The the secondary market has changed a lot since I first got in. BUSSE using SR101 shanked it in many ways. While I have made a little money on blades there were custom shop and/or INFI or real old school collectors pieces I can’t even get my money out of any of the swamp rat knives I’m trying to sell with sheaths. Used to be a safe bet you could buy something and once in hand if you didn’t like it at least get out of it even or a very small loss/profit I didn’t realize in the last 5 years how strongly the shift to high end folders was for many knife guys.
While I’m interested to see what’s coming I might not be buying.
I think the 2 big problems currently are the COVID economy (#1) followed by market saturation (#2). Compared to years ago, new Busse/kin models are released more often, and it is my opinion the market is flooded – couple that with an economy that went from boom to bust in a matter of a few months is NOT helping sales. I sold a bunch of Busse knives over the past 2 years – I made money on some and lost money on others. The popularity of a particular model means a lot when trying to sell one, along with the price you paid. Once COVID is under control (a good vaccine and better treatment options), I feel the economy will pick up (assuming the President will be reelected – God help us otherwise).
