Major Price increases coming for all Knifemaking materials

[Ed Caffrey]

Morning!

Opened up my email this morning, and had one from my leather source (Wickett & Craig).....

I've seen this before, and can tell you that this is the signal for EVERYTHING we use in knifemaking is getting ready to take significant price jumps.... so be prepared.

[KenH]

Bummer on price increases. This is pretty much across the board on ALL material from house building to knifemaking. Have you checked price of wood lately? Amazing increases, double and sometimes tripled in a yr or so.

[Ed Caffrey]

YES! I have looked a lumber prices...... Insane!

One of the young men I go to Church with is a builder, and stopped to check in on me last week. He said that he had just sold 50 sheets of OSB that he had purchased over a year ago.... for about $7 each..... and sold them for $55 EACH! DANG!

What I find interesting is that the pace of building hasn't slowed down at all. It makes me think about what's going to happen when these people who are paying 3-4X of what the price should be for a newly built home are going to do, when prices fall, and they are stuck with a home that's only worth 1/4 of what they paid. Wonder if this is just another branch from the tree that is intended to crash our economy? Hmm.

[TexasJack]

A lot of prices are up because of the delayed effects of the pandemic. That's what has allegedly affected the lumber prices. Some things are just in short supply because of business picking up - ammo for example. But the current administration's efforts to spend at a rate that would embarrass a drunken sailor is going to cause inflation that we haven't seen since the Carter years. (I should add that several previous administrations kept a few wars going with deficit spending, so the blame in Washington is on both sides of the aisle. The Swamp is both wide and deep.) A number of things are going to affect energy prices as well - ####### are back on the roads, coal is being phased out, American drilling is being discouraged, and re-joining the Paris Greenhouse Gas agreement will have a steep impact. Higher energy prices mean higher prices for both goods and transportation. Bottom line is that you should expect prices of almost everything to increase. If you can afford to stock up, this would be the time to do so.

[Ed Caffrey]

I think that's a very good synopsis of things. I have to say that I've often wondered if Biden's intent is to bankrupt the nation.

That aside, now is the time. If it won't go bad on the shelf, buy as much of it as you can afford!

[Gliden07]

I've been seeing this over the last 9 months or so. I was making a simple leather apron. Buying Crome 4-5 oz"Utility Sides" for $39 they went up to $69 then in the last 2-3 weeks to $99. I've stopped making the Aprons wouldn't be able to sell them at price point I have and no one would buy them at New price I would have to charge.

[Ed Caffrey]

Unfortunately I think a lot of things are going to go that same route.

A lot of what I am seeing nationally these days, brings back memories from my military career..... seeing very similar things happen in other countries....just before they became Socialist governments. I'm not saying that to start anything....just stating fact.

[M&J]

Have seen this more so the past 2-3 months with supplies and other consumables across other industries. A time where there are still enough struggling these hit even harder to have to work within. It is depressing.

This was just FWD'd to me about rental cars:
https://abc11.com/business/rental-ca...high/10552737/

Planning to rent a car this summer? You might not find one. A supply shortage is coming that is without precedent. "It's all coming together in the worst storm possible," said Ivan Drury of Edmunds.com.

Last year, rental car companies reported shrinking their fleets drastically, selling hundreds of thousands of cars to stay afloat when the pandemic killed demand. Now, industry experts say demand is booming back. But the cars to meet it just won't be there.

The production of many items that were impacted by illness, demand and such due to covid will continue to be felt.

[jimmontg]

We bailed GM out just for them to close all American plants for cheaper pastures.

[billyO]

Let's not forget about the role that individual greed and irresponsibility plays in all this. People are taking advantage of the situation because they can, not because it's what they have to do or that it's right thing to do, unless your sole focus is this thing we call "the economy." But what's good for "the economy" isn't necessarily good for the population at large.
A main reason prices increase is demand and us spoiled Americans haven't been able to buy as much stuff in the past year and feel the need to overcompensate.
I'm done. Have a good day.
Stay safe.

[Ed Caffrey]

Originally Posted by billyO

Let's not forget about the role that individual greed and irresponsibility plays in all this. People are taking advantage of the situation because they can, not because it's what they have to do or that it's right thing to do, unless your sole focus is this thing we call "the economy." But what's good for "the economy" isn't necessarily good for the population at large.
A main reason prices increase is demand and us spoiled Americans haven't been able to buy as much stuff in the past year and feel the need to overcompensate.
I'm done. Have a good day.
Stay safe.

I think that's a dead on point explanation. We are indeed one spoiled nation.

[bjmac]

Ed , you gotta hear this .... that is the coolest signature pic on any knife forum that I've seen. keep it. or I'll steal (steel) it.

[Ed Caffrey]

Thanks! That's a product of my Son Tim Ufferman. He's the creator of KnifeMakerTraining, and responsible for all the "good" quality videos..... all of my videos are the crappy ones!