Jump to content

nstarleather

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    1,998

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by nstarleather

  3. Posted · Report reply

    9 hours ago, LatigoAmigo said:

    I understand why @Squilchuck posted what he did.

    Several internet trolls, like Frodo and Chuck, polluted what used to be a wonderful leatherworking site that had been filled with positive energy and good leatherworking information, and turned it into a site peppered with disruptive and negative energy.. For the most part I have quit this site, because it has really gone downhill. 

    For example, look at what Frodo posted, showcasing his very sophisticated leather working skills... NOT. Absolute garbage. He has no idea what he is doing, or why. I think that it's important to let the moderators and the advertisers know how we feel about the state of affairs here, so I'm glad to see someone speaking up about it.

    Be careful about mentioning  letting advertisers know, I was banned for months because the site’s owner suspected me of contacting the advertiser who pulled out around that time.  I still don’t have access to messaging, like everyone else on this site.  Freedom of speech apparently only applies to trolling.

  4. Posted · Edited by nstarleather · Report reply

    8 hours ago, Squilchuck said:

    Just browsed the "unread list" as I do each morning with my coffee. Biggest conversation threads were gun control and abortion. Leatherwork? Guess I'll take a break from regular reading and check back when I have questions. I've enjoyed reading the forum over the years and learned a lot about leatherwork from members. Also, it seems like saddlery posts have dwindled to a bare trickle, if that, so losing interest on that account too. Cheers!  John 

    Yeah my habit is to click "all activity" and yeah 40%-50% is off topic...I don't spend nearly the time on here I once did.  I've asked repeatedly to make the off topic forum (especially politics) opt-in but it's either impossible on the back end of the site or like Facebook, any engagement is considered a positive. 

  5. Posted · Report reply

    34 minutes ago, Rocky143 said:

    What do people use for ID windows  in wallets, etc.?

    I have had things with ID windows that "melted" photocopy ink which then became fused into the window material.  Does anyone know why that happens?  How do I choose materials for which that will not happen?

    What materials do you use and how do you choose them?

     

    20 minutes ago, Frodo said:

    same question. watching

    I  use a heavy duty vinyl used for windows in tents and such.  I had a tough time sourcing in bulk and  I buy 100lb rolls so my source isn't one  most of you could use... But this looks like the type of stuff you'd want:

    Tent Vinyl

  9. Posted · Report reply

    5 hours ago, fredk said:

    9 hours ago fredk said

    afair, and I may be wrong, the political chat was supposed to be in a hidden section, just like the 'life style' leather section, and you were supposed to ask to be allowed into that section. However, it appears it didn't go that way. The 'permissions' doesn't seem to work properly. I've never asked to be allowed in to the 'life style' leather section but I see everything anyone posts in there

    I’ve requested repeatedly to have the permission revoked so the first 10 posts when I click “all activity” aren’t this nonsense but, nope, still there.  Makes this forum 40%-50% political bickering vs actual leather talk.

  13. Posted · Report reply

    On 2/28/2022 at 10:38 PM, DJole said:

    I'd love to make a wallet for my brother, who coaches high school football. Using Horween's football leather would be perfect. But I don't need a whole 200 dollar plus hide.
    Where can I find smaller pieces? 

    I have one side left of oxblood Horween football print...I'm doing $4 a foot.  It's not dirt cheap but it's $80ish plus shipping (not $200).  I might also have some horween football print I could sell for even less (it's just not as pretty IMO).

     

    Oxblood3.jpg

    Oxblood2.jpg

    Oxblood1.jpg

  20. Posted · Report reply

    13 hours ago, KristinaDRawlings said:

    I know.  I'd be asked to do a discount for, say, a dozen whips.  Handmade, multi tailed, braided whips.  I'd try to be polite but essentially say no, plus you're lucky I'm not charging you double!  And that speaks not just to the amount of time something takes, and the physical effort involved, but also to the work that *not* able to do in that time.  The braided whips were the most expensive pieces we made for wholesale, but the time involved meant they were probably the lowest margin items, too.  So the time it took to clear say 500 dollars making whips was time *not* spent making maybe 1000 dollars on faster, cheaper, higher margin, smaller pieces.  And at some point you just have to pull the plug on that, or increase the price so that you won't sell too many of them!

    The other thing they don't get is that leather cost doesn't drop very dramatically once you get above a certain level.  The difference between ordering 2000 feet vs 5000 or even 10,000 is usually a low single digit percentage. 

    All the items I make that get a quantity discount are under $5 wholesale. 

  21. Posted · Edited by nstarleather · Report reply

    7 hours ago, KristinaDRawlings said:

    Scale really only works if your gear is made overseas by someone else's machinery.

    Yeah my question for them was “you want me to work harder for less money?”...we do volume discounts only on small items that we can knock out quickly: drawstring pouches, mystery braid bracelets,etc.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    A few comments about the Volume of sales:

    1.

    Know your limitations as far as volume goes. I once had a major retailer ask me if I could do a line for them, but they were talking 50,000 handbags . Even though we do a sizable volume- there's just no way to scale up like that. If we even had tried we'd have had to abandon all our old wholesale accounts....and if they canceled in a year or two, where would be be?

    2.

    Another thing to realize with volume is that "economy of scale" doesn't always apply with leather work- For example if a customer wants 500 pouches all in the same color, I can find a batch of scrap or a few hides that I've gotten a good deal on and sell for one price. But, if a customer asked me to do 10,000 all the same color/same leather, we'd have to go about buying hides and the price per piece would be substantially more. It's entirely possible that 500 pouches would be substantially less per pouch than 10,000....

    Just my 2 cents after doing this for a while...

×
×
  • Create New...