Hello All,
So I am going to be attending my first knife show in April and I am looking for some general advice. I have a small inventory build up of pieces that I’ve done I’m struggling on a few areas one of them being pricing. I am sensitive to the fact that I am an on known relatively new knife maker I can’t charge a premium for my work but I’m struggling just trying to figure out what a fair price would be for some of my work. The couple Knives that I have sold so far i’ve been to friends and family so I don’t have a real good gauge on pricing.
Another topic that I’m struggling with is knowing when something is “good enough“ honestly I’m kind of a perfectionist and it’s turning almost into an OCD issue, where I sit and nitpick every minute detail of something I complete. I’m progressively improving which is a good thing but it is making me reevaluate pieces that I’ve already finished previously and question whether or not I even want to display or sell them. In knives that I have sold the customers have been very happy with but if I look at them again I feel that I could do better is there any tricks to moving on?
Thanks in advance,
Josh
Hi Josh-
If you attend your first knife show without selling your knives there, you will have a better sense of pricing and expected quality for future endeavors.
Jesse
|quoted:
Hi Josh-
If you attend your first knife show without selling your knives there, you will have a better sense of pricing and expected quality for future endeavors.
Jesse
Hi Jesse,
Yes i had thought of that as well, and i know that the Knife show is a lot about networking and not necessarily selling. BUT, i am also worried about first impressions. Especially as a newer maker, I don't want to turn anyone off that may be a future customer.
thanks,
Hi Josh,
Regarding pricing, my first suggestion would be to browse a few dealer websites and take note of the asking prices of some comparable knives. Focus on the lowest priced knives in each category and ask yourself what might make someone choose your knife over those. The goal at your first show is not to make a bunch of money but to get your knives into the hands of collectors and begin to develop a network of satisfied customers.
And don't make the mistake of pricing your knives based on your cost of materials plus labor. No one is going to pay you extra for being slow and inefficient. Buyers tend to comparison shop - especially at shows - and if other makers offer similar or better quality work for lower prices, then that's where the buyers will go first. View your knives from the perspective of a discriminating collector and price accordingly.
To answer your second question, you'll always find things you wish you'd done a little differently, but if you find yourself repeatedly struggling with specific areas or certain parts of the process, then talk to other makers, look for advice, and don't be afraid to practice! Blade grinding, for example, is an acquired skill, and generally not something people get really good at until the've ground out a few hundred blades. So why not grab a pile of scrap steel and spend an afternoon practicing flat grinds, plunge cuts, swedges, etc. For the cost of a couple of grinding belts and just a few hours of your time you'll have acquired some valuable job-training, and I promise you, your next knife will be better than the last.
Good luck at the show!
|quoted:
Hi Josh,
Regarding pricing, my first suggestion would be to browse a few dealer websites and take note of the asking prices of some comparable knives. Focus on the lowest priced knives in each category and ask yourself what might make someone choose your knife over those. The goal at your first show is not to make a bunch of money but to get your knives into the hands of collectors and begin to develop a network of satisfied customers.
And don't make the mistake of pricing your knives based on your cost of materials plus labor. No one is going to pay you extra for being slow and inefficient. Buyers tend to comparison shop - especially at shows - and if other makers offer similar or better quality work for lower prices, then that's where the buyers will go first. View your knives from the perspective of a discriminating collector and price accordingly.
To answer your second question, you'll always find things you wish you'd done a little differently, but if you find yourself repeatedly struggling with specific areas or certain parts of the process, then talk to other makers, look for advice, and don't be afraid to practice! Blade grinding, for example, is an acquired skill, and generally not something people get really good at until the've ground out a few hundred blades. So why not grab a pile of scrap steel and spend an afternoon practicing flat grinds, plunge cuts, swedges, etc. For the cost of a couple of grinding belts and just a few hours of your time you'll have acquired some valuable job-training, and I promise you, your next knife will be better than the last.
Good luck at the show!
THANK YOU! That is helpful! And to your point, yeah my thought process is not to sell a ton but to get out there a bit, I know the best advertisement is word of mouth. So far I haven't really advertised or tried to push selling my work at all, i just really enjoy making them. It would be nice though to sell a few thing at some point to maybe buy some new tools, or keep the boss (my wife) from giving me a hard time about spending some mush money on materials! <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//laugh.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />
But, again I am worried - again to your point - that I post prices and don't even get anyone to actually look or stay and talk. Would you suggest not putting prices on the knives at all?
