How You Decide...How Much?

bucksway

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Jan 7, 2007
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We all have a decision to make when we decide to add a new Buck to our collection..how much are we going to pay? Sometimes it's super easy,especially buying at a yard sale or flea market from strangers, you ask the price and pay it or not. Or decide to negotiate if you really want it and/or don't have quite enough money to pay the asking price. Buying from friends or fellow collectors is different and sometimes more difficult because you want to be fair and have both of you happy since your relationship with them is ongoing. If both the seller and the buyer are knowledgeable it's much easier to decide on a fair price but that is not always the case. For instance I know any 112 with a BG42 blade is extremely rare and valuable but even among Buck collectors that is not widely known. If a BCCI member had one to sell I would treat the deal completely different than if I was at a yard sale or flea market. So who the seller is makes a real difference in the price I would pay and especially how I would negotiate. If a friend had one I would likely tell him the history and how rare it is..to be fair and for our friendships sake. I think among long time Buck collectors, even casual associates, that is true because reputations ARE important. No one wants to be known as the guy who ripped off or stole a valuable Buck for a few pennies on the dollar. Or one who took advantage by outright lying about one. Ebay is completely different and in some ways much better like a huge yard sale! If I find a killer deal I won't feel guilty about the bargain I paid.
I have a rule that I follow 93% of the time..never, never ever pay too much for a 112 but never ever rip anyone off or especially try to deceive. In particular the older Bucks,early Custom shop and all pre 1963 knives are hard to put a value to.. How do you decide how much to pay for a new addition to your collection? And does it matter who is selling it?
 
I use the simple supply and demand theory. If a knife is common and readily available, I look for the lowest price. If rare or vintage and in great condition, I'll splurge a little. I prefer reputable dealers, but will buy from eBay if everything checks out. With that said, I'm probably the biggest Buck fan here with the smallest collection. :)
 
We all have a decision to make when we decide to add a new Buck to our collection..how much are we going to pay? Sometimes it's super easy,especially buying at a yard sale or flea market from strangers, you ask the price and pay it or not. Or decide to negotiate if you really want it and/or don't have quite enough money to pay the asking price. Buying from friends or fellow collectors is different and sometimes more difficult because you want to be fair and have both of you happy since your relationship with them is ongoing. If both the seller and the buyer are knowledgeable it's much easier to decide on a fair price but that is not always the case. For instance I know any 112 with a BG42 blade is extremely rare and valuable but even among Buck collectors that is not widely known. If a BCCI member had one to sell I would treat the deal completely different than if I was at a yard sale or flea market. So who the seller is makes a real difference in the price I would pay and especially how I would negotiate. If a friend had one I would likely tell him the history and how rare it is..to be fair and for our friendships sake. I think among long time Buck collectors, even casual associates, that is true because reputations ARE important. No one wants to be known as the guy who ripped off or stole a valuable Buck for a few pennies on the dollar. Or one who took advantage by outright lying about one. Ebay is completely different and in some ways much better like a huge yard sale! If I find a killer deal I won't feel guilty about the bargain I paid.
I have a rule that I follow 93% of the time..never, never ever pay too much for a 112 but never ever rip anyone off or especially try to deceive. In particular the older Bucks,early Custom shop and all pre 1963 knives are hard to put a value to.. How do you decide how much to pay for a new addition to your collection? And does it matter who is selling it?

To Me, you answered your own question...Be Honest...Ebay doesn't count as a buyer, as a seller be as honest as possible, I do anyway's.... A friend does what you say. If they don't know don't take advantage of the situation, on the other hand, if your selling don't hold your friend to top dollar...Friends are harder to find than a knife...

If someone asks ME what I want to pay for one, I'll lowball them everytime. They usually come up with a price right away....:D:D:D:D:D:D:rolleyes::cool:
 
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Great discussion Clint. I think some might hold back for planetary reasons, but here's my attitude/take on things.

First; I'm definitely not the "collector" that many folks around here are. In all the piles I have I can think of only a few that I wouldn't part with. And some that if I were to part with; they would almost certainly go back to the person I got them from (again for "planetary" reasons, again).

What it's worth is subjective in most every sense. Something that I absolutely "have to have" is considerably more valuable to me than someone else, potentially even more valuable to me than it's actually worth as well. And if it is one of those things, I'll dig as deep as needed to get it. Fortunately for me; there aren't many of those things out there.

I like to barter more than buy/sell. It's easier to get someone to part with an object than it is their hard earned money most of the time. There are some exceptions, of course. I love finding the things that I don't need or necessarily want but feel like I can barter them into something more to my liking. A lot of times I've picked things up merely to pass them on. This might upset some folks; but what those folks need to consider is "what if MT didn't get it and someone not willing to part with it did". I try to be fair with my bartering from a value standpoint.

As far as I'm concerned; rare doesn't always mean valuable. It might be valuable to someone; but not necessarily to me.

To directly answer the title question-
I'll pay whatever I need based on how bad I want it, and I'll value it for sale/trade based on how bad I want to get rid of it. The more I want it, the more I'll pay and the more I want it gone, the less I'll take.

That's my $0.02. Don't spend it all in one place... :thumbsup:
 
For me, it is not about how badly I want it or lack of funds (except for this month cause I unexpectedly had to buy a new truck)
It is insecurity about the value of the item that causes me to pass on stuff I really want badly...and often in hindsight wish I hadn't.
I think a lot of the high end stuff trades behind the scenes which makes it difficult to get a value education.
I wouldn't care if the knife was $3000... I just don't want to be the only one willing to pay $3000.
I guess if you think about it, that is what happens in an auction... the winner was the only one willing to pay that much.
 
Keep ALL knife purchases under 99.00..:D Never could see what a 200.00 knife does that a 50.00 knife cant do..:rolleyes:
John
I heard of a guy who feels a Sebenza is too expensive but has around 10 $40 dollar knives :confused:
Why do some people go to Starbucks when a cup of instant Folgers will get the job done?
Why drink a premium beer? Why wear Nike's? Why order a steak?
 
What do you regret more, the knife you bought or the one you passed on?

If you love it, go for it.
I get paid well, and I value good workmanship. But I expect to get what I paid for.
If it's advertised as something that is what I expect it to be.
If I trust someone, I'll pay more than someone I don't.


What goes around comes around.
 
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Keep ALL knife purchases under 99.00..:D Never could see what a 200.00 knife does that a 50.00 knife cant do..:rolleyes:
John
Well I have a $160 knife that will cut for weeks on end without being sharpened and none of my $50 knives will even come close to that amount of cutting maybe a fraction. I’d rather spend my time cutting and enjoying the knife than sharpening it everyday maybe more.

I learned a long time ago that you get what you pay for and it also requires knowledge of value. A cheap made product that is overpriced is very poor value but a well built product made with the best materials and workmanship is worth every penny and then some when you can pass it down to the next generation.
 
It is insecurity about the value of the item that causes me to pass on stuff I really want badly...and often in hindsight wish I hadn't.
This is true, Roger, and has happened to me more than once. If you remember that chipped flint 192 on the bay several years ago. I asked you about it...don't remember what you said, but, I passed on it and now wished I hadn't. At the time it would have been more money than I had ever paid, I just wasn't experienced or knowledgeable enough to make the commitment...it's one regret that stays with me.
 
I just made a trade today..One Buck I don't carry for one's I will display. That puts another angle on what any Buck is worth to YOU..One thing I have discovered is what I paid has nothing to do with it's worth to many other folks. It took years before I realized a lot of Buck collectors don't care about models that they don't buy and collect and don't value odd 112's as much as I do. Safety award and advertising 112's are seldom bid high on Ebay and for years I wondered why other collector's weren't seeing the values I had for them. I wasn't until I went a couple of times to Altanta and seen other BCCI members displays that I understood better rarity dosen't always equal value. I did not understand why a otherwise identical knife in BG42 or S30V would be valued so much higher but now I have a better idea why one Buck is 'worth' more. Knowing what to pay for any Buck is a constant learning process..
 
We all have a decision to make when we decide to add a new Buck to our collection..how much are we going to pay? Sometimes it's super easy,especially buying at a yard sale or flea market from strangers, you ask the price and pay it or not. Or decide to negotiate if you really want it and/or don't have quite enough money to pay the asking price. Buying from friends or fellow collectors is different and sometimes more difficult because you want to be fair and have both of you happy since your relationship with them is ongoing. If both the seller and the buyer are knowledgeable it's much easier to decide on a fair price but that is not always the case. For instance I know any 112 with a BG42 blade is extremely rare and valuable but even among Buck collectors that is not widely known. If a BCCI member had one to sell I would treat the deal completely different than if I was at a yard sale or flea market. So who the seller is makes a real difference in the price I would pay and especially how I would negotiate. If a friend had one I would likely tell him the history and how rare it is..to be fair and for our friendships sake. I think among long time Buck collectors, even casual associates, that is true because reputations ARE important. No one wants to be known as the guy who ripped off or stole a valuable Buck for a few pennies on the dollar. Or one who took advantage by outright lying about one. Ebay is completely different and in some ways much better like a huge yard sale! If I find a killer deal I won't feel guilty about the bargain I paid.
I have a rule that I follow 93% of the time..never, never ever pay too much for a 112 but never ever rip anyone off or especially try to deceive. In particular the older Bucks,early Custom shop and all pre 1963 knives are hard to put a value to.. How do you decide how much to pay for a new addition to your collection? And does it matter who is selling it?
Which year this was made (112 with a BG42 blade) ????
 
Around 2002 after years of folks asking Buck to make a 112 in BG42 Joe Houser convinced Buck to make a run of blades. It was never offered to the public or on Bucks website but only for folks here on the forum. For $35.00 you could send in any 112 (I know of one 422) and Buck would replace the blade with one in BG42 and ship it back to you. They kept the old blade for legal reasons I believe. They have a anvil tang stamp and were etched on the back. At first they were not going to get any stamp and went thru heat treatment but when Joe asked they be marked they received the etch to avoid having to go thru heat treatment again. The whole run sold out in less than 2 months. I consider them to be one the hardest to find odd 112. Since they were only sold to Buck fans and disbursed Nationwide they seldom if ever are offered for sale. I've only held one in 2008 and passed on the sale at $150.00 because it was in
a beat up brass frame and I did not realize how truly rare it was.
They will be found in all kinds of handles both plain and fancy. I know of one or two loose blades that are not for sale and the one 422 that popped up on Ebay 2 years ago that I lost due to a snipe. BG42 was THE premium super steel of the 80's and 90's and was offered in the Custom shop as a option for the 110 and was used by Buck in the Master Series for 4 or 5 other models. It became extremely hard to find after 2015 and Buck made the last run of 110's with it around then.
 
Here's mine that Leroy put finger grooves and nice walnut covers on:D
DSC_0135.JPG

DSC_0134.JPG
 
Around 2002 after years of folks asking Buck to make a 112 in BG42 Joe Houser convinced Buck to make a run of blades. It was never offered to the public or on Bucks website but only for folks here on the forum. For $35.00 you could send in any 112 (I know of one 422) and Buck would replace the blade with one in BG42 and ship it back to you. They kept the old blade for legal reasons I believe. They have a anvil tang stamp and were etched on the back. At first they were not going to get any stamp and went thru heat treatment but when Joe asked they be marked they received the etch to avoid having to go thru heat treatment again. The whole run sold out in less than 2 months. I consider them to be one the hardest to find odd 112. Since they were only sold to Buck fans and disbursed Nationwide they seldom if ever are offered for sale. I've only held one in 2008 and passed on the sale at $150.00 because it was in
a beat up brass frame and I did not realize how truly rare it was.
They will be found in all kinds of handles both plain and fancy. I know of one or two loose blades that are not for sale and the one 422 that popped up on Ebay 2 years ago that I lost due to a snipe. BG42 was THE premium super steel of the 80's and 90's and was offered in the Custom shop as a option for the 110 and was used by Buck in the Master Series for 4 or 5 other models. It became extremely hard to find after 2015 and Buck made the last run of 110's with it around then.
On my God excellent
Thanks a lot for this info
So I can look out for 110 and 112 model of GB 42
 
BG42 110's are rare but out there...BG42 112's are much,much harder to find and will cost hundreds more..if the seller knows what they have. Since 2007 I have seen a grand total of 2 for sale lol! You might get lucky..If I don't see it first...
 
BG42 110's are rare but out there...BG42 112's are much,much harder to find and will cost hundreds more..if the seller knows what they have. Since 2007 I have seen a grand total of 2 for sale lol! You might get lucky..If I don't see it first...
If you see it tell me too
On a serious note now I am interested in getting 112 and 110 BG 42 if anyone is interested in selling
 
pjsjr that is a real nice one! Finger grooves and Walnut was a great choice. Did you send it in yourself? If I ever find one I'll be putting a nickel silver frame and MOP or Ivory/Mastodon or just thinking now maybe one of the new Auto 112's..
 
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