eBay referral, wtf

M

Maineiac1

Joined
May 3, 2017
Messages
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hey I’ve been selling my knives successfully on Facebook and started getting what I believe is pretty good quality. So the other day I finished a knife o1 tool steel drop point hunter with cottonwood Burl handle and red liners, stainless pins and a leather sheath. Someone asked how much that knife went for I responded saying $190 shipped but can be a lot cheaper with other handle options. A fella chimes in telling this guy he can buy high end custom knives for waay cheaper on eBay!!! Wtf is this all about, does this guy not realize how high end eBay cheap isle is?? Am I wrong to respond to this guy or let it go?
 
Was this post to your FB/something you shared on your FB or to a FB group? If this was on your FB in anyway I'd tell off the person advocating the bay about etiquette of posting competing business to your profile then warn the potential buyer of the bay. If it was just in a group I would simply begin a discussion of the risk using the bay directed at the potential buyer more or less ignoring the source of the bay recommendation.
 
Phew, thanks for the quick responses as I’m fuming.. it was on another page for discussion. I know people that have a true knife interest know the difference but it’s hard to let something so dumb go. I will let it slide and see how it plays out.

Does anyone know what these high quality custom knives are? Mass produced obviously but are they a decent sharp object?
 
Maineiac1 said:
Phew, thanks for the quick responses as I’m fuming.. it was on another page for discussion. I know people that have a true knife interest know the difference but it’s hard to let something so dumb go. I will let it slide and see how it plays out.

Does anyone know what these high quality custom knives are? Mass produced obviously but are they a decent sharp object?
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Just let it go. I've seen it too many times where a successful talented proprietor or maker has waded into the trenches of sh*$ slinging wielding his righteous indignation like the Sword of Truth. No matter how right they are, no matter how witty or successfully they put people in their place, the maxim "arguing on the internet is like the special olympics" invariably comes to pass and negatively impacts that talented individual.

"Private" arguments or heated discussions, fine. But you know someone who thinks $40 custom eBay knives are high quality is going to drag you down to their level and keep picking at you with lunacy until you pop and say something publicly you can't take back. It goes double for Facebook and Youtube comments. Those forums are like the grease traps of the internet.
 
Cheaper then $190? That itself is pretty cheap for a custom knife, depending on quality. I have had thoes kind of people in the past. People would see a knife and ask how much and I would say $200-$250. Thy would be “oh man I can get a knife like that from Walmart for $20”. I would politely say that thy should go get that one if thy think my knives are made to the same standard and quality as a $20 Walmart knife. But funny thing is that I don’t get that any more. I don’t even get the “why so much?”. Maybe because I been at this long enough and I “hold my self differently” so to speak. But I think it also has to do with your demeanor. If you hym haw around a price and seam unsure and question your self thy can pick that up. You have to know and believe your knife is worth what you are selling it for. Now a days when talking price I come right out of the gate at $500 starting. Don’t flinch, twitch or look away. You know your price and that is what it is. I then say that’s just a starting price and can Be lower or much higher depending on what you want. You have to display confidence in your workmanship. But that all being said it’s near impossible to convey that over the internet and one reasion I like face to face conversations.
 
i would have asked for a link to one of these high end ebay knives for $190 including shipping :D . i would just ignore the guy and not answer.
 
I've found Facebook to be absolutely infested with fake profiles shilling Pakistani made junk as handmade in the USA.

If the reply was to your own thread, all you can do is report and block them, but FB does not seem interested in enforcing their own policies.
 
HAha a lot of funny comments, Thanks! One of my future steps is to find a better path to sell my knives, FB was an easy start for me and its worked out well so far as a hobby maker. Where do you folks sell to the right crowd?
 
I'm far from having it all figured out but, I have learned some things. First thing is never put a knife out there that could be confused with a knife coming out of Pakistan. Second is never chase the bottom. If your quality (design style, fit and finish, performance) is good, set an appropriate price and be confident in it. This has already been said but it bears repeating, NEVER engage a known idiot in a public forum. Sometimes they will catch you off guard and you don't realize they're an idiot until you are in contact; this is an ambush...immediately break contact and continue mission!

Where and how to sell your knives is something each maker has to figure out. 80% of my sales come from custom orders and my books are almost always a year out. The rest of my sales are at knife shows or through social media. My number one advertising channel is Instagram. I currently have about 2200 followers and honestly, most of those are knifemakers. Not a lot of potential sales in being followed by so many knifemakers but, I'd guess that 5% of my following are potential buyers of knives in the style and price range I make. That's 110 serious buyers with enough disposable cash to buy one of my knives. It has taken me about three years to build this following on Instagram and it takes work and patience.

This was also mentioned above but, can't be overemphasized; people buy the maker at least as much as the knife! Who are you? What is your story? How do people find out more about you? Do you have a website? Public Facebook page? If I google your name, will photos of your knives come up? It takes years to build a solid following in any craft, knifemaking is no exception.

I've saved the best tip for last! This is going to seem rather anti-climactic but, this is my best advice. "Do some kind of marketing task every day!" This is serious! You have to commit. Example: I was in Tahiti last year enjoying a vacation with my wife and our friends. Every day, I photographed one of the three handmade folders I brought with me using the beautiful scenery of Tahiti as a backdrop and every day while on that vacation, I posted one of those photos to Instagram and shared the post to Facebook. I was sharing my story and my knives and that is marketing!

Bob
 
Bob gives ya some great pointers there. Couldn't agree more.

Facebook for us has been a flop, mostly tire kickers. Also if you sell knives they won't allow you to boost your post. Instagram on the other hand has worked very well for us and a lot of folks come to us that way. I try to post a few pics or a short video every couple of three days. I do this all from a tablet as I'm old and have a flip phone. It does take time to build up a following but stay consistent with your posts and you'll get there. We've had a website too for many years and show up in online searches. Ask folks how they found you.

We use to do a lot of print advertising in national magazines. Western Horseman, Sporting Classics etc. Years ago it really worked. Now not, we've quit that completely. When you are paying $650 a month for an add and the only results ya get are a couple of phone calls for a brochure, ain't worth it. We'd been doing that for 15 years. This is the first year, we're not doing any print at all.

Find your niche. Who are you. We sell a lot to working cowboys/ranchers etc because thats who we are and we have street cred in that outfit. We do shows but mostly rodeos and ranch ropings. Have never done a knife show. Click on the Instagram in my signature line and you can see how we do it. Even if you are on a computer, doesn't have to be on a phone.
 
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