I've been really easy going in the past but in the past I wasn't depending entirely on knife making to pay ALL the bills. Before, not very long ago, I was also pulling down the day job. A little slack here and there in money flow, you know, didn't upset the cart. A little screw me here and there didn't come to be noticed so much then. Now things are different. It's all tight now and the bottom line is even more negative than it used to be. Daddy's patience ain't there no more.
Here is part of my bitch - to start, Terry Summers at Admiral steel is super to deal with but what's my luck when I need S30V? Yep, he's out for a couple days and I get this other fellow (will not be named because I'm a nice guy). So I order my almost 100 dollar S30V (including shipping) and get shorted on the steel length (they make you buy a minimum lenghth of Crucible partical steels - for good reason too and that ain't a problem here). Well. after three calls, the last about or more than a month ago, I have yet to either hear back or receive the shortage. Don't get me wrong here; if I had mentioned it to Terry it would have been made riight straight away. I am sure of that. I will not complain to him though because it may cause internal problems for the youngster I dealt with. In the end I will eat it, I am sure of that and as uasual that will be okay with me. You do know what I mean. You are like that too most of the time.
Okay, that is only the beginning and the least of it all if you add it all up. It goes on no matter which way you turn. For instance Brownell's. My credit card is close to being limited and going over the limit is a $30 charge. So that's $30 bucks for convenience only (which I refuse to so foolishly do, again). I have the funds to clear it out but my problem is the mail is slower than the order I need to place. So, I mail the funds to clear the card and it costs me about an extra three days. Then, so, I place my order. I am three days too late. I can do C.O.D.; no problem. The charge for C.O.D. is $7.95. That is a problem too. Paypal. Let's talk Paypal. Greater than 4% on funds received via Paypal. That doesn't seem like much until you realise its greater than 8 dollars on the two hundred and greater than 16 on the 400 hundred.
It comes from the front end, the back end and all the middle parts. In the mean time we are straight up, don't charge an extra dime for all these pennys that we incur against us.
That ain't all. I ain't just finished yet. Let's talk trade deficit. How about foreign duties on our knives? How does about 40% sound. That is about it in the United Kingdom, coming from our country. Your United Kingdom customer can be charged duty on not only the declared value but also the cost of postage and even the cost of postal insurance. Postage and postal insurance costs are charges your customer paid you to pay for him. He can be and in many cases is charged duty on those costs too. Their duties are way too much on declared value alone beside the other blatant spats in our face and our overseas customer's face too. All at the same time we are flushing goods into this, our, country. While this is happening our overseas customers are being raped by their governments for purchasing from us.
We are getting it from all ends and all middles. I speak not only of myself or us knife makers but of all small buisness men in this country. I can honestly say the only part that has not tried to get me is the customer. If all my dealings were with customers only I would be happy.
Well I vented a little and think I feel better for doing so but also feel bad about leaning on all you. I ain't finished bitching but I won't finish here - this time.
Next week we can talk about our buddy IRS.
Thanks.
RL
Here is part of my bitch - to start, Terry Summers at Admiral steel is super to deal with but what's my luck when I need S30V? Yep, he's out for a couple days and I get this other fellow (will not be named because I'm a nice guy). So I order my almost 100 dollar S30V (including shipping) and get shorted on the steel length (they make you buy a minimum lenghth of Crucible partical steels - for good reason too and that ain't a problem here). Well. after three calls, the last about or more than a month ago, I have yet to either hear back or receive the shortage. Don't get me wrong here; if I had mentioned it to Terry it would have been made riight straight away. I am sure of that. I will not complain to him though because it may cause internal problems for the youngster I dealt with. In the end I will eat it, I am sure of that and as uasual that will be okay with me. You do know what I mean. You are like that too most of the time.
Okay, that is only the beginning and the least of it all if you add it all up. It goes on no matter which way you turn. For instance Brownell's. My credit card is close to being limited and going over the limit is a $30 charge. So that's $30 bucks for convenience only (which I refuse to so foolishly do, again). I have the funds to clear it out but my problem is the mail is slower than the order I need to place. So, I mail the funds to clear the card and it costs me about an extra three days. Then, so, I place my order. I am three days too late. I can do C.O.D.; no problem. The charge for C.O.D. is $7.95. That is a problem too. Paypal. Let's talk Paypal. Greater than 4% on funds received via Paypal. That doesn't seem like much until you realise its greater than 8 dollars on the two hundred and greater than 16 on the 400 hundred.
It comes from the front end, the back end and all the middle parts. In the mean time we are straight up, don't charge an extra dime for all these pennys that we incur against us.
That ain't all. I ain't just finished yet. Let's talk trade deficit. How about foreign duties on our knives? How does about 40% sound. That is about it in the United Kingdom, coming from our country. Your United Kingdom customer can be charged duty on not only the declared value but also the cost of postage and even the cost of postal insurance. Postage and postal insurance costs are charges your customer paid you to pay for him. He can be and in many cases is charged duty on those costs too. Their duties are way too much on declared value alone beside the other blatant spats in our face and our overseas customer's face too. All at the same time we are flushing goods into this, our, country. While this is happening our overseas customers are being raped by their governments for purchasing from us.
We are getting it from all ends and all middles. I speak not only of myself or us knife makers but of all small buisness men in this country. I can honestly say the only part that has not tried to get me is the customer. If all my dealings were with customers only I would be happy.
Well I vented a little and think I feel better for doing so but also feel bad about leaning on all you. I ain't finished bitching but I won't finish here - this time.
Next week we can talk about our buddy IRS.
Thanks.
RL