And suddenly, I have a backorder of customers....

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Gendry

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Let me start by saying, I am amateur. 20-30 knives under my belt, poor tools for the job, and lack of experience. Yet, I can make a "nice" looking knife, sharp enough I literally shaved most of my beard with it the other day just because I could. However, my work, even 30 knives in, doesnt even begin to compare to some of the "first knives" I've seen on here. So, I recently made a skinning knife for a buddy, it turned out nice. After a closer look, I saw about a dozen mistakes I could have fixed along the way though (note to self). It will serve as a good skinning knife, it does look decent at least, but it's not something I would charge money for, despite all the cost of materials, and man hours I put into them. I just didn't think I was good enough yet. I hadn't even planned on putting them up for sale until literally a year from now, maybe more.

However, I made this knife for a friend at work, and it seems, being a layman, in regards to knife design, he was extremely impressed, he either didn't notice the flaws, or disregarded them, or thought they added "character". (Here is the knife in question btw: http://s11.postimg.org/g5i9kwdf5/kirk.jpg You will notice the dozen flaws I did, and probably another dozen I missed..) Whatever the case, he showed it off to a bunch of guys at work, and suddenly, I have 4 different people asking me if I can make them one (all said they would pay.)

I am unsure what to charge... Take a look at that knife I posted above, pretend you are some average hunter/outdoors guy who buys his knives at Canadian tire. What do you think that knife would be worth to you? (I put it at an even $40, just because of the materials I had to buy, more then $40 actually in total, if I had to put a cost to it.)

I am an honest guy frankly. If somebody offered me $150 for that same knife, I would tell them to buy me a case of beer and call it even, at this point, I don't even think I can justify charging people for these myself, but yet they want to pay..

Honestly, I just don't know where to set the price range... These ones, I am going to take all the extra time it takes to take the flaws out as best I can, probably turn out better then the one I posted, but still.. After seeing some of your guy's work, I don't even see how I can think about asking for money for these..

I figure I make the knives to the customers specs, give them to the person, and then suggest whatever they are willing to pay is good enough. The one's that asked, I know personally, and won't try to lowball me or anything, if anything I might have to talk them down and reason with them why the knife is worth half of what they offer. I don't know, I never even started to consider the angles when it comes to selling my glorified letter openers.


Don't have a specific question I suppose, other then show I even be charging for them, but after reading this, any thoughts you have would be appreciated and taken into serious consideration.
 
You have made 30 knives to my 3, so I won't dare critique. However, I would consider it a good sign that you have customers who appreciate your work.
 
Don't sell yourself short. If folks have seen your work and are willing to pay for it, they see a value in what you do. Look at it as paid practice. Agree to a price, and I would suggest that you make sure you actually make a little bit of money, and continue to improve your skills while someone else is at least paying for the materials. Deliver the best product to them you reasonably can and it will be a good value for all involved.

I have built homes for years and also build some commercial projects. I learn things all of the time, and the homes I build now are better in many ways. It's a continual evolution and learning experience. I used to have to work pretty hard to get custom home jobs, and now turn away work, and end up building some homes that end up in magazines. I enjoy some big custom projects, but spec homes have always been my favorite. The folks that bought homes from me over 20 years ago got a great home, and it represented the best work I could do at the time. The homes I build today are superior in many ways, and I build many more of them.

The consumer will always be the ultimate judge of what your work is worth. I am just starting to get seriously in to making custom knives with my teenage son, and I agree the level of talent regularly displayed by some of the craftsman here is beyond impressive and is truly awe inspiring. They all started somewhere, and they're all probably getting more for their work now that they are established. If I was you I would celebrate the fact there are folks willing to pay something for your knives. I think that's a heck of a great start. Your time and work has a value.
 
I'd say price them at the time it took you to make them. Maybe you don't think they're up to scratch yet but that feeling never really goes away no matter how many knives you make. There'll always be that one thing that you could have done differently. If you've got people willing to pay for your stuff, take advantage of that. Take the money you earn and invest in better equipment. And now you have 5 dudes who will vouch for your work and later on down the road when you've got some more experience they'll talk about how they were some of the first people who bought your stuff and it'll be a talking point.
 
Congrats on the customers! I would think at the very least material cost would be a start, as for charging for time I'm not really sure where to go from there, but do try to make something for yourself so that you can re-invest and improve your craft. I'm in a similar position with having trouble justifying charging for my work ( I'm writing them off as gifts for now) , but the costs to you eventually will add up, so as drysideshooter said, have someone pay for your cost to make the knife. On a side note - I notice you're also a fellow Canadian, where about are you from?
 
chopsuey9999 said:
Congrats on the customers! I would think at the very least material cost would be a start, as for charging for time I'm not really sure where to go from there, but do try to make something for yourself so that you can re-invest and improve your craft. I'm in a similar position with having trouble justifying charging for my work ( I'm writing them off as gifts for now) , but the costs to you eventually will add up, so as drysideshooter said, have someone pay for your cost to make the knife. On a side note - I notice you're also a fellow Canadian, where about are you from?
Click to expand...

Sask, Regina more specifically.
 
My wife made jewelry as a business for several years. She had the same guilt about charging X for something that seemed so easy to make. You can do what beaster suggests and price them according to how long it takes to make. Another way to look at it is to increase the price until the backlog is however long you want it to be. At $5 everyone wants that knife, at $150 maybe only a few want it.

But if you're less serious about this as a business (like I am) then maybe just get paid in beer and have fun with it.
 
It's always good to go with your gut. You were planing on selling a year from now, why not give these first buyers one heck of a deal. Give them a firm price of $___. Say that this is the price for this batch of four knives. Then the next batch may be more according to how comfortable you are with the next batch. Personally, I would rather feel like I gave someone a really good deal rather than feel like an ass for charging more than I should have. You sound like a really nice guy and you are already Canadian which makes you a considerate person to begin with :D. Just go with your gut!
 
The old advice for someone starting out was to sell for what it would cost you to make 3 more. From Bob Engnath I think. that being said, when you are a famous knife maker those will be out there with your name on it.
 
If it was me...

I would only charge them for materials. I did then when I first started. Having said that though, I am not a full time maker. I do it as a hobby, try to sell what I make so I can make more.
 
Fellows, registered users can't discuss selling at all...and especially not in shop talk.

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