The butterfly knife is not well-known among retail customers, but wholesalers and retailers themselves are quite familiar with this self-defense weapon and utility tool. Butterfly knives are a good item to begin selling alongside other personal safety and self-defense products. Once your customers are introduced to them, these knives will start selling.
The first thing we want you to know is the proper definition of the butterfly knife. People talk about butterfly knives while referring to something completely different, so you need a proper definition.
A butterfly knife consists of dual folding handles and a blade. When extended, the handles sit back to back in the user’s hand. They are gripped as a single handle during use. When not in use, both handles swing up on individual hinges to completely enclose the blade.
The name of the butterfly knife comes from the fact that the handles look like wings as they are being folded up. Butterfly knives are also known as balisong, fan, and batangas knives. They are technically considered pocketknives, but we have seen butterfly knives that would be too big to comfortably fit in a pocket.
No one knows for sure the exact origins of the butterfly knife, but modern iterations date back to the 16th century occupation of the Philippines by Spain. It is not clear whether Filipino craftsman began making the knives or they were introduced to them by Spanish soldiers.
After World War II, Filipino craftsman began making the knives and selling them to American servicemen. By 1968 the butterfly knife was officially in use by the French military. They continued issuing it to servicemen until the late 1990s.
Could the butterfly knife predate Spanish imperialism? It is possible, we just don’t know. In either case, butterfly knives are still popular among outdoor enthusiasts, self-defense experts, and knife collectors the world over. These would make a great addition to your inventory as a self-defense retailer.
The butterfly knife has always been, by definition, a self-defense weapon. Although some people use them for hunting, fishing and utilitarian purposes, self-defense is still the primary use. As such, some states in the U.S. regulate how they can be sold and carried. For example, the question of legality in New Jersey has never really been settled. So selling to New Jersey customers would be a cause for concern.
Other states allow butterfly knives but prevent carrying them in public. Still others allow for public carrying as long as the knives are visible. In other words, you cannot carry concealed. We mention all of this just as a reminder that you are going to have to check individual state statutes to learn what you can sell where.
You should have little trouble selling most of our butterfly knives anywhere in the US. But if you are ever unsure, do not just assume. Do some research into the law. It’s better to know that what you’re doing is completely legal than take a chance and get caught doing something you shouldn’t be doing.
As previously mentioned, the primary purpose for the butterfly knife is still self-defense. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other uses for these knives. Indeed, there are plenty. Hunters and anglers are among the most common purchasers looking for butterfly knives for purposes other than self-defense. Here are the main groups you will want to target for sales:
Knife collectors are another group of people who seem attracted to butterfly knives. Of course, they tend to be looking for antiques, but even a brand-new butterfly knife can be inviting if displayed and marketed in an attractive way. Never discount knife dealers just because you are not selling collectors’ items.
With all the preliminaries out of the way, let’s get down to brass tacks. You are visiting the Safety Technology website because you’re looking for wholesale items you can add to your personal safety and self-defense inventory. You made a good choice by stopping here.
You can buy butterfly knives at wholesale prices here at Safety Technology. Better yet, our prices are some of the lowest in the industry. As we see it, there is no need to gouge our dealers by charging them prices so high they can barely make a profit. Doing so would be neither ethical nor business friendly. It wouldn’t be smart either.
Our business model is built on moving lots of product. As a wholesaler, we rely on volume to keep us going. That means we succeed only when our dealers succeed. One of the ways we ensure your success is through low wholesale pricing. When you buy from Safety Technology, you will have plenty of room for mark-up. We will make our margin; you will make yours; everyone will be happy.
Note that if you’re looking to stock inventory rather than dropshipping butterfly knives, we offer even better prices for lots of 1,000 or more pieces. Buying in bulk saves you money by increasing our volume. But remember, it is all about moving product for us. You want to sell as much product as we can move.
Even if you cannot afford to purchase products by the thousands, you will find our standard wholesale pricing very competitive. And if you do not have enough money to stock a small operation, you can still start your own business selling butterfly knives by taking advantage of our dropshipping service.
Dropshipping is a business model that allows new business owners to get started with just a small financial investment. Rather than spending money on stock and overhead, your only expenditures are related to marketing. We handle all the stock and shipping for you. How do we make money on the deal? By moving more product.
The dropshipping model is very simple. You choose the Safety Technology products you want to sell, like butterfly knives, and start marketing them online or by passing around our full-color catalog. It won’t be long before your customers start placing orders. You turn around and order those same products from us, supplying us with your customer’s shipping information. We ship directly to that customer on your behalf. And no, the packaging does not have the Safety Technology name on it. It has your name.
The best part of dropshipping is that we do not charge anything extra. The price you pay for butterfly knives is the same wholesale price you would pay if you were stocking a store. We charge you for shipping and packaging at our cost. In other words, we do not mark up shipping and packaging to make a profit. You pay what we pay. And of course, you build that cost into your retail price so it’s covered with each sale.
Not a lot of dropshippers offer the service for free. We do, because we don’t see any need to make dropshipping more expensive for our dealers. Perhaps that’s why we are the largest dropshipper in the personal safety and self-defense industry.
Whether you choose to dropship or stock your own storeroom, you will not be able to do anything without first becoming a Safety Technology dealer. But worry not, we don’t bite. We have been supporting business owners just like you for more than 30 years. We know what it takes to be a successful retailer of safety products and non-lethal self-defense weapons.
Getting started is as easy as completing our online application form. We ask for a minimum of information you can provide us in mere minutes. Then we will need to verify your application and your business enterprise. It doesn’t take long at all.
If you already have an established retail business, we will request you verify that by providing us with some additional information. If not, you will have to set up a business in order to take advantage of our wholesale pricing. If you cannot provide the necessary documentation proving you are operating a business, there are still three other ways to complete the application process. You will find all the information on the Dealer App page here on our website.
The sooner you get the application to us, the sooner you will be set up to start selling butterfly knives. So what are you waiting for? There is a target audience out there just looking to buy. They are counting on you to show them what you have for sale.