How much to charge for ones work?

Rene E. Roy

Rene E. Roy

Joined
Oct 4, 1999
Messages
709
I've been making knives for awhile now and I have such a problem pricing my work. My knives are better than some makers and not as good as others, my point is what is cosidered fair!

Rene
Roy Custom Knives



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Knifemakers are Sharp People!
 
Hi Rene...

This is always a problem..

Charge too little and you may as well pump gas for a living..
Charge too much,, and you may as well pump gas for a living!!
smile.gif


Only you know what you've got in a knife and how much work is in that blade...

Look at a handful of the same types of knives and then go by fair market value..

I think my pricing is pretty much in line with my competition, depending on what it is.

I like to give my customers a good investment on their money by giving them the absolute best product I can make..

Look around and try to come up with a fair price, so that you can eat meat at least 2 times per week..
smile.gif


ttyle Eric...

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On/Scene Tactical
Leading The Way In Quality Synthetic Sheathing
 
Hi Rene
Having seen your knives numerous times It's my feeling you're price them right for knives of the quality of yours. I base this only on comparing them to others of the same fit and finish.
But, as we all know ,there is more to why a makers knives are desirable than quality.
The whole situation would be easier if you were to push a little in the other direction and get to be better known.
 
yes pricing is a problem. one of the formulas is to add up steel,belts,pins,handle, etc, times 3 to 4 i go with 3 1/2 most of the time

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Laurence Segal www.RHINOKNIVES.com
 
Where knives are concerned logic fails. If I got payed by the hour, I'd likely be well below minimum wage. The simple truth is your knives are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them. That should be your price and a few shows will tell you what that is.

As Tom says though, some promotion helps build demand and makes higher prices easier to justify. Like in everything, people don't want to spend as much money on something from an unknown source. You can brag about your Loveless hunter; you'll likely use your John Doe hunter for gutting deer. Bragging rights are generally more expensive than utility.

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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
The Tom & Jerry Show
 
A thought or two from an avid (my wife might say rabid) consumer of custom knives, if that counts for anything:

I have to agree with Jerry about the value aspect, although I do use my very best knives on game--and for whatever other tasks where design matches function. Life's too short...

But custom knife value is kinda like real estate. A $25 acre of desert in west Texas is pretty much just like a $25 million acre in downtown Dallas--PERCEPTION of value in the eyes of the buyer is the only difference. I'd gladly pay 100 times as much for my favorite blade as I would give for the same amount of identical steel, pins and handle material as rendered by some makers I've seen--Rhino's advice notwithstanding. There's not 100x difference in performance or looks, but that's the difference in perceived value in my mind, and that's what I pay for.

Probably only goes to demonstrate there's no accounting approach that can be logically applied to the vagaries of a custom knife buyer's mind.

--Will
 
true, true, yes, and yep. All these points make sense! To be honest roy.knives, I have never heard of you; nor have I seen your work. A little publicity will go a long way! keep chatting and posting here and you're off to a good start I'm sure. A call to my fellow knife nuts: Please e-mail Jerry and tell him that his pieces are nothing more than mere utility knives and so are WAY overpriced. That way I can get my hands on a millennium bowie... er... utility short sword!

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"Come What May..."
 
I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice. I just got a new computer so I soon should be putting some new pictures of my latest knives for all to see!
biggrin.gif


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To be a knifemaker: Burnt fingers, sanded knuckles, endless supply of bandaids.
Geeze it just doesn't get any better!
 
Rene, glad to see you up and about! And should meet with you in person soon this weekend at Ashokan!

Pricing, yep, tough call, pump gas much?
Or wash dishes?

But as the good folks above said, a little advertising and a few shows will get you headed in the right direction and tell you if you are too high or too low, also some guys at Ashokan will surely help in this area!

Later!
G2



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"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...

G2 LeatherWorks
 
roy just a couple of points. the priceing formula i mentioned is what i use on my knives as a menomim charge that insures profit thats great for all the culinary knives with micarta or most woods.my bowies/ art go for 6 to 7 times supplies. also roy the end of the rainbow is under our feet. i have to many tips to do this on
the board, call me at 310 260-9245.



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Laurence Segal www.RHINOKNIVES.com
 
Hi Rene. Here's my 2 cents worth. I've been making custom knives for about 6 years now and still have the same problem with pricing. I make fine knives, but suck at marketing. So, here's what I base my pricing on. I guess I still underprice my stuff, but I get to eat meat (actually venison, hehehe) at least twice a week, so it can't be all bad.

I tend to charge what I'd be willing to pay for the knife myself. You have to be real subjective in your opinion of your own work here. Put yourself in the customers point of view and decide what the absolute top dollar is that you'd be willing to pay. Then, think about how much you'd really (realistically) like to be able to get the knife for. The best price is somewhere in there between those two prices. That will at least set some limits and make it easier to start the bargaining process.

Each transaction with a customer is unique. Don't get stuck on any one method for dealing with people. And then, let the dickering commence!

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M.Ogg

"It's better to be thought a fool and remain silent, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
 
Rene-
i seem to be in the same situation as you- i make knives because i truly enjoy creating a tool that will perform for its user.but i too dont know what to charge. so how about throwing out a specific example and let the folks here set a price; i just finished this knife and im about to give it to the person who i created it for, i have no idea of what is fair to ask- steel, D2 heat treated myself and double tempered( in a paragon furnace)satin finish-- handle material, green/black micarta, 2 loveless bolts and a brass lanyard hole, polished-- overall length 11.5 inches, blade 6.5 inches.razor sharp polished edge. (nice contrast to the satin!) the design is original and was the buyers basic idea, its a large drop point hunter. the fit and finish are very good, altho i can see a few flaws in my workmanship.i have about18-20 hours of work in it. generally its a using blade and i would definitely carry it myself, im sure that he will be pleased but.... $200 pleased, $400 pleased? we never talked about pricing so do i just ask how much its worth to him? some people feel that the more they pay the better it is... im just getting started but i dont want to sell myself short either.
 
I used to work just for trade. Enough materials for three, a tool I've been needing, etc. These days I just work for cheap. My shop is still in the amateur stages, so my work goes for between $75-$200, and the $200 piece hasn't got a buyer yet. $150 is the highest that I've been working on, and with the amount of time I work on them, that ends up paying me around $.25 an hour in the end. The important thing for me is to show the wife some money now and then so she lets me play with fire on a regular basis. :>

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Oz

"I went to one of those so-called 'All you can eat' buffets last night, and I'm on to their little game.
They stop filling up the thousand island bucket after you empty it three or four times."
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
I must share a story that a bladesmith shared with me at my first local show..(back country meeting hall type show). The bladesmith had his items out for display and
another fella wanted a particular blade at a
lower price than what was marked on it..well the bladesmith was growing in anger at this
fella that wanted the blade at a discounted price and the next time he came around his table and asking about the blade in question
there was a father and son team also viewing the same blade..and the son had candy-store eyes and wanted the particular blade that the
previous fella was also viewing.
The father made the statement that they just could not afford such a luxury at that time. Well time went on and the bladesmith a
and the son kept talking and the other customer was standing off in the distance, spying his wanted blade. Not long after that the bladesmith gave the father and son
the blade free of charge, just to see the expression on the first customer's eyes and
his dentures drop!!!!!!! moral of the story:
is the bladesmith can make many more of those
but to bring a new interest in to the hobby
his blade was well spent.. also to not stoop
to a person's level that he thought he was gonna get a good blade for discounted dollars
and brag about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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In Red Skelton's words "Goodnite and god bless"
 
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