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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Deals for 5/18 -- Villager M-43, Malla Knife and Great Buys
- Thread starter Yangdu
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2011
- Messages
- 226
Yes, I just opened one up out here in Boulder, Colorado. We carry some Nepalese clothing and backpacks, Etc. as well. The scabbard on this is really solid, I like it better than my previous ones that came with the tarwars. Though my 3 pin Rajkumar Chiruwa Tarwar still is the liveliest feeling in my hand.
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I was thinking the same thing. It will probably sell though, and then he'll have enough profit to buy two next time.
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2011
- Messages
- 226
You don't own a business do you ? Markup is usually at least double in retail, I never get anywhere near that when I sell an HI blade. Double on the Tarwar would be $530 so it's not "quite a markup" in reality, and if it doesn't sell I won't be heartbroken to keep it either.
Some of my customers have bought multiple khukris from HI since first seeing them at my shop, one fella has at least 10 and is a member of this forum now as well.
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- Joined
- Mar 6, 2011
- Messages
- 226
Yangdu knows I sell some HI products in my shop, have been for awhile now. I told her from the get go, and I certainly mean no disrespect to her. I am not offering that sword for sale here on the forum. I simply posted a pic of where it ended up, a place of respect in my shop - right behind the cash register. I'm sure Auntie knows there was no disrespect intended even if you feel otherwise. I am sorry you feel that way tho...:thumbdn: So I won't post any more pics of Khuks in my shop. peace.
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2011
- Messages
- 294
Hey Hairah,
I used to think that we had a lot in common. We're both huge fans of Rajkumar's work. I've mentioned in previous posts that he is, hands-down, *the* kami turning out creative new designs and carvings above all others - pushing the envelope, yet remaining totally organic and in the Khukuri (or should I say KLO?!) spirit/tradition. Last summer, I logged in to look at that Fourth of July Tarwar every day to look at it and consider buying it...then you mentioned that you would be picking it up after your next paycheck and the clock started ticking. I knew that you were serious based on the vibes I had picked up from you in the handful of posts you had before that. So I kept logging in every day knowing that one day it would be gone and sure enough... I only thought of it on the rare occasion after that, until you picked up the special Sirupate the other day which was like deja vu.
I can tell that you're excited about your shop, and I can tell that you're genuinely interested in the knives you buy so I don't think that you're just out to "make a buck." There was a little green card in one of your pictures (I look at these things in detail sometimes out of interest in the posters ideas/content) and three things caught my eye.
First - the remarkable handwriting detailing the item. (I later decided that this must be a computer printout...but if you know someone with fine handwriting you might want to consider having the descriptions of your "finer items" handwritten - it would bring so much personality and charm)
Second - the price. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, that's a heckuva markup on that blade. We can both do the math so really it just comes down to semantics here. The retail price of a brand new Tarwar on Auntie's online storefront is $265. I understand the value of convenience and the opportunity to look at and touch an item before buying it. I'm not here to argue against the retail system in general nor your particular store, but no matter what the normal reseller markup is and no matter what I call it, that's a wangdoodle of a markup. I'm not a shopkeep, but, if I were I'd probably consider it a key thing to understand the value proposition to the consumer and feel justified in my price, recognizing that I was bringing a particular value at a particular price. I know that you were proud of the display and to be offering such a fine item in your shop and may not have even noticed that you were posting this detail in the original sales thread showing a $400 price for a sword that sold for $245 (+ shipping) ten days earlier. The fact that you are able to introduce your customers to Auntie's store and this forum (and her prices) tells me that you are a good salesman and are able to explain the value proposition to your customers and I'm sure that they appreciate having you in their community and/or tourism spot.
Third - The sign mentioned Tirtha by name. The fact that you have an agreement with Auntie is a sign of honesty and that you're a stand up guy trying to do the right thing - so I applaud and commend you. Since she has no objections then my comments represent nothing more than my personal opinion, which I, and others, occasionally express in these forums. I feel a personal connection to the Kamis who forge these blades for us (as I'm sure you and most of us do). We see pictures of them, we hear about their joy and troubles and try to help where we can. We relish the Kami's sons who are put through medical school and the medical care the HI Kamis are enabled to receive by this fine company. We send them presents during the holiday season at the end of the year. In my next order I'm going to include another KMFR sheath...scratch that, I already have one (purchased along with a knife that included a perfectly fine traditional sheath) and since I'm not the type to walk around with a khukuri strapped to each leg I don't really need another..these things are great - they're streamlined, lightweight and tie down to reduce swing and fit almost all of my khukuris. I've gone ahead and PAYPAL SENT a donation of $20 to Auntie for the kamis. Knowing our similarities, HairahSitna, you may already be doing this and 10 times more, but particularly in a place like this community where people share ideas, care for each other and sell/trade items that mean a lot to them, it's good to give back some of what we get. Here's a link to the KMFR sheath information...maybe you'd even consider selling some of these in your shop to go with the khukuris if you dont already.
Sheath Fundraiser
Cheers for what you and I (and we all) have in common, and cheers again for what we don't. No hard feelings meant, just some discussions on a discussion board.
I used to think that we had a lot in common. We're both huge fans of Rajkumar's work. I've mentioned in previous posts that he is, hands-down, *the* kami turning out creative new designs and carvings above all others - pushing the envelope, yet remaining totally organic and in the Khukuri (or should I say KLO?!) spirit/tradition. Last summer, I logged in to look at that Fourth of July Tarwar every day to look at it and consider buying it...then you mentioned that you would be picking it up after your next paycheck and the clock started ticking. I knew that you were serious based on the vibes I had picked up from you in the handful of posts you had before that. So I kept logging in every day knowing that one day it would be gone and sure enough... I only thought of it on the rare occasion after that, until you picked up the special Sirupate the other day which was like deja vu.
I can tell that you're excited about your shop, and I can tell that you're genuinely interested in the knives you buy so I don't think that you're just out to "make a buck." There was a little green card in one of your pictures (I look at these things in detail sometimes out of interest in the posters ideas/content) and three things caught my eye.
First - the remarkable handwriting detailing the item. (I later decided that this must be a computer printout...but if you know someone with fine handwriting you might want to consider having the descriptions of your "finer items" handwritten - it would bring so much personality and charm)
Second - the price. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, that's a heckuva markup on that blade. We can both do the math so really it just comes down to semantics here. The retail price of a brand new Tarwar on Auntie's online storefront is $265. I understand the value of convenience and the opportunity to look at and touch an item before buying it. I'm not here to argue against the retail system in general nor your particular store, but no matter what the normal reseller markup is and no matter what I call it, that's a wangdoodle of a markup. I'm not a shopkeep, but, if I were I'd probably consider it a key thing to understand the value proposition to the consumer and feel justified in my price, recognizing that I was bringing a particular value at a particular price. I know that you were proud of the display and to be offering such a fine item in your shop and may not have even noticed that you were posting this detail in the original sales thread showing a $400 price for a sword that sold for $245 (+ shipping) ten days earlier. The fact that you are able to introduce your customers to Auntie's store and this forum (and her prices) tells me that you are a good salesman and are able to explain the value proposition to your customers and I'm sure that they appreciate having you in their community and/or tourism spot.
Third - The sign mentioned Tirtha by name. The fact that you have an agreement with Auntie is a sign of honesty and that you're a stand up guy trying to do the right thing - so I applaud and commend you. Since she has no objections then my comments represent nothing more than my personal opinion, which I, and others, occasionally express in these forums. I feel a personal connection to the Kamis who forge these blades for us (as I'm sure you and most of us do). We see pictures of them, we hear about their joy and troubles and try to help where we can. We relish the Kami's sons who are put through medical school and the medical care the HI Kamis are enabled to receive by this fine company. We send them presents during the holiday season at the end of the year. In my next order I'm going to include another KMFR sheath...scratch that, I already have one (purchased along with a knife that included a perfectly fine traditional sheath) and since I'm not the type to walk around with a khukuri strapped to each leg I don't really need another..these things are great - they're streamlined, lightweight and tie down to reduce swing and fit almost all of my khukuris. I've gone ahead and PAYPAL SENT a donation of $20 to Auntie for the kamis. Knowing our similarities, HairahSitna, you may already be doing this and 10 times more, but particularly in a place like this community where people share ideas, care for each other and sell/trade items that mean a lot to them, it's good to give back some of what we get. Here's a link to the KMFR sheath information...maybe you'd even consider selling some of these in your shop to go with the khukuris if you dont already.
Sheath Fundraiser
Cheers for what you and I (and we all) have in common, and cheers again for what we don't. No hard feelings meant, just some discussions on a discussion board.
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2011
- Messages
- 226
Hi Bric, first off I want to say that i understand your reasoning. Before I understood the expense of running a shop i might have thought that making $135 on a $255 investment as a lot of markup. The fact is if you tried to survive with that little markup in a shop you would close your doors very soon. To pay all the rent, employees, taxes, power bills, a million other expenses and take something home to pay yourself you need to markup at least double - this is standard business practice. As i said before I never mark HI blades up that much. Anybody that buys one from me gets the whole story of where they come from and shown on my store PC the HI website and the HI forum as well. I bring up pics of the kami that made the blade they are looking at, I tell them all I know including how to score DOTD's. That is the selling point of these blades, the knowledge of how they are made and how it helps the kamis. If they want to buy the blade they are holding in their hand and feeling the vibe of they can buy it from me, if not they have all the info to buy from Auntie on the forum or her website. I even have posted links to the forum and website on my shop facebook page. There is not a single idea about taking sales from Yangdu, it's the opposite !! When I sell a blade at my shop I can buy another from Auntie as well as some mineral oil, neatsfoot oil, brasso, sandpaper, etc. all the supplies to care for the blades i have including taking care of the ones i might sell one day. Of course the chances of full blown HKIV after buying an HI product is very high and i can positively say that some of the nice folks that bought a blade from me have bought from Yangdu after. In reality i see it as expanding the HI buyer to beyond the few that see the forum or website - a hands on experience with HI blades is a game changer, people take notice of the hand made badassness when seeing them in person even more than a picture on the internet. Believe me no one has come back and complained about their purchase, the opposite is true. When I see them again they are very happy and interested usually in talking about what else HI makes. My donations to the Kamis are small but i do what I can. I plan on another donation before Yangdu returns to Nepal later this year. God bless the kamis and Yangdu, and peace to you bric.
And thanks for noticing the script on the sign i made, i worked on it for awhile before deciding on that script.
PS I'll never ever sell that 4th of July DOTD - BIR AMAR TARWAR BY RAJKUMAR THE (PRINCE). Some things are too much a part of us....
And thanks for noticing the script on the sign i made, i worked on it for awhile before deciding on that script.
PS I'll never ever sell that 4th of July DOTD - BIR AMAR TARWAR BY RAJKUMAR THE (PRINCE). Some things are too much a part of us....
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