Wickett & Craig, and the decline of the leather industry

[Nyckname]

On Planet Money's The Indicator

https://play.podtrac.com/npr-510325/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/indicator/2019/11/20191106_indicator_191106_leather_final.mp3

 

[JLSleather]

Weird ... the price of raw (blue) hides has dropped by 75% .... but my price for the finished leather has gone UP.  Hmmm.

[chuck123wapati]

19 minutes ago, Nyckname said:

On Planet Money's The Indicator

https://play.podtrac.com/npr-510325/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/indicator/2019/11/20191106_indicator_191106_leather_final.mp3

 

We live in truly sad times these days when our young people are so dumbed down by technology,  our crap educational system and our disposable lifestyle. that they cant determine what spending a dollar, on quality products , means or how hard it was to make it.

[chiefjason]

I think it depends on your market.  Where technology makes solid competing materials at better prices, expect a decline.  Cell phone cases might be an example of that.  I only sell a handful of them.  Where it does not, there may not be a decline.  The slight decline in my sales over the last year has nothing to do with the leather industry.  But mostly the gun industry and the saturation of the market.  It's still trucking along though.  I'm staying pretty busy with holsters right now.  

All that said, I don't think I could make a living at this.  Unless I could quadruple my sales or find someone else to pay my mortgage.