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Reaching the right person - especially if the very active BF exchange is your only venue - is the great challenge. A well designed/constructed and attractive nice - even when very fairly priced can seem to languish. Some knives are just too similar to other choices. That can create hesitation on the buyer's part, only resolved with a stupid low price. :( Doesn't help when we are experiencing a economic slump.

My experience has been - that everything sells eventually, at the asking price IF you are willing to wait and re-list - maybe even 5 or 6 times. :rolleyes:

I would not leave a sale thread active for more than 10 to 14 days - without posting new photos and/or some new language - to create at least a reason for old eyes to re-look. BETTER YET - shut down the post and re-list fresh after the 2 week wait period, or longer if you can stand it.

As a knife maker /service/provider you risk devaluing your product with old stale adds or stupid low prices. Stupid low once can mean stupid low forever. UNLESS, of course you are building a reputation and are willing to hand out some "samples". Risky but also a known successful marketing strategy.

Has this 2¢ helped or just muddied the question? o_O
 
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The answer to your question is, it depends on if you need the money or not. I remember Tai Goo once told me that they all eventually sell.

Your work does look very nice and detailed, and your pictures are nice but I don’t understand that rock in the pictures... it’s distracting imo

as your work gets higher and higher in price there’s less population of buyers as well and somethings will stay unsold longer obviously

I think your work is priced very reasonable

it took me two years as a full-time maker to go from surviving to thriving

I haven’t renewed my paid membership here because I don’t have enough sales on blade forums but I sell 15 knives a month elsewhere

Murray Carter says outdoor knives are primarily sold on looks and yours look very nice but people also want to know about the story and the vision because that’s part of the purchase with custom knives

btw love playing golf in your area
 
Your work has caught my eye a few times. Some pieces have an interesting and unique style.
Looking at one of your current sales posts there are a things that might make someone hesitate: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/hand-forged-classic-style-skinning-knife-crown-stag.1737104/
From your Forum name I might expect that you are Peter, but then there is a different name stamped on the sheath. At a glance it isn't clear who you are or who made what.
The kicker in that thread is your comment "anyways it's not the best sheath I've made". Honesty is great, but as a buyer I would want to wait for one that you stand behind as your best work.

(please take of all my comments with a grain of salt as I don't sell knives myself)
 
I agree that your work is obviously well made and photographed - very nice and absolutely competitively priced. Anything less is a GAW, especially factoring in S&H and PP fees. I don't know how you guys do it. Yes, it will take a certain buyer. As has been suggested - sell on other venues along with Blade Forums.

A nit-pic - about language - if I buy a knife using PP G&S I really don't care if you insure or not. That subtracts from your bottom line but adds nothing of value to me - the buyer. If the knife doesn't make it to me or gets damaged - I expect a full refund. It's all on you to collect the insurance.

I do VALUE the use of priority mail. FedEx in my part of the country is a joke, but USPS Priority mail is very effective. I love knowing that if I buy a knife on Monday I will likely have it in hand by Thursday, or Friday, at the latest. If you use priority I would say that but no need to add "insurance" as part of the sales pitch. My 2¢
 
On the point of your username, it would be nice if BF would allow for username changes. When I joined this forum 11 years ago I had no inkling that I'd be working my way to becoming a maker and now that I have over the past year I've asked to change my username to something that will represent the knives I intend to make. Answer is always no. I know of more than a few makers who are/were in the same boat and now I see why they don't contribute here anymore. Just my 2 cents.
 
I also find the disconnect between the various names confusing, it's actually what stuck out the most since I've been seeing your postings.

Signalprick said:
On the point of your username, it would be nice if BF would allow for username changes. When I joined this forum 11 years ago I had no inkling that I'd be working my way to becoming a maker and now that I have over the past year I've asked to change my username to something that will represent the knives I intend to make. Answer is always no. I know of more than a few makers who are/were in the same boat and now I see why they don't contribute here anymore. Just my 2 cents.
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You can get a username change, just have to pay the $10 fee if I remember right then make a thread in tech support with the transaction number and tag Spark:thumbsup:
 
I’ve been watching your knives. I like the style, and they look well-made and reasonably priced. The name discrepancy that Richard338 pointed out occurred to me as well. Probably my biggest issue, however, is that you don’t have your name on the knife itself. Makers marks are good, but they’re hard to google if a potential future buyer wants to know more about who made the knife.
 
Signalprick said:
On the point of your username, it would be nice if BF would allow for username changes. When I joined this forum 11 years ago I had no inkling that I'd be working my way to becoming a maker and now that I have over the past year I've asked to change my username to something that will represent the knives I intend to make. Answer is always no. I know of more than a few makers who are/were in the same boat and now I see why they don't contribute here anymore. Just my 2 cents.
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I changed mine a while back. Like WValtakis says, they do charge a few bucks, and you have to make a thread in the techsupport section. I debated using my "knife maker" name, but ultimately decided to just go with my actual name on the forums. Turned out to be the right move, as I've recently revised my knife making business name to something a little less generic than what it used to be. I figured I could always link social media, webpages, etc... in my signature, which I do.
 
The exchange is flooded with underpriced knives right now. I agree with Warren, if you can afford it, don’t drop your prices.
If I could borrow a quote from Nathan Carothers, It’s a race to the bottom right now. (Different context but applies).
 
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Name changes happen all the time. It's ten bucks and follow the procedure. It's slow but it gets done.

Signalprick said:
On the point of your username, it would be nice if BF would allow for username changes. When I joined this forum 11 years ago I had no inkling that I'd be working my way to becoming a maker and now that I have over the past year I've asked to change my username to something that will represent the knives I intend to make. Answer is always no. I know of more than a few makers who are/were in the same boat and now I see why they don't contribute here anymore. Just my 2 cents.
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the
 
Your knives look great. Fit and finish look fantastic.

One thought that crossed my mind is your steel choice in the smaller blades. I own and use knives in 5160, and have used 5150 to make a few of my own knives.

When looking at purchasing a knife in that size, I am more likely to go for 52100 or 1095 (because in that size blade, toughness is less concerning than edge retention).

I do understand that 5160 is very cost effective and likely a bit easier to forge than 52100.

I am a fan of the knives you have been posting. Your sheath work is also very appealing.

Just keep listing them.
 
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