I do not sharpen for money, although I have a hobbiest curiousity in how sharpening services run and price their services. I found this video today and was impressed with the practical advice Warren Jones shares for local sharpeners.
https://youtu.be/-W67G4PHKnA?si=ExYo9oHh5zSrudy6
Ken
About half way through I thought "I wonder how sharp the knives are from this national sharpener" then he started talking bout "every 2 weeks". I am guessing that they are doing a quick run over a relatively coarse belt then hone which would certainly need re-doing every 2 weeks. Interesting to see someone look at what they deliver back to the customer.
One mistake I made when pricing my services, was assuming that other knife sharpening services were doing work to the same standard as me.
That's why I don't really buy into the advice of "Look around and see what other sharpeners are charging". That advice makes sense only if you're duplicating the same processes/standards as what they're doing.
No way am I going to match the pricing of my T-8 sharpening with someone else who uses a bench grinder with a coarse grinding wheel shaped like a bagel that shoots sparks.
I used to have a side business which included archival processing of black and white film and prints. This was low volume, labor intensive processing. Part of my conversation with potential customers was explaining why I needed to charge more than the local drug store. Some agreed, some went elsewhere.
Knife sharpening is the same kind of situation. We need to explain to potential customers why careful sharpening with a Tormek needs to cost more than "drug store" sharpening. Some will agree, some will go elsewhere.
As a suggestion, you might offer to sharpen one knife without charge. That might convince a doubting customer. If not, let them go.
Ken
Agree with Royale and Ken wholeheartedly.
My personal mantra is quality over quantity.
Quality finds good, repeat customers who are appreciative and likely to recommend.
Quote from: Sir Amwell on May 16, 2025, 08:13:22 PM...snip...
My personal mantra is quality over quantity.
..snip...
This is mine, maybe just a longer way of saying the same thing or similar. Was given to me by my major professor in grad school. Rang true for me then and ever since. Might look familiar to some, as it is in my signature bar.
"Quality is like buying oats. If you want nice, clean, fresh oats, you must pay a fair price. However, if you can be satisfied with oats that have already been through the horse, that comes at a lower price."