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I don't know if anyone else has noticed but despite the economic times it seems like the dealers are living on another planet. I see C.G. with a red cross hewer for over $2,000. Despite the contribution that dealers make to the hobby I really believe that they could be the demise of it as well. As much as we all might love this stuff lets face it, It really is just that "STUFF" and dealers are making it harder to obtain anything. JMO

I think there are dealers "holding" a lot of inventory bought when the times were good.Now they should be happy to just move items.Change the picture on there sites and tables .At times you may have to sell for what you paid for something just to move it.Nothing like going to a show and seeing the same things on a table and I'm sure all of us have seen it.

I agree with reds. Most of the dealers are in lala land with their prices.

That Red Cross hewer on Craig site is wildly overpriced. I have a bunch of them and if they were worth THAT kind of money..I would have none left.

Asking prices are one thing...getting them is another.

Mark

I think if you talk to dealers they are allways having a GREAT TIME and ALLWAYS doing well...Espicially CG.

yeah,,,and they cant keep certain items in and always sell out...

I agree with Ed, I see the same daggers on dealers tables over here because they are overpriced, some have the same daggers for years.

Gary

I have noted many dealers have had the same items listed for up to two years now and it has not clicked in they are overpriced. Also note many sold items remain listed for some reason duh!

PAUL

I don't collect tinnies but I but CG has a 1935 RPT tinnie for 175.00! Yikes, I thought those could be had for about 35.00!

I've seen some "well-known" dealers recently listing heer and 2nd luft's with cracked grips and gray blades in the $600 to $800 range. Thanks, but no thanks.

I think CG wants to be Stephen Wolfe when he grows up ..

I started this hobby for the love of it.Both of my grandfathers fought in WW2, one in Europe and one in the Pacific theater.

I know what you guys are saying. Myself and other I talk to think these dealers sniff glue before they price their stuff.

I like the personalized dress bayos. I study the fonts and I'm working on the german grammer. That's tough, you dagger guys know what I'm talking about. I see the personalized dress bayos on their sights bringing what a factory etch would bring and more.

Steve.

I love when they sell something to an idiot for 3 times value, then leave it on a site for 2 more years marked "sold." Guess that's to tell you it WAS a good price

Mark I think it's to tell a good price and "hey I'm moving stuff"

Or..... humped = rare variation
Bret Van Sant

They just cant face the reality that the almighty dagger has also gone down in value...except the top enders ,they are still going strong.I'm sure you'll here them voice up soon. This has already been discussed a few months ago brought up by me. Now that there's been a few months time, heck you can pick up armys and lufts for way cheaper.Nows the time to buy, but from realistic dealers or sellers. If they think theyre worth that much, good for them, they arent worth it to anyone else so they end up dusting them off.T

I'm not a dagger guy, but collect helmets and firearms. However this thread applies generally to almost all collecting. The first thing to realize is that most collectables have no particular intrinsic value. Like every other collected item like stamps, coins, comic books, etc.etc. the real value lies in what someone is willing to pay and what someone is willing to sell for, given that there is no cooercion involved. Realistically if we were to suddenly be deprived of transport, electricity, news, etc. how much would TR items be worth? (FYI see "One Second After" a book about an EMP attack on the US.) In such a case the utilitarian value would predominate. I suppose one could grind down the edge of a dagger and skin some game.

Well I guess I'm simply being a contrarian right now. We value things for many reasons and I have certainly paid more than I should have for many a TR item. In almost all cases when I decided to part with it, it was at a loss. I have heard many times that a helmet was "easily worth $XYZ.00 only to see it sell for less. That I suppose is why dealers have overpriced items in stock "forever" - they are not generally willing to admit that they are expecting more than an item will bring or (God forbid) they forgot to take the shifting tide of collector interest into consideration.
Everyone have a blessed Sunday &
Cheers,
-Mike

Well, true.
Dealers prices were never a very good guide to real world prices, even more so now, with the continued global economic downturn.

The top dealers have the client base and exposure to get top dollar, more power to em ,,, But you'd think they'd adjust a bit if no one bites in, say, 8 months or so.

One factor might be that some of these are part of their personal collection, and they really don't care if it sells or not, so they start high and stay there.

quote:

Originally posted by kingtiger:
That Red Cross hewer on Craig site is wildly overpriced. I have a bunch of them and if they were worth THAT kind of money..I would have none left.

Asking prices are one thing...getting them is another.

Mark

CHECK THE TANG

Some thoughts:

Some of what you see on dealer's sites are consigned items where the consignor sets the asking price by setting the minimum he will accept after a sale. Since he usually wants close to full retail, look at dealer websites and check consignment fees and do the math for yourself.

The owner probably won't reduce his price expectations and the dealer has little invested so he will sit on it. Maybe for a long time.

In contrast, my observation is that dealers will be flexible on the items they own themselves. Sooooo ... a key question to ask on an item you fancy is "is this on consignment?". If "no" then test your negotiating skills

If the answer is yes, then you should ask whether the dealer will contact the consignor and accept an offer of XXXXX. Worth a try anyway.

Dave

good advice there Dave..