Knifemakers Membership Changes (was Knifemakers)

NickWheeler said:
Nathan for President! His post #21 is brilliant. :thumbup:

$75 seems steep to me. I don't look at it as JUST "did I sell a knife?" as I've only tried to sell one ONCE over my ten years here as a "knifemaker."

There are many aspects I look at.... keeping my name in front of people, keeping my face in front of people (I know some folks have this misconception that it's based on some kind of arrogance/conceit on my part, but the fact of the matter is that I go to shows and people recognize me from seeing a pic on this forum... THAT is easy advertising). I learn a lot from perusing the custom section.

If the forum was like it used to be around 2000-2004 or so, I'd spend $75 without even flinching.... but it's not. I will have to put some serious thought into spending that or not (IF it goes to that).

Read Nathan's #21 post!!!!! :thumbup: :D :thumbup:
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In my situation there is a flaw in Nathans concept . 12 knives a yr. at $100.00 at 5% commission ='s $60.00 plus $40.00 ='s $100.00 a yr.
 
As can be seen in this thread, many pay simply to support the site, and not as a venue to sell. Yet, they still enjoy having their skill acknowledgable as a knifemaker in their forum ID.
Perhaps Spark would consider adding an additional level of membership that would leave the "Knifemaker" intact for those who don't utilize the "For Sale" sub-forums and yet charge an additional premium for those who wish to sell.
The final decision on this will surely influence my decision to continue a paid membership come my November renewal. I quit selling knives in 1991, and use BF solely as a social and educational venue.
 
My question is about what exactly is a supplier. I used to make and sell custom micarta here and look to do it again in the future. I did not sell a huge amount here but enough to make it fun and kinda worthwhile in doing it. I buy the cloth, or whatever, buy the epoxy, have the tools needed and make a piece of micarta to order. More or less my market is the knifemakers here at Bladeforums. In theory a knifemakers market here is any member of Blade forums. So if I am a supplier I have to pay more to sell to a smaller number of people then a knifemaker at a higher price. If that makes sense. Not meaning this as a slam to knifemakers in anyway just to be clear. Would have to think hard about making and selling any stuff here if it would cost $200.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
OMG folks, it is $75 freaken dollars. :rolleyes:

The problem is, dealers have to pay a lot more for basically the same privileges as knifemakers. The knifemaker rate really is set too low, but I think the purpose of that was to encourage a lot of folks to get the knifemaker membership, which helps make this a vibrant community.

Here you get a forum with lots of traffic to sell your knives for $40 a year. That is really cheep. If it goes to $75 and half of you drop out - well, I guess I'll have less competition selling knives here. But I hope it doesn't mean there are also fewer people here buying knives. Time will tell. If the price goes up, I hope the mailbox size goes up also.

Folks like Ed Caffery probably don't need a knifemaker membership. I don't think he sells knives here (I think I would have noticed that) - and I think about everybody understands he is a knifemaker. Kevin Cashen and Tai Goo are "basic member".
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I echo the sentiment- it's $75, for a year. And spark did mention the possibility of making it quarterly or bi-annual. I am seriously, seriously, strapped or cash. I'm a full time maker- but half of that is I can't go get a part time job because I have the kids and my wife is in nursing school. You want poor? we're it. But $25 every 3 months (for a forum) isn't THAT MUCH.

People are talking about percentage of increase, and the 100% is scary to see, but it's really an extra $35 out of your entire 365 day year. 5 grinder belts......
 
one of the things i love about this site is there are no ads. but what if there were some ads scrolling acrossed the top would that help cover the cost so the rates dont have to go up? i dont know i hate to see this site change

jake
 
ONeill said:
In my situation there is a flaw in Nathans concept . 12 knives a yr. at $100.00 at 5% commission ='s $60.00 plus $40.00 ='s $100.00 a yr.
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:confused:

I fail to see the flaw.

Those who choose to sell little or nothing would end up not paying much, so most everybody here would be happy because there would be little change.

Those who sell a lot (like over $3,000 per year) would be better off just getting the more expensive membership, and they would pay a lot more of the site's expenses.

Those, like you and me, who don't sell a lot of stuff, but sell more than a hobbyist would end up paying more than those who sell nothing, but not as much as the big users. That was my intent. What am I missing?

I have sold about $2000 this year. By my reasoning my fee for this would be $40 for my membership, plus $100 in commission = $140, which is quite reasonable for a year's worth of sales. If I ever go big time, I'd spring for the $200 membership and go gangbusters.

Anyway, it was just a suggestion.

:thumbup:
 
Los Angeles said:
I wonder if the admins are reading this thread.
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it's been cross posted to the existing thread in service and support.


For FOD and tracy and some others, Spark has mentioned a supplier level membership that would be different from a dealer membership, I think that's intended to cost less.

So, what increase WOULD work for people? There's a lot of OMG100%!!!, though it's 5$ short of being 100%, but what percentage or numeric increase works if it's an issue where prices have to go up a bit? My personal, keeping the subforum, budget cap was a bit above $100 a year, so I'm curious. Am I overvaluing the site? Do people with regular attendance in WSS or Customs forums value things more? or less?
 
NickWheeler said:
...I mostly viewed the $40 as simply supporting the site over anything else....
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I agree, the money I pay for my Platinum was solely to support the site as it is almost entirely how I've learned. I haven't sold anything here in probably a year, so it's not like I make a profit. I don't even view it as advertising because I am a part time / hobbyist. I have had a few orders based on this site but other than that, I don't look at it as a money making deal. I am in total agreement with Proposal #21 from Nathan!
 
If there was a way to charge commission, I'd do it, however there is none. Seriously, I don't even want to think of the nightmare it'd be trying to enforce something like that.

Besides, how do you even track sales based off a picture posted in the gallery? Or someone reading your posts, clicking on your signature, reviewing your work, and then buying something?

I appreciate you guys who buy a membership to support the site without selling "anything" on here. The thing is, though, how many people find knifemakers without ever even mentioning that you were found on (site whatever) at all?

The knifemaker membership has stayed steady for almost 10 years at this point. Prices change. I don't know how much grinders used to cost, or sanding belts. Steel prices come up and go down.

The only thing I know is that we provide an exceptional value for the money. I look at competing sites charging $20 per month for a forum, with 1/5 of the traffic we have here. I look at similarly sized sites charging 10 times that. I think I've come up with a fair price at $6.25 a month, but I'm open to discussion.

There will be some changes around here. Too many people have "gamed" the system with lower cost memberships to advertise their business - that's going to stop.
 
I am one who will never sell
a knife here most likely. I spent several
years here for free. I bought $10 membership
just to support this great site. I have made friends
here I expect to be life long. I have cut and
pasted dozens of pages of notes, and have
tons of links. Maybe the basic membership
should bite the bullet first ? How many basic
memberships are out there?
How about one year free and $10 a year access
after that? I know some savy folks could get around
that. They would only be getting access for free. Like now
You could call all levels knifemakers I'd pay $15 for a novice
knifemaker's fee with an avatar maybe an intermediate
knifemaker with search for $20/25. These are not set
in stone but you get my drift
Tom
So.Ga.
 
I agree with Spark,I used to sell forged items in gallerys and the standard com. was 40%.Have you tried advertising anywhere else to see how much it costs.If you want a cheap outlet and A lot of exposure for a low amount of $s,for knifemakers this is it,an amazing # of members on here.I was in business for 25+ yrs.,I know what expenses that entails.I'll pay $75 and be very happy.....+the amount of knowledge on here is phenomenal----My Opinion anyway:)Thanks Spark:thumbup::thumbup:Regards Butch
 
deker said:
Wow....even though I make knives, and like to try to sell one here and there to cover stuff in the shop, it's by no means a major part of my livelihood...I can't justify paying more a year than I'm likely to recoup. Looks like I'll drop out as well.

I understand that running this site costs Spark a good bit of coin, but driving prices up that much will only drive people away...

-d
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Maybe the admins are using the same logic that I've seen posted for knifemaker pricing their knives. double your price and if you run off half your customers you still have the same income but only have to do half the work. Or in the case of the site, half the traffic and server costs.
 
I will pay the extra but I do feel that many will not. I think raising the price a little at a time would be a bit more tactfull and easier for folks to swallow. I also think that this will push more folks into the other forums, actually I have allready seen some migrations out of bf. Also more people will now try to beat the system I bet.

I dont have much choice here in this matter. You can bet I will be exploreing other options. Income is down and rates are going up what do ya do?

Actually though if many drop the knifemaker status that may help me out in the long run.
I do not like to think of this as compitition but it may weed out some of the people who are not as serious. Mabey?
 
I'm not trying to be a butthead here, but if it goes to a monthly charge, I anticipate that being an automatic charge against a credit card type arrangement...and if that were to happen, I would certainly be out. There are few things I despise more than giving a credit card number to someone/someplace, and having a situation where that card is automatically charged.

I can understand cost increasing, and can sympathize with that, but this isn't the only place that many of us pay membership fees to. With the current economy, and money being short, I have been forced to drop several subscription type memberships that I wish I would not have had to. It has come to the point where I must seriously evaluate the benefit to cost ratio that I receive, and honestly, no knife forum available on the internet today offers enough benefits for me to pay $75+ a year.

Whether you feel a loyalty, and pay based on that, or do it the way that I do (cost to benefit ratio), each individual must make their own decision, based on their own reasons.
If "times" were better, it might not be such a hard pill to swallow, but charging more at the current time for a service that many consider a "nice to have" is, in my opinion, a mistake.
 
This is the third time that I have looked at this thread. Am I too understand that this increase is intended to weed out those who are not deemed serious knifemakers. I sincerely hope this is not the true intention! :eek:

Please enlighten me as too the true reasoning by such an increase, in these already tough times?
Also what more bang for the buck we will see for those price increases?



This site is a wonderful mix of what I would consider professional knifemakers, part timers and those who just come to learn from the others vast wealth of knowledge!
Now I know I am just another basic member. I have been planing on upgrading for a while I was just hoping to have my ducks in a row before I did the upgrade. That way I could justify another $40.00 bucks from my already strapped budget. This increase will probablly have the effect of me being one of those who will have turn to other avenues!:grumpy:
I am not sure my two cents really matters here but I do not see this as a good move. Not unless the intent is too take this site to a strictly professional makers site.
 
Dixieblade57 said:
This is the third time that I have looked at this thread. Am I too understand that this increase is intended to weed out those who are not deemed serious knifemakers. I sincerely hope this is not the true intention! :eek:
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Some of us who are hobbyists and devoted to the site will just pay. Many who are full time knifemakers and have to make hard financial choices won't. There is a real chance that the unintended consequence will be a loss in the expertise on the site, eventually leading to a loss in site traffic as those of us who are loyal because of the others here notice that we're all alone.

This would be a very bad result. All to catch a few cheaters. Sounds rather like our government spending $150 million to prevent $15 million in fraud...
 
Dixieblade57 said:
This is the third time that I have looked at this thread. Am I too understand that this increase is intended to weed out those who are not deemed serious knifemakers. I sincerely hope this is not the true intention! :eek:
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Huh. I honestly never saw that side. In the other, original thread on Service And Support, I actually thought that it would be the opposite- that full time knifemakers would be more likely to pony up a bit extra (whether or not $35 a year is a bit or a lot is up to you), and even a bit more for a forum.




Dan Pierson said:
This would be a very bad result. All to catch a few cheaters. Sounds rather like our government spending $150 million to prevent $15 million in fraud...
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I think there may be two separate issues here. In the original thread over on Service and Support, I saw what maybe should have been two threads- a discussion about making another type of membership for what is now being called suppliers, and also an overall site wide pricing adjustment. I think that's really two topics and that knifemaker memberships aren't being raised because of suppliers :confused:
 
The long and the short of it is that there is going to be a sea change in how advertising has been handled on this site.

People have brought up repeatedly in the Supplier / Dealer thread (and emails, and pms and via phone), why should they pay so much more than a knifemaker does, when knifemakers do a business selling knives too? People have asked where craftsmen / sheathmakers / photographers / etc would fit in. Why should a dealer pony up for a dealer membership when they can advertise their site in their signature as a gold member?

And quite frankly, I have to agree with them; there does need to be a comprehensive look-see done to the whole membership structure. The facts are, everyone wants to come to the party, but nobody wants to help clean up. Look at what you get vs what you pay elsewhere. Compare your dues in societies vs the interaction you get here. Prices haven't changed in near ten years, and it's time to reexamine things and see where we can better serve people, better classify who goes where and what is fair for what you get.

If you don't think you get $6.25 a month worth of return off this site, let me know. If you aren't making sales off here, or the gallery, or through word of mouth, fine. Tell me what's fair and we'll discuss it. If you need more features, let me know.
 
I have read both of the threads and see no problem with what is happening from my standpoint. I haven't sold any knives on the knifemaker's for sale forum, but having a presence on the Blade Forums has sold knives for us. It doesn't do any good to have a web page if people don't know what it is. Blade Forums is another place to put our website, logo and name as well as posting pictures of knives we make as often as we like. The visibility is high among the people that share the interest in knives. It is the cheapest advertizing we do and it is very effective.
 
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