Down Payments?

LongRifle

LongRifle

Joined
Apr 5, 2000
Messages
2,018
Is it ok to put a down payment on a knife? This is the first time a maker has asked me to put a down payment on a knife, I am a little apprenhensive. The maker certainly seems to be a stand-up guy, which makes me a little less uncomfortable. Thanks for all the help.

Matt
 
Hi Matt,
My take on down payments usually is on a case by case basis.

If I am asking for a regular model. No. Especially if it is a standard model with a wait involved. The maker should not be concerned about selling the knife in that case.

If I am asking for something out of the norm or unique. Yes. I think I should cover expenses. Even at that, most of the makers who have done that type of work for me have had to have their arms twisted. :D. I do not like for a maker to go into his billfold while they are making a knife for me, if it is a non-standard model. If I am having one of my "pimp" knives made up I think it is important to take care of those "pimp" materials. (:D)

On the other hand end of the spectrum, I sent a check off for a knife last week. (3 year wait). The maker (who did not ask for payment) won't even cash the check until I have the knife in my hands and have checked it out.

Now all kinds of things happen. I had a good friend whose shop incurred some major damage 5 or 6 years ago. They needed a little help and they were working on a knife for me. It did not bother me at all to be able to help them get back on their feet a little faster by sending an early payment in.

My best suggestion on down payments - make a friend before you make the payment on a knife that is to be made. Then decide.
 
Thanks for the reply. That is pretty much what I was leaning toward. The maker has a very short turn around time, and he really is a very nice guy. He seems very trust worthy, reading so many posts that strongly suggest not paying anything until the knife is completed have made me a little warry.

Matt
 
I will usually not have the customer send any money until I am about finished with the knife. I tell them when they order the knife that when I get ready to start, I contact them to see if they still want the knife and then tell them I am getting ready to start on it. When it is done, then I email or call and tell them I am about to send it and it will be ---.
I also agree that if a lot of expensive material is involved on a customers design, then the material should be at least paid for by the customer.
 
Gus was right on the mark. All the way around.
jf
 
If the maker is going to have to purchase special materials, by all means offer to either supply them or pay for them up front. Most non-big names are working on a pretty tight budget as it is (so are a lot of the big guys). I have helped more than one struggling new maker by paying for a knife in advance (it's hard to grind blades if the electricity is turned off). So far the kindness has been repaid in later years with interest. You have to follow your heart and your instinct, if you can't afford to lose the money and it doesn't feel right, don't do it.
Racer Roy


KNOWLEDGE THAT IS NOT SHARED IS LOST.
 
I'm relatively new to the Custom Knife scene & am in the process of purchasing 5 customs from 4 different makers. I feel it's OK for them to want a deposit to cover materials & time spent on their craft. Of the 4 makers I'm dealing with, 1 wants 50% down; 1 wants 1/3 down; 1 wants 0% down (pay when knife is finished); and 1 wants full amount, but, in my case, he has a very short delivery time. Go with what you feel comfortable with. I'm guessing, depending on the situation, that 30% deposit is not unreasonable. Good luck with your endeavor.
 
I ordered a knife from a well known maker and said he would build the knife and then send it to me. If I like the knife, just send him the payment. If I don't like the knife, just send it back and can either drop it from there or come up with another idea. This is certainly not the norm of course.

If the maker happens to require a small deposit, I generally don't have a problem with it.
 
I have never been asked for a deposit by any of the makers that I have dealt with. As Gus stated, if I wanted some special materials used I would be willing to give a reasonable deposit. If I wanted a knife made to my specifcations and it would be very difficult if not impossible for the maker to sell it to someone else if I backed out of the deal, then I would be willing to pay 100% of the cost of the knife in advance.

The makers that I deal with are people that I have come to know and trust. If truth be told I would be willing to send a deposit to any of them if they requested it.

If you feel comfortable with the maker that you are thinking of having make this knife. If feedback on this maker has been good and you think you can trust him then go with your gut feeling. With what I know of the makers out there you unlikely to have any problems whatsoever.
 
As a maker, I feel a deposit just shows that the customer is serious, and trusts the maker to come thru with the deal.I usually always show progress pics of the knife coming together,either on the forums, or by e-mail to the customer.
my policy is, for knives under $400 CAD is all the funds down, and knives over $400 is half down and half when its ready to ship.
Most of the time the knifes I make are "custom" so it usually isn`t something "prefabed" so most are different materials used that I either have to order, or head to the city to find.
some customers sometime don`t like it, and I`m ok with them checking out referencess, to see that I`m legit.
 
I've bought a fair share of customs, and made a fair share.
Some makers ask for deposits, some don't. There is certainly no hard and fast rule. I recently bought a knife from Little Hen for example, who posted above, who I speak with almost daily on Paltalk, and had no problem sending him half down for my order. It keeps a cash flow for a guy with a family to feed. The knife was delivered in a timely fashion and there was the guarantee I could return it if dissatisfied. Seemed like a fine way to do buiness to me.
As for being wary, I understand. However, almost all makers are very scrupulous, especially since the rep would travel far and fast with today's instant communication. The only caveat I would strike in a deposit deal would be, if the delivery time is inordinately delayed, deposit will be refunded.
In twenty-some years around custom knives, there have really been very few crooks I've ever heard about.....
 
I paid in full for a knife from a well known maker almost 2 months ago now. I have gotten only poor/brief communication and multiple assurances that it is done and being sent to the sheath maker. I have been told 3 weeks in a row that it was done/going in the mail, only to find out that it hasn't. If I don't receive word SOON that my knife is on it's way to me, I will be blabbing on another well read portion of BFC. So I guess you can sum up my feelings that I will not pay anything but a nominal percent until I have knife in hand. I should think that a "well known maker" should bust his butt to do what he says. Just to clarify my situation, I paid when I led to believe that the knife was nearing completion and being sent within days. I can understand that knife makers may need $ up front to get started, especially if special materials being ordered etc., but when the materials used are standard stuff, things can be started for a low downpayment.
The real key here is COMMUNICATION. It is the lack thereof that is making me angry. Also important is follow through, on both the maker's end and the buyer's. When someone says they are going to do "X", then "X" should be done ASAP.
Rant off,
Mongo:grumpy:
 
Mongo, Well said, and appopriate for you to post that in response.
It is a sadness that some makers come to think they're a bit above courtesy and communication. I wonder if it comes from an attitude that they've gotten famous and are above common consideration for their customers. Not necessarily the case for you here, but I have seen it. A good e-mail would probably have assuaged some of your frustration; five minutes well spent by someone who's livelihood depends on the individual customer. Knifemakers aren't well known for being sharp businessmen, all too often.
Good luck. I hope the knife arrives soon, satisfactory, and isn't tainted by the negative circumstances. Too many knifemakers don't like the idea that the customer is buying a bit of the maker's personality when they choose a knife, but it is the case. No matter how good the knife, if the maker leaves the customer with a sour taste in their mouth, they'll take their money elsewhere next time.
 
Thanks. I agree that my feelings could have been assuaged with a well informative email explaining any circumstances that could delay the shipment of a supposedly finished knife. I had planned on this knife being the first of at least two knives from this maker, but will probably send my hard earned dollars elsewhere for #2.:( Oh well, live and learn. I will probably send a private email to this maker when and if my knife ever arrives, explaining my frustration and perhaps give a friendly bit of advice or two. Hopefully the sting of knowing that he has blown future dollars from me may just change his habits for the next guy down the line.
Regards, Mongo
 
An excellent philosophy and point Mike.

For me that straightforward communication is more important than delivery dates.
 
I'm very new to customs and since I'm overseas I have only the internet to work with. So far I've dealt exclusively with makers I've found here and I've never been disappointed. Only one has asked for a deposit on the materials, damascus and ivory; no problem as I can appreciate the investment when all we'd had was email contact. I try to use Les Robertson's guidance from his Custom Knives Buying Guide. He says that in most cases they are not necessary except when: 1) the knife requires special materials or equipment, 2) The knife is so bizarre the maker would have difficulty selling it if you backed out, and 3) you prefer to give a deposit to offset the final cost. Les goes into a lot more detail but he warns against a greater than 50% deposit as it lessens the maker's incentive to complete the work.
 
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