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Old 11-16-2016, 10:13 AM
Ed Caffrey's Avatar
Ed Caffrey Ed Caffrey is offline
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Pricing is likely the most difficult aspect of being a custom knifemaker.... so many aspects beyond that actual product. Reading this thread there were a couple of things that alarmed me....

First is selling on Ebay. Unless it's someone besides the maker selling it, like on the secondary market, then it's pretty much the "kiss of death" to ever be taken seriously by the main stream custom knife buyers. It's looked upon with disdain, the general idea being that a maker only sells on ebay because he can't sell his work anywhere else.

You said something that worries me....
Quote:
I don't go overboard on finish
WRONG ANSWER! ANY and EVERY knife that you produce must be the absolute best quality/fit/finish you can possibly do! That is, if you want to be taken seriously by custom knife buyers. I also noticed there are no "marks" on your knives..... that's another big reason knives don't sell. Marking your knives lends credibility to both the knife, and your name within the custom knife world. Knives that are not marked are often looked upon at the knifemaker not being proud enough of his work to mark it.

Just to give you an example....I once ran into a young custom knifemaker at a local gun show. His table was FULL of really poorly finished knives, that he was asking $40-$65 for, and when I asked him how his show was going, he hung his head and said.... "I haven't sold anything." We chatted for a while, and I saw something in him that just needed a bit of guidance. Before walking away, I gave him my card, and told him that if I could be of help, let me know.
To his credit, he called and I invited him to the shop. He brought along his knives, and asked "How can I make them better?". Long story short, I showed him that with an extra 20-30 mins of work, he could change a $65 knife, into a $125 knife. I also instilled in him the idea of ALWAYS offering ONLY your very best work. Today that individual is what I call a "Rockstar" in the tactical knife world.

We all start on the ground floor when it comes to creating custom knives. Its up to each individual to determine how far they will go with it. Drive, determination, and the time it takes to build a good reputation are key elements. If you're not striving to improve EVERY aspect of your work with each knife, then MAYBE one of those ingredients is missing, and it might be time to have a a "meeting" with the man in the mirror. All that being said, it must also be realized that custom knifemaking isn't easy from a market standpoint. Nobody "needs" a custom knife. Its a luxury item. So if your not offering something that makes your knives more desirable then others at your level.......


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