I'm thinking about selling my Schrade collection and would like to ask your opinion.

Motey

Motey

Joined
Dec 1, 2011
Messages
315
I have a collection of scrimshaw, and other Schrade USA knives spanning mid-century to early 2000s. I'm one of those guys that goes all-in on things for a period of time and then moves on to other pursuits.

I realized the other day that almost my entire collection has been in a box, in a closet and I hadn't looked at any of it for more than a couple of years. I got to thinking that maybe it was time to pass it on to others so that it could be enjoyed by someone that appreciates it more than I do.

I realize these are crazy times financially, but also lots of people are at home hanging out perhaps on the computer. I'm interested in moving this stuff, but not necessarily in maximizing the sale.My questions are these;


1. Do you think timing is bad to try to sell right now?

2. Should I try to sell it as a whole lot?

3. Should I break it up into smaller lots of similar knives, such as stuff that was in a series?

4. Is this something that would sell on the forums here? I haven't really noticed old Schrade for sale too much in the past.

5. I know many here have strong opinions about eBay, is the risk vs. reward of selling there worth the work?

I'm still on the fence about it, so I appreciate your input. Thanks in advance.
 
1. I think the timing is bad. I am in the same boat, actually. 2. no. 3. yes, maybe. 4. yes or over on AAPK site. 5. Much more exposure there- nasty fees- more likely to deal with bad customer but could work out for you. I don't like it but may be forced to go there. It is time for me to largely sell out but I am dragging my feet; I don't like selling. Good luck to you!
 
There are some Schrade Facebook groups that allow selling and most members are solid. You might check them out. Some serious collectors hang out there.
 
...how about gifting to family members? Or keep the oldest, best condition as a memory?
 
I hate to say it, but as a long time seller (of many collectibles) and buyer on ebay, I've found that ebay is best for dumping your junk. If you have quality, new in the box specimens, I would look at the other selling options mentioned above. When the seller pays paypal and final value fees and the buyer pays state tax (in many cases) and sometimes questionable shipping fees, the overall 'value' of the transaction tends to be marginalized. Also, while there may be a lot of people looking right now, I think a lot of people are putting more product out there too, which will soften the market a bit and it will probably get worse before it gets better.
 
Ebay is always a contender if/when listings are free. Biggest exposure by far. List individual knives or lots of knives to keep shipping lower. Set a minimum bid amount that would make you very happy. Wait and see if anyone buys it at your happy price. Reassess and relist as necessary. Don't count on keeping any more than 85% of what the buyer will pay in total then subtract your shipping costs from your 85%. This is my real-world guesstimate formula. Giving us fanatics 1st chance at them on a forum is a good suggestion too. That might well get the job done.

If they are desirable Schrades then there is usually that one buyer who has some cash to go with it. Market might be a bit soft right now but I find uncommon knives hold their value if you are willing to wait for the right buyer to see it. Bad time to "have to" sell something. Always a good time to go fishing for that one buyer you need.
 
Some of my best/most loyal buyers I found through Ebay, however having established a relationship, I then dealt with many privately.....conversely, when I was starting out collecting Schrades I established relationships with trusted sellers who then dealt with me privately....never had a bad deal and saved heaps in selling fees.....I have sold privately to USA, Australia, UK, Europe,N.Z. and the Scandanavian Country's just love USA Schrades as users , and are not generally collectors as such....just don't try and quit the collection quickly, take your time, and you will be well rewarded, and form many Cyber friendships at the same time...be fair, and you will achieve your best results in the long run........I kept a few Schrades that I love, which represent my whole collection, and you don't need many to take out and admire and lightly clean/maintain....I gave special knives to friends and they tell me every time they use them they think of me which must be hard for them.!.Lmao….good luck....Hoo Roo
 
Since you’re a member here why not throw them up on the exchange? Worse thing that could happen is they don’t sell. As far as timing goes, it’s really a toss up if you ask me. It’s hard to gauge who may or may not have disposable income right now. If you do have knives in a series I would try to keep them together, especially if they have a serial number that is the same. As far as the rest go, I think putting them up individually would work fine. Maybe offer a discount if someone buys 3 or more, could be an incentive for someone to grab several. Good luck with your sale if you decide to go that route.
 
I will second what 315 315 said, mostly because I selfishly want to see what you have to offer. I am jonesing for some new (to me) Old Timer fixed blades.

As for timing, you might as well list them now if you have the time. I don't see any downside to posting them for sale even if this is a "down" period for a lot of people. Some may still have cash to burn and plenty of time to find the right knives. The only way to guarantee that your knives won't sell is to not list them.
 
Thanks for all the advice so far. I don't need to sell it, although extra scratch is always nice. I would also like to re-home these items, so to speak. I've been a mostly lurking member of Blade Forums for a while, but I really appreciate the amount of knowledge I've picked up here. Especially the Schrade Collectors forum. I think I'm likely to take 315's advice and try out the exchange. I have only had one transaction there and it left me a little...meh feeling I guess. It wasn't bad, but pretty lukewarm. That was a long time ago though. I'm just getting started on photographs so we'll see how it goes.

What's your advice for shipping overseas? I usually restrict my sales on eBay to the US, but then again I don't sell knives on eBay. Mostly just other stuff that just needs to turn into some kind of cash.
 
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