• expired

German Steel Chef Knife Set for $67.10 (Was $186) + $11 Delivery @ Shrply

350
German Steel Chef Knife Set for $67.10 (Was $186) + $11 Delivery @ Shrply
Go to Deal
AssociatedLLukeC on 20/08/2025 - 17:25 shrply.com.au (3431 clicks)
Last edited 20/08/2025 - 17:26
LANDEDCOST

Hi Bargain Hunters,

Long time lurker, first time poster, and I bring you the remnants of my failed business venture. 🪦🔪

I thought I’d cracked a decent idea with a knife subscription service: freshly sharpened knives would arrive at your door, and your old dull ones would be whisked away… Well, that didn’t quite get off the ground.

So here we are. I bulk-bought these genuinely great knives direct from XINZUO, and can confirm they hold an edge just as well as the famous brands (I’d been using them for years beforehand, which is partly where the idea came from). To be honest, a number of the knives retailed in Australia will just be white-labelled versions of these, with significant mark-ups.

The models I brought in are:
* 8" Chef’s Knife
* 9" Bread Knife
* 3.5" Paring Knife

I’ve listed them on Shopify with a discount code bringing the price down to $67.10, which is my landed cost after shipping, GST, and customs with a bit shaved off. I've also accepted that I'll be eating the costs of photography, marketing, listing fees, payment processing, and a little bit of my soul, but hey, sometimes you just have to pay tuition to the School of Bad Ideas. 🎓

Cheers
A guy with too many knives

Home & Garden Knife Knife Set

Related Stores

Shrply
Shrply

closed Comments

  • King Tightarse on 20/08/2025 - 17:30

    That website is looks very dubious - bit hard to trust or believe in them
    How do we know they are not total and utter crap?

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 20/08/2025 - 17:37
      +5

      Fair shout - I imagine google won't like the sudden change of website to Shopify. I can include a screenshot of the initial order, here (that doesn't include the shipping and customs, which is why the cost may look lower than what I've mentioned). I'm not sure how else I can help build that trust, but let me know if you have any ideas - happy to be completely open with this.

      Payment is all via credit card processes on Shopify as well, so you'll always have recourse that way if needed.

  • Fergy1987 on 20/08/2025 - 17:34

    What if i just want the chefs knife

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 20/08/2025 - 17:40

      At this stage I'm just listing the full set, as AusPost shipping isn't cheap ($11 is already subsidised), so sending one by one probably won't end up being as much of a discount for you guys

  • Zippy7 on 20/08/2025 - 18:33

    I'd be interested in knowing how much for the bread knife.

    • commandershephard on 20/08/2025 - 18:47
      +19

      What else is he supposed to do? Just throw them all away?

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 20/08/2025 - 18:49
      +7

      I’m not expecting anyone to bankroll my bad idea, just putting the knives out there in case a fellow bargain hunter wants a genuinely solid blade at my landed cost instead of paying the usual Aussie retail markup

    • Balthraka on 20/08/2025 - 19:01

      Win win!

    • mickeyjuiceman on 20/08/2025 - 19:06
      +6

      He's selling stuff. This isn't difficult for most people.

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 20/08/2025 - 18:55
      +8

      Hah, happy to cop that - it’s deserved. This Shopify page is just a quickly thrown-together template though; the original site was built in Webflow for the subscription model with a bit more TLC, but it didn’t lend itself to one-off sales the way Shopify does.

    • Fergy1987 on 20/08/2025 - 19:22
      +4

      I wouldnt say xinzuo is a an unknown brand. The xinzuo 440c is regarded as one of the better budget chef knives

  • merriweather on 20/08/2025 - 19:30
    +4

    That’s not a super terrible business idea tbh

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 20/08/2025 - 19:34
      +7

      Hah, thanks. It's something I'd use if it were available - I never get around to properly sharpening my knives even though I cook a lot… Just couldn't market it 🤷

    • garage sale on 21/08/2025 - 01:43
      +2

      some major brands already have free sharpening, e.g wursthof trident and one of the japanese brands problem is cost to send registered and insured and you need to pay for return postage …. cheap postage or cheap courier can be a challenge in australia for smaller business.

  • diceman99 on 20/08/2025 - 19:32
    +17

    Kudos for at least giving a business a go.
    At least this guy has a spark on entrepreneurial spirit

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 20/08/2025 - 19:34
      +1

      Cheers mate ❤️

  • pork chop on 20/08/2025 - 19:38

    Would luv to support OP but I already have a set of knife's that look very similar to this design. Best thing I invested since was a pricey knife sharpener (Chef's Choice 1520) and as the saying goes, Happy Knife's Happy Wife.

  • FrugalFreddyJr on 20/08/2025 - 19:53

    If the knives are longer than 21cm are they banned in VIC?

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 20/08/2025 - 20:09
      +2

      No, kitchen knives are excluded from the machete ban

      • Nilfunds on 21/08/2025 - 00:07

        and stop being so nice to some retarded comments here, or else i wont buy the set , got it? :P)

        • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 21/08/2025 - 12:15

          😅 I was expecting to get reamed for the post if I'm honest. Appreciate the support ❤️

          • anonym on 21/08/2025 - 12:36

            @LukeC: A seller that is completely open and forward counts a lot these days. Good luck clearing out your remaining stock!

  • dxdoan on 20/08/2025 - 22:04

    Thanks OP just ordered. Was looking at a basic knife set to replace my current.
    Kudos for giving it a try. Australian market is a tough.

  • iseeyou1312 on 20/08/2025 - 22:07
    +4

    You live in Australia mate. Work for the government, buy property.

  • Covid19 on 20/08/2025 - 22:48
    +1

    Willing to help you out mate, bought one!
    Probably will be a big step up for me, I currently use IKEA knives.
    And kudos for giving business idea a try, hopefully your next venture becomes more successful.

    • Covid19 on 20/08/2025 - 22:52

      In case anyone knows better way to store these, please share a link.
      I currently just throw it next to the cutlery in the drawer; I probably need to become more cultured and store these knives properly.

  • SetTheFaqUp on 20/08/2025 - 23:11

    No use for the bread knife, otherwise wouldn't mind the other two as spare for the kitchen.

  • Pmpm1898 on 21/08/2025 - 00:13

    Good price just looking for new set of knives but the website isn't easy to use.

  • Ozymandias on 21/08/2025 - 07:44
    +1

    Been meaning to upgrade from some cheapos, good value for the set. Cheers OP and hopefully your next venture works out!

  • chefdillu on 21/08/2025 - 08:30

    Can you please list just the 8" Chefs Knife under $25 including postage to Melbourne

  • ufsta on 21/08/2025 - 14:28

    Anyone bought and received their set yet?

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 21/08/2025 - 20:25
      +1

      First lot went out this afternoon; next will be tomorrow morning

  • fairtrading on 21/08/2025 - 14:49

    Ordered. Thanks. @LukeC, how were you planning to sharpen at scale for your business?

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 21/08/2025 - 20:24
      +1

      Cheers mate. I’m embarrassingly bad at whetstone sharpening despite plenty of attempts, so my plan was to keep enough knives in rotation until I had a faily large batch that needed sharpening. At that point, I’d look for bulk discounts with an industrial sharpener. There are fully automated machines that can process knives quickly, so I figured if I stockpiled enough, I could find a company running one of those and utilise that, if that makes sense.

      I think what @garage sale touched on was right - shipping was such a massive part of the cost that it probably pushed it into a price range that was tough to market, given you'd need to rotate sets (so 2x courier costs) every ~4-6 months

  • nuker on 21/08/2025 - 17:17

    Be sure to get Sharpal diamond stone

  • MarFyr466 on 21/08/2025 - 17:26

    Cheers, ive been on the hunt for a knife set.
    Thanks for the deal.

  • dazzles on 22/08/2025 - 11:01

    I respect the effort in having a go at starting a business irrespective of the outcome. 99% of people would have given up half way or not bothered to act upon their ideas.

    Out of curiosity were you targeting business rather than retail customers? Only because I wouldn't imagine the average person caring too much about having well sharpened blades that they couldnt just get away with a mediocre job at themself.

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 23/08/2025 - 12:47
      +2

      Thanks mate. I reckon I overestimated how much the average person would care, based on myself.

      Targeting restaurants etc is a good shout, though it'd probably need a different type of knife to survive in a commercial setting (like having a plastic handle rather than polished wood)

  • chid on 22/08/2025 - 21:04

    Hoping for a review, following for now!

  • ufoninja on 23/08/2025 - 18:19

    Unfortunate it didn't work out, for me the idea of another subscription just makes tired. also dealing with delivery driver that just leave stuff outside to be stolen is such a pain.

  • MJVD on 25/08/2025 - 09:55

    Mine arrived this morning. Seem like really good knives, miles better than my old IKEA ones, for sure. Thanks for the deal, OP!

  • snackxheist on 26/08/2025 - 11:10

    Mine arrived this morning as well, quality feels good, and the packaging was surprisingly nice. Thanks OP and all the best with future ventures :)

  • CI on 05/09/2025 - 13:59

    Hi Luke happy to help out I am ordering 3 sets

    • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 05/09/2025 - 19:38

      Thanks CI! Let me know if you have any issues ordering

  • lachhelix on 06/09/2025 - 22:14

    Was just about to post a forum post looking for knife set recommendations under $100 to upgrade my knife's after my 17yo cousin trying to cut an apple was complaining about my kmart ones 😂
    Perfect timing! Thanks @LukeC

    • lachhelix on 06/09/2025 - 22:17

      @LukeC - I don't think your PayPal is working, just an FYI

      • AssociatedLukeC @ Shrply on 06/09/2025 - 22:31

        Happy to help! Thanks for flagging that, have removed the PayPal option for now

        • lachhelix on 06/09/2025 - 23:36

          Nooooo worries my friend

  • lachhelix on 11/09/2025 - 20:59

    They arrived! Looks nice
    Curious if you have anywhere I can see care instructions?

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join