Achiving collectable status

[Evil Monkey]

By the 80s he realized people were ordering guns from him then selling them for a profit since he worked too cheap.

That's exactly why I don't do engraveing for people. I'm not comfortable charging much and i would be extremely ticked if I found out someone was just selling and profiting from my work.

[t.caster]

EvilMonkey...Cody T, is that you? Your not a new member! Git yer post count updated!
When I see someone who just sold one of my guns, (not often, but for profit...of course ) I always ask for a cut of his profits. Think I ever got any? I won't build for him again

[Acer Saccharum]

I think if you undercharge, someone will see the extra value they got for a pittance, and the easy money starts to eat away at their resolve to keep the gun. Greed takes over. Or necessity.


If you are worried about someone taking advantage over your work at a later date, then charge more. I don't know how that would work, but it seems reasonable to me. Maybe you would lose the sale, or people just wouldn't buy? I think it's all wrapped up in your marketing, your belief in your own work, in the visibility of your work and your person. Too much to know what the answer is in my experience.

[Evil Monkey]

EvilMonkey...Cody T, is that you? Your not a new member! Git yer post count updated!

Actually, I don't want my post count updated. I felt like a geezer with all those posts attributed to me. Being a 'new member' with only a few posts makes me feel young again . Besides, somewhere along the way my post count got artificially inflated by about 2000 posts so now I can sorta track some realistic numbers. In the unlikely event that I want to sell something, I may have to bribe a mod to boost my count to 25 .

[Leatherbelly]

  I don't know if I'm qualified to post in here,but,If I were a builder(and I'm not),I would build the kinds of rifles and smoothbores that I like. Take no orders. Just build the kind that appeal to me.If I got famous,so be it.If I remained in anonymity,so be it also.
  Building a style of gun that didn't appeal to me,for example, I'd  most likely not have my "heart" in it and I would not be satisfied with my work. But on the contrary,if the project appealed to me,well it just makes most sense to me.Thanks for  the opportunity to chat with the Artisans.

[northmn]

This idea was also discussed on the old site.  Barbie made a comment about promotion and how some of the better promoters do not necessarily do the best work.  Her dad claims that the article in Fox Fire really helped him (Jim Chambers is obviously not one of those that does not do the best work).  We have far more builders now that do fine work as compared to the earlier times when Chambers and House got started.  I think in some ways the kits have helped as they permit one to do the finer work before they get tired of looking at the project.  Promotion also helps make the work visible and gets it out to the correct people.  I will restate a thing I heard from a knowleadgeable bow dealer.  Black Widow bows cost the buyer an extra $200 in advertising costs as well as labor and mateials.  They are good recurves with a lot of satisfied users, but I question if they are the Mercedes Benz of bows as they claim.  They sell a lot of bows and have a name as top of the line.  Promotion does require that the promoter at least has a certain level of quality to back their claims.

DP

[B Shipman]

DPHARISS, Dan, Don King rifles I think are extremely undervalued. He was on the top of the pile in the 80's. His work is in Contemporary makers by Robt. Weil.  So he had "exposure". Constantly featured in the Buckskin Report as an authority. (The best ML mag that ever was).

Everyone has a Niche.  His was the "buckskinner"who was willing to pay a grand or more for a top notch rifle. It stuck. It could have been more but it wasn"t.  If you see a rifle like the one pictured for $4000 you've got a REALLY good rifle for the price.

Everyone has a niche.  I look at myself. All you have to do is look at my website. I can't give a rifle away for $ 3000. Or $4000. At $6-7000 I'm busy forever. Example: I've got all the parts to make a S. Mtn. rifle with hand forged hardware with a long fancy tang and very cool side opening patchbox with silver inlay and engraving, and a Bill Large barrel,  tapered, .93 to .85. .43 cal. If I priced it at $2800, it would sit for a year. Go figure.( I may do it anyway, just for fun.)

[don getz]

You will know when you have reached that point when they come up to your table and say, "where's that gun everyone
is talking about?".    Even when you reach that point, you must go out there and show your face to the public.  We have
been urging Allen Martin, Mark Wheland, and others to go along to Friendship (when we now go), or other places, even
tho they may have enough orders to keep them busy.  You must get out there and be recognized.  That is one of the things that make Dixon's and the CLA show so great.  .....Don

[Dphariss]

You will know when you have reached that point when they come up to your table and say, "where's that gun everyone
is talking about?".    Even when you reach that point, you must go out there and show your face to the public.  We have
been urging Allen Martin, Mark Wheland, and others to go along to Friendship (when we now go), or other places, even
tho they may have enough orders to keep them busy.  You must get out there and be recognized.  That is one of the things that make Dixon's and the CLA show so great.  .....Don

But this is assuming that you will go someplace and have a table.
As you point this is a failing. Basically hiding ones light under a bushel sort of thing. But sites like this can change that, assuming the person is computer literate.

Dan

[lew wetzel]

there are so many fantastic builders today and so many that want to be great builders that there is not a lot of room for getting to be well known or famous.you really have to work hard and never stop promoting yourself.

[George Sutton]

Just an observation guys. It's like any other art form. There are literally thousands of great artists who's work will never be seen and thousands of great musicians who's music will never be heard.

I envy all of you guys. I don't have the talent to cut a board straight.

Centershot