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Sharpening your sporting knife selling skills is an important endeavor for the army/navy retailer who is active in the outdoor sports marketplace.

Sporting knives are both collectible and functional. Retailers are well positioned to take advantage of both markets - a knife customer can be a user, a collector or both.

Sporting knives differ basically from tactical and utility knives in the type of blade they utilize. They are designed for maximum cutting power rather than for stabbing or spearing prowess. As such, the blades feature serrated edges that are well suited for cutting though rope, muscle, bone, sinew and cartiledge.

Since long-term durability and power are tenets of the sporting knife, the fixed blade knife is usually first out of the sheath for the hunter and fisherman. Folding knives have their place for portability and for finesse work and lighter duty.

The events of 9/11/2001 have led to a sea change in the rules governing transport of knives on airplanes and other modes of public transportation, as well as right of carriage into public buildings and work environments.
Currently, the knife industry is fighting an attempt by US Customs to ban the importation of “assisted opening” knives, attempting to re-classify them as switchblade knives.

This effort would criminalize all folding knives, accordting to the American Knife and Tool Institute (www.akti.org).

Fortunately, legislative action is under way to exclude sporting folders from any ban. In addition, Customs has indicated that they are not actively pursuing this ban at this time.

Sales of sporting knives should always include relevant and necessary accessories that every collector and user of knives would need at some point in the ownership experience.

These items include sharpeners, display cases, cleaning solutions, polishers, sheathes, wood care products and even extended warrantees.

For the retailer, the sale of accessory products significantly improves profit margin and helps build a stronger relationship between retailer and customer. It also prevents a customer from having the seek accessories at a competitor’s store, which also helps maintain customer loyalty.