unicornwoman

This site from New Zealand claims it is round kangaroo, but the pix isn't very inspiring. Not to mention that the $55 inspection fee from US Fish & Wildlife on all import/exports of kangaroo makes me hesitate to buy a trial sample. http://www.beadbazaar.co.nz/

The round stuff they carry is NOT marked kangaroo. Considering the price and the quality of it, I'm quite certain it is NOT.

Does anyone know if round lace is available in kangaroo? The suppliers I've dealt with do not make it. The round lace they have is from India, like the rest of it and is NOT kangaroo.

I have Bruce Grant, but sometimes he's hard to follow. I've also got books by Tom Hall and Ron Edwards. Tom Hall's method is a more detailed written method, so if you are better at reading comprehension than visual comprehension that might be a good choice. He breaks it down to a formula as well. Ron Edwards has excellent illustrations and I absolutely adore his books. Now that I carry them for sale in my business, I've been able to afford to add 1 every other order or so to my personal collection. Otherwise, they're a little hard to find already here in the USA.

Volume 29: Simplified Turks-heads by Ron Edwards is sold, but if you still need one, I can order them in with my next order.

If you don't like hassling with international payments and customs, I have a few copies HERE in the USA and can order in all the others.

Well, if you want something different, how about Ron Edwards books on Australian Stock Saddle Making? LOL! Had to throw it in! (Email me if by some freak chance you want copies.)

The bear is amazing. I don't think it needs leaves, though I do have a strong urge to see a bee or two flying around. LOL!

I have some fellow hobbyists that have been burned with fraud stuff, so I'm not laughing. It is too close to possible.

I found these up at the free auction listing site: wensy.com. They look to be antique leather postcards? leather postcard postcard2 postcard3 I may have missed some, so do a search for leather.

I feel that pricing system ends up charging the customer too much for the items that I mostly sell and the figures I posted above PROVE it on only 5 yards. It would be absolutely ridiculous on more than 5 yards. (No, customers needing more than 5 yards might not want spools as what they are wanting might be, say 2 yards in each of 4 colors and each of 3 widths. They'd much prefer to buy what they need from me than buy 24 different spools....) Also, take into account that if a package is best shipped Priority Mail that (unless Rush shipping was requested by the customer at the time of the order), I pay for that upgrade entirely myself. Also, take into account that part of my flat shipping fee was chosen to determine what type of customers I want. I'm not interested in doing business for $1 or $2. I have a major competitor that has a minimum order requirement (and she charges a shipping/handling fee on it). I wanted to position myself as different from her, so that there would be times people selected me just because I didn't have a minimum order requirement. If you want to order $1 worth of merchandise, fine, but as it still costs me a set amount to process an order, the order has to have a set shipping/handling fee. I use 1 set fee on most items because 1) it was too much of a hassle remembering the other quotes, especially when the customer at the last minute would change the order, yet pay with the original shipping quote and 2)I want larger orders, so I cover the extra costs on those from the extra cash flow of a larger order.

ABSOLUTELY NOT! IRS lets you deduct the cost of goods, but you still charge for that. IRS lets you deduct postage costs, yet you charge for that. Same thing.

Oh, definitely. I went to a real camera store when I bought my 35 mm camera. They treated me well, gave great advice, and offered classes. When I got my digital, I went back to them knowing that I was paying more, but again I was treated well and got the advice I needed to make the decision. They were worth every penny.

THANKS!!! :jump:

Hmm. The responses I'm getting to this sounds like no one understands my business. One of my main products is kangaroo-lace-by-the-yard to model horse hobbyists, who might only need 1 yard of single width/color. Now there are a lot of hobbyists that would like me to sell it for the price plus 42 cents (note: not 42 cents plus the cost of an envelope). Let's do the #'s. 1 yard of 1/8 is $1.45 per yard. The cost of labor and gas are $7.41 (using the low end of 2006 prices) By your idea, that would mean that I would be charging $8.46/yard. Then, I get to charge actual shipping costs on top of that. Boy, then on the 2nd yard I get to charge the same and the 3rd. WOW! The money is just rolling in! Now, before you think I'm just joking, there IS a fellow hobbyist that charges much in the way you suggest. She charges $2.99/yd plus $2.00 shipping. She claims to charge exact shipping for larger orders, but doesn't quote what that is. Say a person wants to purchase 5 yards. Who's the better deal? Me 5 * $1.45= $7.25 Shipping & Handling: $7.50 Total: $14.75 Her 5*2.99 = $14.95 shipping (unknown, so will use the $2.00) Total: $16.95 I repeat, I'm not ripping off anyone but myself with my shipping fee of $7.50. Now, I will grant that my shipping fee favors the larger buyer, but that IS what I want. It isn't worth my time and effort to ship out 1 yard at a time.

I calculate shipping costs separately as I feel adding it in to each and every item means that the customer that buys multiple items from you is paying more than they should. As for costs, I crunched the numbers on this on another forum back in April 2006. I'm feeling lazy so will just use those numbers again.. Note that gas and postage has gone up since then. As gas has gone up, all new shipping supplies have also gone up. It takes me about 30-60 mintues to pack an order. I prefer to ship at the PO as it is more secure. That takes 15 minutes to get there, mail, and get back. That is assuming I have the package ready to drop in the slot. If I have to stand at the counter for extra services, it takes longer. A normal business would have to pay an employee minimum wage for this task. It is unfair to think that because I'm a sole-proprietor that I should work for free. So, let's assume $6/hour as "wages" for my time. (That's about minimum wage, isn't it?) That gives us costs of: Minimum time 45-60 minutes: $4.50-$6.00 Trip to Post Office at 2006 IRS deduction rate of 48.5 cents-- 6 miles=$2.91 Right there, the cost is $7.41 - 8.91 per order WITHOUT SHIPPING SUPPLIES or POSTAGE. I currently charge $7.50. You can see that doesn't cover 2006 prices, much less today's. When I set it, I took into account what "real" companies that don't require a minimum order charge for shipping as I don't require a minimum order. I set the price on low side of that. As it doesn't cover my time, gas/wear on the car, on my postage many days, I don't feel it is excessive at all.

Thanks for the comments on my work! The thing about upping your reserve price is that then ebay charges you more.

When they changed their shipping policy last year, they had a tutorial that took you through acceptable and unacceptable. Those examples showed strict rules on what they thought a reasonable handling fee was (pretty much nothing) AND they disallowed the cost of taking a package to the PO. With gas around $3.00/gal, I'm not supposed to charge a penny for the cost of going to the PO, even if it is the easiest and most secure method of shipping for my circumstances. It doesn't matter that my local PO obviously didn't want me calling them for pick-ups for 1 package. It doesn't matter that the mail on my street has been vandalized. I'm supposed to cover those costs myself. The ebay alternatives site has only been up a week or two, so is a work in process. I've emailed the owner to LMK about that. Thanks pointing it out.

I don't know if many of you sell on ebay or not. I have used it as a supplement over the years. The last few times I've listed, however, results were pretty disappointing. When they changed the shipping fee policies, I really cut back with them as they were no longer willing to let me charge costs and I'm not in this as a charity. (Mind you at the "wages" I earn, you'd think that I was, but I do draw the line at paying for the privilege of giving my stuff away.) Now, they've changed the feedback system entirely plus lied about raising fees. There's seems to be a lot of different ways to read the new changes, but it sure looks like they're trying to put the small seller like me out-of-business with the feedback system change. A lot of sellers are upset about it and have established Feb. 18-25 as a week to boycott all buying & selling on ebay. There is also a lot of interest in alternate venues for selling. I've been pleased at discovering that there are quite a few out there. This site will give you links to a bunch of alternatives if anyone is interested. ebaying alternatives CNNMONEY has a good article on the exodus: Ebay Rivals ....

I've posted a larger version on my website: Spanish Riding School Set -- large pix

I have the following books by Ron Edwards here in the USA, ready to ship. All copies are new, but some have production imperfections/slight shipping damage, so are sold-as is.: Volume 8: Homemade Leather Tools by Ron Edwards: Most basic tools can be readily made by practical people using these fully illustrated techniques. Make only one tool and the book pays for itself. Paperback. 20 pages, 87 drawings. US$15.00 Volume 10: Counterlining Stock Saddles by Ron Edwards: Originally part of Making a Stock Saddle but now a separate book on counterlining to add years to an Australian Stock Saddle’s life. Paperback. 20 pages, 35 drawings. US$15.00 Volume 18: Bridles Plaited & Plain by Ron Edwards A full-scale saddlery book about braiding bridles, but great reference for the scale-miniature artist. This book teaches how to plait an attractive bridle, a plain bridle without rings or buckles, and also a bushman's extended head bridle and a Barcoo bridle. Plus a section on making a permanent bridle from rope, a method used in the East. Paperback. 32 pages, 194 drawings. US$15.00 Volume 29: Simplified Turks-heads by Ron Edwards: Edwards had already written his book Turk’s-heads, when he realised that they took quite a time for the beginner to learn. He reasoned that there had to be an easier way to tie standard Turk’s-heads. It took some years before the startlingly obvious answer to the problem dawned on him, and this book is the result of this realisation. The whole of this book could be condensed down to the first three pages, for they are all that is needed to learn the method, the rest of the book consists only of examples to show how the method works for different sorts of knots. This method reduces the process down to a few rules that could be learned in a very short time. In addition to a slightly different method of learning Turks-head knots than that presented in Turks-heads, this book also shows how to do super wide knots with few parts and super long knots with few bights. Personally, I feel both are valuable books . Paperback. 28 pages, 196 drawings. US$15.00 Knots for Horse-lovers by Ron Edwards One of our most popular books for people interested in horses. Every horse lover should know a few basic knots, and this book presents all the ones you will probably ever need. It contains step by step instructions on how to tie 29 knots, plus full details on how to a Headstall with Fiador Knot, Rope Halter, Plaited Rope Halter, War Bridle, & Rope Bridle. It shows 2 types of splicing. Paperback. 235 drawings, 44 pages. US$15.00 Making a Stock Saddle by Ron Edwards: A full-scale saddlery book, but great reference for the scale-miniature artist wishing to make the AUSTRALIAN Stock Saddle. Also, included in the book is a history of the Australian Saddle's Development. Paperback, 120 pages, with 260 line drawings. US$30.00 The Mongolian Saddle book by Ron Edwards: A full-scale saddlery book about Mongolian Saddles, but great reference for the scale-miniature artist. Paperback. 44 pages with lots of line drawings. US$15.00 email me for shipping & payment options.

I can't find your website. You simply MUST post that pix on your site so I can forward the link to my non-leathercrafter friends. It is just too wonderful not to share!!!!!

Congrats to you both! On the kit, I vaguely recall doing a Tandy kit where you have to skip some holes and leave them unlaced on the lining? Was that why it didn't all line up? Pardon me if it is a dumb question. I haven't done a wallet in a while.

I picked up some dyed/finished goat from them in Fort Worth before Christmas. I like it, though the white was a bit scruffy with marks. But, it's hard to get a good thin finished white, so I bought some anyway. The Dark Brown was better quality. I think it was all an odd lot purchase though.

I'm not managing to get the system to accept larger pictures and I'm out of time to try at the moment.