Conditional Sales

[on_the_edge]

Most buyers will take their money elsewhere rather than beg someone to take it.
There is no shortage of skilled knifemakers who would be happy to do business, and take their money.

Alienating a percentage of your customers is a foolish business move.
But they have the right to turn down cash if they so choose.

And some makers have gotten the shaft when a prospective customer had them make a specific piece and then was nowhere to be found when the piece was completed, just as some buyers have fronted $ to a maker only to never receive the knife they thought they were buying. It goes both ways.

You say, "Alienating a percentage of your customers is a foolish business move." I say that it is at least as foolish to sell to someone who has the money without trying to understand who it is you are selling to and that they have some minimal level of morality and decency. I won't sell to just anyone, because anyone can pay through Paypal, and any unscrupulous jackass who pays though PP can also claim they were sent the wrong knife, start a PP dispute, win that dispute and their $ back, and then return some POS knife back to the seller.

Of course, you don't have a membership here, so you CAN'T sell here and thus can't fall victim to the scheme I just outlined. I guess you have nothing to lose in taking the position you have taken.

 

[Coreman]

Seems like a concept of good intentions, however, you can never regulate that, as rules lead to more rules, and limitations need further details, and when exceptions happen due to some unforeseen circumstances, then the whole concept falls down .
On another hand... think of a similar scenario...
A fresh engineering Graduate, with a high spirit , and a bright mind. Looking for a job, while every single opportunity requires a minimum of 5 years experience....
I wonder how would he get one, if he can't start.

 

[craytab]

Seems like a concept of good intentions, however, you can never regulate that, as rules lead to more rules, and limitations need further details, and when exceptions happen due to some unforeseen circumstances, then the whole concept falls down .
On another hand... think of a similar scenario...
A fresh engineering Graduate, with a high spirit , and a bright mind. Looking for a job, while every single opportunity requires a minimum of 5 years experience....
I wonder how would he get one, if he can't start.

Agreed. I'm not sure the OP wanted these things to be an official rule, just a suggestion for individuals.

 

[JJ_Colt45]

I will say I do not buy or sell much on here (but I have on other forums/groups through the years) ... but I have put stipulations on my sale threads also.

And even before I did that I reserved the right to sell or refuse sale to anyone ... and I checked the potential buyers join dates ... post areas ... along with feedback ...

now that doesn't mean I won't sell to a new member but when I have I requested some "known member" that was a contributing member that knew them to give me a PM to save going through the nightmares some do ...

and I think it would be foolish to not do some homework on unfamiliar buyers or those that 95% of their posts are in only the exchange area.

if that slows a sale down that's ok with me I don't need to sell it today or I would have listed it at a price it was irrestable to start with.

just my 2c worth.

 

[sharp_edge]

Most people here are not running a business of selling knives. They are free to choose whoever they sell to. I applaud those who give priority to contributing members and those with good standing.

With that being said, I have no problems with people who only buy, sell, and/or trade without participating in other subforums as long as they do not break BF rules.

What I have problems with is those who scam others because I feel they do far more damages to the individuals here as well as to BF. If I am going to set some sales conditions, it is mainly because of concerns of being scammed.

 

[Lone_Wolfe]

First and foremost, each seller can decide who to sell or not sell to. However, we were all new once, and someone had to give us a chance.

 

[Bad Ninja]

And some makers have gotten the shaft when a prospective customer had them make a specific piece and then was nowhere to be found when the piece was completed, just as some buyers have fronted $ to a maker only to never receive the knife they thought they were buying. It goes both ways.

You say, "Alienating a percentage of your customers is a foolish business move." I say that it is at least as foolish to sell to someone who has the money without trying to understand who it is you are selling to and that they have some minimal level of morality and decency. I won't sell to just anyone, because anyone can pay through Paypal, and any unscrupulous jackass who pays though PP can also claim they were sent the wrong knife, start a PP dispute, win that dispute and their $ back, and then return some POS knife back to the seller.

Of course, you don't have a membership here, so you CAN'T sell here and thus can't fall victim to the scheme I just outlined. I guess you have nothing to lose in taking the position you have taken.

LMAO.
What sane business owner does custom work without a payment or deposit upfront?
Answer: None.

Sounds like a piss poor business model to me.

Btw, I have owned and operated a business for far longer than BF has existed. Common sense goes a long way in life.

 

[Otto Carpenter]

The forum should be, first and foremost, a welcoming place. Profiteers aren't in the spirit of the forum, but the market will decide who buys what from whom.

I once sold a '65 Fender Deluxe to a guy on ebay with no feedback. I was reticent, but he turned out to be more than fine - just a musician who dearly wanted to own that amp. I was glad it went to him.

 

[JJ_Colt45]

the reason I usually pass up buyers who have activity almost exclusively in the exchange is because they usually try to throw ridiculous lowball offers and just want to flip knives ...

I would rather a member that is here to be part of the community and contribute to discussions get a knife they want than someone only here looking to flip or try to lowball sellers ...

and I agree new members have to start somewhere ... but when I started reading and even after I joined BF I didn't see much scamming going on but in the last year or two it seems like a weekly thread ... sad but that causes pause to not only be wary of new members ... but those that don't contribute and really have no investment in the BF community as a whole.

 

[Bad Ninja]

The forum should be, first and foremost, a welcoming place. Profiteers aren't in the spirit of the forum, but the market will decide who buys what from whom.

I once sold a '65 Fender Deluxe to a guy on ebay with no feedback. I was reticent, but he turned out to be more than fine - just a musician who dearly wanted to own that amp. I was glad it went to him.

BF isn't very welcoming of new members.

However, if a seller doesn't want or need my cash, that's fine... that's part of a free market.
Just be sure to make stuff you really like, because you may end up keeping it if you alienate a large percentage of your customer base.

It's a buyer's market with any luxury item. Custom knives are no exception.

 

[Peter Hartwig]

If I were to cherry pick my buyers and sellers I would go with a long term member that participated on the forum and the exchange. They value their membership, you know them, and they usually know how to do a transaction properly. An old member that hasn't done many if any transactions can be as bad as any new member-been slightly burned by a couple in the last year. A new member can fall anywhere from excellent, to not understanding proper form in a transaction to full scammer-most fall into the excellent group from my experience, but the others hurt them. I personally will deal with almost anyone that doesn't have negative feedback(old or new), but if you joined today and want to buy a $800 knife from me, I am sorry but I don't care for that much risk. I would like to know at least a little about you before that size transaction.
There are more scammers then when I started(almost none), but they are still very few compared to the number of transactions that occur here. Bad news always gets more press time. Few as they are nobody wants to be their victim, so some caution is certainly in order.

 

[on_the_edge]

LMAO.
What sane business owner does custom work without a payment or deposit upfront?
Answer: None.

Sounds like a piss poor business model to me.

Btw, I have owned and operated a business for far longer than BF has existed. Common sense goes a long way in life.

I just had this knife made for me and there was no upfront payment, not one penny:



Also see the following threads about upfront payments:

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/upfront-payment.708798/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/kosa_pl-failure-to-deliver.1512250/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/still-no-knife-from-dale-chudzinski.396819/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...t-makers-payment-policies-reasonable.1192330/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...ves-takes-your-money-then-disappears.1553337/

It may be best to learn from others' mistakes first, but you of course are welcome to proceed however you wish. With that, welcome to BladeForums. I hope your time here is enjoyable, educational, and problem-free.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

BF isn't very welcoming of new members.

However, if a seller doesn't want or need my cash, that's fine... that's part of a free market.
Just be sure to make stuff you really like, because you may end up keeping it if you alienate a large percentage of your customer base.

It's a buyer's market with any luxury item. Custom knives are no exception.

I've generally found BF to be exceptionally welcoming to new members. Go look at the introduction threads posted and take a look for yourself.

Some folks definitely get a rougher reception, but in many, many cases they earn it.

 

[IIDiode]

This kind of attitude towards newcomers here is why I have never made a purchase or sale here. I just contribute to discussions that I feel I can add to. By and large I just lurk and learn here.

Done hundreds of transactions thru close-knit FB groups w/ just as much camaraderie. There is no extra recourse doing deals here if things go south, there is the equivalent of GB&U all over the EDC community. If you don't HAVE feedback you have to work very hard to get feedback. To add as of late it seems there's way more bad deals happening here than where I hang my buy/sell/trade hat. Could just be a sign of the times.

Not trying to dog on the exchange here at all, but this kind of thing definitely does discourage a lot of buyers.

 

[joeradza]

LMAO.
What sane business owner does custom work without a payment or deposit upfront?
Answer: None.

Sounds like a piss poor business model to me.

Btw, I have owned and operated a business for far longer than BF has existed. Common sense goes a long way in life.

I really don’t care how you do business but since I’m insane by your definition I guess our business relationship is over before it starts. Oh, and I was in business far longer than you’ve been alive.

 

[Bad Ninja]

I really don’t care how you do business but since I’m insane by your definition I guess our business relationship is over before it starts. Oh, and I was in business far longer than you’ve been alive.

But I would still do business with you.
I'm in business to make money, not to act hollier than thou, or to feel special.
I would also require a deposit on custom work.
I'm not shady, and I have a legit lisc. business so you would always have recourse.