First knife to sell....

That one's going away for $100. He's a good friend of mine, and I'm having a hard time charging him anything, but I know if I don't ever start selling 'em, I never will.

What do you guys think I should charge for similar knives in the future? I was thinking maybe $150?? I cringe to even say that.

--nathan
 
Hah, I know what you're saying, iv'e got my first couple of knives in the works to be sold currently, and I cringe giving an estimate of around 150$ for a finished knife, knowing that I'm still just starting out, but these are people who saw some other knives I've made, and me to make them some.
 
Nice work! I have a question concerning the mark that is on the blade....is that your maker's mark? The reason I ask is that when I see things other than a specific name on a blade, my thought goes to why you chose to mark your knives in that manner?

What I'm getting at is: If your knives are not marked in such a manner that anyone can see the mark and clearly identify who made it, how could someone find/contact you if they would like to purchase a knife? Over the years I have had a large number of people visit my shop, asking me to identify a maker by some obscure logo or initials on a blade.......because they wanted to order another knife. Most of them walked away disappointed, because unless the logo/mark is common knowledge (which most are not) theres no way to clearly identify who made the knife........ If they can't identify or find you, they can't order from you.
 
Ed, thanks for the compliment! A bit earlier in the post, I aknowledged the vagueness of the mark, realizing I need a better identifier for my work. The reason I went with that mark, is that it was almost free and readily available. I used a battery to etch with a Q-tip, a salt/vinegar/water solution, and some vinyl stencils. What I need to do is order a stamp, and mark them with my name. However, I checked my account before I got on this site, and it reads pretty much zero...and I just got paid! Story of my life. :confused:

You are absolutely correct, and I plan to remedy the situation soon. As of now, this knife is going to someone who knows me well, and who knows how to get in touch with me. Before I sell more to more distant aquaintances, I will definately start stamping or etching with a photo negative.

--nathan
 
I know it's hard to put a high price on your own work. Blades are such a mixture of art and tool who's to say what they're worth. You certainly don't want to count the hours you put in, I did that once and realized I should be flipping burgers, the pay's better.

What helped me a bit was when I placed a knife on consignment, the store owner marked it up 50% above what I charge and it sold in two days. Started me thinkin' about raising the $$ a tad.
 
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