investigating to get the better price. They will take care all of your selling for you at usually the highest price. Hope that helps. If I make this more complicated, I apologize in advance.
Thanks Madmarco. Ya I fell into that trap. I am glad you got it out of your system Hope I can help out in some way with this group. So far, I have gotten more out of this site than expected. Love it. I appreciate the people making it work behind this madness of pocket knives collecting
Good luck in converting the knives to cash LostonFildago. Give me a shout when you are ready for an evaluation. I sold many of these GEC's and have a good idea what sells, etc. I am sure others will chime in to help you along with your mission.
I do want to offer my condolences on the passing of your father.
I am not one who can help with selling your knives, other than to say that it looks to me as if you have been given a lot of good advice.
Reverand wrote: ↑Wed May 24, 2023 12:45 am
I do want to offer my condolences on the passing of your father.
I am not one who can help with selling your knives, other than to say that it looks to me as if you have been given a lot of good advice.
Count on our Rev to comment on what's important, my condolences on the passing of your dad as well, Mandy.
Missed doing so in my original reply.
to AAPK. Your posts, seeking advice are fine but to offer your knives for sale requires a subscription that can be found here: https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/ca ... scriptions
Hope I can help out in some way with this group. So far, I have gotten more out of this site than expected. Love it. I appreciate the people making it work behind this madness of pocket knives collecting 
