What advice would you offer to a new maker who is trying to carve out some success?
Please offer "words of wisdom" and insights into the business of selling knives, helpful tips and/or pitfalls to avoid- esp. from the veterans among us.. For the benefit of new makers.
Many thanks,
David
Hi folks,
I am not knifemaker, so might be my post just another garbage in.
After read many posts and based on my experienced, i would like to say something from low budget consumer perspective. So my post basically on how to treat the consumers.
BTW, i am Anton Nurcahyo from developing countries who have monthly salary less than a price of let say a simplest work of famous knifemaker in this forum. So, my words will only apply for knifemaker who produce knives that affordable for people like me.
Bear in your mind that i have shortcoming in English, and i have no intention to insulting someone here. But, it might be happen due to my lack of language skills (and i ask apology if its happen). I raise this language issue because of several reasons. In my country, there are several languages, even in some cases certain languages have many dialects, each dialect generally understood by other people who have different dialects but in certain areas the dialect have tendency to have higher tone and might be bit sarcastic for other regions. Its not only orally but also in writing.
I think it also happen in English language. At the moment, I am running program where many people come to visit and work with us, people from Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, US, Canada, UK, Australia. Many of them English is not their mother tongue, we have experienced in culture shock and difficulties to communicate. Even, my friend
s who have English as mother tongue told me that sometime they found difficulties to understand other people from area where English is the first language not only because of the personal character but also because of the cultures, idioms etc.
So, my dear knifemakers:
1. Put us, the consumer as civilized human, treat us nicely, you will gain what you paid.
Knifemakers might be busy working with the orders, but nice words will make us respect the makers. BF is kind of melting pot of knifenuts, many people from many-many countries are lurking here or be member of this lovely forum. So, for sure, many people from different countries and different cultures will meet in this forum, challenge in communication then will be appear. In this case wording then important. I realized, in this forum so many people know each other personally, especially who live in the US. What i love from BF is this things!!, brotherhood. But, as i already mentioned that many people from almost every corners of the earth who love knives are lurking and became member of this forum, we might be not have idea about someone who contact the maker. If the one who contact the maker is one of very active in this forum and well known by most respective people in this forum, when the maker got an order from those guys, they might be no need to worry about the order even not asking the deposit which might be applied for lesser known people or let say nobody in this world. But, it is normal if i contact a maker then the maker have big question, WHO THE HELL IS anton? Since i am not come from maker comfortable zone area. I come from developing countries, lack of fund not even best friend of one of famous people in this forum.
I always keep telling my wife that man who have hobby on knives mostly family man, trusted people, and respect each other. I said like that to my wife because of what i have seen in this lovely forum, base on what i have read in their posts (but sometime i felt that i did mistake LoL, but i do understand that we are just normal human being).
2. Be transparent, if the knifemakers want to have deposit or something to say please said so.
Many reasons of deposit issue came up in this thread, pros and cons. I don't mind to pay the deposit. This culture of asking deposit is not applied only in certain countries. As already mentioned that i have limited fund, so far i only purchased from 6 knifemakers of BF member. But, i have sent emails to Southern and Northern Hemisphere as well, even i have used google translate to translate my email to Russian to communicate with a knifemaker who only speak in Russian. A couple of the knifemakers asked me deposit, i gave them what they want. The rest are not asking deposit but doing my order. But I guess because of he trusted me since i have been purchased his knife in Knife Sale area. If i did not ask for deposit, i used to keep the money intended for the order safely, will not use it for something else. Just simple thing, you trust me, i trust you, it is the rule of the game. But i understand that some of knifemakers ask for deposit, since i am nobody.
3. Be honest and responsible, or you will have no future in knife business.
I have been asked for full payment by one of maker in my country. I paid fully. He have account in facebook, he was friend of most people in our country knife forum. But my order NEVER come to my door. He death!!!! None of the people in our country believe to him anymore, he became nobody in our country forum. It happened before i made order to knifemakers in this forum, base on one single experienced will not let me to judge that all of the knifemakers are bad guy. So i still have faith that man who love blades are trustworthy people. I am trying to think positively. I got words from my brother inlaw, he said that if someone took your money by cheating on you, you will get more and the one who took your money will end up in a pile of shit in the hell. I do belief in good karma.
Its also apply for the material that you mentioned to the consumers, give what you already promised to them.
If you don't believe to the system in the consumer's country that the knife will not safely arrive just said so. Don't refuse the order with different reason, don't say that you have so many orders to be accomplished. A person that contact you may lead you to good future in your business, don't let them down. In the past, I have been discussed with some fellows before i purchase one of knife in sale area in this forum, one of my friend told me (base on his experience) that the guy have sent knives with poor fit and finish, but i am thinking positively and my knife from him came to my place in a good condition, much-much better than my friend said to me. Words are spreading among potential buyers, beware of your products and the way of you communicate with people.
4. Tips, i have experienced of receiving rusty knives resulted from long period of shipping and because of on how the makers did the packing. I tell to the makers and then second purchase was in better condition. In this case i did not fed up and judge that he did not work professionally, he just lack of ideas about the rest of the world. So, please bear in your mind that some countries have different climate and might be need more time to arrive to the destination. Prepare your shipping properly.
So sorry for my bad English, i have no intention to hurt someone feeling.
Respects,
Anton
this is my longest post ever in this forum
