Selling your work

[BobGibson]

Hey folks, I'm trying to grow my engraving business and I'm having a hard time finding a place online to sell. I have a store on Etsy, but it doesn't seem to be getting any traction. Ebay seems like a junk store nowadays, and social media like FB and IG seem more about briefly showcasing a finished product than being any kind of a store front. If you wouldn't mind sharing what's working for you, I'd appreciate it. Here's a few pieces I've done recently.

 

[JJ Roberts]

V15, Try getting out and do knife and gun shows that's what I did when I started engraving nice engraving V15. J.J.

 

[BobGibson]

V15, Try getting out and do knife and gun shows that's what I did when I started engraving nice engraving V15. J.J.

Thank you!

 

[Travis Fry]

That's some nice looking work! The custom knife folks are always looking for someone to embellish their work, though they do tend to be fairly price sensitive (it's a tight enough market that getting your money back out of a knife is hard enough without doubling your cost by paying for engraving--the number of folks who can shell out that kind of money for a fancy knife is pretty small). Full sized (not pocket knife sized) bolstered knives, for example, are priced by bolster, with the assumption that each is about 1" square, and prices range from about $175-300 per bolster, per side, depending on who you are, whether you inlay gold or not, background treatment, etc. They're also pretty sensitive about deadlines--miss them and they'll find someone else that won't.

While I'm currently engraving my own knives, I know lots of other makers who might be interested in what you're doing. DM me and let me know general pricing and contact info. Heck, I could even hand out your cards at the show I'm at next weekend if you can get them to me in time.

 

[BobGibson]

That's some nice looking work! The custom knife folks are always looking for someone to embellish their work, though they do tend to be fairly price sensitive (it's a tight enough market that getting your money back out of a knife is hard enough without doubling your cost by paying for engraving--the number of folks who can shell out that kind of money for a fancy knife is pretty small). Full sized (not pocket knife sized) bolstered knives, for example, are priced by bolster, with the assumption that each is about 1" square, and prices range from about $175-300 per bolster, per side, depending on who you are, whether you inlay gold or not, background treatment, etc. They're also pretty sensitive about deadlines--miss them and they'll find someone else that won't.

While I'm currently engraving my own knives, I know lots of other makers who might be interested in what you're doing. DM me and let me know general pricing and contact info. Heck, I could even hand out your cards at the show I'm at next weekend if you can get them to me in time.

Thanks Travis. Message sent.

 

[monk]

yer work is fabulous to my eye. the shading is very, very good. our friend jj got it right. you have to pound the ground and shake a few trees. iow, you must make yerself "known". that is a chore, but the only way in my opinion. best of luck to you.

 

[Leland Davis]

Your work is very nice. J.J and monk nailed it. You have to get out there and be a self promoter. Self promoting is the hardest part for me anyway. Just a guess but I suspect a lot of us on here are very content in the solitude of engraving so getting out there is a struggle but it has to be done.

 

[AJB]

I like studying the engraving of others as inspiration, and Knife Purveyor is a company that usually has a nice inventory. They have a “Sell your Knives” tab, so that could be an option to explore. The site can be found at: https://www.knifepurveyor.com/category/engraved/

 

[Dani Girl]

That is good work sir. I think knifepurveyors require the knives to be handmade unless that's changed over the years. I've often thought of trying them but am yet to buy a handmade knife, engrave it and ask them to ty to sell it. I find it remarkable how much some of their engraved knives are listed for but it's a very enjoyable website to explore even if you're not planning to buy or sell.

 

[monk]

That is good work sir. I think knifepurveyors require the knives to be handmade unless that's changed over the years. I've often thought of trying them but am yet to buy a handmade knife, engrave it and ask them to ty to sell it. I find it remarkable how much some of their engraved knives are listed for but it's a very enjoyable website to explore even if you're not planning to buy or sell.

dani: i worked for several knifemakers sometime ago. they all just sent me a finished knife and i did the engraving. the blades were annealed on the ones wanting work on the blade. the first order i got was from a maker in west virginia. a beautiful knife. i was afraid to even start the job and just stared at it for 2 hours !!