Custom Knife Mark-up/Profit?

[John T Wylie Jr]

HI John,

What is keeping you from ordering a knife?
Makers who do not take orders any longer.

I don't know who the makers are, but if they have a list of orders many times at shows most of those knives are deliveries.
So , then they go to a show to deliver knives , and not to sell anything off their table ? Seems like a waste to me. I do appreciate the makers who even though their table is empty , still stay there to meet and talk with people. Some don't even do that.

Which even if they had them you wouldn't be able to buy them.


There are a lot of interpersonal dynamics in play at shows that most buyers don't know about...or care.

Although I have only been around the knife stuff for about 6 or 7 years , I do understand the dynamics , and the behind the scenes night before the show sales/viewing , etc that goes on. I can see where those are able to take advantage of these shows before the show don't seem to mind , however some would be disgusted if they were aware.

My original point was , while a dealer may have a mark up on a knife that some may feel is high , think of it as not wasting travel money to come up empty handed.If a dealer has the knife you want , buy it since it is a sure thing , going to the shows is not.

 

[Blues]

My original point was , while a dealer may have a mark up on a knife that some may feel is high , think of it as not wasting travel money to come up empty handed.If a dealer has the knife you want , buy it since it is a sure thing , going to the shows is not.

Or even if you do go to the show.

While at Blade, I stopped at Rusty Preston's table upon Bill Ruple's recommendation. However, there was nothing on Rusty's table at that point that called out to me.

After the show, I happened to see a stockman of Rusty's on a purveyor site and though I knew it was about 20% higher than the maker's table price, I took into account Rusty's waiting list and the fact that I wanted that knife.

Fortunately, finding that stockman actually led to another (that Rusty had brought back from the show to work on) which has subsequently joined the knife purchased through the purveyor.

I couldn't be more pleased since the experience dealing with the vendor and the maker actually led to burgeoning friendships. Win/win for everyone concerned.

 

[Kohai999]

Although I have only been around the knife stuff for about 6 or 7 years , I do understand the dynamics , and the behind the scenes night before the show sales/viewing , etc that goes on. I can see where those are able to take advantage of these shows before the show don't seem to mind , however some would be disgusted if they were aware.

My original point was , while a dealer may have a mark up on a knife that some may feel is high , think of it as not wasting travel money to come up empty handed.If a dealer has the knife you want , buy it since it is a sure thing , going to the shows is not.

1. This is an off-putting point to many new collectors...especially older collectors. The sense of entitlement can be strong, and when that sense is dashed, resentment and the cold slap of reality can be brought to the fore. The only way to reduce the disgust is to educate(what we hopefully do here) about the need to "pay your dues". Makers are not the only ones who have to do this, and it never ends....paying your dues often leads to some close friendships as a welcome result.

2. My feeling about profit has always been to be fair with respect to most makers(helps me/the maker AND the buyer, as well as, imo, being the "right" thing to do). WRT "HOT" makers, I will charge whatever the market will bear, and MUST do the homework to know what this is. If I sold a John Young or Lovett dagger grind right now, I would be a fool to not charge $2,000+....BECAUSE that is what the market will bear, and the wait time for replacement might be NEVER...even though I "only" paid around $800 for them....it would seem reasonable, and although a buyer might not be happy to know the profit margin...they would be happy to own the knife...right?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[Kevin Jones]

I was wondering everyones opinion on this, if a maker is selling knives through a purveyor on consignment, meaning no money changes hands from purveyor to maker until the dealer sells the knife, and the dealer lists the knife at the makers suggested price. Is it acceptable for the maker to add the extra % that the dealer will be receiving from the sale to that knife, or is this a big no no, and just an expense the maker needs to eat.
I wonder this for the simple reason that if someone wants a knife they would be ahead by buying from the maker saving the added %. Now if the purveyor were to buy the knives outright it would be a different story because the maker would no longer have to wait for the purveyor to locate a buyer, ship and then pay the maker. Just Curious.

Thanks,

Bill

I don't see anything wrong with a maker adding the dealer's consignment fee to the knife up front as long as the higher price doesn't hinder the dealer's ability to sell it. Since the dealer has expenses associated with listing and selling the knife.

Many times an up and coming maker just hasn't build up the customer base to a point where he can sell all his knives on his/her own, so the % whether it be in form of a maker discount or consignment fee should just be considered a cost of promoting or advertising his/her knife business.