GEC Collecting Trends & Comments
It seems like a high percentage of new customers (and a lot of old one's) ask the questions, 'what's the hot knife from GEC', 'which one's are the serious collectors going after', 'which one's would you recommend for the best ROI'??? If I had a good answer for the last question, they wouldn't be listed for sale in my store cause I'd buy them all myself!!! These questions have encouraged me to share what I've seen happen in my business with you. Which knives have been major hits and which are mysteriously sitting idle.
I've always been interested in buying trends and am fascinated why some things sell like crazy and similar items sit on the shelf. Why will an item sit for months or years and suddenly interest will spike. Sometimes it possible to pinpoint interest rising due to an article in a trade journal or a discussion gets started on one of the many discussion boards and interest shoots upward. More often, it's a mystery (to me anyway).
Sometime back, I posted a survey that asked which handle materials were most desirable. The results were interesting but predictable with Stag topping the list. I've had similar surveys and tried to pay attention to comments you've posted here relating to blade preferenceces. A lot of discussion has taken place about the preferred pattern. When you try to put all of that info together and propose the perfect knife, it usually turns out to be something like a 5 blade muskrat with a pen, coping, wharncliffe, sheepsfoot and spear blade on a 3.5" frame with Genuine Stag and MOP inlays, silver liners and brass bolsters. And I wonder why some patterns are slow movers..... hmmmmmm.
But before I get into any 'analysis', let's all come to an agreement on something. What I'll share with you is from my perspective only, unless otherwise noted. I'm sharing a microcosm of the GEC collector's buying habits that I've seen in my own store and experience. There are other distributors and dealers out there that may totally disagree with what I say based on their own personal experience. Some of you no doubt have your own opinions and you're all more then welcome to join the discussion, in fact I encourage it. I'm most definitely not an expert, but if what I offer helps anyone or is interesting to you, mission accomplished.
Anyway, let me collect my thoughts and put together a few observations for you in the next couple of days. Let me know if any of this is at all interesting to you or do you have any questions along these lines you'd like to discuss.
greg
I've always been interested in buying trends and am fascinated why some things sell like crazy and similar items sit on the shelf. Why will an item sit for months or years and suddenly interest will spike. Sometimes it possible to pinpoint interest rising due to an article in a trade journal or a discussion gets started on one of the many discussion boards and interest shoots upward. More often, it's a mystery (to me anyway).
Sometime back, I posted a survey that asked which handle materials were most desirable. The results were interesting but predictable with Stag topping the list. I've had similar surveys and tried to pay attention to comments you've posted here relating to blade preferenceces. A lot of discussion has taken place about the preferred pattern. When you try to put all of that info together and propose the perfect knife, it usually turns out to be something like a 5 blade muskrat with a pen, coping, wharncliffe, sheepsfoot and spear blade on a 3.5" frame with Genuine Stag and MOP inlays, silver liners and brass bolsters. And I wonder why some patterns are slow movers..... hmmmmmm.
But before I get into any 'analysis', let's all come to an agreement on something. What I'll share with you is from my perspective only, unless otherwise noted. I'm sharing a microcosm of the GEC collector's buying habits that I've seen in my own store and experience. There are other distributors and dealers out there that may totally disagree with what I say based on their own personal experience. Some of you no doubt have your own opinions and you're all more then welcome to join the discussion, in fact I encourage it. I'm most definitely not an expert, but if what I offer helps anyone or is interesting to you, mission accomplished.
Anyway, let me collect my thoughts and put together a few observations for you in the next couple of days. Let me know if any of this is at all interesting to you or do you have any questions along these lines you'd like to discuss.
greg
Ok, I'll bite.
1. I buy GEC knives because I like them. I go after the ones that I like the feel of and the impression they give off. For example, when I show a #53 stockman to someone at work I always get a positive response, which validates what I already knew. Who knows when GEC will become important for the purpose of ROI. I think it's just a matter of time, but who knows? That's why I buy what I like and what feels good.
2. Buying trends are like the stock market, it's word of mouth and advertising. When people jump on the GEC bandwagon, watch out!
3. The most desirable knife is up to the beholder who may be collecting for fun or ROI. Me, I like at least a four inch frame, bone or pearl, multi-blade (at least one must be small for fingernails!), and a great snap at closing. GEC has all of this and more. But I will admit it depends on the budget. I also like GEC knives because I can afford most of them.
4. This is just my two cents worth at this time. All is subject to change at any time, which is also a way trends change. If I knew what was going to be a big hit, ROI wise, and I didn't like the knife style itself, I still wouldn't collect it. It wouldn't feel right.
Thanks Greg for a great knife site.
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My pleasure. For me this is more then just a business. I really enjoy hearing from the collectors and users. It's always fun to get some insight into what makes things 'happen' and why people like some things and not others.
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