Where to Sell Your Knives: Shows, Online, and Commission Work

Making a great knife and selling it consistently are two different skills, and most makers who struggle to sell aren’t struggling because their work isn’t good enough, they’re struggling because they haven’t found the right channel for it yet.

Knife Shows

In-person knife shows put you directly in front of buyers who are already specifically interested in knives, a genuinely different audience than general craft fair foot traffic. Shows also let buyers handle a knife before purchasing, which matters a lot for a product people want to feel the balance and grip of. Table fees and travel are real costs, so shows work best once you have enough inventory and polish to make the trip worthwhile.

Online: Instagram and Social Media

Knife-focused social media, especially Instagram, has become one of the primary ways custom makers build a following and sell directly, good photography and consistent posting matter enormously here (more on that below). Many makers announce new pieces to their following and sell through direct messages or a simple link-in-bio store rather than a full e-commerce setup, especially early on.

Online: Etsy and Marketplaces

Marketplaces like Etsy offer built-in buyer traffic without needing to build an audience from scratch first, useful when you’re starting out, at the cost of listing and transaction fees and less control over your storefront’s branding than a dedicated website. Knife-specific marketplaces and forums (where allowed) are worth checking too, they concentrate exactly the buyers you want.

Commission Work

Building custom pieces to a specific customer’s request, often at a premium over standard catalog pricing since it involves direct consultation and a one-off design. Commission work tends to come from an existing following or referral rather than cold marketplace traffic, making it a natural next step once you’ve built some reputation through other channels.

Local and Word of Mouth

Local gun shops, outdoor/hunting stores, and even just a strong local reputation can generate steady sales without any of the fees or logistics of shows or online platforms. This channel builds slowly but tends to produce loyal repeat customers and referrals once established.

Photography Matters More Than Makers Expect

Online sales in particular live or die on photos, clean, well-lit, in-focus images that actually show the grind lines, handle material, and finish quality make a real difference in whether a listing converts. This doesn’t require professional equipment, consistent natural light and a simple neutral background go a long way further than most new sellers expect.

Building an Audience Before You Need One

Posting build progress, not just finished pieces, tends to build a more engaged following than only showing final results, people get invested in a knife’s story before it’s even done. Starting this before you’re actively trying to sell means you already have an audience by the time you have inventory to move.

Which channel should a new maker start with?

Social media (Instagram in particular) is usually the lowest-cost, lowest-barrier place to start, no table fees, no marketplace cut, just consistent posting and good photos. Shows and marketplaces become worth the added cost and effort once you have both inventory and some existing following.

Do I need a website to sell knives?

Not to start. Many makers sell successfully through Instagram and Etsy alone for a long time before building a dedicated website, which becomes more valuable once volume and brand recognition justify the added control and cost.

How many knives should I have ready before doing my first show?

Enough to make a visually full table and give buyers real choice, a sparse table undersells your work regardless of quality. There’s no fixed number, but most makers find a dozen or more finished pieces is a reasonable starting point for a first show table.