On Maker Waiting Lists

[Balislinger]

I am curious as to why makers generally do not share much information relative to their waiting lists to those who are on them. For example, if I was a maker, I would be inclined to send an email out each year to the people on my list letting them know where they are on the list. This would ensure that customers aren't wondering if they have been forgotten, and keeps them up to date on how close they are to having their name called. But every maker I have worked with seems to just take your name and it goes into a black hole and I never get any updates. (Until maybe years later my name comes up). Is there a reason makers tend to communicate so little with the folks on their waiting lists? It makes the process seem very mysterious, rather than knowing (OK, I'm 20th on the list, oh, now this year I'm 13th, etc.).

 

[Jon Brand]

I am no maker.. But the first thing that comes to my mind is maybe makers don't want the pressure of putting an exact time on the orders. Like a maker might think they can take care of you in under a year but they might not wanna say for sure because they need to take their time with the orders before that and not worry about unforeseen problems that could come up.

As a collector who has to save up for each knife I buy, it would help to get a good heads up WAY in advance. I don't ever have the money to just drop right on the spot if my name comes up. I usually have to do some selling first.

 

[Lorien]

time spent communicating is time that could be spent knife making. Seems a delicate balance to me.

 

[ptgdvc]

Makers like to do what they want to do, when they want.

 

[diggercat]

I have been and am on a few list and have learned to expect the worst. Also plan on everything to be late and no followup. I just got a knife this week that was to be a 8 to 12 month order it took 30. The only notice I got was here is a knife do you still want it. I has told that I would be notified wene my number came up. To see if there were any changes to be made. Did'nt happen quess I was just lucky to get knife. Wene I was notified that my knife was ready Was told it would be 2 weeks for the sheath it took 7. But I am not complaining. I did get my knife. Just a bit late. This just let me buy a few other knives while waiting. All I am trying to say is don't be impatient. With a reputable maker it will happen.

 

[John T Wylie Jr]

time spent communicating is time that could be spent knife making. Seems a delicate balance to me.

Been on one makers list for about 4 years now , after being quoted a year tops. Last year in June I was told "by end of summer" , and that mine was in progress. Well that time came and went , and here we are into this summer , all emails have went unanswered , but yet he posts on forum. As a buyer I have given up and realize I will never see the knife.

If a time frame is given and that time is missed , in my opinion , it is important for that maker to give a new date and perhaps why .

 

[cnas122]

Consider that some makers probably have 1000+ on their list, I would not expect a maker to send out updates (and it seems crazy to think they would). These are mostly individuals working in a home shop without a staff. Many might be old and not versed in computers or the Internet. Many may not have emails for their customers. To me, yes it can be frustrating to be put off for a long time while on a list, but I expect it and I know it's just the way things work for a lot of the knife makers I deal with. They may get sick, have personal/family issues, etc. Give them a break and ask around before you order a knife. If you don't want to be tossed in a black hole, do your research and find a maker who won't do it.

 

[Charlie Mike]

I'm beginning to realize that 6-9 months actually means 2+ years. I paid in full 3-09 for a DDR 4" Maxx and now he's finally getting around to a run of 4" Maxxs. OTOH, I initiated an order with Darrel at the Santa Barbarra show in 4-09 for an HD Maxx tanto recurve and received it in 9-09. And then there's all the knives waiting for mods at Reese Weiland's shop for the last 2 years.

 

[Phillip Patton]

Makers like to do what they want to do, when they want.

We like to, but I, at least, rarely get that privilege.

If any of you thinks this is an easy job, why don't you go to a knifemakers shop, and make some knives. While you're there, you can sweep the floor, order some supplies, answer some emails and phone calls, take the propane tank to get filled, take some packages to the post office. This is a one man operation. I have to do ALL of that stuff, and much more, by myself. On top of that, we have normal things, like laundry, funerals, lawn mowing, etc.

Somehow, keeping every waiting customer constantly updated seems unimportant compared to actually making the blankety-blank knives, and trying to have a life at the same time.

Rant off.

 

[TomTerrific]

For the really nice knives, it's a makers' market. These delays are part of the game. If the knife is that nice, it must be worth waiting for.

I contacted a knife maker, told him what I was looking for. He told me he had a blade in process similar, but not exactly, to what I wanted and gave me some options. I had the knife the next week. I wanted another one of a different design, and the wait is six months. Three are down, three to go.

OTOH, I recently ordered a hand-made knife from a fairly well-known, respected maker. He told me the wait would be 4-6 weeks. I got the knife in less than 3

Part of the knife mystique is their lack of ready availability. Depending on your attitude, it's part of the fun.

YMMV

 

[RogerP]

Balislinger - my recommendation is that if you want to know where you are on a given list, ask. Communication is a two-way street. Sure, it would be nice to get quarterly updates - but makers have a lot to manage and that kind of periodic reporting is not is not something I really expect. I ask that makers contact me before starting work on my project - and in any case no less than 30 days in advance of anticipated completion. This allows for the firming up of details on what may be a very old order, and allows time for me to assemble funds - so it works to the ultimate benefit of both.

Roger

 

[Phillip Patton]

Balislinger - my recommendation is that if you want to know where you are on a given list, ask. Communication is a two-way street. Sure, it would be nice to get quarterly updates - but makers have a lot to manage and that kind of periodic reporting is not is not something I really expect. I ask that makers contact me before starting work on my project - and in any case no less than 30 days in advance of anticipated completion. This allows for the firming up of details on what may be a very old order, and allows time for me to assemble funds - so it works to the ultimate benefit of both.

Roger

Very well said, Roger. I was going to edit my post, but you pretty much covered it. If someone wants to know where they are, ask me, and I'll give you my best estimate.
And I do always contact people ahead of time, to make sure they're still interested, and flesh out any details. Occasionally, I don't hear back, which makes me glad I didn't start working.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

I keep communications open and keep everyone up to date with what is going on.

I also spend about 1/4 of my knife making day on communication with buyers and most of my "time off."

I'm still trying to cut a profit and I wonder if I should just charge more and keep spending my time on communications or charge the same and spend less time on the knives?

I know I can't spend less time on the knives so maybe I should charge more. But will people pay more? I certainly don't consider lowering communications, as a buyer nothing ticks me off more than being ignored by someone you are spending your money with.


I have to say I have done a lot of different things for a living and being a knifemaker is about as tough as it gets. If you have an off day you don't get paid, in fact you still have to cover your materials and shop time. You can't charge more for your time, the knife is it. No paid sick days, no vacation. I think a lot of makers just go with the flow because things work better that way. When I spent one day sanding from noon 'till 9pm after grinding that morning sometimes I don't want to work on another big chopper the next day, the work would be sub par anyways. I'll work on something fun or less tedious so I'm still working and getting things done.

I used to be a chef. Sometimes on a busy night you will get a complaint that a table isn't getting their food in the order they should have. Generally you check the ticket and sure enough... someone got the thickest steak in the house and wants it well done. We have it in the fastest and hottest 750F convection oven, what are we supposed to do, shut down the kitchen until that one persons food is done? Nope, just tell the waitstaff sorry and comp them an appetizer or sit there and look bad, no fun either way. What I did was try to get faster and still put out the best product, tough thing to do.

 

[LX_Emergency]

Speaking purely as a customer: I'd never spend a couple $100 or even a couple $1000 on a man that would not let me know ahead of time when he was expecting payment. When you deal with such numbers you customer service and communication needs to be impeccable.

I do understand that being a custom maker isn't easy. But on the other hand communication is simply part of the job. It may not be the most fun part but it's an essential part nonetheless. Simply put: if you're not willing to communicate with me...then I'm not going to be willing to spend my money on you.

This may sound harsh, but when you're dealing with large sums of money (and for me the prices of customs are large sums) and about luxury items then that's just the way it is.

 

[giant1]

I (supposedly) am on a custom makers list. There have been several emails about the knives and the basics were agreed on. The last email I had from him said that he was aiming to have my knives ready for last Christmas. The email was dated around August of last year. That was the last email I have had from him despite me sending a couple to see where things are at.

I don't have the knife in question and I have no idea if I am still on his list or even if he still intends to make them. I know he is around because I have seen him post on certain forums.

He may be busy or he may have other stuff going on, I would not know. But I am willing to spend an amount of dollars in the thousands with him and he has cut off communication. I am not willing to beg him for his knives though, so in the end it's up to him how this plays out.

I am positive that not all makers do business this way, but the ones that do should change their ways or get into another line of work that does not require communication.

 

[John T Wylie Jr]

For sure not all makers are bad about communication , though there are some that are.

If it is your main income and you are a full time maker , communication with waiting customers is key , especially if a quoted deadline has passed. I would not expect a weekly or monthly update , but if quoted a delivery time of 6 months , and 8 months has passed , a simple short update email to the customer would go a long way.

If many months have passed and you have not replied to that customers emails or contacted them , that is just poor business. When emails go unanswered , it does make the customer feel unimportant.

Think if you took your car to a one man auto repair shop , and were quote 2 weeks for your car to be done , 6 months later you still don't have your car with no update as to why , how would you feel ? A one man shop is a one man shop.

Dad had a one man shop auto repair business for as long as I can recall , he did all the book keeping , part running and wrenching. Some times he had to do some at night , sometimes on the weekend. It was his business and he treated it as such. If he told a customer their car would be done by 4 and it wasnt going to be , I remember him calling and letting them know why , and he would make arrangements to have it delivered to them when it was done.If it is a business , then it should be treated as such.

However many makers are part time , and trying to balance a full time job , family and knifemaking becomes sketchy. Job & family always comes first. Still some kind of communication when a deadline is missed should be given.

I don't consider a knife an essential item , so I am not about to let it ruin my view of custom knives if I get skipped , dropped off a list or get ignored. Custom knives to me are a luxury item and not a neccessity , so I spend my $$$ wisely.

To those makers who do take the time to communicate , please know that your customers appreciate it , and that customer will tell many others what a great buying experience they had.