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Gulrok

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Posts posted by Gulrok

  1. Posted · Report reply

    1 hour ago, LoveLock said:

    There's a online company that has a video on each product page of a guy handling the leather. Nice way to see temper, color under room lights, and thickness that pictures often can't show.

    One thing that I like from fabric/apparel suppliers is information on whether an item is reorder-able or not. There's times I've planned work around a particular leather that's suddenly not available anymore and it's product page has disappeared.


    So that's a good point - is it a short-stock item? Or is it a planned restock able.

    Good advice. 

  2. Posted · Report reply

    11 hours ago, billybopp said:

    I'd suggest offering different shipping options at the customer's choice.  Where I live, USPS all too often loses things.  When they don't loose them, the simply leave them on my front steps on a fairly busy street, with no knock and no notification.  Things get stolen that way.  UPS and FedEx tend to do a far better job of actually knocking at the door and sending a notification as the package is delivered if nobody can answer the knock right away.  Your customers know who does a good job at deliveries and who does not, let them choose.  It should also help you to avoid having to replace things that go missing before they are received, saving you over-all.

    When shipping liquids, put them in a zip-lock bag or something to avoid them messing up everything else in the box if it the bottle should get broken in transit.  You may have to replace that item, but won't have to replace everything else when that happens.

    And... Agree what all I've seen above as well!

    - Bill

     

    2 hours ago, Klara said:

    I agree with billybopp, only where I live the normal postal service is the most reliable. I am not happy if I am forced to use UPS or similar...



    Definitely multiple shipping options. We find that USPS has lost a handful of packages as well. 

  3. Posted · Report reply

    2 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

    i don't have issue with selling low grade leather if you are honest about it. My biggest issue and i wont give folks a second chance is selling low grade leather for higher grade leather. If you say its b grade for example it better be. This is something that is done frequently i feel by some companies either because they don't want to hassle with sending crap back to their supplier or some times intentionally.

    Last thing i want to hear is if you don't like it just send it back. I wont waste any more of my time to send it back so the seller can pawn it off again to some unknowing schmuck. But i will leave the review and not buy again and i have mentioned it on this forum as well as anyone willing to listen.

    My true to life example , i ordered leather that was advertised mid grade which should be something along low b or c i under stood there would be bad spots, bug bites and a brand no big deal i knew there would be waste but what i received was d grade or even worse, leather that was mostly waste, the grain side almost totally shredded by some machine during the tanning  process. the damn thing shouldn't have even left the tannery. Herman oak to boot! For your own good don't ruin your reputation or the tanneries rep by passing that crap on.

    I too believed that some companies are "regrading" leather to make a quick buck. This is a hill I will die on. 

    We've gotten leather that is so messed up that was advertised at A grade that I didn't believe it was possible. For instance we once bought a W&C side that had a gouge down the middle, advertised A grade. I have photos of it somewhere and will upload if I find it. 

     

  4. Posted · Report reply

    7 hours ago, Doc Reaper said:

    I don’t like it when they send you crap that they wouldn’t purchase if they were a regular customer!!!’

    Is was a side of 5/6 ounce leather and I was charged for 27 square feet. The side had a hole in it that 2 larger folks could use as a hula hoop, I returned it by hand, the manager I spoke with said he sent it, even said how unblemished it was, when I unrolled it his mouth dropped open. At that point he found a great side and paid for my gas


    I have personally dealt with awful pieces which would never be able to be used as well. 
     

    7 hours ago, Klara said:

    I hate it when shipping cost goes UP with order value. Intellectually I realise that I have to pay the shipping somehow, but I'm still more likely to order if shipping is free. Or free above a certain amount. 


    For most things over a certain amount you make enough that shipping can be free. Totally agree. Flatrate shipping up to xyz, then free after.

     

     

    7 hours ago, Handstitched said:

    @Gulrock You don't say where you are located ? 

    Here in Australia, the biggest problem is....we don't have enough tanneries, and not enough suppliers ...therefore, up goes the cost, because most of it comes from O/S. Freight costs is something no-one can control . 

    Here in Oz, our " express post" used to be just that, express, sent out the next day..or so . But now , "express" =   :dunno: sometime next week ?? 

    Suppliers need to be more descriptive in their ads . Describing what each item is used for, tools , materials etc.   especially for the newbies entering the world of leather.  

    Some things are simply out of anyone's' control. But they need to keep on top of what they have, and double check the orders. I've already have a few stuff ups this week because someone didn't read the order properly , and I end up with the wrong size, or wrong product . 

    But,on the plus side, they do their best to correct their mistakes, with no additional cost.. They haven't asked for me to send the incorrect item back , they let me keep it/them. They are courteous and polite , well, those that I deal with are  :) 

    Good luck in your venture .

    HS

     


    Located in New Jersey, USA. I agree there's a lot of misinformation on tools, or just images with no description why you need it. 

     

    7 hours ago, fredk said:

    Double wrap and pack orders.

    #1 company wraps hides inside each other and with heavy duty wrapping paper integral to the roll. This is wrapped in a corrugated card wrap.  Then this is put into a plastic tube bag of heavy industrial plastic, then this is put into another bag of the same. Small items such as buckles have been bagged and put into the centre of the roll. Never any damage to anything upon arrival.

    #2 company rolled 3 hides individually, with a piece of lightweight brown wrapping paper around each. These were put into a not very substantial card box and one piece of parcel tape to keep each end of the box closed. A bag of buckles, conchos etc was just placed in one end of the box. One end of the box burst partially open during transit. Fortunately not the end with the bag of fittings. But on a previous occasion it had been and the supplier had to send me the fittings again.

    Good point. Obviously thicker leathers have the issue of not being able to be tightly wound, but the thinner stuff should absolutely be able to be wound around a tube and secured. 

     

    2 hours ago, Tequila said:

    I purchased some veg tanned leather from a supplier that offered splitting.  The splitter must’ve had a problem because it was obvious that some of it had an extra layer of hide on it. To me that’s a sign of quality control, and I’ll be hesitant to buy from them again.  And no I didn’t call and tell them, I couldn’t wait another 10 days to get another piece, on the plus side the leather face was very good (holes, scars, etc.).  So for me quality control is important, if I get charged a premium price I expect a premium product. 

    Customer Service:  I’m tired of hearing excuses.  If you have a “Contact Us” section I would hope that you have someone to answer the phone/respond to email. 

    Website: Keep it uncomplicated.  I really like vendor’s sites that allow you choices to view leather by weight, tannage, cut, etc.  If I’m looking for 2oz veg I don’t go through pages of chrome, and heavy weight stuff.  I looked at a vendor’s site recently that didn’t list the tannage, so you didn’t know if you were looking at veg or chrome tanned  

    Tools:  People are different; not everyone wants expensive high end tools/equipment, but others are willing to pay for a quality product, clearly labeled choices are nice.  If you’re going to sell stamps seeing a picture of what the stamp looks like on leather with a ruler to show the size is nice. 

    Hope some or all of this helps.

    It does help. 

    I think website organization and allowing customers to filter their search by tannage/weight/etc. The truth is, that's a really simple thing. Same website tool as when you're buying a car and filtering for the right product.

    Customer communication is huge. They're bread and butter and I hate when I can't get on the phone when there's an order. 

    A splitter is not in our plan right away. Maybe something in the future. 

  5. Posted · Report reply

    9 hours ago, fredk said:

    The main problem I encounter (not too often though) is suppliers not keeping their stock records up-to-date and I put in my order only to be told days, or even weeks, later that what I've ordered is out of stock, and was when I ordered it. And even after that the supplier still lists that leather as 'in stock', available to order

    On the other hand; one supplier, which I've used for a long time, will send me small samples, about 2 inches square, of leathers, foc, when I've asked for samples

    Oh yes. Inaccurate stock records. Agreed. We deal with exactly the same issue. 



     

  6. Posted · Edited by Gulrok · Report reply

    Hi folks,

    To keep a long story short, I’m fortunate enough to be in the process of starting a leather supply and distribution company. We’ve been in our personal business for awhile now and have decided to take the plunge to the next level.

    This post isn’t an advertisement by any means and I will be very specific to not name our business or discuss until we have secured paid advertisement here on the board. (Or have full approval by the staff)

    We’re looking to solve a frustration that we have with our current suppliers and hopefully offer some more economical options for the other side of the country (east coast). In our opinion, we think we can bridge those gaps.

    With that being said, there are a handful of supply companies both good and bad. 
     

    My question here is what do some of your suppliers do right, and what do they do wrong? Please don’t name or shame any suppliers. That isn’t the goal of this post.

    For me, I think one of the biggest challenges suppliers have is keeping a well kept and manageable website. 

  7. Posted · Report reply

    7 hours ago, fredk said:

    Some folk will buy it

    KNC Syndrome

    Anyone remember the leather American style lunch bag a few years ago? Based on the standard paper lunch bag as used by 90% of US moms to put kiddies lunches in but made in leather for executives. That was selling in the $150 - $500 range


    So I've been listening to a lot of financial podcasts and marketing podcasts recently and its discussed the term "value".

    And what's interesting is that "value" is a personal opinion. Value can be anything from a status symbol, to a good price/performance, to comfort/accessibility. Value is truly internal.

    So people will buy it because they "value" it in some way or another, IMO its likely to be because of a status symbol. But its the same reason people buy BMWs, Mercedes and other luxury brands when we factually know that Toyota has a better price to performance or cost of ownership in commuter market. 

    I have personally found that most leatherworkers don't value higher priced leather products from makers like Gucci, Prada, or LV, we know what goes into it. Its the same reason that every mechanic I've ever worked with (when I worked as a mechanic) drives a beater. All about value. 

  8. Posted · Report reply

    16 minutes ago, ScottEnglish said:

    I am considering buying a Japanese paring knife. Are they ready to use as sold, or does the cutting edge need sharpening and the back flattening?

    Thanks.

    Scott

    In my experience, there are few makers that actually have a really sharp paring knife from the get-go. ( Chartermade is one example of a very sharp blade from the factory. ) 

    Most of them are already ground to shape, they just need some action on a finer grit whetstone and some stropping from leather. 

  10. Posted · Report reply

    11 hours ago, Zack00 said:

    This photo is freely available on Google, I'm not violating anything, wake up! 
    Yes, I work on a specific CNC machine. If I talk about my work, I show which machine or what tools are used to make it. It's easy! I don't have my own store. 


    Stop. I don't think you're fooling us here. 

    We're happy if you want to post about stuff that you're actually doing. The way you are writing and posting seems to imply you're a manufacturer / reseller of a laser/cnc products. Your signature has a link, you have a link in your profile to a vendor's website. You keep linking to websites to buy. Not once have you posted the work you've done or claimed ownership. Instead you've written little articles about it promoting cnc... with links.

    Your English while good for the most part but isn't always contextually correct. Its a step above broken IMO.  For example "Stop Panic" " If it's so scary, I can write posts without pictures." 

    - No one is panicking, we're calling your bluff.
    - It isn't scary, you're advertising "look what I can do" and we're debating the legality of it.

    So I have no doubt you're attempting to advertise and you're pretending to be a regular forum member in disguise.

    --

    If you want to be an advertiser here, you can be one. I encourage you to do so.  https://leatherworker.net/adnews/ad.html

     

  11. Posted · Report reply

    Just now, chuck123wapati said:

    i just don't want to see anyone get into legal troubles.

    exactly! from Zacks comments he is reselling trademarks. How about artwork can a guy just download someone's art work, photos, etc. and resell it in another format such as this?


    I look through their profile, and at the time of my post, almost all of their comments have links to a place to buy laser cutters. My guess - this is a manufacturer advertising. They have their own website listed in their bio. 

    That's my opinion though. Who knows if they'll change it when they see my post.

    --

    But that's why they don't care about infringement. They're only trying those to tell someone the machine to do the infringement. 

  12. Posted · Report reply

    10 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

    those are very cool indeed and have opened up a whole new genre of leather work but i have a question. What is the legality of using other peoples art and or trade names in your work?  i know using and or selling trade marks such as your Lexus without permission can violate the trade laws here in the US. 



    Generally speaking making something personal with a logo (which is not for sale) isn't a trademark infringement. For instance I'm ok making my own Disney t-shirt. 

    However the second I attempt to sell stuff that Disney t-shirt. I'm infringing on their trademarks.

  13. Posted · Edited by Gulrok · Report reply

    Hey!!

    I buy Korba Buffalo Calf, its real leather. My guess is its the way its made ( in India ) that causes that pattern on the flesh side. But totally real. 

    I buy it for flask wraps, so the hair side is never seen. 

  14. Posted · Report reply

    My understanding is that both machine are extremely great performers. I too struggled with the same thing - figuring out which one was better. The truth is, probably whichever one you can find a better deal with.

    I've read that the 205 is a more costly machine with parts and maintenance, but is a quieter machine. I've read that the 441 has more available parts, but can be a bit more noisy.
     

  15. Posted · Edited by Gulrok · Report reply

    2 hours ago, Tugadude said:

    Thanks Gulrock for keeping the discussion going rather than bowing out and creating your own topic.

    Please don't lecture me on what a scam is.  I'm well aware of what constitutes a scam.

    If someone here puts foil in a wallet they are not perpetrating a scam.  

    Period.

    I'm moving on now.  

    Gulrock, if this is as big a passion for you as it seems to be, start a new topic.

    You're welcome to move on, you're entitled to a different opinion about anything, especially what is a scam and what is not a scam. I am allowed to reply to comments in this thread and can chose to without starting a new topic at your request.

    The act of putting foil in your wallet is not perpetrating a scam. The act of putting foil in your wallet, marketing/advertising is as RFID blocking and ensuring it is "the only way to keep your information safe", is in fact a scam - by definition. Hence, what I said earlier about the RFID market of products being a scam.

    Now move along.
     

  16. Posted · Report reply

    15 minutes ago, fredk said:

    But it ain't a 'scam' if the customer specifies or asks for it.

    The last wallet I made for a guy he asked for the RFID protection and wanted me to show that it worked. I asked him if he thought he needed it and he was quite definite that he wanted it and said that he reckoned his cards had been skimmed and he'd lost about £5000 and didn't want it happening again.


    If you go to an insurance agent in Alaska and ask for snake insurance and they knowingly sell it to you "for peace of mind" despite there being no snakes in Alaska .. is that insurance agent scamming you? 

    The technology is a 'scam' in itself because it has been falsely marketed. 

    Here's the FBI's website on card skimming https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/skimming#Overview 

    Likely this guy lost his money due to skimming but not because of RFID Skimming.But likely due to skimming where his card is inserted into a device - like an ATM or gas pump. Not through RFID skimming which RFID blockers are advertised to block against. 

    Do I Need to Worry About RFID Protection?

    While it’s always a good idea to safeguard your wallet, the danger of contactless credit card thefts is overblown. Here’s why:

            • Criminals with a reader need to be very close to scan your card.
            • The theft is a time consuming hit-or-miss for criminals. Their victim might not even own a contactless card.
            • The RFID chip only transmits the card number.Additional information needed for online transactions, such as the expiration date or security code, can’t be scanned.
            • RFID cards now use encrypted one-time codes for each purchase.
              - https://www.cyberghostvpn.com/privacyhub/rfid-blocking/
               

  17. Posted · Report reply

    51 minutes ago, Tugadude said:

    Can I recommend a separate topic be made about the pros and cons of using RFID protection in wallets?  This thread is about how to find RFID protection sheets.  

    Whether it is a real threat or not, calling it a scam is not helpful.  That implies you are taking advantage of people.  No, you are just giving them something which may or may not be helpful.  There is nothing nefarious about it.  Sure, arguments, good ones, can be made as to whether they are necessary.  But providing the protection isn't harmful in itself.  If you think it doesn't work for its intended purpose, hey, it's still a wallet, right?

    And some will want RFID protection for peace of mind.  Some baseball players wear special socks when they pitch.  If it makes them feel better, what's the harm?

    Sometimes discussions can get divisive just based on the words we use.  Calling RFID protection in wallets a scam is an example.  It will immediately cause offense to those who believe in it.  And that's not conducive to having a polite discussion.

    Just my $.02

    A scam is "A false representation of a matter of fact—whether by words or by conduct, by false or misleading allegations, or by concealment of what should have been disclosed—that deceives and is intended to deceive another so that the individual will act upon it to her or his legal injury."

    RFID blocking is marketed as protection against something that isn't a threat - is a scam. Marketers are misleading customers into believing that they are at risk for a thing which they are not. They take action to buy a product with this knowledge.


    Its the same idea as someone selling you snake bite insurance in Alaska with a big campaign that you never know when a snake will strike. Alaska doesn't have snakes. 


    I sorry that calling it a scam offended you. 

  18. Posted · Report reply

    On 6/14/2022 at 7:23 PM, fredk said:

    Our cards and equipment must be very different. At one shop I frequent, their card reader is well behind a spit screen. I can wave my card at it  from 6 inches away and it will read my card - I have measured the distance. At one place today my card was no closer than the width of my hand - about 4.5 inches - away from the shop reader and the payment was taken

    Also when testing the aluminium tape I mentioned above, I made several small card wallets of various thickness of leather, all them to hold more than one card. I used cloth, plastic and thin leather linings as well as no lining. The only time the card readers would not read any [I used several different payments cards] of my cards was when there was that aluminium tape between the card and the reader

    The risks are not 0 - they are low but the thieves in Belfast got several thousands of £££ from hundreds of shoppers. And unless the shopper really notices they don't contact their bank over £25 - they just think they've spent it somewhere. Slightly different - but I do know of several ladies who had debit cards cloned and small amounts taken from their accounts regularly, each lady believed they'd spent that money. It wasn't until the police contacted them about the cloned cards did they find out the truth. Even I had a card cloned and my wife thought I'd spent the money and I thought she had spent it. It was all small odd amounts that looked like small purchases. It was only when our bank fraud office contacted us we found out

    A PS. Here you can get a card reader which will take a payment from your card and puts it straight into a paypal account, so that simplifies the route the stolen money gets to the thieves


    I'll play with some payment terminals that we have which are RFID enabled. 

    With the paypal account - you have to enter tons of information. Its very traceable. You don't just enter an email address and you get a free payment terminal. 

  19. Posted · Report reply

    8 hours ago, Bert03241 said:

    Mine doesn't, I design in corel save as a DXF then transfer to the laser. I think corel can talk to the laser direct but some say it doesn't work well so I never tried it. its no big deal to do it my way. Sounds like light burn is the same, you design in another program then save it as an svg then transfer it to light burn.

    Correct. We save our files as SVG or similar (dxf, etc). We import to lightburn and then use lightburn from there. I admire anyone who is able to get their laser cutter to work. It is definitely a learning curve. If you way works then it works. Thats all that matters. 

     

  20. Posted · Edited by Gulrok · Report reply

    27 minutes ago, fredk said:

    Not really a scam using blocking material

    Christmas before last N.I. police stopped some thieves using a store type card reader to get payments into their 'account'

    The thieves were doing 'sales' of about £25 a time - the card limit on contactless was £30 - and were simply going by womens' handbags in very busy & crowded shops. They passed the card reader over near the handbag and the reader took the money from the card. Police would not give full details, for obvious reasons but advised women to use a RFID card holder


    Here is the thing, a scam like that would require people to have a merchant account with valid information. It has to go through card processing and only then to a bank account. The person would have to be close enough to someone's pockets/bag to even activate it. Like very close. So close you have to about an inch on the reader.

    It is no different of a scam than someone taking your debit card at a restaurant, writing down the numbers and entering it on the computer later on.

    Fortunately, these scams don't go well because you as the customer are protected as it is fraud and you can merely chargeback, but secondly if a merchant sees numerous chargebacks, it freezes the account and refunds all the transactions. 

    RFID is a scam because the risks and likelihood of it happening is nearly 0. Even if someone does manage to stick their terminal into your bag, maneuver the card within an inch and process a payment. You're protected through your banking and government regulations. 

    EDIT: Forgot to mention - the space needs to be clear, so if you have more than 1 card in that 1 inch bubble 'dead space' it doesn't read. So general objects obstruct it. Clothing, bags, wallet material. 

    https://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/rfid-credit-cards-should-you-worry-about-protection/

    Bankrate says

     

    RFID credit cards allow you to pay with a tap, rather than inserting or swiping your card. Special RFID-blocking wallets and sleeves, despite their popularity, generally aren’t necessary for security because the technology requires an obstruction-free environment. In other words, most materials—such as a regular wallet, a purse, or a pocket—will prevent the RFID technology from working, making it tough for a scammer to tap your card without your knowledge.

     

     

  21. Posted · Report reply

    6 minutes ago, Matt S said:

    There are many reasons to use RFID blocking linings. One of the most common in my neck of the woods is avoiding "card clash" where you have multiple NFC-enabled cards in one wallet. Put your most commonly used ne (debit card for instance) in an unshielded outer pocket and your multiple others inside the protective cocoon of a Faraday cage and things work much smoother.

    Now that - is a pretty interesting idea. So yeah I could see that. To be able to just tap your wallet against the terminal. That is truly the first good argument I've heard for RFID blocking.
     

  22. Posted · Report reply

    I know you're probably not asking - but RFID blocking material is a scam. Its marketing that plays into people's mind about theft.

    RFID is supposed to block a 'sniffing' crime. AKA - someone can 'sniff' using a RFID reader and obtain sensitive information about said card. However there isn't enough information that someone can gain by 'sniffing' your cards. So much so, they can't pinpoint a single crime to RFID sniffers. 







    https://losspreventionmedia.com/are-rfid-blocking-wallets-necessary-to-prevent-credit-card-theft/

    "So, experts point out, even if someone were to successfully use a surreptitious reader, which would need to be within inches to sniff your payment information out of thin air, they would need to crack the bank’s complex algorithm to generate a new one-time code to complete another contactless payment. Contactless payment options like Apple Pay and Android Pay use near-field communication (NFC), a version of RFID, and since they require further authentication from the user, are even more secure, say analysts."

    https://www.walletopia.info/educate/rfid-is-a-scam/

    https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/all-i-want-christmas-certainly-isnt-rfid-credit-card-sleeve-grimes/



     

  23. Posted · Edited by Gulrok · Report reply

    What about a little more expensive because of shipping... but same priced machine.

    https://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb2500.html

     

    A cb2500. No reverse for the same $1395 price. But it offers the same features as the outlaw but just motorized. You can always flip your piece around 180 degrees to back stitch. 

    If I was personally buying machines again (I have a Cobra Class 4P). I would have bought the CB2500. It fits my needs exactly. I would have saved a few thousand too. 

  25. Posted · Report reply

    On 6/4/2022 at 6:01 PM, Bert03241 said:

    I was looking for an answer from him, wanted to see if he ever bought a laser , what he got and hows he doing.. I've been lasering leather for almost 6 years now. I do all my designing in Coreldraw . You'll find most engravers use this program altho Light burn is becoming popular. Its new but people find it easy to use. I won't change as Corel can do a lot more.

    I'm pretty active in laser cutting community and for the most part the laser community has shifted to lightburn for interacting with the laser. 

    Most of the laser community designs their stuff in another software like Adobe illustrator, inkscape, CorelDraw, etc... and then import the SVG file to lightburn to cut. 

    I've personally trialed CorelDraw, but I didn't know that it was able to speak to your laser natively. 

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