Selling knives on eBay ..

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Mar 15, 2012
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Hey BF,

Is it safe to sell knives on eBay? How do I Know if I'm selling to a criminal? We can ask for driver license to verify age, but you cannot verify criminal activies.

Best practices I should be aware of?
 
Hey BF,

Is it safe to sell knives on eBay? How do I Know if I'm selling to a criminal? We can ask for driver license to verify age, but you cannot verify criminal activies.

Best practices I should be aware of?

Realistically... no, you can't know for sure you aren't selling to someone who is a criminal... I mean, I've bought a few knives there if I couldn't find them elsewhere but I stick to trusted dealers for the most part...

In fairness, you could just as easily sell to a criminal here as well I suppose. But it's

a. probably a safer bet
b. you'll probably get more money here since knifeknuts will pay knife prices
c. You're already a Gold member here so you can.
 
Anytime you sell knives on the internet there is some risk. Are you talking selling a knife or two from your collection? Or actually going into business selling knives? If it is just a couple, sell them here, it is very easy and I've never had any issues. If you are planning on selling hundreds of knives then I have no clue how to go about that.
 
Thanks guys! Not much luck here so I moved the knife to eBay! Just trying to get rid of a few busse and strider knives. I guess I'll just price more aggressively!

Thanks again!
 
Since Ebay payments are made exclusively through PayPal, I am not sure what your concern would be?

If it's the over the top protection a buyer gets, and can use to try to scam you (sadly) then you're just going to have to figure out if the chance of that happening makes it worthwhile to sell anywhere on the internet.

I used to sell all my knives on Ebay before joining BF, and I never had an issue. I have never had problems here either.
The one thing that differs about selling on a forum is that most times you can get a much better idea of who you are selling to.

While "scammers" exist in every corner of the internet, the chance of getting "scammed" is what I can only call very low, even if you make it easy for them....
 
not currently aware of any laws on the books that keep even hardened felons from owning knives.... guns yes... but heck they can walk into any hardware store in the country and buy MANY more dangerous items than pocket knives.....

We have not become UK YET..... but it appears we are well on our way....
 
I don't think a criminal would use a busse or strider in a crime unless they had no clue of its value.
 
I don't think a criminal would use a busse or strider in a crime unless they had no clue of its value.

And they probably would not pay the kind of money that those run, especially through a medium that leaves a paper trail.
 
Not so concerned about scammers. I'm more concerned if someone buys the knife with criminal intent.

Because someone with criminal intent cannot get a knife any other way except through ebay??? I think you're over thinking this one. Good luck on your sale.
 
Why would you care if they are a criminal? Are you concerned they're going to use your knife to commit a crime? Anyone could get into a desperate situation and turn to crime. We're all potential criminals depending on time, place, and circumstances. Maybe you should ask them to promise not to use it in any sort of criminal activity :rolleyes:
 
So if someone buys a knife from the OP either here or ebay or wherever and it is legal for the buyer to have that knife but later he commits a crime with it, is the OP 100% free of any responsibility or he does have some?
 
So if someone buys a knife from the OP either here or ebay or wherever and it is legal for the buyer to have that knife but later he commits a crime with it, is the OP 100% free of any responsibility or he does have some?

Why would he be responsible for the actions of another?
 
Don't sweat it. Ron Popeil would sell plutonium to the ayatollah if he could. I bet his steak knives turned up a time or two in crime scenes. You think he cares?
 
Even if they did use your knife for criminal activity how could that effect you? You worried your DNA or fingerprints could still be on a potential weapon at a crime scene? That's called secondary transfer and is on god knows what all the time . If that happened you would be excluded as soon as you were included , after all you would have a record of selling it,shipping it etc.

If I go to Walmart and buy a baseball bat and proceed to smash a skull in in the parking lot is it walmart fault or the employees that checked me out ?

Slightly off topic but in my state a private citizen can sell firearms to other private citizens. You can list them in papers and even little weekly magazines.

I've bought guns from cops before with nothing but cash and a bill of sale . OP your over thinking this . If someone buys your knife it's on them if they do something not you. If someone asked for I.d. for an online knife purchase I'd laugh to be honest.

Off topic but kind of related OP I work for a major automotive plant . Some years back a crime happened in a car we had made. Crime scene folks at the town where the car was bought processed the car and found a coworkers prints on the car . Puzzled as to how some ones prints were on a car across the country and they started digging . Sure enough it came back he worked at the plant making the car . So every employee at that factory has the potential to have prints on these cars ...None of us have went to jail for something that happend in our vehicles.
 
Hey BF,

Is it safe to sell knives on eBay? How do I Know if I'm selling to a criminal? We can ask for driver license to verify age, but you cannot verify criminal actives.

Best practices I should be aware of?

There is a lot of competition on eBay, I mean a whole lot. Since most manufacturers have a minimum advertised price, meaning you have to sell the items at a specific price, or you can get shut down. It makes things harder since everyone else is on the same boat, what makes your items more desirable than someone else's with an already established high feedback and reputation level?

You don;t know who will end up with the knives you sell. They may or may not be used in criminal activities, there is absolutely no way to know. You can ask for whatever you want, but that will just make any reasonable buyer go to someone else selling the same thing that won't ask for anything. Remember, knives are not governed by the same laws regarding purchasing as firearms.

Best practices? I'd say be honest, make promises you can keep, and do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it. You also might get used to fluctuating fees to list and sell your items. If a buyer decides your item is not up to par, you will most certainly lose some time and money on the item.

You have a Gold membership already, why not sell your stuff here? Unless of course you are a dealer and are buying items wholesale and want to try to create high volume sales.
 
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