Taking Money Away From The Small Guy

[cem]

When making a wallet for example, it might just need 2 sq foot of leather. But then, there will wastage, or worse, mistakes. On top of that, for the entire side, not every inch is usable, especially when the defects are in inconvenient places. With all these adding up, if we can save on shipping, we try. If it means a little wait for the supplier, it might just be worth it. Afterall, it would also be cheaper to return the leather in the event of a problem.

That said, Springfield Leather has been treating me right and I would recommend them if you do need to go overseas like me.

How much is it (approx) to ship a side from US to Oz? It cost me $155 to ship 4 light weight sides. 2 in 4-5 oz, and 2 in 3-4 oz.

I've used Springfield for tools and such and have been very happy with their service but it's good hear a recommendation that they are good for leather as well, I haven't priced the sides yet to Oz I use heavier oz so I expect it will be about what you payed or a bit more.

That's what I have work out though whether it's more cost effective to order from overseas or just order from the Sydney supplier once the shipping cost is factored in. Also I'm not sure if I'm just getting carried away with the Herman Oak, Wickett & Craig thing at the moment because that is what alot of members use here. The leather I'm using at the moment might be perfectly fine but until I try the others I don't know if I'm missing out on some quality aspects or not. It's very frustrating to say the least I spend too much time searching for supplies rather than doing actual leatherwork but then I should be used to it as everything else I've been interested in over the years I've had the same problem Perth just isn't a big market.

[reddevil76]

I've used Springfield for tools and such and have been very happy with their service but it's good hear a recommendation that they are good for leather as well, I haven't priced the sides yet to Oz I use heavier oz so I expect it will be about what you payed or a bit more.

That's what I have work out though whether it's more cost effective to order from overseas or just order from the Sydney supplier once the shipping cost is factored in. Also I'm not sure if I'm just getting carried away with the Herman Oak, Wickett & Craig thing at the moment because that is what alot of members use here. The leather I'm using at the moment might be perfectly fine but until I try the others I don't know if I'm missing out on some quality aspects or not. It's very frustrating to say the least I spend too much time searching for supplies rather than doing actual leatherwork but then I should be used to it as everything else I've been interested in over the years I've had the same problem Perth just isn't a big market.

Spot on. I find myself doing everything other than leatherwork.

Anyway, after I went to post something on TLF's facebook page, the customer service manager emailed me. We are working out a resolution now.

I hope to eventually settle down on a couple of good suppliers that will cover tools and supplies, and then just focus on making stuff.

[lazybum]

Trust me, I know all about cramp conditions and such. My relatives in Malaysia says we Singaporeans are funny, we don't have our neighbours over unless on special occasions. But then again, they have never tried living in the "boxes" we do that we paid $800K for!

Pics are like looking at them over the internet. If you don't mind, I'd just take a peek from the corridor so you don't have to lug it downstairs. I'd be very afraid that you'd dirty it in the process and I'd feel guilty about that.

Are you interested to see the Hermann Oak?

Ok ill let you know again when it arrives

[JJLeatherworks]

If I bought a $2 a s/f side, I wouldn't expect ANY part of it worth more than $2 a s/f. If a section had a 4 s/f section that was worth $10 a s/f it would stand to reason that it would be cut out and sold as a shoulder, back, bend or whatever at $10 a s/f. $2 x 20 s/f = $40. $10 x 4 s/f + $2 x 16 s/f =$72.

As for Tandy, it is geared for hobbyists and part time leather workers. They are everywhere with retail storefronts; whereas places like Springfield, W/C etc. are usually only in one location with the retail storefront only a small part of the total sales. The overhead of having many stores is picked up in the prices for the convenience of the consumer. Because I have three Tandy stores within 50 miles of me I can go and pick though the leather. A lot of what we make uses small pieces of leather and the scrap bin at one store has some top quality leather from a local luggage company. Some of the scrap leather is better than what the store is selling.

I can understand the frustration, but when you are buying something as variable as leather and you are getting it mail order, the piece on the top is what you are getting. If you have a working relationship with a company they might pick through it for you. However, just as in the store where the buyer is picking though it, eventually only the poorer pieces are left. When the manager decides that there is not enough good pieces left for that grade, they become the sales items. I would not expect that a top quality side to have made it all the way down the chain and have not been picked up. (Same thing with the scrap bin, when they get a new shipment, the selection is good, after a while not so good and sometimes not worth the scrap price.)

Edited March 3, 2011 by JJLeatherworks

[Crimson]

Hi Reddevil,

I once ordered a batch of Craftsman oak tooling sides (2-3 oz) from Tandy and most of them are useable and clean. I think it all voice down to luck when making leather purchase online. All the best in your talk with the Tandy manager, I do hope they can provide a satisfactory resolution to your issue. Lastly, dont give up on this hobby, I think you do great wallet.

Regards,

Boon

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Something that Reddevil, Lazybum, and Crimson should consider is combining orders to help keep costs down. It is called a group buy.

A few years ago I was working with parts kits, these are de-miled military weapons, mostly obsolete machine guns that have had the receivers cut. One website put together group buys, so that individuals could get the lower prices that dealers got. The way it worked was that by combining our orders we were able to get the volume requested by the wholesaler to give a discount. In some cases that meant 10-25 units, sometimes it was 100 units. Once he had the required number of potential orders, he would finalize the deal. Some wholesales would only ship to him which required him to repackage, and reship to the individual purchasers. Other wholesales would drop ship to out individual addresses.

Depending on how far apart each of you is from the other this may help everyone out, as some of our discounts were pretty substantial-in some cases over $100 per kit.

Now just a note on parts kits. Here in the USA they can be used to repair legally owned machine guns of that model, used to build sample machine guns for various agencies/dealer uses, converted to non functioning displays, or legal semi auto only firearms for non Class 3 shooting. All above the board and with full approval by the BATFE.

[shoes]

i use Springfield and Weaver for ALL my leather and tools. the latigo and veg from Weaver is FLAWLESS!! cant say enough good about Kevin at Springfield and Paul at Weavers

[joe59]

I started using Sheridan Leather for most all of my leather needs. Luke and Vandy are excellent people to work with. They will take the time to talk with their customers to find out what you are looking for. I've seen them at the leather shows and they have a great attitude. It dosen't matter if you deal with in person or over the phone the coustomer service is second to none and their leather is top notch.

JOE

[reddevil76]

Thanks guys for all the feedback and encouragement. I have managed to work out a most satisfactory resolution with Jim, the Customer Service Manager of TLF.