"Make America Great Again" and the leather trade

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

4 hours ago, JLSleather said:

I think some folks get confused about what they "can't afford" to work for.  I got a guy - used to be my buddy, but now became quite proud of what he owns, which is strange since any money he has was gained by exploiting teh work of these "illegal" people.

Anyway, he was quite proud to show me his brand new king-cab truck, with all teh options.  Had a long pretty story to go with it, about how if you're a contractor, you have to look professional - and driving a 'nice' truck makes you look professional.  

I told him when I see a guy in my drive with a truck that comes with $600/month payments, I don't see "professional" -- I see a guy who likes shiny trucks and wants ME to pay for it .

In fact, I think if he shows up again, I'm gonna ask him what size he wears, so I can order him a new skirt.

POINT IS:  What is it that keeps you from being "able to afford" to work for less?  

After bad-mouthing the immigrant, the government, and the young -- are we ourselves guilty of a bit of "entitlement"?  I mean, everybody loves to point at someone else, but I'm already seeing people who go on about saving money and saving the planet now hanging Christmas lights and decorations.  No doubt they will add the cost of these as "overhead" and add it to the cost of their goods ....

Just an example of cost - a simple 'pancake' style holster.  Pattern available free on my site for a simple Glock 43 holster (download any time you like).  That pattern will require a little over 1/2 of a square foot of leather.  THE BEST leather for teh job is sold at about $10/foot (after shipping charges - delivered).  Some waste is expected even in a good hide -- nowhere near 50%, but lets use that for this example.  So, call it a FULL square foot.  There's $10.  Throw in a dab of glue and a couple feet of thread, and you have a whopping $11.50

Now, don't line up to tell me about all the "legitimate" expenses you can think of to add on.  In case the new guy doesn't know, I have an idea what that requires   The question is rhetorical -- ask YOURSELF if you are doing what you don't think others should do ....

Because I have kids in school, I meet other people with kids (whether I want to or not).  In the last couple of years, I have met several DOZEN people who do not work.. some of them NEVER have, and do not intend to.  I've heard them complaining that the 'welfare check' was late.  One was absolutely livid when finding out that she was going to have to pay a portion of her own rent herself (she's not paying it actually, the check she gets from tax payers will just be reduced a little, but she sees the that as the same thing).  And these people are not immigrants, politicians, or youth.

Well, I guaran-fricking-tee you I can't live on what an Amishman does. Lol   For one,  because I have insurance premiums, as much as I hate them.  And I do have to have a vehicle.  I don't have time to sew my own clothes or my kid's, because I'm too busy making a living. (No spouse here with a good income, in fact no spouse at all, and just the way I like it).  My "newest vehicle is a 2002 Chevy S10, that I just bought last May. My "second" vehicle I bought new in 1999, has 216,000 miles on it, is getting to be a pile of rust,  and will likely be the one and only new vehicle I'm ever able to buy.  I don't spend much on myself. Id be willing to bet money that I live poorer than any of my customers, and probably poorer than most of the people reading this. I have NEVER had cable TV, or satellite or whatever they call it.  I grow as much of my own food as possible and cook our meals from raw ingredients.  I do have internet, obviously, but only because I need it for the business and it's pretty much required now if you have a kid in school.  I wear clothes for work that are mostly hand-me-downs. And I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture.  I'm not bitching, because I'd rather live the way I live and do what I love than to be a slave to some A-hole that wants to retire in their 40's. (Yes, I really did work for that person)  BUT I do live about as cheap as anyone can live and still have running water and electricity.  And BTW, I DO know 2 different people (not Amish) that live without running water.  No kidding, in the year 2016, neither of these people have running water in their house. 

 

[bikermutt07]

If sub-standard is the standard, why do better?

Then perhaps we should just quit playing with overpriced leather products and give China their do props for satisfying the consumer's needs.

[JLSleather]

1 hour ago, Big Sioux Saddlery said:

Well, I guaran-fricking-tee you I can't live on what an Amishman does.

Yer funny

I'm a simple guy, too.  Smart dog, truck what runs, and a decent fishin' rod, and a guy got what he needs.  

The wench wife not so much.  Spoiled brat from birth, basically.  I love garden fresh veggies, but I aint allowed to til up 'her' lawn  She sold my truck AND my Suburban, gave me a '07 van "for the mileage".  This, of course, freed her up to buy the new car ...

Oh, well --- the van works, my 7.5 foot fishin' rod fits in there without a bow in it, and there's walleye in teh river not more than half a mile from here .... 

End result, ther's some "wiggle room" in the pricing around here.  I once sold a fully tooled and lined belt for $8, just cuz somebody told me I couldn't.  And a couple incidents that cost me some money and some hours.  Wouldn't wanna make a habit of that, though.

[MADMAX22]

History is a funny thing. Hopefully we arent in the same point in time as some other well known countries were. 

 

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

1 hour ago, JLSleather said:

The wench wife not so much.  Spoiled brat from birth, basically.  I love garden fresh veggies, but I aint allowed to til up 'her' lawn  She sold my truck AND my Suburban, gave me a '07 van "for the mileage".  This, of course, freed her up to buy the new car ...

And THAT, my friend, is yet another reason why I choose to remain single:-)   My money is my money, my truck is my truck, if I screw up it's my own fault, and NOBODY is spending my hard earned  money to buy stupid shit that I don't approve of while bills go unpaid. Been there, done that, never doing it again. And he STILL asks to borrow money from me.

[cdthayer]

1 hour ago, JLSleather said:

ther's some "wiggle room" in the pricing around here

A motorcycle-riding acquaintance of mine had brought me some sewing business from time to time, sewing embroidered patches on his vest, repairing a side seam in his chaps, and one thing and another.  One day he brought in a pair of slip-on work boots that both had the back side ripped open right above the heel (a crease had finally failed in old fatigued and rotting leather when he used his bootjack to pull them off).  He just wanted me to overlap the rip and sew it back together to get just a little bit more use out of his boots.  I could do that on my boot patcher.  He was razing me about not charging him more than the boots were worth.  I didn’t think that the boots were worth very much, but understood him wanting to get by for a payday or two until he could buy a new pair.  I think my shop labor rate at the time was $18/hour for sewing repairs.  So, in an effort to avoid insulting him, I told him to just pay me what he thought my sewing was worth to him.  He paid me a dollar a boot and went on his way.  I didn’t say a word.

It was a fairly long while before he brought anything in for me to work on after that, and then one day he dropped off one of his motorcycle semi-rigid saddle bags at the shop to have sewn back together where some stitching had failed.  To make a long story short, it took me the longest time to decide the best way to repair that saddle bag, and I didn’t ask him how much he thought it was worth to him.  I already knew the answer to that, so I charged him what it was worth to me for my careful planning and excellent sewing services.  He paid it, and didn’t say a word.

CD in Oklahoma

 

[LumpenDoodle2]

10 hours ago, MADMAX22 said:

History is a funny thing. Hopefully we arent in the same point in time as some other well known countries were. 

 

I remember a quote from an historian, "The Roman Empire didn't fall, it just moved".

[cdthayer]

On 11/10/2016 at 5:30 PM, TinkerTailor said:

Also, I think we need to keep the last 100 years of US foreign policy and the problems and solutions created out of this conversation.  The US is not going to get great by messing with other countries. They need to clean up their own house before looking at the neighbours.This is a whole additional topic.

I’m thinking that you have said that your country, Canada, has a VAT tax.  It also seems to come up from time to time in other threads talking about folks in other countries than the United States when talking about buying sewing machine parts and other things from the US.

How is a VAT tax different from a tariff?

CD on Oklahoma

 

[Sheilajeanne]

It's called a 'sales tax' here in Canada. EVERYONE pays it when they buy something in a store or online - the clerk doesn't ask to see your passport!   

A tariff is only paid on goods that are crossing the border for sale.

Edit: wow, this is an old thread!

Edited July 8, 2021 by Sheilajeanne

[chrisash]

The things that make a Great Country is the people and who they elect as there government, none of which will ever be perfect, but if the majority are fair and just they may succeed