Contacting knifemakers

viva la

viva la

Joined
Jan 13, 2010
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don't know if this is the right place to post this, if not please move it to the correct area.

when you contact a knifemaker (assuming it's the first time you have ordered with them), do you email? call on the phone?

lets say you have emailed them and not heard back, do you just email again?

I have contacted 4 well known makers, 3 responded pretty quickly but the 4th hasn't, and it has been about a week. I really like his designs but if he can't find time to answer emails or pick up the phone and return a call when someone leaves a message...

How much leeway/time do you give a maker to get back in touch with you?

The one that has not contacted me back is one I sent an email to about one of his designs and if he could co it with a slight change to the blade shape. Did I offend him somehow possibly?

Anyways, I was wondering how y'all contact a maker and how quickly you expect them to get back to you.

Thanks
 
If you call me - I'll talk to you.
If you email me - I'll write back.
My phone number is on my web site for a reason.
 
viva la said:
How much leeway/time do you give a maker to get back in touch with you?

The one that has not contacted me back is one I sent an email to about one of his designs and if he could co it with a slight change to the blade shape. Did I offend him somehow possibly?

Anyways, I was wondering how y'all contact a maker and how quickly you expect them to get back to you.

Thanks
Click to expand...

He should had replied if its been a week unless he on vacation or something.
Try calling him since emails can sometimes get lost. Some people have huge spam filters on there email boxes and your email may not be getting thru.

But usually emails is what you should try first. It allows the maker to answer them on his own time instead of burning up time on the phone at the shop. That is unless you really want to talk to the maker over the phone then call.

I doubt if he got offended by the design change. If he didn't want to do it all he has to say is has not interested. :D
 
Karl B. Andersen said:
If you call me - I'll talk to you.
If you email me - I'll write back.
My phone number is on my web site for a reason.
Click to expand...

Me too, keep in mind though that sometimes these high tech. things don't work every time, or the kids (I don't have kids) got to the computer first and just deleted some of Dads boring stuff even when they are not supposed to. Being on this end I would say try to cut him a little slack. My wife likes to put all my stuff in different folders and I can't find them all the time, we try.
 
If I get your e-mail I'll write back when I can... between junk filters and sporadic internet service it's not always easy (and some of us don't have consistent phone numbers). It's hard to know what's going on at the other end.
 
I will always return either an email or a phone call but please remember that some knifemakers are like me and NOT always the most computer savvy people around.

I have never failed to not respond but there are times when I may not get the message for a while. Be patient.

Gary
 
Got to go with Karl on this one. I will respond as quickly as I can. E-mail or phone.
 
I have contacted 9 knifemakers in my life and will only use names in a positive light.....

Rick Hinderer answered his phone and email, but gave me a very long time frame, and I said no thank you.

Zoe Crist has answered every email, phone call and question...I now own one of his knives.

Pat Randall of Patrick Knives has been equally great, he soon will be done with one for me and will have my money

Burger knives was also great...I dont use credit cards so payment became hard to deal with so I passed it up (a mistake I hope to fix).

And now the naughty list:

2 I never heard from at all after 2 emails and 1 phone message.

3 that talked to me initially, put me on a "list", and all exceeded their given time frame (I believe all were in the 2-3mos range to start a knife) or at least contact me about a knife. The most recent contact with any of them was about 6mos ago. I put in a follow up call or at least 2 emails to each, and with no contact, I decided they didnt want my money.

So a mixed bag. I believe the majority of these makers do the work at part time and it shows.
 
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I would first e-mail, then follow up with a phone call in a couple days if no response.

If still no response, repeat the process in eight days as seven days is a popular vacation duration.

If still nothing, give up on that maker as there's many fine makers out there who practice good customer service to let those who don't frustrate you.
 
Charlie and I really like e-mail contacts. We check e-mails and phone messages several times a day and try to get back with a contact as soon as we can. Sometimes the information takes time to develop. Phones can be hard to hear and hard to hear on if equipment is running. Heck, I am really hard of hearing anyway. Type to me please.

With an e-mail we will see it when we get back and we won't have to try to decipher what someone thought they said on a phone message. All you have to do is miss understand one number in the call back number and a phone message is useless.

We are like many makers in that we both have expanding families and elderly parents. Unexpected things do come up in life (some good and some bad) and sometimes we must be away from the shop. Seldom more than a few days though.

I am going to mention one thing that I think would help in getting an answer from a maker that is seldom, if ever, talked about. It is: Be as specific about your request as you can. If you are interested in a knife and want a price quote and delivery time, give enough details so that the maker understands that you are serious in your inquiry and he will likely be more responsive. While I try to respond to all our requests, someone saying "I like all your knives. How much do they cost?" is just not likely to get a serious response. A question like "What would be an estimated cost and delivery time of a 5" model 11 with stainless guard, stag handle, 6 stainless pins and 1095 steel with a killer hamon? Similar to the one shown on your gallery" is going to get my attention.
 
I have wanted a custom Traditional folder from one of the world's most famous knifemakers. i have emailed him twice, now many months ago. no replies received. i've since been told that this knifemaker has not taken a new client for over 5 years and that he still receives many requests.
i accept that he is busy making knives not answering emails. i'm too late to get a knife directly from this maker. no hard feelings. that's just how it goes.
if a maker doesn't respond after 2 emails it's probably best to move on to another maker.
roland
 
Lucky me :D All knifemakers that I'd contacted via emails so far were very nice and communicative to me :thumbup: Being late in replying my first email is not a biggie to me and I consider it as something very normal :) After all knifemakers are also as humane as me and others who got their own selves, family, friends, neighbors, other customers, works, shows, urgent things to be attended etc etc :cool: Just my 2 cents opinion .. :cool:

mohd.
 
If you don't get an answer from an email, follow up with a phone call. Every now and again I find a contact in my junk mail file. Unless I check all the junk mail I'll never see it. I don't know why Outlook does this but it does.

I'm sure I'm not the only one with that problem. And mu phone number is on my website.

Gene
 
A few years ago when the Knifemakers' Guild had their rift over who was making pre-cut parts versus sole authorship, there was a European buyer who attended the Guild Show every year, and in several of those shows was the biggest buyer in the show.

This information was available because in those days if you bought a knife your name was put into a box for a drawing for a free knife. If you bought two knives, it was in there twice, so the Guild had the info on who their bigger buyers were.

This buyer spent in excess of $100,000 in the room at a single show, and this was several years ago when the most expensive knives were four figures rather than five.

When the controversy erupted, he became concerned that the knives he was representing to his upscale customers were indeed a handmade product. So in a logical approach he wrote every maker whose knives he would regularly buy and asked them to please send him a letter explaining how they made their knives--as an assurance that their knives were handmade. He didn't ask for proof, he only asked for a signed letter.

He mailed 300 letters. Think about this for a moment--he was actively buying from 300 different knifemakers!

His response? 150 knifemakers took the time to respond, and continued to get business from this buyer. The 150 who did not respond--it was a cut and dried decision--he would no longer buy from them.

He told me this story personally explaining why that year he had attended the Blade Show rather than the Guild show--it was for the purpose of finding 150 new makers to supply his business.

So if you received responses from 4 out of 5 knifemakers, I'd say you're way ahead of the curve. There are plenty of great knifemakers out there who want you business and will respond to your inquiries. Do business with them.

Just because a maker makes a superior knife does not mean he has a single iota of business sense. The ones that realize knifemaking is a business and has to be treated as such with promotion, show attendance, advertising, and returning calls and mail, generally prosper.

The ones that don't? Well as Bob Loveless has said, "the marketplace will sort them out soon enough."
 
I don't mind e-mails and will return them but I prefer to have a conversation. I feel that a custom knife order is easier taken over the phone. When the customer has questions, I feel they are better and more thoroughly answered as the conversation takes place. I also feel it gives the customer a better idea of what kind of knifemaker I am.
 
I sent a letter to a certain knifemaker as I was told he didn't take calls and he has no internet.

I have one of his folders and mentioned I was interested in a 1/2 dozen. 5 to resell to customers and one to keep with possible repeated purchases and asked for a catalogue.

He's a retired part-time maker and usually listed in the top 10 for folders

Never heard from him. Close to a year and no catalogue and spent the money on other things I needed instead.

Would have liked to buy, but some sellers don't care

As others said. If you don't hear back. Move on to someone who does want your business. I only ask once. Not going to waste my time on those that don't reply

DON
 
TennKnifeman said:
Just because a maker makes a superior knife does not mean he has a single iota of business sense. The ones that realize knifemaking is a business and has to be treated as such with promotion, show attendance, advertising, and returning calls and mail, generally prosper.

The ones that don't? Well as Bob Loveless has said, "the marketplace will sort them out soon enough."
Click to expand...
^^^ There you have it. :)

Non callback makers fall into two categories:
1. Those that are busy enough and simply don't care or need to respond to new queries (A slippery slope indeed).
2.Those who lack the business acumen to understand that making a quality product is only part of the task of making a profit (or even a living).

It's far smarter to simply/politely say 'no' than to blow someone off in a non-response.

Not internet savvy? It's 2010, and your competitors are chomping at the bit to exceed you. Shape up. :D

Anyone whose ever dealt with me knows how quick I am to respond.

Coop
 
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