Insurance

Well, unless you have visitors to your shop, you won't need liability insurance for that. The only other thing I could see would be people getting injured from a knife you make. About the only way they could sue you is if you made a knife negligently.

Now if you want to insure your equipment, buildings, etc. that's a different matter. I don't believe regular homeowners insurance will cover that.
 
Thanks for the answer , Chris. I guess that I wasn't clear enough. I will be selling at different venues such as outdoor markets , craft fairs, artisan shows ,even casino shows. So I'm thinking that I really need a pretty good liability policy. The artisan fair requires a million dollar policy to cover them.
 
I have a million dollar liability policy because of my work with Scouts and other organizations, and since we have frequent garage sales, etc. Not a bad thing to have. I got it through the agent who does our homeowners insurance.
 
Honestly, IF you can even find someone who will insure a knifemaker/knife seller for liability, it will be UBER expensive.... like to the point of impossible.

I've not looked/searched in some time for liability insurance, but even 10 years ago, most insurance companies simply hung up on me when I contacted them and mentioned liability insurance for knifemaking. I found two that said they would offer me a policy, but both quoted monthly premiums where TWICE my monthly house payment. Like I said.... impossible.

I have seen some of the bigger east coast knife shows that offered/required table holders to purchase liability insurance when purchasing a show table, but that was the show promoter's way of helping to defray the cost that they had to pay for the insurance. Personally, if it's part of the show/table fee, it's likely the best/most reasonable option you will find.

Even finding an insurer for a knife shop, let along a Blacksmith/Hot shop is a major chore. Don't even mention "knife shop" or "Blacksmith" shop to any homeowner insurance agent! I've seen MANY people who's insurance company simply dropped them after finding out about a knife or blacksmith shop on the property.

The ONLY way I could obtain insurance for my shops, was by becoming a member of ABANA , and then getting insured through their insurer..... The Hartford back east..... again, just shy of being stupid expensive, but it boiled down to a lack of options for me.

Frankly, the majority of knifemakers fly by the seat of the pants when it comes to insurance/liability, simply because they either can't find it, or when they can, it's simply too costly to even consider. Many of us get creative, such as I do with students signing waivers before they are allowed in the shop.....but likely not an option when doing shows.
 
well, that's pretty disappointing . There has to be a way to do it. I just gotta find it!
Thanks for the reply, Ed. I figured that it was going to be a hassle.
 
As far as covering yourself against someone cutting themself, I don't think it's needed.
like lots of things, everyone's aware that knives of all kinds are inherently dangerous and if used properly as intended there's not much fault that could be held against the maker.
if one were to snap a blade and send it into there eye it probably wasn't used as intended. most jury's will agree.

Shop visits are another thing, I know of one guy who had someone fall and break an arm, went to the hospital and got fixed up.
he told his health insurance company where it happened and they promptly sued the guy for repayment, luckily his homeowners insurance took care of it.
on a side note, these two were friends and alcohol was involved in the fall.
 
IF you folks can find insurance that will cover anything knife related, at a rate that isn't impossibly expensive, PLEASE pass along the information. I get asked this question all the time from aspiring Bladesmiths/Knifemakers, and would love to be able to give them something positive.

Because of hard, personal experience, I do think it's worth the money/effort to pay a local lawyer to draw up a waiver of liability that gets signed by people who work in your shop(s). It's saved my butt in a few instances since I started doing it.

I have had exactly one person who tried to sue me when I sharpened a knife for him..... who went home, got drunk with a friend, and later took 14 stitches in his hand from the knife I'd sharpened. That was the ordeal that woke me up and made me realize just how greedy and stupid people really are. It also made me realize just how vulnerable Bladesmiths/Knifemakers are to rampant stupidity. ;)
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
I have had exactly one person who tried to sue me when I sharpened a knife for him..... who went home, got drunk with a friend, and later took 14 stitches in his hand from the knife I'd sharpened. That was the ordeal that woke me up and made me realize just how greedy and stupid people really are. It also made me realize just how vulnerable Bladesmiths/Knifemakers are to rampant stupidity. ;)
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lol, I'm trying to imagine how they would even get a lawyer to start that. They'd have to show that you somehow negligently sharpened the blade (too sharp of a blade?) or that when you returned it to them they cut themselves because it was loose in the box or it cut through the box and stabbed them?

Lawyers have to be careful of frivolous lawsuits as they can be fined, sanctioned, etc.
 
I found one, I think. Waiting for a call back to answer questions. Called "Cyber insurance policies. On the web .very reasonable pricing. I'll report back asap.
 
chrisstaniar said:
lol, I'm trying to imagine how they would even get a lawyer to start that. They'd have to show that you somehow negligently sharpened the blade (too sharp of a blade?) or that when you returned it to them they cut themselves because it was loose in the box or it cut through the box and stabbed them?

Lawyers have to be careful of frivolous lawsuits as they can be fined, sanctioned, etc.
Click to expand...
McDonalds got sued many years ago by a lady that said the coffee was too hot..they didn't have it labeled...and they lost. maybe we need "sharp" stickers to put on a knife every time we sharpen one...lol.
 
I always joke with people about the day that some idiot legislator gets a law passed that all knife blades must have a "safety ball" permanently affixed to the tip. It's sad that we'd even imagine something like that.....says a lot about how things have gone with personal responsibility. :(
 
Bruce McLeish said:
Ed, check out the website I saw. Cyber insurance. See what you think. Thanks
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Not sure I understand.... I looked it up, and it says....

What is it?​

Cyber Liability insurance helps to protect a company that has been the victim of a cyber attack or data breach. When confidential records are breached, companies face a variety of fees (e.g., notification costs, credit monitoring, defending claims by regulators, fines and penalties), and this policy will help to cover those claims.
Click to expand...

Are we talking about the same stuff/place??? It would be nice, but I have my doubts that they would offer liability insurance for knifemakers....since that seems to be super far out of their realm. But ya never know..... let us know what you find out.

Bruce McLeish said:
Ed, are you going to do blade show west in long beach? In Oct, i believe.
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Bruce, I honestly don't know if I will do another show....all depends on my health status. Even with the second covid shot kicking my butt right now, the Docs tell me I shouldn't be traveling.....yet. For the past few years, the only show I've done is Blade in Atlanta.
 
Smallshop said:
McDonalds got sued many years ago by a lady that said the coffee was too hot..they didn't have it labeled...and they lost. maybe we need "sharp" stickers to put on a knife every time we sharpen one...lol.
Click to expand...

That's actually an interesting case. McDonalds required franchises to serve coffee at 180-190 degrees. The lady suffered 3rd degree burns, had to get skin grafts, etc.. It was portrayed as a whacko suit but spilling coffee on yourself shouldn't cause 3rd degree burns.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
IF you folks can find insurance that will cover anything knife related, at a rate that isn't impossibly expensive, PLEASE pass along the information. I get asked this question all the time from aspiring Bladesmiths/Knifemakers, and would love to be able to give them something positive.

Because of hard, personal experience, I do think it's worth the money/effort to pay a local lawyer to draw up a waiver of liability that gets signed by people who work in your shop(s). It's saved my butt in a few instances since I started doing it.

I have had exactly one person who tried to sue me when I sharpened a knife for him..... who went home, got drunk with a friend, and later took 14 stitches in his hand from the knife I'd sharpened. That was the ordeal that woke me up and made me realize just how greedy and stupid people really are. It also made me realize just how vulnerable Bladesmiths/Knifemakers are to rampant stupidity. ;)
Click to expand...
The guy should have tipped you, you obviously did a nice job on the sharpening!
 
chrisstaniar said:
That's actually an interesting case. McDonalds required franchises to serve coffee at 180-190 degrees. The lady suffered 3rd degree burns, had to get skin grafts, etc.. It was portrayed as a whacko suit but spilling coffee on yourself shouldn't cause 3rd degree burns.
Click to expand...
Yup! No matter how many times the "spill your coffee, get a million dollars" line gets repeated, I still cringe because I know hardly anybody bothered to read the suit. After a multitude of complaints, McD's made a conscious decision to continue to serve near boiling coffee...which proves negligence on their part. But then (!) they refused a very reasonable request for only thousands of dollars, which was the exact cost of medical treatment and not a penny more. And if ya reeeeeeeally wanna look it up...there are pictures on the web and those pictures are of her disfigured lady parts.
 
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