- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
- Messages
- 2,652
I knew I'd open a can of worms up but I'll leave you with this IF someone could work together to get a on line business model for such a relatively small group of buyers such as knife builders to offer a one stop shopping online buying experience on a major internet shopping network you wouldn't care if you hit the lottery this weekend.
The issue is that it requires a lot of expertise. I am relatively close to a one stop shop for fine hardwoods, and it takes a lot of time to prep all the material, im very knowledgeable and it requires a reasonable amount of shop space, time, and work to get it. NJSB is basically a one stop shop for steel, and its a lot of work.
Most of these businesses are a single person, a family and a few employees at most. The more diffrent products you stock, the more space you need for storing, the more incoming orders you need to handle, the more things you have to look after, the more suppliers you have to work with, and so on.
The wider the selection the shallower the options.
I will say in this day and age, the lack of a one stop shop is not due to a lack of the idea. you say you would surely buy from them, but in my near decade of selling to knife makers and collectors, people saying what they will buy rarely has any overlap with what people will actually put down money for.
This is an industry of passionate experts, I love fine timber, Chuck loves fancy steels, true grit and co have a love for abrasives.