making a profit / cost of materials

[Sonkatonk]

Hi!  I'm new here.. I've was wondering if you guys could give me some advise.  I've been making leatherwork for 6 years, and I've only shopped in store at my local Tandy leather.  I'm realizing that I would like to lower my cost of materials and actually make some money...  ( :

How are you buying your materials to lower the cost?  What store do you like the best?  

Any help is appreciated!!

Lauren

Edited February 10, 2022 by Sonkatonk

[Rubicon04]

I've been doing leatherwork for 7 years now and have never bought from Tandy. I don't know what you are paying for leather and materials, but you are normally better off buying direct from tanneries. There are other leather supply stores for trying out new leather like RMleathersupply.com or districtleathersupply.com but they can get pricey if buying in small quantities. Wickett & Craig tannery is easy to purchase direct from. Again I don't know where Tandys prices fall but i would assume the quality of their leather is not as good as what you can get elsewhere. 

[Tugadude]

Cost of materials is one factor, but there are others which contribute to profitability.  Your time is one, so making sure you are efficient and productive is also important.  And then you need to assess the market to ensure you are pricing your products properly.  

As far as vendors, Springfield Leather Co. is pretty competitive and they offer a discount for wholesale customers.  There are many others that are mentioned here frequently.  Companies like Weaver and Rocky Mountain are two that I read quite a bit but have no experience with.  Then there's Buckle Guy for hardware and other accessories.  

Some tanneries will sell direct but might have minimums that are beyond what you want to invest.  No harm in asking them what their requirements are.  Most will require that you prove you have a legitimate business by presenting your license.  

I'm sure others will chime in with their personal experiences.  Good luck.

[tsunkasapa]

You don't tell us where you are, which might help. But here are a few of the suppliers I deal with.

Maverick Leather Company – Your Leather Supplier

Montana Leather Company - The Best Online Leather Store

Oregon Leather Co. – Portland and Eugene's premier leathercraft and leather supply store.

Weaver Leather

[HandyDave]

Like has allready been said best ways to cut cost in leatherwork is to get proficient with your time management on your projects. And if you want to use quality materials only way to save money there is to buy in bulk. Tandy for the most part sells junk in my opinion. But if you like the cost of there crappy import Brazilian hides then you might look at frogjelly.com they sell alot of the Brazilian and European hides that are cheaper then some of the big name quality suppliers like wicket&craig. But the hides i have used from frogjelly where 10 times better quality then the tandy hides. 

[Bert03241]

Get your self a Business license so you can buy wholesale,and you don't have to pay sales tax till you make money selling your stuff.

[chrisash]

Online buying is great, but the postal costs and delays may be what Tandy store buyers find attractive plus they can see what they are buying

[Handstitched]

@Bert03241  beat me to it.

Here in Oz , businesses have an ' ABN' ,'Australian Business Number' , and you can buy wholesale . But all depends how far you want to take this ?  Theres heaps of info on this site regarding making money from your craft, keeping costs down etc.. 

HS