Purchasing knives and other EDC gear from forums

[choombak]

I enjoy a liberty to travel places, which makes it easy for me to purchase knives and other EDC goods. I realize this is not the case with everyone, and the cost of knife in India can easily double citing various reasons like duty, security, confiscation, etc.. The real reason, however, seems to be greed (and I admit being guilty as well). Overtime, and after purchasing several knives in a similar fashion, I realized it is not at all difficult to purchase a knife outside India, and have it shipped directly to your door via a reputed shipping company. Even if you add the duty, and reliable shipping charges, the cost does not get anywhere near the ransom-like prices I've seen in India. In fact, I have been doing this with a IFG member, where I purchase a knife or a light for him, and then have it shipped directly to his address. We have done transaction for more than $500 US now. He transfers the exact amount I paid to me via net-banking. If we work together in a similar fashion, we can squash the unreasonable prices demanded for knives and similar EDC gear in this forum as well as at other Indian outlets like 20North, and so on. This post is a start to that activity, and I am mentioning several sources of knives, flashlights, and other EDC gear, and ways to procure what you want directly from these forums.

Basic Info
* Duty and other charges are added to goods beyond a certain amount. This "threshold" typically varies (ideally it should not). The seller mentions the cost of the goods on the package, or can mark it as gift. Please do not request the seller to falsify this amount to avoid duty (many sellers will not deal if you ask them to falsify information on customs declaration forms, including me).
* Knives up to 9" long and 2" wide are allowed to be imported in India, from what I know.
* Flashlights and other similar electronic goods can be imported in India, without batteries. Though there is no specific indication on batteries, shipping a battery can be dangerous, so always have a light shipped without batteries, or else it may get confiscated.

Reputation, payment, etc.
Several reputed forums exist catering to knives and other EDC gear. You must take a membership (which is typically free), and build a reputation for someone to actually trust you and ship you the goods. Similar to IFG, all forums require you to pay first, and then the goods are shipped. International payments are done via PayPal. You should get a PayPal account as well. Paypal associates your email address with the payment, and your credit card with it. So if I make a payment to John Smith ([email protected]), I will login to my paypal account, and send payment to [email protected]. John Smith will see this amount in his paypal account, and then ship the goods to you. For Indian paypal accounts, money cannot remain in the account (Govt restrictions), and should be extracted to your bank account. This is done by associating a bank account with your paypal account, through the paypal account web-interface. Paypal charges fee to the receiver, and not to the sender. Typically it varies by country, but can be between 2% to 4% of the amount transferred.

Many times sellers refuse to ship international and may indicate "CONUS only". This means shipping within "CONtiguous US states" (48 US States). In such case you can drop a PM to the seller, and politely ask if he/she would ship int'l for additional fee. Most of the times this works. Buying/selling happens based on "trust", which is why building a reputation is very important, especially because two different countries are involved.

Forums
* Knives - http://www.bladeforums.com/ Go to the "For Sale (Production Knives) Individual".
http://www.jerzeedevil.com/ is another very good site, and their "Knives For Sale/ For Trade" has very nice knives.
* Flashlights - http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/ Go to "WTS: Flashlights & Parts"
It also has a section on Production Knives, where knives are listed for sale.
* EDC gear - http://edcforums.com/ Go to "Buy + Sale + Trade" (requires a login).
* Multitools - http://multitool.org/ Got to "Multitools for sale".

How can I help?
* I have a blemish-free reputation on all the above forums. So if something catches your fancy, let me know via an email or PM me here. My email is choombak AT gmail DOT com. I can then work with the seller and see if he is willing to ship to India, and then work out a reliable shipping method. You will be in the loop always, and no payment will be committed without you (the buyer) agreeing to the final dollar. Once you build your reputation, I am no longer required!
* I have a paypal account, and can transfer funds. I may, however, require you to pay me first before I transfer funds on your behalf. This solely depends on whether we have dealt earlier, and your standing/reputation on IFG, and the # of transaction we are doing.
* If you find something interesting, I may opine on the quality, based on my experience. You can take it or leave it (the opinion).

Why am I doing this?
* Giving back to IFG, for I have found a few friends, and have learned a lot here.
* Its a free economy, and prices should be reasonable everywhere on the planet.

Thanks for reading till the end.

-Amarendra

[rahul567]

Really appreciate your efforts....

[Moin.]

Much appreciated Amarm I have a long wish list of sharp & shiny objects !!!.. Will send it across

regards
Moin.

[Bruno22]

Way to go buddy. I do get a shiver up my spine seeing some of the prices quoted. Why? A good business man will make a profit and keep prices down, and enthusiast will be tempted to make a profit to fuel his own needs, but these prices quoted here are sometimes beyond the business mans profit or the enthusiasts extra padding. They are pure greed.
Friends, I do consider Choombak to be highly knowledgeable about EDC knives and flashlights. Also he is a GREAT guy to deal with and his products are always top notch. Since he has so kindly agreed to help members buy their EDC gear I do urge everyone to make the most of it.
Bruno22

[Moin.]

Amar on a more serious note, Philanthropy sometimes does more harm than good . How about taking an acceptable amount of profit on the transaction for facilitating the purchase. For me personally I’m averse to using credit cards or online banking (I’m technologically challenged ). If some one can purchase for me, ship it to me at an acceptable price inclusive of all freight charges, duties, taxes etc and the hassle of managing the procurement for me, I’ll gladly pay an acceptable premium.

Prices of everything is so freely available on the internet. It’s very easy to find out what’s a good decent deal and when one’s being ripped off.

Does this work for you ? Keeps both the seller and the buyer happy !!

Best Regards
Moin.

[Pradyumna]

Moin is absolutely right. Sometimes philanthropy just backfires. An acceptable profit should always be there. Aarish Bhai is also right... most of the rates quoted here is just chilling. A 55 dollar .177 cal is Rs.32000/-
He..he.. It only happens in INDIA.
INCREDIBLE INDIA.
Pradyumna

[choombak]

@moin, @pradyumna: At this moment, I am not inclined to make a profit out of this as of now. Depending on how many requests I process, and how much time I spend, I may, however, consider a fee. In order to prevent abuse, I may require an upfront payment, or a reference from IFG, in certain cases as I have indicated.

I immensely enjoy carrying my Spyderco, or the leatherman multi-tool, and a good quality light in my pocket daily, and I am sure most of you would as well. And as a sidenote, I will not work on procuring any goods that either require a license, or documents to clear it from customs (eg., airguns, and related stuff).

Now who has spotted what on which forum?

[Rajat]

rear standable (i do not know the proper term, hope you got it)

The term is "Tail stand"

[choombak]

How can I help?
* I have a blemish-free reputation on all the above forums. So if something catches your fancy, let me know via an email or PM me here.

I need a little help with regard to my Fenix TK10
I think you have read what happened with me on the other thread. Fenix and the seller from whom i bought this TK10 put the warranty responsibility on each other.

Any way the light now work only in very low mode (even lower than the lowest setting when bought new ).
Where you can help is to find someone on CPF or other forum who can repair it OR provide a new head.
I can ship it to you and will pay for any further shipping required.

PM sent.

I do not have a proper EDC right now , the reliable ones were 'gifted' to friends and relatives (they liked the torches and gifted them to themselves). The two lights (china made) i am having are more of a watchman's torch and are definately not EDC.

Also one question : can you please suggest
a long range thrower EDCeable light,
preferably working on AA or RCR123,
rear standable (i do not know the proper term, hope you got it)
Range should the longest possible and
it could be fitted with a diffuser. The long range is required for bragging rights so that they are a likable 'gift'
Thanks

RCR will get you most throw than the AA for same number of batteries. So if "bragging" is the condition, then I'd opt for CR123 based lights. For EDC, I prefer 1xCR123 formats, since they can easily fit in your pocket, and do not require holster. The most efficient light now is the Lumapower IncenDio V3U, which spits 350 lumens! Lumapower has a unique edge than other brands, since they continuously improvise their design, rather than bringing new lights. This results in a very refined light. If you decide to go for the IncenDio, let me know, and I'll see if there is any discount available presently.

-Amarendra

[Rajat]

Does that mean the reflector is adjustable and can be focused for getting both - hotspot and side-spill?

Side spill is the light that "spills" beyond the hotspot. It does not mean "flood" if that is what you mean.

No, it does not appear that the reflector can be focused and neither does the specs say so. From the picture it looks like the reflector has an OP finish (orange peel like texture) which gives a combination of flood and throw. It should be noted that flashlights which are true "throwers" do not have such a reflector and have a smooth reflector instead which focuses the light from the emitter into a tight beam that travels a longer distance.

Although for day to day general work the OP reflector is quite suitable.

[choombak]

How good is Dereelight 2xAA light-Javelin for throw?
and there price range?
Thanks

-- less than a minute ago --

How does ThruNite Catapult V3 900 ANSI Lumen Cree XM-L LED Flashlight fare
quality and reliability wise keeping in mind its 150$ price?

Can we have this in another thread or via PMs' please? We risk drifting away from the primary intent of this topic. Thanks for your understanding.

-Amarendra

[Rajat]

* If you find something interesting, I may opine on the quality, based on my experience. You can take it or leave it (the opinion).

I think aglover was just asking for an opinion.

And since this is on an open forum I suggest that all such matters be discussed openly on this or any other thread and not via PM's (as there is nothing personal, confidential or private about it) so other may also stand to gain some knowledge from on your opinions, views and experience. Is this not what we are here for?

Why PM's on these matters

[choombak]

* If you find something interesting, I may opine on the quality, based on my experience. You can take it or leave it (the opinion).

I think aglover was just asking for an opinion.

And since this is on an open forum I suggest that all such matters be discussed openly on this or any other thread and not via PM's (as there is nothing personal, confidential or private about it) so other may also stand to gain some knowledge from on your opinions, views and experience. Is this not what we are here for?

Why PM's on these matters

Which forum are the lights aglover mentioned available for sale? Also which part of my original post is unclear to you as far as the motive of this thread is concerned? Thank you.

-Amarendra

[Rajat]

Which forum are the lights aglover mentioned available for sale?

aglover will be able to answer this part.

Also which part of my original post is unclear to you as far as the motive of this thread is concerned? Thank you.

-Amarendra

I would rather not answer this one

Please continue

[Moin.]

Amar, I was scouting the forums for a good deal on the Spyderco Military or a Benchmade Griptilian. I see there are some used ones for sale. How does the deal work with the calciulation of customs duty, taxes etc on used ones's ?? How do I know the final landed price of the knife, specially when the seller's an individual and the knife's used or without an invoice ?


Regards
Moin.