In reading that, I'm humbled.
The economy of scale is just one of the many questions of business. That and figuring where in the market you want your pricing to sit. It's a balancing act. Case in point with these mid-techs - I wish I could blow them at $100 each, because honestly, I'd kind of like to have one of my knives in every household in America.
But logistically and economically, that simply isn't possible. And if it were, it would also detract from the ethos of what me and guys like me do, which is one of the special things about custom knives. The beauty of the mid-tech is that, despite the "production" nature of it, it is still an inherently bespoke product. And the quantities are still very small, because as we know in business, rarity breeds desirability.
I think one of the coolest things about this project was the speed at which everything came together and made it to market. Another would be simply learning as I went through the process and the pushing of my performance envelope.
Quote:
Originally Posted by swatsurgeon
Like everything else, the creator of a tool tried to accomplish one or more goals: appeal to the masses with a generic/make a lot of people happy design or appeal to fewer with more highly refined designs that suit a particular need/use. Marketing 101.......
Sell few with higher prices or sell more with lower prices...enough to make your margin where you want it. But the appeal of individual makers, rather than mass producers is that despite the lower numbers sold , the end product is fulfilling a niche that could not otherwise be filled. It took many years of dream, design, refine and redefine to satisfy the artist/creator. You have a vision and put pencil to paper....or fingers to computer keyboard and some even listen to their intended audience for suggestions. It comes down to trying to please the most while still enjoying your passion and making a living at it. Special order designs are great, cost the end user more but take you away from your larger quantity production.......
I appreciate you're even thinking about it.
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