Knife sales trends?

cabinet dog

cabinet dog

Member
Hi All. I see a lull in my cabinet business coming up and would like to make a few knives to sell.

I was wondering if knife sales are fairly slow now as well or are you having good sales this time of year. Are the prices dropping some or do they seem to be staying the same.

I mainly make EDC's in 0-1.

Thanks
 
Knife purchases are impulse driven in most cases and dependent on availability of ready cash so you can expect a sales lull after Christmas for a month or two and during the summer when people are on vacation.

Some very well known and respected makers have devoted a lot of time and expense to cultivate a loyal customer base who keep them busy year round but these makers are not in the majority.

George
 
Thanks George,

That's kind of what I figured.

Fishing season is just around the corner so I think I will make a few fillet knives for the summer. I have some current orders to fill for a few hunters and EDC's as well.

I am hoping the lull doesn't last too long, unless it opens the door to full time knifemaking:D


Ross
 
Hi Ross,

Retail sales traditionally slow to a crawl after Christmas. Some businesses, hopefully ours, will see a little increase as taxes start to roll in. Many of us won't do a whole lot until people start thinking about hunting in the fall.

I'm thinking about going for a little more 'flash' to hopefully catch the eye of a few more collectors as opposed to just users. Can't hurt.

Carey
 
Hi Cabinet,

It is primarily the "Hobby" makers who suffer the lulls.

Others are those whose knives are overpriced.

Today collectors can just click their mouse to comparative shop.

The biggest mistake a maker can make in the current sales environment is to not know what their position in the market is. Knowing this will show you what you need to price your knives at.

Failure to do this will find your knife sales depending more on "impulse buys" and less on being competitive in today's very fluid and fast paced market.

I have been selling custom knives for over 25 years. January 2009 was the best January I ever had and this past January was the second best January I ever had. This was not an accident.

Know your market, know your clients and most importantly know how to price your knives. Guessing, asking other makers or looking at established makers prices for guidance...are all paths to slow sales.

Remember, makers don't buy very many custom knives and they are your competitors. Coke doesn't ask Pepsi for pricing guidance on their next soft drink.

Also, O-1 is not a very popular steel for collectors. Stay away from Brass and Nickel Silver as well.

D-2, 154 CM, CPM-154, W-2 and S30V are very popular right now.

Micarta, G-10, Stag, Good Wood, Mastodon Ivory and Pearl are good handle material choices.

Good Luck.
 
Thanks Les,

I am treating this like a business from the get go, so I have been doing a lot of research on pricing, styles, techniques, and materials.

My theory is make what sells. For me right now as a new maker, I can get the most out of 0-1. I can make a high quality knife while learning techniques.

I mainly sell user knives that will see serious hunting/fishing/active duty time. I do use several others like S-30V, cpm 154, a-2 and D-2. I mainly work with local exotic woods, spalted, curly, synthetics, etc.

I mainly sell locally and most of the guys buyng don't mind spending between $100 and $300 on a good looking high performing knife but that is about it. Most can't believe how sharp they are or how long they hold an edge as well as being easy to sharpen. One customer dropped his hunting knife with a very fine point on the concrete and knocked a hole in the cocrete, but didn't phase the blade- that little incident sold 4 more.2thumbs

I don't feel that I am ready to get into the collector market (Yet) As I get a website up and running, and expand my selling area I will be working on higher end knives. I will work much more in the hot steels.

All of my knives have improved exponentially since I have been lurking and learning from the great people from this site I can't thank you all enough. It has made a very steep learning curve for me and I am sure several others.

I have 5 to ship today. I would post pics, but the files are too big.

Thank you!
 
As a cultural anthropologist and From a collector's POV (and beginner maker as well), knowing your target market is the most important thing to judge. I am functionalist and don't believe much in the fine embellishment, I am hoping to make knives for users, so I guess my target group is the blue collar community not collectors of high end knives. if you are trying sell to local people, understanding the demographics, interests, and back grounds of who you are trying sell is very important, so if you are trying to hit a certain group, don't select materials that are out their price range. I guess the ultimate idea is to not price your knives above what your client base can afford.

A good example of this are William henry knives (i have several older ones). IMHO the new models are way over priced for mid-tech knives but they are beautiful. I have seen their prices go up so much in the past few years; you have to be in higher tax bracket just to think about getting one, so once avid collectors can't get them anymore.

anyway that's my 2 cents

.
 
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Frame Lock Tactical folders are big.. classic slippies that are executed with a great fit and finish are selling as fast as they are posted.
 
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