- Joined
- Oct 19, 2005
- Messages
- 19,687
Law of the Sharks:
1. Knives are posted in a Fiddleback Friday thread on a first come first serve basis. This means that the first unconditional "I'll Take It" gets it. If you ask a question about the knife, or offer a trade, then another person gives the unconditional "I'll take it" they get the knife.
2. The winner of the knife is determined first by the BF timestamp on the post, then, the post #. It is not up to me in any way.
3. Avoid editing your I'll take it posts. If you do this, then I have to go by the timestamp of the edit, which is often quite far down the list of posts. Common reasons folks edit posts are to switch the knife they chose because it was already taken, or because they want to tell me they've sent payment. If your knife was taken, post a new post. This gives you a new post # and timestamp. If another poster posted the I'll take it later during the same minute, you get a post # to differentiate the winner by, but if you edit, I have to allow everyone in that same minute ahead of you!!! There is no need to post that you've paid. I ship from paypal, so if you've paid, then the knife ships with the rest next Tuesday regardless of whether you post that you paid or not.
4. Have fun with it. I learned of the Law of the Sharks when I was buying Khukuri's from HI. It is good memories and a fun thing I look back on. It is used all over Bladeforums, and forums in general, and is not a creation of Fiddleback Forge.
5. If you have not had luck on Fiddleback Fridays, or its just not for you, try giving the shop a call and having us pull one from stock for you. These knives typically have been through a Fiddleback Friday cycle and didn't get selected. Please use the # on the website. Thats the dedicated shop line. (470) 239-4263 (Remember that if no-one answers, its a shop, and we're in the back running machines.)
6. We will not be filling requests or taking orders. I have listed my 5 reasons for not taking orders before, and those are good sound business reasons that I stand behind. Ordertaking almost drowned FF once, and I have zero interest in being a Custom Knifemaker. We are a Handmade Knife shop.
Phil, I hope you don't mind me quoting, but you've got the tips pegged, so I copied your post. You left out the Fotki trick, so I detailed it below your post.
Thanks for asking this Gordy. I needed to be prompted, obviously. Comprehensivist has really laid out the basics. He did leave out one detail. I think a lot of folks are getting a head start on what is to be offered by watching for the pics to be added at Fotki. Remember that I use Fotki to host the pictures at Bladeforums. Its why my pictures never disappear like a lot of folks. You can look at the oldest threads in this forum and my pics are still there. That means that almost all of the knives I've ever made are still browsable at Fotki:
http://public.fotki.com/FiddlebackForge/
Before I write the thread, I upload the photo's at Fotki. So if you watch fotki and see the photo's, then you have a good idea of what you want in the batch. Thats quite a head start.
Gordy I want you to know that I was going to give a 5 minute warning on Twitter, but I decided against it because of you. Bladeforums faithful, including yourself are the ones that have been behind me from the start are how this has succeded. I won't handicap the forumers that aren't on twitter. The facebook posting and twitter posts will be after the thread has gone live at BF.
1. Knives are posted in a Fiddleback Friday thread on a first come first serve basis. This means that the first unconditional "I'll Take It" gets it. If you ask a question about the knife, or offer a trade, then another person gives the unconditional "I'll take it" they get the knife.
2. The winner of the knife is determined first by the BF timestamp on the post, then, the post #. It is not up to me in any way.
3. Avoid editing your I'll take it posts. If you do this, then I have to go by the timestamp of the edit, which is often quite far down the list of posts. Common reasons folks edit posts are to switch the knife they chose because it was already taken, or because they want to tell me they've sent payment. If your knife was taken, post a new post. This gives you a new post # and timestamp. If another poster posted the I'll take it later during the same minute, you get a post # to differentiate the winner by, but if you edit, I have to allow everyone in that same minute ahead of you!!! There is no need to post that you've paid. I ship from paypal, so if you've paid, then the knife ships with the rest next Tuesday regardless of whether you post that you paid or not.
4. Have fun with it. I learned of the Law of the Sharks when I was buying Khukuri's from HI. It is good memories and a fun thing I look back on. It is used all over Bladeforums, and forums in general, and is not a creation of Fiddleback Forge.
5. If you have not had luck on Fiddleback Fridays, or its just not for you, try giving the shop a call and having us pull one from stock for you. These knives typically have been through a Fiddleback Friday cycle and didn't get selected. Please use the # on the website. Thats the dedicated shop line. (470) 239-4263 (Remember that if no-one answers, its a shop, and we're in the back running machines.)
6. We will not be filling requests or taking orders. I have listed my 5 reasons for not taking orders before, and those are good sound business reasons that I stand behind. Ordertaking almost drowned FF once, and I have zero interest in being a Custom Knifemaker. We are a Handmade Knife shop.
Phil, I hope you don't mind me quoting, but you've got the tips pegged, so I copied your post. You left out the Fotki trick, so I detailed it below your post.
I only got into the shark pool a few months back. I used to feel the same way that you did. I have studied the comments and actions of the some of the Great White Sharks in the pool. As a result I have gotten faster.
Here is my list of advice:
1) Have a plan for one or two specific models and/or features you want before the day starts.
2) Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. There is is no substitute for the single-minded investment of time when seconds count to get a certain model you want.
3) When the ad is published, do not start reading Andy's introductory summary of this week's offerings. That takes time and you can come back to it after you are done buying.
4) Do not use the roller on your mouse to scroll down. That is too slow. Grab the scroll bar on the right side of your screen and drag directly to the model you are interested in.
5) If you find the one you want, copy Andy's description and drag the scroll bar quickly to the bottom to post a reply. Paste the description in the reply and as few words as possible to indicate "I'll take it" and post your reply. More typing takes time and you will lose out if you type a "Dear Andy" letter that describes everything you like about the knife you want to buy. Just buy it and submit another post later about why you like it.
6) Hit refresh after posting your "I'll take it" to see if you really got it before someone else above you. While your quickly doing that pay attention to what else has already sold. Grab the scroll bar and drag up to your next target and repeat the process.
7) The knives are always posted smallest to largest. The competition is always fiercest for the small models because that is what everyone sees first. Some models like the Bushfinger routinely sell out very fast also. Again, it is crucial to have a plan beforehand to get what you want.
8) Do not post questions to Andy about the knife you really want in the sale thread. That just alerts the other sharks to hurry up and snatch it out from under you long before Andy replies.
9) Don't worry if you missed out this week. There will be more next week.
10) Be sportsmanlike and congratulate the other sharks who got the ones you want. Compliment them on their good taste.
11) One etiquette rule I recommend is no "past-posting." If you saw the movie The Sting, you will know what I mean. In the context of this forum, it means editing an earlier reply post to paste in another knife you want to purchase. I think every "Ill take it" post should be a fresh reply. That will help avoid a lot of confusion about who really got what and what is still available.
That is all that I have to offer. I have been fast and lucky enough to get three beautiful knives this month by using these steps. I wish you all luck getting the ones you want in the weeks to come.
Thanks,
Phil
As an official "Senior Citizen" and admitted computer Tyro, I am curious to know something. How is it that I get the Official "Fiddleback Friday" post from Andy and there are already 20 guys with requests for their picks before I even get to the end of the list of for sale knives (less than one minute) It's not a huge deal as I was just looking today but this has been happening more and more lately If you can contribute a response that's not a Smart assed post, I'd be interested in hearing some thoughts on this!
Thanks for asking this Gordy. I needed to be prompted, obviously. Comprehensivist has really laid out the basics. He did leave out one detail. I think a lot of folks are getting a head start on what is to be offered by watching for the pics to be added at Fotki. Remember that I use Fotki to host the pictures at Bladeforums. Its why my pictures never disappear like a lot of folks. You can look at the oldest threads in this forum and my pics are still there. That means that almost all of the knives I've ever made are still browsable at Fotki:
http://public.fotki.com/FiddlebackForge/
Before I write the thread, I upload the photo's at Fotki. So if you watch fotki and see the photo's, then you have a good idea of what you want in the batch. Thats quite a head start.
Gordy I want you to know that I was going to give a 5 minute warning on Twitter, but I decided against it because of you. Bladeforums faithful, including yourself are the ones that have been behind me from the start are how this has succeded. I won't handicap the forumers that aren't on twitter. The facebook posting and twitter posts will be after the thread has gone live at BF.