Ebay sellers. The good, the bad, the ugly.
Dec 22, 2011 3:46:36 GMT
Post by mbec5979 on Dec 22, 2011 3:46:36 GMT
Please note that i have no intention of bad mouthing these sellers as they were very trustworthy and very comunitive with there sales.
As most collectors start out, 80% of the time buyers will turn to Ebay. There are so many to choose from. ranging from $40 and up! if you are after a nice dispay sword to just show off to friends and family then i would definetly recomend Ebay (as most swords they have for purchase a great looking peices). Or maybe your after a great cutting blade and you want a katana that is fully functional. And this is where people get into trouble. That word ''Fully Functional Live Blade". These words are used by all ebay katana/sword sellers! They will show you pictures of cutting through bamboo and water bottles in a single strike, but dont get me wrong they can do it! but the question is how many times until the sword is faulty and damaged, in other words useless! And in answer to this question It does not take long!
I myself have been collecting Katanas for over a year now and it started at Ebay. My first sword costing $80 from Ebay seller Katana1980, and to be honest i wasnt expecting the best in the world. So after a few weeks of slicing up bottles in the back yard and having the blade chip and bend countless times i decided to step it up a bit and hit the computer to find a better sword. Again on Ebay.
I decided to stick to Ebay seller katana1980 mainly because i could trust that my purchase will arrive with out any hassles and he was great with communication. So i looked up the most expensive sword he had and at a price of $250 i thought the "Folded Steel Clay Tempered Tiger Katana Japanese Sword" would be a great buy! As he had mentioned this as one of his 'best swords'. So 2 weeks later came and it arived. i opened the package and at the time i was very pleased until my first cut to a bottle. I took it outside to test it and Not only did the bottle just simply fly across the backyard but there wasnt even a single cut sliced into it. Now dont get me wrong but i understand my technique would of been way off but even my $80 katana did a better job. with disapointment i decided to give my brother a go, and was that the biggest mistake i made! With 1 upwards vertical slice from the hip he viciousley hit the hard plastic table the bottle was on! I quikly grabed the sword from him and inspected the damage. A nice BIG chip and the blade itself being out of lined. once again more disapointment. This being my brothers fault i could not blame the sword or the seller but i had expected maybe a smaler chip. But over the months of still cutting with it the damage grew. And not only that! but the ido began to fall apart aswell as the tsuba becoming very loose.IMG_1056.JPG[/attachment]IMG_1060.JPG[/attachment]IMG_1061.JPG[/attachment]
That was the last time i bought a katana from this seller. I do not regret the purchase as it had made me learn and grow from my mistakes. As for 1 of my next Ebay purchases i decided to Buy from TckRuan88. This time i wanted a nice display peice and i decided to purchase the "High Quality Quenched&Tempered Blade Japanese Samurai Swords" 1 being a katana and a wakisashi in a nice display Box. Priced at about $530 with postage . so i bought them.IMG_1071.JPG[/attachment] So the day came when it arrived and i was pleased. Not only were they razor sharp but the mirror finish he does on his swords was magnificent. The only disapointment being was when i was cleaning the katana 2 weeks later in my lounge room i had stood up and acidently lightley taped the ceiling fan and chiped the blade! No damage to the fan but only the sword! the chip was only about 2mm but it was visible about 3 inches from the tip. NOT A GREAT CUTTING SWORD! as it clearly could not hold an edge.
So at the end of the day the more you pay for sword the better it is. i own 11 swords and now refuse to pay any less than $500 for a katana unless i know 100% that it is a good blade. My advice for first time buyers would be Hanwei or Cheness. Mainly cheness as i had payed under $300 for mine and never had problems. only downside is its a fairly heavy sword but it will definetly hold an edge. Thankyou for reading.
As most collectors start out, 80% of the time buyers will turn to Ebay. There are so many to choose from. ranging from $40 and up! if you are after a nice dispay sword to just show off to friends and family then i would definetly recomend Ebay (as most swords they have for purchase a great looking peices). Or maybe your after a great cutting blade and you want a katana that is fully functional. And this is where people get into trouble. That word ''Fully Functional Live Blade". These words are used by all ebay katana/sword sellers! They will show you pictures of cutting through bamboo and water bottles in a single strike, but dont get me wrong they can do it! but the question is how many times until the sword is faulty and damaged, in other words useless! And in answer to this question It does not take long!
I myself have been collecting Katanas for over a year now and it started at Ebay. My first sword costing $80 from Ebay seller Katana1980, and to be honest i wasnt expecting the best in the world. So after a few weeks of slicing up bottles in the back yard and having the blade chip and bend countless times i decided to step it up a bit and hit the computer to find a better sword. Again on Ebay.
I decided to stick to Ebay seller katana1980 mainly because i could trust that my purchase will arrive with out any hassles and he was great with communication. So i looked up the most expensive sword he had and at a price of $250 i thought the "Folded Steel Clay Tempered Tiger Katana Japanese Sword" would be a great buy! As he had mentioned this as one of his 'best swords'. So 2 weeks later came and it arived. i opened the package and at the time i was very pleased until my first cut to a bottle. I took it outside to test it and Not only did the bottle just simply fly across the backyard but there wasnt even a single cut sliced into it. Now dont get me wrong but i understand my technique would of been way off but even my $80 katana did a better job. with disapointment i decided to give my brother a go, and was that the biggest mistake i made! With 1 upwards vertical slice from the hip he viciousley hit the hard plastic table the bottle was on! I quikly grabed the sword from him and inspected the damage. A nice BIG chip and the blade itself being out of lined. once again more disapointment. This being my brothers fault i could not blame the sword or the seller but i had expected maybe a smaler chip. But over the months of still cutting with it the damage grew. And not only that! but the ido began to fall apart aswell as the tsuba becoming very loose.IMG_1056.JPG[/attachment]IMG_1060.JPG[/attachment]IMG_1061.JPG[/attachment]
That was the last time i bought a katana from this seller. I do not regret the purchase as it had made me learn and grow from my mistakes. As for 1 of my next Ebay purchases i decided to Buy from TckRuan88. This time i wanted a nice display peice and i decided to purchase the "High Quality Quenched&Tempered Blade Japanese Samurai Swords" 1 being a katana and a wakisashi in a nice display Box. Priced at about $530 with postage . so i bought them.IMG_1071.JPG[/attachment] So the day came when it arrived and i was pleased. Not only were they razor sharp but the mirror finish he does on his swords was magnificent. The only disapointment being was when i was cleaning the katana 2 weeks later in my lounge room i had stood up and acidently lightley taped the ceiling fan and chiped the blade! No damage to the fan but only the sword! the chip was only about 2mm but it was visible about 3 inches from the tip. NOT A GREAT CUTTING SWORD! as it clearly could not hold an edge.
So at the end of the day the more you pay for sword the better it is. i own 11 swords and now refuse to pay any less than $500 for a katana unless i know 100% that it is a good blade. My advice for first time buyers would be Hanwei or Cheness. Mainly cheness as i had payed under $300 for mine and never had problems. only downside is its a fairly heavy sword but it will definetly hold an edge. Thankyou for reading.