What's It Worth?

[btrwtr]

What's it worth is a question that comes up often here on AAPK. There is not always a simple answer available to what can be a very complicated question. For knives that are commonly seen and sold the answer is often easier. As we know condition is a major factor that must still be applied to get a decent ballpark value for any given knife.

A simple answer for any value in a completed sale is that the knife was worth the price paid by the buyer at the time of the transaction. That knife was worth that price to that buyer at that time. This certainly does not mean that knife is now worth that price to everyone under the sun. This variable could have a plus or minus value to the next person. At times there can be a general consensus among collectors that a given knife was purchased at a bargain price or even labeled as a steal. The other side of the coin might be that the price paid was way more than most collectors would even consider.

A collector that specializes in a certain brand or pattern is likely to value a given knife higher than a collector that does not. Often people come to AAPK just to get the answer. Nothing at all wrong with that. At times they want to know value for a family heirloom, for a friend, or the purpose of flipping a knife they have. If trying to flip a to a dealer, knife dealers won't pay what might be considered as full retail value for a knife. Dealers can't buy at full retail and sell at full retail and still be profitable. A dealer interested in buying a knife may value a knife at XXX dollars but he won't buy it at that price.

Demand for the specific knife also must come into play. The difference between desirable and obscure are important. A specific knife might be considered scarce but if there is no market demand for the knife the value will not be commensurate to it's scarcity.

Placing value on knives that are not in hand is another topic altogether and this is often the case here at AAPK. Poor or inadequate pictures and descriptions won't and can't yield an accurate value.

I have seen cases here on AAPK where the question is asked and an informed opinion or consensus is given only to be scoffed at and denied by the asker. This is often a case involving a counterfeit knife or an uniformed buyer paying way more that what the consensus of value is.

There are times when people are seeking values for knives and they have found what they believe to be the exact knife they have in a reference book along with a value of XXX dollars assigned to the knife. First I would like to say that reference book prices can often be nothing more than pie in the sky. Outdated prices and prices that may have not been accurate to begin with can be found in reference. The knife may or may not be the same as pictured in the reference and condition has to be applied against the knife in question. This can also turn out to be a plus or minus variable.

Given all of this AAPK is still a great place to come and ask questions concerning knife value. There are people here that I would consider to be the best source to get an accurate value for a given knife. An informed answer to what can be a very complicated question. Rarely is it an exact science.

[treefarmer]

Great post! Very insightful.
Treefarmer

[peanut740]

Well stated Wayne!

[Mumbleypeg]

Well done Wayne.

Ken

[FRJ]

That is a very good post, Wayne.
Many potential sellers should read that.

[Reverand]

[QTCut5]

From now on whenever someone asks about the value of a knife, they should be directed to this post.

The only thing I would add is the same thing many of us keep repeating over and over: Try the "Advanced, Sold Listings" search feature on eBay to get a ballpark idea of value for the same brand/pattern...keeping in mind that CONDITION IS EVERYTHING WHEN ASSESSING VALUE!

[btrwtr]

From now on whenever someone asks about the value of a knife, they should be directed to this post.

The only thing I would add is the same thing many of us keep repeating over and over: Try the "Advanced, Sold Listings" search feature on eBay to get a ballpark idea of value for the same brand/pattern...keeping in mind that CONDITION IS EVERYTHING WHEN ASSESSING VALUE!

I appreciate the comments.

So true Q. One of the best indicators out there.

[galvanic1882]

Nicely said Wayne

[OLDE CUTLER]

Very good post. I agree with Q, we should all save it as a reply to the first time posters on AAPK asking what their old knife is worth.

[1967redrider]

I agree, "worth" depends on how good of a salesman you are.

[jerryd6818]

What's it worth is a question that comes up often here on AAPK. There is not always a simple answer available to what can be a very complicated question. For knives that are commonly seen and sold the answer is often easier. As we know condition is a major factor that must still be applied to get a decent ballpark value for any given knife.

A simple answer for any value in a completed sale is that the knife was worth the price paid by the buyer at the time of the transaction. That knife was worth that price to that buyer at that time. This certainly does not mean that knife is now worth that price to everyone under the sun. This variable could have a plus or minus value to the next person. At times there can be a general consensus among collectors that a given knife was purchased at a bargain price or even labeled as a steal. The other side of the coin might be that the price paid was way more than most collectors would even consider.

A collector that specializes in a certain brand or pattern is likely to value a given knife higher than a collector that does not. Often people come to AAPK just to get the answer. Nothing at all wrong with that. At times they want to know value for a family heirloom, for a friend, or the purpose of flipping a knife they have. If trying to flip a to a dealer, knife dealers won't pay what might be considered as full retail value for a knife. Dealers can't buy at full retail and sell at full retail and still be profitable. A dealer interested in buying a knife may value a knife at XXX dollars but he won't buy it at that price.

Demand for the specific knife also must come into play. The difference between desirable and obscure are important. A specific knife might be considered scarce but if there is no market demand for the knife the value will not be commensurate to it's scarcity.

Placing value on knives that are not in hand is another topic altogether and this is often the case here at AAPK. Poor or inadequate pictures and descriptions won't and can't yield an accurate value.

I have seen cases here on AAPK where the question is asked and an informed opinion or consensus is given only to be scoffed at and denied by the asker. This is often a case involving a counterfeit knife or an uniformed buyer paying way more that what the consensus of value is.

There are times when people are seeking values for knives and they have found what they believe to be the exact knife they have in a reference book along with a value of XXX dollars assigned to the knife. First I would like to say that reference book prices can often be nothing more than pie in the sky. Outdated prices and prices that may have not been accurate to begin with can be found in reference. The knife may or may not be the same as pictured in the reference and condition has to be applied against the knife in question. This can also turn out to be a plus or minus variable.

Given all of this AAPK is still a great place to come and ask questions concerning knife value. There are people here that I would consider to be the best source to get an accurate value for a given knife. An informed answer to what can be a very complicated question. Rarely is it an exact science.

Excellent response Wayne!! And OLDE CUTLER, I was thinking the same thing.

[philco]

Wayne, I've made this thread a "sticky" so that anyone can easily locate it. You did a great job explaining value.

[Ridgegrass]

This is a subject that I have pondered for many years about knives and anything else that is offered for sale. While the price of knives has been climbing in the past few years, it wasn't always this way. Not too many years ago there seemed to be a dip in all collectibles. It's relative to the economy and how much non-discretionary cash is floating around. (I thought the government giveaways of the past two years had a lot to do with knife prices.) Certainly not all of us older guys in reality "needed" a bailout and I'm guessing a lot of that money went into the hobby. Hence, the demand got larger, the supply was constant or less and prices went up.
As far as value goes, that seems to be more subjective. The "price" of anything is, at best, an agreement between an intelligent buyer and an intelligent seller. The value to the seller, at that point, is the price. The value to the buyer can be far greater than the price paid due to things like taste, desire to fill in a missing part to a collection, and a hundred other subjective conditions.
One driver of the value/price relationship is certainly e-bay. Disclaimer: I don't buy or sell on e-bay. I know many of our members do and it's a way for folks with no access to retail stores to find knives. I'm fortunate that I don't "have to" rely on that. Look back at the number of posts on AAPK dealing with ridiculous prices or dishonest representations, or what ever. Users see one overpriced knife sold by an opportunist and they jump right in with another inflated asking price, and someone, and not always a rookie, slaps down the cash. Add to this an international marketplace and the formula for inflated prices kicks in, increased demand relative to supply. Imagine a local knife show at a club or lodge where local collectors are buying and selling. Up drives a cat in a fancy vehicle with a bagful of ready cash and an appetite for knives. Prices are bound to go up. Is this a fair analogy?
Price and value, though related, are not the same. My humble opinion. Thanks Wayne for opening the subject. J.O'.

[btrwtr]

Wayne, I've made this thread a "sticky" so that anyone can easily locate it. You did a great job explaining value.

Thanks Phil. Hopefully it may help streamline some future What's it Worth questions.

[Mumbleypeg]

I hope it helps also, and that folks having that question will take the advice to do an advanced ebay search for sold listings of the item to find its value.

But most first timers won’t bother to read (or won’t find) the sticky thread and will still ask “what’s it worth?”. Even if they do, they’ll read it and then say “okay, but what’s it worth?”. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m thinking they’re still going to ask. I don’t mind trying to answer the question if I have an idea of value - at least if they read Wayne’s post they’ll know the caveats that come along with the guesstimates given based on their pictures.

Ken

[tinroof]

THE TOTALLY HONEST ANSWER ! At the same time, the same response is surely not the wisdom I may want to hear when my preconceived emotion is included. But since it is my $$$, for somebody ----- there are two answers, on those terms, both opinions.

[Eelephant]

Very interesting subject. This is something I think about a lot. Especially in reference to my own collection. I have nearly 1,000 knives in my collection, but would be shocked if more than a small handful were worth over $50. So, to a serious high value collector, my collection would not be worth a penny. Were I to sell my knives, they would not be a customer. My customer would be the ordinary person who just wanted a cool, vintage knife to carry around that’ll only cost them $20.

Here’s a great example. Just saw on eBay a 2 knife lot. Two campers, one colonial, one imperial. Great condition. The seller wanted $70 for the pair. Are they “worth it”? They were definitely in great shape, all blades whole, no rust, no dings, everything intact, shiny, etc... here’s the thing, I’d be tempted to say they were worth it, but to whom? Not to a high value collector, who prolly wouldn’t have much interest in an imperial Kamp King. Not to a collector like myself who already has a dozen just like it that I paid less than $10 each for, so again, you’re hoping a normie walks by who just wants a cool, vintage knife for EDC. If that doesn’t happen, I’m betting it ain’t selling...

This is also why I rarely, if ever, buy at flea markets. The beaten up, rusty, rough knives they’ve got in the glass cases are, imho, very rarely worth the $15 they are asking. But again, to a person who just wants a piece of history to take home, scrape the crud off and carry around, it’s prolly worth it?

Speaking if this kind of thing, I’ve been thinking about lugging all my stuff to the flea market and seeing if I can sell any. I don’t necessarily want or need to sell them, but just love talking knives, wheeling and dealing, etc...Not sure how to do it, tho. I’m definitely not going to put price tags on all 1,000 knives, and trying to separate them into price groups sounds very time consuming and difficult to maintain. So, you’re kind of left pricing everything on the fly when a shopper asks, based on the condition, brand name, etc... anyone have any experience with this, or have any ideas on how to do this?

Anyway, great topic. Great responses..

[tvic]

All good posts, everyone. Just three observations:
1. Superb post, Wayne.
2. Excellent suggestion, QT. “Worth” is best determined by what things are selling for, so check EBay’s sold listings - with the caution that was mentioned about condition.
3. “Ridiculous” price? Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is a ridiculous price. I don’t blame anyone for “fishing.” If somebody’s willing to pay that price, then bless their big pocketbooks, I hope they’re happy with their purchase.

[gsmith7158]

Well let's face it fellers, most people who post here looking for a value are not well versed in buying and selling knives so they are looking for a quick, easy answer from a group that they think should know. Something I noticed just the other day while scrolling through my emails, I had a couple of requests from Amazon about some stove parts and clothes dryer parts that I had bought. The questions were from potential buyers about whether or not these parts would fit their dryers or stove. I thought man o man do the research dingaling. Go to to companies website and find out. That's how I figured out which part to buy. People just want an easy answer.

[bullitt4001]

Excellent post Sir. I totally agree with everything you’ve said so articulately. Many of us here (like myself) are entering our “golden-years” and may contemplate selling part or all of our acquired treasures. Making an advanced search of sold knives on Fleabay is an excellent idea.
I myself gave up trying to figure a price for each and decided to let the market decide.
I’ve been listing my collection on EBay six a week at auction beginning with a one penny bid.
Must say so far I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the results. I think it’s the best way to maximize your returns on your hard earned and often costly collection. For instance last week a couple of fellas got into a bidding war over a nine dot Case Jackknife. It wound up going for $242.75!
Go figure. What’s a knife worth?
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

[knife7knut]

Some really good points made here. I still think ol' Bernie(Levine) nailed it when commenting on the. '' what is it worth ? '' question: '' The value of any knife is what the buyer is willing to pay & what the seller is willing to let it go for.'' JM2cts.

[williammcgrath]

well siad.

[Madmarco]

to AAPK WillMcg! Very well put Greg!

[treefarmer]

Something that would help us determine "what's it worth" would be in the AAPK stores to add the date a particular knife is sold from the store.
I know looking back we can see how certain knives have increased in value, say 5 years ago it may have been worth 5 bucks and now the same knife might bring 10 bucks as of 1/29/'23.
I'm have no idea how this could be accomplished but surely there is a record of sales so that AAPK can receive its' percentage. Seems this would be the time to date it when it shows up as SOLD.
Just a readin' and thinkin'.
Treefarmer