5 Reasons I Stopped Taking Orders

Fiddleback

Fiddleback

Knifemaker
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Oct 19, 2005
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1. I am not good at it. Seriously, I loose customers taking orders.
2. I have twice or more the overhead (time) in an ordered knife than one I make on a whim.
3. An ordered knife is delivered at next year's skill level and this year's price.
4. Accepting an order quenches a consumer's demand immediately.
5. It takes longer to collect $ on an ordered knife than one I simply make and sell at BF.
 
Hear ya. The communication time alone really hurts the bottom line unless you just give up sleeping. I do models with options and still sometimes end up emailing back and forth quite a bit to sell some of my knives. To go through this process for a full custom, build it, and then have a customer default on the payment is enough to turn your hair grey.
 
It makes perfect sense. Make what you like to make, not what others want you to make.
 
Orders are a funny thing. In the beginning, you're ELATED to get them because it means people like your work enough to seek out buying it from you!!!

How cool is that?!?!? :)

But it's a lot easier to take 50 orders than it is to actually BUILD the 50 orders. Then you get sick for a week or two.... then you get distracted by something else in your life.... then you keep improving your skills and the $175 knife you agreed to build 8 months ago could easily be sold for $350 today, and so you drag your feet.... or.... and.... then.... and..... or..... ;) :)

After awhile you decide orders are the worst thing ever because they're weighing on you like 3 tons of brick---always there---seeming to get heavier every day.

Then.... hopefully... eventually....you get the order list whittled down to nothing.... and the fear of the unknown security that you had with those work orders is suddenly gone. :eek: :confused: :foot: ;)

And it's THEN---- HOPEFULLY--- that you are at a point that you have potential clients that call or email and say, "Hey, would you make me a XYZ... Do it however you think will be cool and you will enjoy making.... for this $$$ price range????" And you breathe a sigh of relief, and all (well mostly) is well in the world. ;) :D


The communication aspect is GINORMOUS. There's a big catch 22 with doing high numbers on less expensive knives. While I can make 10 "simple knives" in the time it takes to make 1 "fancy knife" and the initial dollar amount looks to be in favor of the 10 lower cost knives--- I've come to realize that I have to factor in, that's 10 times the amount of emails, phone numbers, conversations, PACKAGING and MAILING than what it takes to get the 1 higher end piece conceived, boxed up, and out the door.

In the end, there's always prostitution. :eek: ;) :p :D

Great post Andy!!! :thumbup: :)
 
Nick, you forgot the newest business venture... selling forged blade blanks to aspiring knife makers. :)

Takes 95% of the work out, still provides you with a margin, and greatly increases the amount of work taking payments and packing/shipping!!!

Oh, lucky man!!!

;)
 
Interesting stuff, Andy. Definitely some things to think about, and Nick makes some very good points.

BTW, I'm reading this at the airport in Denver. Be on that plane to Atlanta in about an hour. See ya soon buddy!
 
Fiddleback said:
1. I am not good at it. Seriously, I loose customers taking orders.
2. I have twice or more the overhead (time) in an ordered knife than one I make on a whim.
3. An ordered knife is delivered at next year's skill level and this year's price.
4. Accepting an order quenches a consumer's demand immediately.
5. It takes longer to collect $ on an ordered knife than one I simply make and sell at BF.
Click to expand...

100% true - I thought it was just me! Since I am a new maker I will continue to take them... learning a lot from it. I have learned that I better sell them at price where I want to make another.
 
NickWheeler said:
In the end, there's always prostitution. :eek: ;) :p :D

:)
Click to expand...

We're not all dreamy like you Nick. I was thinking about selling blood. Though not my own, of course...

I'm of the same mind as you Andy. Taking requests from time to time, but never accepting an order keeps me out of trouble.

See you tomorrow.
 
All good reasons. I stopped taking orders in July of last year, then started again this winter because I had an article published in Blade, and it seemed dumb to have an article published, and have to tell people that they couldn't order any knives. Well, there weren't as many orders as I thought there would be from the article, so now I'm thinking about quitting again. I had such a feeling of freedom while I was not taking orders, even though the ones I have won't be finished for a couple years.
 
I see the points and they make sense.
However...
The main reason I'd go to a custom knifemaker is so that I COULD have input on the design.
But like I said, I see the reasoning behind the decision.:)
 
stabman said:
I see the points and they make sense.
However...
The main reason I'd go to a custom knifemaker is so that I COULD have input on the design.
But like I said, I see the reasoning behind the decision.:)
Click to expand...

And that's the beautiful irony of "custom knives"!!!! ;) :)

Most all makers come up with a process and style and they want to work within those parameters (branching out to try things we want to try...) And something that doesn't fall within these self set parameters normally strikes us as crap we don't wanna do.

Most anyone in the world believes that something custom means you get to say just what you want... otherwise what's the point right? ;) :)

Custom knives is really a misnomer.... But "one off knives made by a singular man/woman/craftsperson in his/her non-production facility/shop" doesn't quite have the same ring to it! :D
 
After I finish up a few outstanding orders, I may stop taking them. If nothing else, I going to set a limit on the number of orders annually; focusing on projects that I'm really interested in.

Knife making is something I started doing for fun, and I always want to keep it that way. Taking orders means that I may be making knives that I don't necessarily want to make. The process isn't quite as enjoyable at that point.
 
I hear ya guys:) I am very blessed to have a very full order book and be 6-7 months out all the time. Honestly though, the only time I get to work on something rattling around in my brainbucket is when I'm waiting on supplys for another customer order:( I got to work on an axe today thats been sitting in the shop for 2 months collecting a crap load of rust because I have been too busy to touch it!

I think I might set a limit on my yearly customer orders like Mitchell was saying. I have a few other folder designs I have yet to prototype just because I have 15 A10's to make:)

Since starting this full time a few months ago, I thank God every day for lots of work to do though. Its nice to have the security of guaranteed orders.
 
That's another reason I love this site. I learn something everyday. Everyone of your reasons for not taking orders, makes perfect sense.
 
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