How Many are too many?

Chuck Gedraitis Knives

Chuck Gedraitis Knives

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Dec 10, 1998
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How many knives are too many for a maker to have on their table?
I see some folder guys with 15+ knives for sale? I have seen fixed blade guys with 20+ for sale.

Do makers with that many knives confuse customers- too much to choose from?

Do you think that makers with that many knives make too many knives or are they not selling them and carrying them from show to show?

The most I have had on my table at once were 12 folders.
Regards,
Chuck
 
This is probably a very tough question for a new maker who hasn't done many shows. I would imagine a seasoned maker probably knows precisely how many he is most likely to sell based on pasted experiences. And then there the ones who will sell out intencely all that they care to bring.
 
If you have ever seen Pat Crawford's table at a show, he can sometimes bring over 100 handmade knives. He explained to me that he works all year getting ready for big shows and the last thing he ever wants to do is "run out".

Sitting around with no knives on your $300 table 1000 miles from home is bad business if you can avoid it!

All knives aren't created equal in the time they take to make, but its always a great idea to have plenty of knives :)
 
HI Chuck,

I always laugh to myself when I see a thread like this. As I generally have between 40 and 60 knives on my table.

This is a guideline to makers. The knives on the table should be geared towards 2 things:

1) The "PROFIT" from their sale should pay for your show expenses.

2) They should show buyers/collectors and potential clients what you are capable of.

What you sold at previous shows may be an indicator at which knives to bring to this years show. However, remember that if they bought that model last year they may want something new this year.

How many knives do you bring? See #1

A suggestion is to not have 3 or more of the same knife on the table. This makes people compare all three for the Best One. One at a time is fine, unless they have different materials. Stainless blade or Damascus blade, Wood scales or Stag scales, etc.

The absolute best thing you can do....even if you sell out. Is continue to be behind your table to talk to your customers and potential customers.

WWG
 
My personal view is that there is no such thing as too many knives on a maker's table. I think just having three or four knives doesn't show enough of what the maker can do to potential customers. If a maker has time and is able to keep up with orders, I think taking as many knives as possible to a show is a good idea. If you bring 20 and only sell 12, it's no big deal. If you bring 10 and could have sold 12 then the maker didn't realize the full potential offered by the show. Money was left on the table.
 
and if you don't have access to using someones credit card system, then get one of your own or offer paypal which is now accessible by phone. A few years ago, I chatted with a maker who had some nice knives -- I bought one -- and over a 3 day period he lost 8 sales because he did not offer credit card. We were talking about it and sure enough while I was sitting with him a chap late in the day came by and wanted to buy but you guessed it -- credit card but not able to accept. that was # 8. That maker got a machine as soon as he got back to home.

Also, Please, makers, put prices on the knives where they can be seen easily. Don't make customers wait to chat when you may be busy just to learn a price of one or more knives and remember, you set the prices and can often remember them but often not so how do you expect a customer to remember half a dozen knife prices from your table alone?
 
Quite a nice selection of different knives on the table (possibly less than a dozen?) but do NOT overload! :)


BTW
It can`t be wrong to have some additional knives inside your bag or briefcase under the table for not running out of knives, though! :D
In this case the irresolute costumers can see more of your work every time he visits your table and can see that your knives are sought after!? ;) :D
 
I would not put a vast quantity of knives out on the table to start, but rather put a representative sample out then replenish as sold.

Too many knives on a maker's table especially after the first day can imply to a collector the maker's knives are not in demand.
 
Ok, Let me rephrase the question.

How many High End knives are too many to have on your table at once? Lets say they are in the $1000-$5500 range.


Kevin,
Thank you , that was the kind of answer I am looking for.

If I started a show with 20 folders and on Friday sold 10, I would still have 10 for Sat. To a collector just getting there on sat this might look like I haven't sold anything at all. Then the collector might wonder why I have so many knives left?
 
Kevin Jones said:
I would not put a vast quantity of knives out on the table to start, but rather put a representative sample out then replenish as sold.

Too many knives on a maker's table especially after the first day can imply to a collector the maker's knives are not in demand.
Click to expand...
Bingo. Good marketing 101. :thumbup:

There is a difference on quantity dependent upon whether you are a maker or a dealer. Dealers should put all the knives out that they wish.

A maker needs to play the human interest game of supply and demand. Replenish is a great method to utilize.

I agree the objective IS to sell as much as possible, but buyers ARE an emotionally-driven bunch. This is not the same concept as a grocery store with stacks of cereal boxes.

There has to be middle ground.

Coop
 
As a collector, nothing pisses me off more than to buy a knife from a maker only to realize later on that he had others stashed away that I would have preferred. My reccomendation is to put all your knives on your table unless you have exact duplicates.

As a side note, $1,000 to $5,500 is a very wide range and covers pieces that are in very different categories.
 
I agree with Joss about putting all your knives on the table unless you have exact duplicates.

The other danger about not putting all your knives out in the beginning is that the potential customers who made a first fly by and saw nothing that interested him could think that's all you had for the show and not give a closer second look. I know that I have a numberl of makers that I'll go see first thing as I enter the showroom. After that I do a fast fly by of others and note things that I may want to come back to. That's alot of tables to scan, so to keep track of it all I actually write down the table numbers of those that I want a second look at. If you have a knife that I might have been interested in but it wasn't on the table, I won't know about it and might not return to your table at all until the last day when I'm near out of money and am just going around to browse and talk and wait for my flight home rather than actually be in a purchasing mood.
 
I heard a smith say that you should not show up with FEWER than 6. I have trouble seeing how any maker could have the time to make a huge number of handmade knives for a show, unless they only do one show a year:eek: :D When I do my first show, which is still a ways off, (I'm shooting either for the FKA shw this fall or the Gator show in Jan-Feb '08, most likely the latter) I hope to have 6-8 knives on my table.
 
I heard a smith say that you should not show up with FEWER than 6
Click to expand...

Guess it depends on the maker. If you are the type that rarely sells any or rarely sells out you can bring one knife!
 
I gues for a new guy like me, I would want to bring enough knives to show some variety. I wonder how some of the hot makers who don't have to even go to shows right now find time to make extra "show knives". Don Hanson told me he makes around 50 knives a year. So if you think about it, his 5 MS test knives constitute around 10% of his annual production. I know he does a couple of other shows. Knowing that his knives a quite popular, I wonder how many of the ones he brings to shows are actually for sale and how many or just their for "delivery"? Jerry Fisk always brings a few knives to shows like Blade and Reno that have not been spoken for...yet. I guess these examples speak to the importance of going to shows and "showing the flag" for popular makers even if they have a long waiting list.
 
Joss and Grapevine have it summed up for me too: if I don't see a knife during the first pass, I may not even get back to that table because my mind is on so many other things I have to take care of during the three days. And, as Murray said, PLEASE put a small discreet price tag SOMEWHERE on the knife!
 
Joss said:
As a collector, nothing pisses me off more than to buy a knife from a maker only to realize later on that he had others stashed away that I would have preferred. My reccomendation is to put all your knives on your table unless you have exact duplicates.

As a side note, $1,000 to $5,500 is a very wide range and covers pieces that are in very different categories.
Click to expand...

As A collector, I don't particularly like it either, however a maker asked the question, so I answered giving him advice based on my marketing experience.
If the maker sees that a customer is interested in a particular model than he can bring out another similar piece to show him. A little one on one customer service. It's not like the maker is trying to do something underhanded by holding back knives. Retailers do it all the time.

Sometimes We as collectors forget that makers are running businesses.

Same as when We collectors fault makers for pre-selling show knives or selling to dealers at shows. The proceeds full time makers get from these knife sales are their paychecks so they may gravitate towards guaranteed sales, rather than taking the chance that someone will buy off their table. Again, I don't particularly like it but its business.
 
I like to see between 6-10 knives on the table whenever possible. If I have interest I AUTOMATICALLY(and encourage everyone to get in this habit) ask if there is anything else behind the table.

Even if the maker is holding something for delivery to someone else, want to see it, may place an order.

Blade will get hit hardest during the pre-opening hours and Friday, many will be sold out. It is very cool to have some stuff for sale Saturday morning, for those that could not make it on Friday for some reason. I told Chuck this in a telephone call over the weekend.

Those that are afraid of this approach can make arrangements with a favored collector or two to have "dibbs" when you get back from the show, if the piece or two held back does not sell.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Oh yeah, double stress the price somewhere on the knife thing. I mean dang, how hard is that to do? I hate talking about prices and stuff in the first place so I hate having to ask for a price. I've walked away from tables where I've seen interesting knives but don't see a price tag. I feel like the maker is saying if you have to ask then you can't afford. I know he isn't saying that, but it still bugs me.
 
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