My new selling policy for the Blade Show

[Ed Caffrey]

With the 2010 Blade Show only a couple of weeks away, most Knifemakers are hustling to get thing completed?.and I?m no exception. Lot?s of shop hours, in hopes of giving folks what they want. This post is basically to inform everyone that I am changing my selling policy for the Blade Show.

In previous years my policy has been to NOT sell any knives until the show opens. I adopted this policy because many folks would contact me asking about specific knives I posted on my show preview, with some even asking if I would ?hold? a knife until they could get to my table. In short, by trying to accommodate those requests, I turned others away who would have purchased the knife/knives, and the individual(s) who requested I ?hold? a specific knife for them, never showed. In some cases I would bring knives home simply because I "held" a knife the entire weekend, waiting on the individual who had requested I hold the knife because they "will be there to buy it!"

So?Here?s how things will work now?I will sell knives to anyone, at any time. That means if you see a knife on my Show Preview, and you want it, just let me know and, once I receive payment, it?s yours. If you catch me in the hotel or ?The Pit? and want a knife, the same applies. It doesn't matter if your a casual buyer, collector, or purveyor.
Look for my Blade Show Preview, on my website within the next week!

[Dana Hackney]

Hope you sell them all, Ed!

Dana

[Ed Caffrey]

Hi Dana!

In these times....who knows!? I've been trying to cling to my old policy, but you know what they say.... Once Bitten, Twice Shy! In my case it's "Several Times Bitten.

I've just been kind of reflecting on all the times I've held knives for individuals, especially at the Blade Show, and gotten burned on it.

This way I won't be kicking myself on the trip home for "holding" a knife for someone, and it ends up taking the trip BACK to Montana with me.

[Karl B. Andersen]

That's right, Ed.
My "mentor", Jerry Rados once asked me, "Do you care WHO you sell your knives to?"
No, I don't.
Or WHEN!
He asked me that in response to me asking him about showing knives before a show and someone wanting it before I even went to the show. Pretty much the same scenario you reference here.
We're in the business to SELL KNIVES!
Doesn't matter when or where or to whom.

My concern was not having that/those knife/knives on my table for people to see, but what the heck?!? SOMEBODY BOUGHT IT!
Too bad it didn't make it to the show or it was waiting right there for someone to pick up before anyone else saw it.

Sometimes, an empty table will just make others be sure to get to your table right away at the next show!

[Steven Kelly]

Let me see.. How does that old addage go??? Oh ya, "A BIRD IN THE HAND"........
If you sell em all today, you can spend the weekend visiting with friends!!!

[Ed Caffrey]

That would be great Steve! WHEN I sell out at 2pm on Friday, I'm gona put a card on my table that says "SOLD OUT, see me at Steve Kelly's table!" Then, once your sold out at 2:15pm, we will migrate to Bing's table, then once he's sold out there at 2:30pm, we'll all migrate to ....... by the end of the day we should have 10-20 folks all sitting around one of the tables by the snack bar just having fun!

HEY, If I'm gona dream, I'm gona dream BIG!

[MLAZYB]

Originally Posted by Ed Caffrey

That would be great Steve! WHEN I sell out at 2pm on Friday, I'm gona put a card on my table that says "SOLD OUT, see me at Steve Kelly's table!" Then, once your sold out at 2:15pm, we will migrate to Bing's table, then once he's sold out there at 2:30pm, we'll all migrate to ....... by the end of the day we should have 10-20 folks all sitting around one of the tables by the snack bar just having fun!

HEY, If I'm gona dream, I'm gona dream BIG!

Ed / Steve, I'm all in for this one.

Bing
MLazyB Custom Knives
Blade Show tester table 24P-A