Editorial- Buying Under the Influence
Now that I have your attention- here’s the deal. When we lock in on a knife to buy…sometimes our emotions can override our common sense. We are under the influence at that point; we are intoxicated- We are buying under the influence.
Keep your wits
When you finally find one of those toenail brands or styles you seek, don’t get carried away with emotion. Keep your wits about you.
While we all have gotten swept up in the tide of “I got to get this knife,” when in that situation there may be good reasons for not buying it. It could be it is a counterfeit and your gut is telling you to run; it could be the seller is of questionable reputation and the knife is too good to be true; or it could simply be due to the knife’s condition when the seller won’t budge off of a price that is WAY too high.
Word to the wise
My point here is not to be suspicious of every knife or seller you meet, but, on the other hand, I had a wise man once tell me…”we have our gut feeling for a reason….so you had better listen to it.” Most knives and sellers are fine, but if your gut screams at you….LISTEN. If you don’t feel you have enough experience then get a reputable dealer’s opinion.
Toenails are too expensive (I’d rather say, “Valuable”) to throw all reason and logic to the wind. Yes, values are going to continue to increase, but if you have reason to question a deal…then question it. Don’t blow it off by telling yourself that it is probably OK, when in actuality your gut is letting you know there is something that doesn’t feel right.
Take the heat
You may take some heat for your decision, so accept that. I once had a dealer try to sell me a “Near Mint” toenail for a really big price (you know everyone knows I am a sucker for toenails, don’t they?). He wanted $6500. It was a Case Brothers with a really nice etch on the blade. Wow, you had better believe that is a wad of cash, so I gave that toenail a very close look. The etch was VERY APPEALING. I was under its influence…intoxicated by that knife, if you will. There is no doubt I would love to have a CB with an etch that nice.
But, in the end I passed. I overrode my emotions. There were a number of questionable “things” about that knife that told me it was possibly a rework. ( I did take a ton of pictures of that knife and one day will post them here for you to see.) But, in the end, I listened to my gut feeling. I took heat too. That dealer told me I didn’t know a good knife when I saw one. He was P O’ d (that told me I made the right decision too, incidentally).
Why are you offering it to me?
Also, the other thing to think about is this- If a dealer is offering you a “one of a kind” killer knife (now don’t take this wrong, OK?), but, this is the way I think…if it is so great, why is he/she trying to sell it to me? Dealers have a Rolodex of collectors…in their back pocket (you know it when you are one of his regular Rolodex buyers)…so if you are being offered a knife that is so rare…so good, then why didn’t he just pick up the phone and call one of his regular buyers? Instead he is now offering it to you, or me.
Most knives are fine. And if it is a moderately priced toenail then that is one thing, but, on the other hand, if it is a price you know is a record price, then ask yourself this question…”Why does he still have that knife and is now trying to sell it to me?” While you and I may have just gotten lucky. At the right place at the right time. But, maybe not, so just step back and don’t get caught up in the moment…under the influence. Don’t buy drunk.
I promise you, in most cases, if it was that rare…you and I would have never even known it was for sale.
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