Making a fool of myself!

[Dave Wortley]

What about us tight *rses who like making summat outa nowt?Cheers,
Dave.

[Tony Betts]

Well they are not exactly hard to make are they David!
The bend at first glance may seem a little awkward but there is an easy way to form it, that said most special builders probably can't be fagged these days and I am sure that yours are of excellent quality.

Well, looking at the finished version, I certainly would find it very hard to make! The material is quite thick, and it tapers in width and thickness. I would find it extremely difficult to bend that thickness of steel, let alone to the correct curve and twist. I admit that I don't have the necessary heating, bending and machining equipment, just a vice and hand tools, so that doesn't help of

course. But I think that I would also need a fair amount of experience of metal bashing to make something like that.

It must be difficult to guess if they are hard to make or not, when you don't have the tools to do the job yourself. Aren't your stocks of cow horns BOUGHT FROM IAN TILLMAN anyway. The only thing added to them by yourself is inflating the price.

[Duncan Grimmond]

A trader must be allowed a profit surely? Cash is paid for stock which gives the manufacturer a guaranteed sale and the reason to continue producing the items. If the cow horns are only made to one-off order they would cost a fortune. How long will they sit on the shelf? How much cash is tied up in stock to allow next day dispatch? I'd think that most suppliers are likely to have £10-20K tied up in stock.
I'm sure you wouldn't sell your stock at cost...if you wanted to stay in business.

[Ian Williams]

How the heck did we get into a slanging match about traders making a fair profit! Nobody would argue against that, more power to them for selling a good range of components which would not otherwise available. I simply said that armed with a little knowledge people can make their own cow horns, contrary to earlier commentaries some of us may actually be capable of doing a perfectly good job of it and also willing to share how with others.
I just want a few more people to be armed with enough knowledge to give things a go, believe it or not you might actually be pleasantly surprised if you try. This is the driver behind our fortnightly workshops mentioned in another thread, stop working in isolation, get out there, make some friends and maybe even learn something new.

[merlinart]

How the heck did we get into a slanging match about traders making a fair profit! Nobody would argue against that, more power to them for selling a good range of components which would not otherwise available. I simply said that armed with a little knowledge people can make their own cow horns, contrary to earlier commentaries some of us may actually be capable of doing a perfectly good job of it and also willing to share how with others.
I just want a few more people to be armed with enough knowledge to give things a go, believe it or not you might actually be pleasantly surprised if you try. This is the driver behind our fortnightly workshops mentioned in another thread, stop working in isolation, get out there, make some friends and maybe even learn something new.

Does seem a little daft, but if one trader charges a little more than another trader, for items made by trader three, does it really matter? Clearly not. The end user has the choice to buy from trader A, and if he subsequently discovers that trader B has them cheaper, that would appear to be his "bad luck", or alternatively, perhaps trader A had them too cheaply and wasn't making sufficient profit.

I know in my own business, that when selling individual items, some are at a considerably better profit, and some items are not that profitable. It can be standard practice to try to double the price at retail, sometimes it is simple, but often not. Some items one can triple, however, swings and roundabouts, one needs profit in order to reinvest and hold stock.

In a small niche market, holding stock can be a bane, but those who do often do it out of a passion rather than simply turning a profit.

Those cow horns laser cut would be relatively cheap, most likely less than £5 each, however, then there's bending in a 10 ton fly press, then grinding, and the labour will be quite high, say £25/hr, then profit, so base price ex works for a pair could be £35...who knows?


Arthur

[Tony Betts]

I agree with all of you.

Yes traders should be able to make a profit, why would they do it otherwise.

And yes a lot of money gets put on the shelf.

You are all welcome to buy at the highest price pushed in front of you on this forum. It's your money.

But When these items come from the same manufacturer. I feel it should be pointed out you can buy them cheaper from the man who made them.

It will leave you more money for the next part of your build.

[Tony Press]

I agree with all of you.

Yes traders should be able to make a profit, why would they do it otherwise.

And yes a lot of money gets put on the shelf.

You are all welcome to buy at the highest price pushed in front of you on this forum. It's your money.

But When these items come from the same manufacturer. I feel it should be pointed out you can buy them cheaper from the man who made them.

It will leave you more money for the next part of your build.

Doesn't it come down to loyalty to your supplier who usually stocks many parts. Ease of trading, payment and so on is often more important than saving a few shekels.

The manufacturer makes a profit either way.    

Cheers, Tony.

[Tony Betts]

It's whatever you want it to be tony