Website organization gripe

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Bob W

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No reason to name names, but I have a minor gripe about some webmasters' organization skills. There's one in particular with literally hundreds and hundreds of knives from the same brand organized using a completely random method. 500-600 knives completely jumbled together with no way to sort or browse by pattern, handle material, or any other characteristic.

Ugh. :grumpy:
 
Retail website templates are not all created equally. Some are obviously better than others, same goes for those that design the websites after the template is obtained. What I find more aggrevating is the endless "Out of Stock" items being jammed in with the very limited "In Stock" items. There is one website in particular that at one point had over 100 items out of stock, and only 7 items in stock. While it gives the impression that eqverything is available, it's pretty silly to have all these things pictured that you obviously can't buy. Wnot archive that crap in a "previously available items" section or such?
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Should you name them sooner rather than later?
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I will point out the worst offender if you insist. But to be fair I've noticed the same thing at other dealers' websites as well. This one particular dealer might simply be the most frustrating because they have the most knives. :)

What I find more aggrevating is the endless "Out of Stock" items being jammed in with the very limited "In Stock" items. There is one website in particular that at one point had over 100 items out of stock, and only 7 items in stock.
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Quite frustrating to have my time wasted, and I have a different site in mind as an example. Could easily be avoided by a Sort by "In Stock" option, or simply removing the sold out items.
 
There is site that has a substantial selection of a particular mfg. that I've given up on. Might even be the same place mentioned by the OP as it suffers from the same affliction. I dunno.

I sent the owner a nicely worded, non-confrontational and very polite email suggesting that he at least include a search engine for his site. Didn't even get a reply. But that is OK, I'll just buy elsewhere. I'm not going to take the time to scroll through page after page after page of random knives when I can go elsewhere, search and find what I want. My time is too valuable to waste in that manner.

And I agree with RevDevil re: leaving Sold items listed which just mucks up the user experience.

It leaves one to wonder why they don't make their sites more user friendly.
 
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SaintlyBrees said:
I'm not going to take the time to scroll through page after page after page of random knives when I can go elsewhere, search and find what I want.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

We all have somewhat different expectations for websites we shop on, but the inability to do a search or have knives grouped by pattern etc. makes looking at one website a maddening experience.

Hopefully they will rethink their current format.
 
I have learned that even the most maddening of characteristics in others, generally makes much more sense when you take the time to understand. Whether it be people, or websites. I, for one, am very guilty on most counts above. But there is a good reason. My goal is to bring knives to customers with the smallest amount of overheard in order to require the smallest amount of margin to cover expenses.

Every page on my website is edited manually, every component is manually placed and updated. No back-end database, no automated inventory, no search. I have worked 10 years to tune the website to show up in search results without paying for advertising, again, to keep overhead low. The only really large section on my site is the Great Eastern. But those pages are in the order (generally) or production.

Now, what could I do? I could convert everything over to a cookie-cutter template store like godaddy or the likes. The time to convert would be significant, but my time is not worth anything anyway. But, I couldn't make it the same url as my existing website as there would be a significant transition time. And by creating a new website, I would lose 10 years of work in tuning for SEO. But, if I got the conversion done and started paying the extra monthly fees for a commercial solution and did finally get the engines back to referencing it - things would be great. Problem is, it would cost 6 months of time and a large chunk of business. Then there would undoubtedly be something about that format that was not desirable.

So, from my point of view as an offender in respect to the OP's concerns - when you have as many praises as complaints on the flea market (nicest comparison I could think of) layout, do you really want to shoot yourself in the foot to change to another unknown? Not knowing if I am the exact offender, but acknowledging being in the group - I apologize.

By the way, most browsers have a Ctrl-F search function if you know the pattern number or name you can skip thru them fairly quickly.
 
Hi Mike. Thanks for "the rest of the story." I am a satisfied repeat customer of yours, but yes your website is the subject of the original post. Trying to find a pattern #89 from Great Eastern yesterday and realizing just how many online dealers GEC has, the difference in ease of browsing between some websites and others was dramatic.
"5 pages with 130 unique variations." That's potentially 650 knives to browse through when looking for something specific. I found #89 on page 1 and 3, a few in a small cluster together and others as scattered individuals. Very time consuming, considering there was no way to know there weren't any on pages 2, 4, and 5. And visiting and re-visiting the site several times throughout the day and having to re-browse all five pages again on account of my horrific memory...

In contrast, not a direct competitor since they don't carry Great Eastern, check out Deadwood Knives. I'm also a satisfied customer of theirs. Choose a brand, filter the results by pattern, then filter those results by handle material... Love it!

BTW, it was Deadwood Knives that I first thought of when I read RevDevil's gripe about Out of Stock items. Go to Deadwood Knives and select Boker...
 
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I agree that having a back-end database that can keep track and sort on various arrays of indexes is very nice. But a one man show running out of a converted garage and trying with all my might to deliver the best value possible; leaves me without many bells and whistles.

There are periods when free time does actually occur; but my 10/13 year old's seem to win the tug of war when the final decision of where to spend it is made. And please don't take this the wrong way, but there are times when you have to decide how busy is busy enough when raising a family and trying to serve the Lord in the best way possible.

But I do sincerely appreciate the feedback and am always looking at mutually beneficial improvements.
 
I was actually referring to some of the bigger dealers that sell modern folders and other assorted knife paraphanalia. My experience with Mike (Collector Knives) was excellent. I purchased 2 GEC Redneck Farm Tool knives when they first came out. The transaction was flawless, the website was easy to navigate and I found the item I needed right away. As a matter of fact, I ended up browsing and looking at a lot of other interesting pieces and learned about some that I had no idea existed. Mike, whatever you are doing, it works for me. I'd also like to thank you for a great transaction, I do look forward to buying more from you in the future.
 
knifeswapper said:
I have learned that even the most maddening of characteristics in others, generally makes much more sense when you take the time to understand. Whether it be people, or websites. I, for one, am very guilty on most counts above. But there is a good reason. My goal is to bring knives to customers with the smallest amount of overheard in order to require the smallest amount of margin to cover expenses.

Every page on my website is edited manually, every component is manually placed and updated. No back-end database, no automated inventory, no search. I have worked 10 years to tune the website to show up in search results without paying for advertising, again, to keep overhead low. The only really large section on my site is the Great Eastern. But those pages are in the order (generally) or production.

Now, what could I do? I could convert everything over to a cookie-cutter template store like godaddy or the likes. The time to convert would be significant, but my time is not worth anything anyway. But, I couldn't make it the same url as my existing website as there would be a significant transition time. And by creating a new website, I would lose 10 years of work in tuning for SEO. But, if I got the conversion done and started paying the extra monthly fees for a commercial solution and did finally get the engines back to referencing it - things would be great. Problem is, it would cost 6 months of time and a large chunk of business. Then there would undoubtedly be something about that format that was not desirable.

So, from my point of view as an offender in respect to the OP's concerns - when you have as many praises as complaints on the flea market (nicest comparison I could think of) layout, do you really want to shoot yourself in the foot to change to another unknown? Not knowing if I am the exact offender, but acknowledging being in the group - I apologize.

By the way, most browsers have a Ctrl-F search function if you know the pattern number or name you can skip thru them fairly quickly.
Click to expand...

^^^ This. ^^^

[flamesuit]
If you cannot use Ctrl-F, then purchase from a brick and mortar store. I would be more worried about the proper configuration of payment gateway, than some oh-so-jazzy-and-sleek looking website that caters to my taste. Cookie-cutter templates (including the one bf) uses are HIGHLY INSECURE, because nobody knows what that automatically generated code does. I would always trust a website that is crafted by hand, carefully, one at a time, and make use of the browser function to search (ctrl-F) for whatever I want. Oh, but people want facebook integration, doesn't matter if it takes ages for the browser to load the page till the facebook web-service responds. Who gives a hoot about how your credit card information is managed? How good it looks is the least of my concerns...

My 2 cents. Use ctrl-F and get whatever you want, else brick-and-mortar is the way to go - the owner will do the ctrl-F for you.

-Amarendra
[/flamesuit]
 
I was done but, well, choombak's comment... ;)

You still have to go from page to page to page even when using ctrl-f. There is no sane reason to have to do that when other vendors understand and use modern technology. One can use that way of searching if they like, but just because it suits one person doesn't mean that it is (or should be) acceptable to everyone. It is still a kludgy way of accomplishing the task. And knifeswapper's site is the one I was talking about as well.

It is certainly the site owner's choice how he wishes to set it up. I don't visit that site as other places make my experience easier and more pleasant. I've bought 8 GEC knives since I dropped him an email and considering I received no reply, didn't go back. Won't. Someone else got those sales and I still got what I wanted.

You see, it is also MY choice to decide who to do business with. There is plenty of competition out there that wants my business enough to respond to questions and can find a way to provide a pleasant, safe, and user friendly shopping experience.

Oh, and I could give a good you-know-what about Facebook. The better sites are not template based and are well crafted while still providing search functions and some semblance of organization. And speed? Well, the competition is MUCH faster to look through due to proper user tools.

Nothing against knifeswapper or those who use his site. I wish him the very best and hope his business continues to succeed. That is good for everyone. His support of this site is outstanding. Preferences are why more than one on-line knife store can prosper. Competition is always good.

So, no, I don't need a B&M store. Don't have one within 100 miles anyway. I have access to great on-line knife stores that work just fine, meet my needs, and are very pleasant to shop at. I'll do that instead, thank you very much. But, hey, ctrl-f your heart out if that makes you happy. :D

[Edit: Just to be clear, it isn't that I CAN'T use ctrl-f, (that is actually kinda funny, all things considered) it is that I don't want to nor need to.]
 
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That's crazy, I didn't know about [Control][F]. But I'm new to the internet, only been using it since 1978. ;)
Might be handy in some instances and I'll keep it in mind, but it didn't work for me at CK. Tried "#89" and "89" and received "phrase not found." Guess it doesn't search the entire website; you have to be at the exact page already.

Still, thanks for the tip.

Also tested Google to search the site didn't find the relevant items.
site:www.collectorknives.net GEC #89
site:www.collectorknives.net 89

I would always trust a website that is crafted by hand, carefully, one at a time, and make use of the browser function to search (ctrl-F) for whatever I want.
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Did you actually try it?!?
 
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Bob W said:
That's crazy, I didn't know about [Control][F]. But I'm new to the internet, only been using it since 1978. ;)
Might be handy in some instances and I'll keep it in mind, but it didn't work for me at CK. Tried "#89" and "89" and received "phrase not found." Guess it doesn't search the entire website; you have to be at the exact page already.

Still, thanks for the tip.

Also tested Google to search the site didn't find the relevant items.
site:www.collectorknives.net GEC #89
site:www.collectorknives.net 89


Did you actually try it?
Click to expand...

Bob,

What ctrl-f does is search the page you are on for the specific text string that you enter. If you enter the right string, and that string is on the same page exactly as you entered it, then it will find any corresponding string that matches your search. But it doesn't search outside of the page you are on, so you have to search each page individually. It works for the most part, but is certainly not very intuitive nor efficient.
 
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To give [Ctrl][F] a fair chance, and to learn more about how it works, I went to Knifeworks. Figured they'd have a Benchmade 551 in stock, so I did [Ctrl][F] for "551". Well it found the one that happened to be featured on the front page, but it did not search the entire website.

Using the website's own search box on the other hand, I was quickly shown all 17 different variations of the Benchmade 551 that they stock.
 
SaintlyBrees said:
Bob,

What ctrl-f does is search the page you are on for the specific text string that you enter. If you enter the right string, and that string is on the same page exactly as you entered it, then it will find any corresponding string that matches your search. But it doesn't search outside of the page you are on, so you have to search each page individually. It works for the most part, but is certainly not very intuitive nor efficient.
Click to expand...

I see. Still doesn't help much. Went to a page where I knew an 89 was listed, and [Ctrl][F] didn't find it. Tried "89" and "#89."
Tried "Whittler" too, but as you know GEC has multiple whittler patterns, and not all 89s are called Whittler. ;)


Anyhoo... I didn't mean to cause a ruckus, or cause problems for a particular dealer that I happen to respect and like. So I've made my suggestion and am moving on. :thumbup:
 
I don't know what all the fuss is about. I have no problem searching collector knives website. I look at what is available and see something I want put in cart, pay and receive in 2 3 days. I always know that I am getting absolutely the best price---go compare. After the knife gets hard to fine---low stock availability collector knives doesn't raise prices to gouge customers. So I will shop collector knives with confidence that I am getting the best price and great service. But that is just me, and we all have a choice where to spend our money at.
Harold
 
Bob W said:
I see. Still doesn't help much. Went to a page where I knew an 89 was listed, and [Ctrl][F] didn't find it. Tried "89" and "#89."
Tried "Whittler" too, but as you know GEC has multiple whittler patterns, and not all 89s are called Whittler. ;)


Anyhoo... I didn't mean to cause a ruckus, or cause problems for a particular dealer that I happen to respect and like. So I've made my suggestion and am moving on. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Agreed on all points...and good course of action. I'll follow that lead as well. :)
 
and we all have a choice where to spend our money at.
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I've spent plenty of money at CK and will likely do so in the future. :thumbup:

Like I said, it was never my intention to single out one website; there are many with the same issues and minor inconveniences.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
I am not offended nor my ego shattered by any of the OP's concerns; matter of fact, wish I could accommodate. Had I started 10 years ago on a template based website with a back-end database; my life would probably be much easier now. But I started for fun because I myself could not find a site that I enjoyed perusing for knives that I was not necessarily on the hunt for; at a price that seemed reasonable. My past life was spent on the largest computer systems / websites in the world and keeping them running. Thus, I may have chosen simple in rebellion :D

But I have been involved in, at least a couple, conversations in the past with dealers larger and smaller wherein their margins were smaller due to adding complexities and they needed me to increase my prices :confused: My apologies for not responding to a comment about likes / dislikes. Although I do file them and take them under advisement; unless they request (or I have) a response, I don't bother the sender with a "got it" response.

It is fun for me, and when it stops being fun the site will disappear altogether. Sometimes life gets in the way of grand plans as well. But God has been good to give me a hobby that I enjoy and thousands of friends to enjoy it with.
 
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