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That is very beautiful. Did you create the design yourself?

You might get better results if you search Google for "Asian water buffalo". Japanese water buffalo are also called Asian water buffalo.

Mine is a bit long too. Sorry, in advance, for the length and for being so passionate about it.. @tugadude, been in business, set up a business for someone else, got it into the black within a year (my 75 year old CPA could hardly believe it) and then left - owner was a greedy, corrupt person and I refused to do anything even a little shady. So yes. Been there, done that, in the tech world, in the Bay area. Just don't talk about it. That is all. It does not define me as a person. Yes, setting up a business is very difficult. Yes, there are clueless people in business. No idea why people starting businesses don't go to their local SBA chapters for some guidance. They are very helpful and informative. Anyway, all that you say is true but that still does not excuse substandard work. Whatever the hurdles in business and they seem endless sometimes, if I had not provided good service I would not have had loyal clients. It is similar in any business. In the leather business the only thing is, people might not buy as many leather items like, for example, clothes, and therefore there is less risk in selling goods that are not very well done. And clothes? People know quality. They go to a Walmart for inexpensive clothes, Macy's for a little better and the high end stores for expensive or maybe the consignment stores too. So people know clothes - good and bad. The same with footwear. Why not leather then? So while I agree with Chuck that companies can charge whatever they can get for their goods, why are the general public not being made aware of the great leatherwork being done? Why are companies producing substandard work almost hijacking the industry? We see not very well made items being sold at exorbitant prices everywhere. People are willing to pay? good for them. But what happens to the leather industry and the good leather craftsmen and the beautiful work that they produce? One other issue is that with not well made products selling for so much, people might be reluctant to even look at better produced items, believing them to be out of reach. So these items are giving a false impression of that as well. It all comes down to informing the public. I know I keep on about it - my hobbyhorse - but I really feel strongly about this when I see the beautiful work done by so many here and what I have had available through the years. I examine some of the leather I bought through the years and... they are okay. Not great. If we all cheer those who charge exorbitantly for not very good stuff, that is all that is finally going to remain. And future generations will look at old items made by an extinct generation of craftsmen and wonder at the talent. Okay that sounds morbid and is improbable..at least I hope so. I know I am very new to this craft and will never be one of those who does stunning leatherwork. But I can appreciate it when I see it and I see so much here, and there is so much more out there that I do not get to see. I feel really sad about the cheap stuff getting so much exposure when there are such talented craftsmen who don't get that. Those who produce such gorgeous leatherwork are artists and should be valued, their art valued. Not allowed to get hidden under the flood of indifferent, mass produced items. Better stop now.

@Klara, I agree about belts. Simple belts are as nice as elaborate ones. But the prices are a bit much on that site, don't you think? Websites can be created and maintained without much expense. See, WordPress and AEM are two of several Content Management Systems which people can use to build and maintain their own dynamic websites, including payment processing, that takes away the need for IT departments or consultants to maintain content on a website. It is a simple process where one is guided every step of the way. It can all be set up at a very reasonable cost, less than $500.00, and the only thing to maintain is the license. And these websites can be viewed on any browser, any operating system, and on any screen size. In fact, many websites that we see online are built using WordPress. If you look at the bottom of the screen, that appears in small print. And @ToddW, I completely agree. Mexico and other countries do produce good quality leatherwork as well as not such good work. That happens everywhere. Unfortunately, the not-so-good work is cheaper and sells the most. In the process, people have little chance of knowing what good quality is. Another drawback is that those countries get a reputation of producing substandard work, which is sad for the leatherworkers there who do produce good quality work. The other issue is, leatherwork has very low bars for entering the field. So any and everyone thinks they can get in and get by with producing the type of work we see out there, selling on the cheap. So good quality leatherwork gets pushed to the side more and more.

Two things: Reviews are always to be taken with a pinch of salt. Myriad ways to fake them. Secondly, about people liking these goods - when they have no idea what good quality is, how will they know they are getting substandard quality? That they like these goods itself shows they are completely clueless. No one here commented on the quality of the leather; it is the workmanship that is shoddy. and there is no denying that. Poorly made edges for example, will remain so - being stitched, they might not come apart for a few years but will continue to appear shoddy, to those in the know. Large stitching holes that remain obviously open will gather dirt, but then, the user will probably think it is natural 'aging' of the leather. There is no getting around the fact that the items are poorly made. The approval of an ignorant public is just fooling them, don't you think? That they continue to fool people in no way means they sell quality products; it just means they have lucked onto a product that people know very little about and can get by with a minimum of effort and poor quality.

There is really no excuse for substandard products. Whatever the business expenses. Hobbyists do not live on free air and water. We have had professional lives too and many are aware of the expenses involved in starting and running a business and gaining success. But any business that spends so much on the bells and whistles that it cannot afford to spend on providing quality products has a bad business model. If this site is successful, it is for a different reason. It is because people who buy these items are unaware that the goods are substandard. They have no standard to compare them with. How will they know what is good and what is not? There are leatherworkers making beautiful items and those are worth paying for. Substandard things like this are not. Those items from Mexico and the far east? They cost less and are substandard. They cost what they are worth. Comparison shopping on Amazon? Yes we all do that. But that is not where one goes to get good quality in anything. And many other sites are similar to this one. Impressive shells, quality often missing. The main issue is clearly that most people have no idea at all about how to recognize quality leather goods. Until that changes - no idea how - sites like these will sell such items at exorbitant rates, and there is nothing we can do about it.

Love the Pinocchio idea and your Pinocchio face is really nice.

Badly made, I agree. Not worth a 10th of the price they charge. @RockyAussie is correct. People get blinded by beautiful web-sites and think a sophisticated website equals quality. Most of them are unaware that such websites can be created for very little (less than $50!) using WordPress, even by non-techies. And of course, people are unaware of what good quality is, in leather goods. So they accept such sub-standard goods, thinking that is how it should be. An insult to all the good leatherworkers everywhere, if you ask me.

I seem to be getting such emails as well - many are spam, phishing to collect confidential information like bank details and SSNs. The scams are more and more sophisticated these days. I always call the actual company and I have yet to find even one of the emails to be authentic. Yet, they appear absolutely authentic in the emails I receive. I view the 'raw message'. Checking that carefully, you can determine if the message is in fact from eBay or somewhere else. eBay or amazon or other companies will not send emails via google or yahoo or other such email service providers.

@fredk, That is a sound plan. If he agrees to pay the 1st deposit, I could follow that. Let me see what he says.

@dikman, Could not find your posted pic of the carved holster but don't sell yourself short. We find faults in our own work that others do not notice. I do plan to do some carving. Looked up a pattern last night. Maybe I will start today. @Chuck123wapati, that is exactly the conclusion I have slowly been reaching. You stated it very clearly. I really wish there was someway we could educate people about leatherwork. So many of them want it but seem to want to pay even less than what they would pay for the cheap goods from the East. I sometimes wonder if people give their senses of sight and feel a holiday while looking at hand-made leather items. Can't they see the difference in the leather used, the intricacies of the work, the talent of the artist? And yes, leatherworkers are artists. So much of the tooling and even the designing I see here is awe-inspiring.

Never thought of that. Will try it. Thank you.

@dikman, Yes I am not stressing on stamping. I spend a lot of time on this forum, where I learn so much and when I see the gorgeous things people make, I feel a little wistful. That is all. Once I start practicing I suppose I will get better at it at some point. I recently read an article about using a credit card or something similar to keep the stamps straight. Maybe that will help. About machines, I completely agree. I should get something suitable for my needs at a price I do not feel guilty about. I can wait. There is so much to learn first. Then I will know what I need. YouTube videos are such a blessing, I wonder how we managed to learn anything pre-internet that oldies like me actually remember! But see, with carving, I actually have to put a knife to leather to learn and it is a shock how awkward it is when it looks so easy in the videos. LOL Practice Practice Practice.

That's why the 2 colors. And liquid electrical tape. Did not hear about it before today. Must look into its uses. Uttam will be interested. When you use old purses, how do you get rid of the smell? That is one thing I have difficulty with. Some get clean fast, others not so.

Brilliant!

Very true!

@fredk That is something I could do. A single stamp I cannot mess up. A good use of some stamps I picked up for a song this week-end. I'll certainly try that.

@ALZilla, that is so true. The knives are not his. They belong to a person who was a life long collector and passed away some time ago. This person, John, is taking care of disposing of the estate. So even he might not have an idea about the value of the knives. They might all be the J C Penney type, for all I know. Getting a beautiful sheath ready for my husband is a good idea; only I am an absolutely novice at tooling. Everything goes wonky and even stamping is never in a straight line no matter how much care I take, so I need a lot more practice before I can think of making anything usable at all. I am a long way from making a beautiful tooled or carved sheath, unfortunately. All I make are simple sheaths. I can dye, stitch and burnish reasonably well, but that is about it. At this point in time, the more I think about it, the more I think that I am not yet ready to sell anything. I need to learn a lot more and be confident about it to some extent, before I can sell. And anyway, I got into leatherwork as a hobby rather than a possible profession. So that is something to think about as well. People keep talking about opportunity knocking. Hmm. Let's see what happens. It is still a month or two before John gets back to me.

@bruce johnson that is eye-opening, for newbies like me, especially. It is not a rant at all. You are perfectly right that we have paid for every inch of the leather, scrap or otherwise and I admire your late first wife who was so talented and imaginative at using up every last bit, even through the pain of illness. Very inspiring. Thank you for this post.

Yes. That is the sensible thing to do. Regardless of whether I buy a machine or not, a waiting list is needed. I am still reluctant to buy a machine at this point. I hate to spend unless absolutely necessary. Keeping friends and family happy can be done only up to a point. Maybe I should offer to teach them as well!

@ dikman, I agree. I doubt John will pay much for the time taken to hand-stitch. If was a couple of sheaths, I might have agreed to a lower price but so many? It will be maddening and it could end up putting me off leatherwork. I am more and more wondering about the whole thing. And I see your point about pricing - I feel odd too, quoting a fair price. One of the many reasons I have refused to make anything for anyone outside family up to this point. Of course, that I do not have sufficient experience to make more than simple moccasins, bags and knife sheaths is another reason but why say that? LOL

Those are pretty! I know of several young ladies who would wear them. Several not-so-young as well!

@Klara Yes, I am living in a city with everything close available by. I plan to continue hand stitching but may buy a machine in the future. Hearing that I do leatherwork, my daughter wants things made by her mum. I want to make things for my husband and her and her fiance (nothing as satisfying as having loved ones using things that are your labor of love) and family and friends are slowly dropping hints too! So unless I buy a machine to speed up things, I will have to keep turning people down. As for John, who wants inexpensive knife sheaths, I asked him why he did not make them himself. He said he had thought about it but then decided against it. Maybe I could offer to teach him.

Those are beautiful!.

@kgg, yes. I needed that starting point. Now I can keep looking until I am ready to buy. It is better this way. @Baliskner, yes $15 is fine for friends and family. Usually, it is just the cost of the raw material is it not? But for others, maybe leatherworkers should educate the public about the work that goes into making leather items. They seems to think it is of less value than the cheap merchandise from the East.