Village model

stephensee

stephensee

Joined
May 17, 2002
Messages
353
I have received today my 15"" Village model by Kumar. I love the satin finish of the blade, the iron butcap, and the very nice wood handle. It's a superb Himalayan Imports piece, as usual.
I'll never find a such good deal for a such good price in France (only 75 dollars for a no blem knife!!!), and, furtheremore, selling by a such sympathetic man.
Really, I'm blessing the day when I click on Himalayan Imports website!

Thank you Bill Martino!

Stephen Nery.
 
What you said.

and, furtheremore, selling by a such sympathetic man.
Really, I'm blessing the day when I click on Himalayan Imports website!
Click to expand...



Kis
:rolleyes:
 
Hey Uncle Bill,

Over the past two months, I've checked with you several times regarding Village models and have been told none were in stock. Stephen orders a Village model two weeks ago and gets it. Now I'm a bit confused. Do I need to know a secret handshake or something?
:rolleyes:

Mark
 
Originally posted by Mark McMorrow [/B]Do I need to know a secret handshake or something? [/B]
Click to expand...
I think he has too many things going on to keep a running tally on
who wants what. And if his file system is anything like mine,
lists don't work either. :confused:

Perhaps you could try a brief weekly Email that just says,
in the ---Subject line--, something like:
"Reminder - Want Villager between 14-18inches, ROIA".
Which he can scan in a couple of seconds and respond only if he
has one available.

ROIA = Reply Only If Available

Or in the Subject just say,
"Reminder - Want village style HI model, ROIA"
then add detail in the text he can read if a Villager
or Village Style comes in.

When you see mention of a new shipment in these threads,
send the email again.
When he puts up a blem and says new shipment came in,
then Email and/or Call him.

First come, first served.

The more specific your request will save him from having to respond
that he has a small Sirupati, when you really want a big AngKhola.
BTW, know the difference between a Villager made by a village kami
and purchased after close examination for resale here,
and a village Style made by a Birghorka kami (which are basically
not as highly finished and maybe a little looser in style--
but are just as, if not more, hardworking as the standard Birghorka
models).
 
Mark, not to presume to speak for Bill, but I'm pretty sure the village model Stephen got was ordered off the forum under one of Bill's specials.
Those are first come first served and obtained only through the forum usually. I've gotten two BirGhorka village models this way recently.:)
The BirGhorka village models are of a better value than some of the regular village kami models because they're made from spring steel and have full tangs.
Some of the village kamis don't use spring steel and sometimes only partial tangs, although those are fine and wil last almost forever if you pin the handle before use.
 
You gotta be quick my friend, the gentleman on this forum could rival the best secretaries in the world as far as speed typing goes when there is a UBDOTD posted.

:D
 
Fair enough. But if this is the case you would think that I could have at least gotten a response to this affect from the private e-mail I sent. I'm not trying to slam anybody, I'm only trying to place an order (and heck, I didn't think I would have to try so hard to be a customer!).

Mark
 
imagine, if you will, just how many requests Bill gets on a regular basis. In my opinion, he works this forum and his sales site as well as, or better than, any other selling site on the web. There are no robot responses, instead, as he can, you get a man taking the time to check inventory, identify imports, sort through storage, and attempting to be good humored about it, no matter how vague the requests.

It's no accident that this is the most popular forum in the BLADESFORUM, other than general discussion.

Now, if it were me... oh, nevermind.


hang in, Mark.


Kis
:rolleyes:
 
Mark sounds like a miscommunication. Checking to see if something in stock, and placing an order are two different things. If you really really want one, your best bet is to email him about placing a special order (though dont know how that stands with the current state of BirGhorka). Otherwise, just seeing if any are in stock isnt really the same as making an order for one. Ive done my share of impulse inquiries with various antique dealers to see if they have something for immediate purchase. Besides all the traffic the forum sees, I can only imagine how much real traffic Uncle Bill gets from all the guys who dont post. Especially for those of us who are so used to the internet, its hard to believe there are many guys out there who dont use it, so besides just email, imagine all the calls and back to the stone age, snail mail. :eek:
 
Guys,

I appreciate your comments. In my experience as VP of a very successful, high-traffic, e-commerce web site (www.swordforum.com), I'm quite aware of what goes on behind the scenes of internet retail. Trust me, I've gone through all the motions you gentlemen have mentioned. I've sent e-mail that was not replied to and have made requests that were left unanswered. I apologize if this seems like a multi-part rant, but the frustration level is pretty high right now.

Mark

(by the way, Federico - I'm not sure it's fair to compare antiques with modern, production level products.)
 
Mark, speak to Uncle Bill. I'm sure he will get you sorted ASAP.

He is busy moving right now and the villagers are not common stock. He will help you and the service you get from Uncle Bill Martino will be the best you have ever had.

He is a man worth getting to know, have a little patience !!
 
Hi Mark,
We're a community here and like to help each other out when we can. I have a 13.5" villager that I haven't used. You can have it for $50 shipped conus. I guess it's a blem, as it has a small chip out of the end of the handle. The brass buttcap is folded over the chip. I have only stropped the blade and test-cut some tree limbs. Wasn't planning to sell it, but will if it will help you out. Email me if I you're interested and I'll take some pics and send them to you.

Steve Ferguson
 
Yvsa has written : Mark, not to presume to speak for Bill, but I'm pretty sure the village model Stephen got was ordered off the forum under one of Bill's specials.

Mark, as Yvsa say, my village model was ordered off the forum under one of Bill's specials. And I have ordered it just after Yvsa.

Regards,

Stephen.
 
Mark,

As I understand it, the way to get "on a list" for those less-common items that aren't always in stock is to prepay and provide shipping information. That way Bill knows you're serious--you'll get the next one that comes in. Be specific about handle material, range of length and weight, so you get what you want. Check with him to make sure there's a good chance a khuk with those specs is likely to appear.

Otherwise, those khuks are likely to get sold, first-come, first-serve on the forum, and they go fast. BG villagers, M43s, Chitlangis, things with special details, etc., mostly seem to get sold this way, since they aren't numerous enough to stock. Some of these may be sold at reduced prices due to very minor blemishes, or to move them fast.

Circumstances in Nepal have made it necesary to suspend special or custom orders in the recent past, and that may still be in effect, again check with Bill. Under normal circumstances, that is an option, but of course at full price. The BG Village Models were suggested to enable the shop to continue to produce product while under the stressful conditions of terrorist activity in the country by relieving them of the time consuming finishing work, and they have produced some. Under normal circumstances, the more finely finished products which command a higher price probably better make business sense for them, especially since the shipping is a major expense.

Also, due to the variability of each handmade knife, each smith's interprtation, and the tendancy of many of the smiths to work several months back on their small farms, I don't think "modern, production level products" quite describes HI khuks. The quality is superb, but the concepts of top-down inventory management, full selection of all models, fully stadardized specifications, etc. sure don't fit. Many are one of a kind, and lot's of customers like it that way.

Best of luck getting the khuk you want. :)
 
Originally posted by firkin .......
the more finely finished products which command a higher price probably
better make business sense for them, especially since the shipping is a major expense.
Click to expand...
True.

But, I hope that they continue to produce them
somewhat regularly. Somehow. Perhaps when trying
new style variations, if not on the regular models.

Or perhaps the apprentice kamis can be given the chance
to sell us their pre-blemed pieces that might be
ugly and rougher finished, and perhaps not guaranteed
and not marked HI, but still users. Basically in-house Villagers.

I don't have one yet, but I hope to when the
right blade comes along.

But, again, as you imply, the economics keep them
in business, &, hopefully, well-fed, healthy, and happy.

We should come up with a new name to call the
BG Village Style blades. Satin Series? Satin Option?
A name that's good advertising.
There should be a good promotional name this group can devise

Maybe they'll be able to make a Villager buying trip
if things settle enough and we'll also have the those
to choose from.
 
Good deed there, Steve.

The generosity of the people who frequent this forums never fail to amaze me. I recall that somebody sent my countryman, Golok a AK as a gift not to long ago. There's hope for us yet.

Andrew Lim

Originally posted by ferguson
Hi Mark,
We're a community here and like to help each other out when we can. I have a 13.5" villager that I haven't used. You can have it for $50 shipped conus. I guess it's a blem, as it has a small chip out of the end of the handle. The brass buttcap is folded over the chip. I have only stropped the blade and test-cut some tree limbs. Wasn't planning to sell it, but will if it will help you out. Email me if I you're interested and I'll take some pics and send them to you.

Steve Ferguson
Click to expand...
 
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