Wicket and Craig salesman

[jrny4wrd]

Ok. I get it. Its me. I guess I just wish there was a sales person who actually worked with leather. But, I guess there is no point if you know the leather and know exactly what you want. 

[JLSleather]

I've never been aware of any "bulk prices" available.  Possible I'm not writing big enough checks! 

[MADMAX22]

2 hours ago, jrny4wrd said:

Ok. I get it. Its me. I guess I just wish there was a sales person who actually worked with leather. But, I guess there is no point if you know the leather and know exactly what you want. 

I guess I dont really understand what you are really asking for. 

Are you asking for prices that are not listed on there website (bulk orders)? If so then your well beyond the "craftsman" type of business. There prices listed on the website are fair prices compared to any of the standard retailers. HO is a little better pricing if you order there quantities however WC will split a single side down and send it your way if thats what you want. 

If your asking for advice on what leather to use for a specific job/project then I think  that would be a question better suited to the forums here so that you can get input from those who make things all day long as there primary/secondary job. WC like HO has a limited selection (harness/bridle/tooling/latigo....) and pretty much all of these can be split down and back side refinished. Just remember the splitting usually gets in line with current orders so could take a little longer to process your order. Still they have always been within 2 weeks for my orders which is fine considering it has to ship across the country. 

 

[JLSleather]

See, now you're getting into why I said it's easier to deal with the same person as much as is possible.  Your sales rep might then ask -- without going through all of that again - if you would like to order skirting, drum dyed, but not necessarily "struck thru", split to 8 oz thickness, holstered, backs (not sides), ... and all that's left to ask is how many and will there be anything else today

 

[MADMAX22]

Yep thats understandable. I guess I kind of didnt follow exactly what the OP was really asking for. The sales men/ladies at WC have there own extensions and will transfer you to the person you want or if they are gone will pull up your account which has the details from your previous orders (even if its been a while) which ofcourse you have a handle on. 

[jrny4wrd]

In my experience, every company has sales people they prefer and ones they don't. My question was (before too much info) if anyone feels they have the best salesperson there. I do have one but never tried any others because I have a tendancy to just stick with one. No matter what, you order enough from one person and they will start to remember. I only ordered a handfull of times and was given what I wanted. Love their leather and they get you what you want. I really like WC but was curious. As for what I was asking for that rose the question. If there are Bulk discounts or if the price is how it is, which is fare. That is all. I realize now that the question may not be as simple as one thought since they do do a whole lot more than Herman and oak.

[jrny4wrd]

Thank you everybody for taking the time to respond. I will be staying with the same person and just take it as me having distrust in salespeople. I have worked for sales in companies for a long time and just grew a great distrust. It seems to be an issue of mine I have to put aside. Again, thanks.

[JLSleather]

I personally don't want somebody "recommending" stuff for me.  Bought something on ebay once, and got a SLEW of crap.. "you might also like ... blahblah"...

Now, if I'm using the same "guy" all the time, he may be able to suggest.. 'hey-we got that in burgundy now if yer interested' and that might be worth hearing about.

W/C folks don't bother me.  But don't git me started about realtors and insurance "brokers"... can't really come up with a legitimate reason for those at all

Seriously, yer sellin' yer house, and I'm buying it, so some THIRD PARTY gets thousands of dollars WHY ..????!

Then, leather "retail" suppliers are largely the same thing.  W/C sell me a side of EB for about $250.  Knowing that, WHY would I pay someone ELSE to sell me that same side for $300+ ?  Perhaps the only exception being that it's right there in front of me, I might pay the mark-up just so it's "in hand" and I can see what I'm getting when I'm getting it....

 

 

 

 

[pogue44]

Funny you asked this question I had the same question about 6 months ago but didn't ask for any advice.    

I am pretty new to leather working so what I experienced with WC might help someone else.  So here is the story:

Last winter I knew I was going to be driving through PA and past the WC factory so I emailed Matt.  Never heard a word back from him.  Total silence.  So about a week later I randomly picked Elizabeth to e-mail.  She e-mailed me back immediately and was incredibly helpful providing pricing and also sent me some specific samples so I could narrow down choices.  I told her in follow up that I was planning on coming to PA and would it be ok to visit the factory?   She said that was absolutely ok.  Unfortunately she was going to be on vacation on the day I was scheduled to come.  But here is where the top flight customer service kicked in on the part of their sales staff...she handed me off to another sales person who was going to be there who was actually pretty new to the job.  She didn't miss a beat and neither did he.  So when I arrived I had a contact and an ok to do a factory tour and also a source for the product I wanted to purchase.

When I got to WC it was a cold winter day but the factory was warm.  The sales staff gave me a complete factory tour (he spent about an hour with me for the tour and then some more time later also).  Then I had some product questions so he handed me off to some production guys who spent about another hour with me.  Then I wanted to go through some stacks of hides and they took some time to help with that too.  Altogether I was there for probably 3 hours and I left with EXACTLY what I wanted.  I also took home 5 bellies which cost $10 each from the cull piles for me son who is learning leather crafting.

There was no push and no shove out the door, in fact just the opposite, I felt like I could have stayed there longer and they still would have been helpful.  I actually felt bad because I am probably not ever going to be that big of a buyer so I tried to keep my inquiries to a minimum and to what was necessary.  What I can also tell you now was that I learned a TON by actually visiting the factory.  So I am very glad that I went.  I can also tell you that in this journey I talked with or met most of the sales staff.  Never did see Matt.  I'm sure he is a very nice guy, and probably very busy too so he was probably busy you other folks on here who buy a lot more stuff than me

Also along the same lines-

I have had a very similar experience working with the guys at Thoroughbred Leather in Louisville.  I live local to them so I drop by on occasion to ask some questions.  Those guys have been over the top helpful in pointing me in the right direction.  They have also been very patient as I have looked to source stuff in their warehouse.  As most everyone already knows there are subtle differences between TB and WC and I have used both sources with very good success.  

I am really bad about wanting the exact right hide/ color/ thickness for projects so I don't buy anything ever until I see it/ touch/ smell/ taste it (lol).  These two supplies have been excellent to work with.

Hope this helps...

[CaptQuirk]

I used to do sales, auto parts to be exact. I also had to do a lot of "telemarketing" and "cold calling" to get those sales. Those that stuck in and became customers became MY clients. I took their calls, placed their orders, filled them myself, and shipped them. I got to know my clients, their shops and what worked best for them. I even found ways to make some deals that worked out for them.  But, that was a small company, and a long time ago. I miss that interaction.