What do you look for in buying blanks

[pilot1022]

I would like to start selling some of my pen and stopper blanks. I am retired and I really don’t want to start a full blown business, but I do love turning and selling a few of my pens. I get some good deals on a wide variety of exotic woods and I know how passionate pen turners are about wood. I believe in doing business the old fashion way, that is a good product for a fair price and the customer is always right. The quality of the product I want to sell is simple “would I turn it myself?†if the answer is no it goes into the burn pile. So my question is this. What do you look for in purchasing wood blanks here? Also any comments are most welcomed.

 

[Dario]

I've sold some wood and still do from time to time and your motto is right on.

However, there are various factors to consider. For me;

Foremost is the quality of the blank and it will really reflect on your sales.
2nd is the rarity of the wood. I will be willing to pay a premium for something only a few people have.
3rd History or story behind the wood. For example BOW...nice wood but the religious ties makes it more appealing and marketable. IBO and ancient Kauri also hits high on these.
4th You - treat these guys right and they will take care of you.
5th Price...these guys are good in finding deals and you have to beat their regular sources.
6th Timely delivery. Some need their wood yesterday and a day's delay may feel like weeks to them []

Variety is not too high for me since I don't expect one person to carry everything. For a seller, it does help especially online since shipping can be the deal breaker and with variety, buyers can have multiple items in one order.

Watch some of the successful sellers here and see what they are doing. Some that come to mind are BigRob777, n4631x, exoticwo, ilikewood, Tuba707, Kelvin, ed4copies, Gary Max, isaacrapelje, etc.

Good luck!!!

 

[tipusnr]

Seeing as I rarely sell my pens price has got to be a high priority item. Expensive blanks rarely get a second look from me. Having said that, price is relative to the quality of the wood and the past dealings that I have had with the vendor.

 

[mdburn_em]

I rarely buy pen blanks. If I do, it's only because that's the only way I can get them. I figure I'm paying someone to cut them and I don't know what size I may want anyway. For instance, I absolutely hate using a 3/4 or 7/8 inch blank to make a slimline.
I will buy blocks and then cut my own. I rely on my few trusted sellers to accurately describe the wood's grade.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Your choices don't really match the topic title. Buyers look for a variety of things in blanks. Personal like and dislike come into play. That means variety can be important. But having what is not available to others is important. I sell Osage Orange blanks. That wood is common in some locations but almost unknown to other people. I used to sell aromatic red cedar. In my area it is practically a weed tree but does have commercial value. In other parts of the country it is highly desirable. So, IMHO, offer a selection of what you have and believe others will like. Personally, I am always looking for beautiful burls. Like, who isn't? []

 

[LEAP]

I look for quality blanks in a material I do not currently have or that I enjoy turning. I've been making pens for about 8 months so there are a lot of woods I have not tried and when I see something new to me I'll go look through the photos to see what others have done with it and buy a few pieces if it intrigues me. Cost is always a factor but not the only consideration. It's nice to see a variety of sizes available. I turn other things beside pens and will occasionally buy larger blocks. Quality product at a fair price and good photos of what you have for sale gets my buisness.

 

[GBusardo]

Personally, after buying blanks from some of the big business web sites, I found that the only thing you really know about the blank is the species and the price. Quality is another matter. One example, I got a few blanks from Dario sometime back, One of the blanks was a Paela. The blank was awesome. Next time I ordered pen kits from a suppier, I ordered 10 Paela. A lesson learned, the Paela is still sitting with the rest or my so so blanks. My first choice, now that I am older and wiser, is contacting one of the people on Dario's list or Dario himself. I haven't bought anything from Frank (Rifleman) , but I would be very surprised if the blanks I would buy from him weren't top notch. What I am trying to say is that if you are going to get repeat business from most of the people in this forum, your wood better be good, be helpful and have quick service.
Best of luck []

 

[GaryMGg]

As a wood-a-holic who has sold hundreds of Board Feet of lumber plus bought, sold & traded blanks, I look for varieties I don't have locally. For instance, some folks specialize in burls. I have lots and lots of Osage Orange, figured walnut, figured maple(s), curly cherry, ambrosia maple, sapelle, spalted woods and so forth. I have several thousand BF of lumber in stock and don't need any wood. So, when I buy something it has to be really special and I'm most likely going to look for their reputation more than anything else.

Have fun and treat people right; that's the key.
Gary

 

[Texatdurango]

Quality, Quality, Quality, then Quality, pretty much in that order!

I ordered a dozen BOW and got a handful of "grainless" junk that looked more like balsa wood than BOW, it now sits in a corner collecting dust.

There are several big name pen supply vendors I absolutely refuse to buy from anymore simply because what is pictured on their websites in nowhere near what is shipped and that is frustrating.

Upon inspection of the last order I made from a particular vendor, I actually laid the stabalized blanks out and thought "you've got to be kidding me, this knarled, crooked, twisted bunch of blanks looks like they all came from the reject pile!". It looked like he went through and "hand picked" the blanks, but since I was not one of his regular quantity buyers, guess which handful I got?[:0]

If you are going to start selling and want my money, you had better be honest about what you show then sell.

George

 

[pilot1022]

First of all I like to say thanks for all the good info you folks gave to me. I would like to say this when I sell the blanks the wood you see in the photos is the wood I will sell. I will give a honest discrepition of the wood or products. If there is a defect or a crack I will show it or state that info. I will not misrepresent the product. I dont have to make a living of selling wood, I get a good retirement,so I will give the best price I can. If you order from me and want a photo of your order BEFORE you pay for it, I will be happy to email one. But as in all business I believe first come , first served. I also believe in the fastest possible service, I will pack your order the same day as I recieve the payment and ship the next day by USPS flat rate envelopes or boxes. Only exception is Sundays.I thinking making payments should be easy and safe, I won't give out my CC# to people and I say you shouln't either, also waiting for a check to clear the bank is a hassle, after all you want your shipment yesterday not in 2 weeks. Don't send me cash!! I use PayPal it,s fast, easy and safe. and you do have recourse if a problem pops up. Thanks for listening. Tom

 

[TellicoTurning]

Tom,
You got a lot of quality answers to your poll.. and I answered quality because I could only make one choice..I don't buy a lot of blanks off the net, but I actually look at all of the choices on your poll and any one of them can cause me to back away from a purchase.

 

[ctwxlvr]

I think the Quality of the product and the level of service are the major things I look at, and for me every thing else is a bonus. I have done business with several ebay and net suppliers for both wood and acrylic blanks, I need the blanks to be sized already as I do not have the room for a table saw or band saw in my shop area.

 

[gerryr]

For me it's a toss-up between quality and reliability. I only buy wood from maybe 6 people: Dario, Nolan, Reed, Bill Jacob, Chitswood, and BigRob. I also buy stabilized wood and dyed wood from AZ Silhouette. The reason is simple, I know these people and can expect nothing but the best stuff from them. I don't buy wood on ebay anymore because I've been disappointed too many times. I buy almost nothing but burls and imported woods and I admit, I buy what appeals to me. So far, it seems to appeal to customers too.

 

[exoticwo]

Tom, I would and do consider all except the last item when looking at making and "investment" in wood. I have been selling Items for a short time and have experienced very good response from members looking over my pictures of offerings.
Everything you list is a great consideration to all but at differing degrees to each person.
Try to be fair and honest in life and work and things will happen to you, mostly good!
A big THANK YOU to Dario for considering me in the same group as BigRob777, n4631x, ilikewood, Tuba707, Kelvin, ed4copies, Gary Max, isaacrapelje.

Exoticwo

 

[skiprat]

to answer your original question ' What do you look for in buying blanks'

There wasn't an option for me, as I look in skips ( dumpsters ) for my blanks[][][}]

 

[mrcook4570]

I look for intensely figured woods or figuring that is not common in a given wood (e.g. curly cocobolo). Woods with a history are also high on my list.

 

[thefunkyP]

I voted for price because as I haven't sold a pen yet I have to get the most I can out of what I buy. While I would love to try some of the more exotic blanks like rattlesnake and cactus pears, I can't quite justify a twenty dollar blank yet. While price typically determines what I buy, I do look for grain design and color beforehand. I've only bought my blanks online so far and it tends to allow me to "shop around" most efficiently.

 

[ed4copies]

I need to make a quick
<center>
THANK-YOU!!</center>

It is indeed an honor to be one of the "trusted sources". Dawn and I have always tried to be honest and fair, as I believe the other vendors on IAP are.

I have not commented earlier, because I thought this thread was about WOOD and I woooood not be included.

Again, Dario and others, THANKS!!!

 

[bob393]

First has to be quality.
Than safty of payment.
Varity is unimportant because I use many sources.
Price is always important but not critical when it comes to quality!

 

[IPD_Mrs]

First you need to reconsider one part of your motto. The customer is "ALMOST" always right. Don't let a customer take advantage of you or your company because you always bend to please the customer right or wrong. There are some people out there that you can give them everything you own and they are still not happy. Also a customer might not know what they want or need because they just simply do not know what is needed to achieve what they are looking for. I find that when you take the time to educate a customer without making them feel stupid, then they are thankful and come back often to glean any information they can.

Now back to the topic....

I have only been doing this since the first of this year, so I am ignorant to some degree. I purchased some blanks from CSA while at a woodworking show and was very happy. (picked them out myself) I have ordered from them over the phone and was not please with the blanks. I still like CSA and will buy from them but just not blanks. I guess I must be picky. I have purchased from eBay vendors and have learned you can take almost anything and make it look good with the right photograph. So now I buy my blanks locally for the most part. We have a pretty good exotic lumber company here and I can get some interesting pieces from time to time, but very little burl from them. I also buy from my local Rockler store. I may pay a bit too much for some blanks, but it all works out when I have to throw away the crap that I receive from mail order.

So for me there are two ways to buy.... Quantity & Quality
If you want to do the quantity thing and a big volume then keep the price low.
If you want to do the quality game then only sell blanks you would love to turn as a gift for someone who really appreciates beautiful wood.

Personally I would love to find the later and feel comfortable in buying via the computer. I have seen some really nice looking pieces on here but they are always sold by the time I find them.

 

[mewell]

I have tried to concentrate more and more on quality domestic woods. Many of our customers are squeamish about buying wood that MIGHT be "rain forest" or otherwise "endangered" woods. We do a lot of sales in what I like to call "the California of Colorado" (Boulder) where environmental concerns run high and a nice spalted maple will outsell a really great cocobolo by a large percentage.

Secondly, I look for <b>communication</b> from whomever I do business with. If a product is out of stock please <b>TELL</b> me! Don't just assume I'll wait and wait and wait without a word. Telling your customers of problems is not an issue - I'd much rather know that there is a problem up front and possibly a resolution time frame. I won't pitch a *itch, honest! More suppliers have been run into the ground around here over a lack of communication than you can shake a stick at.

Farther down the importance "ladder" are speed of shipment (as long as #2 is adhered to!), method of payment and quantity (quality is always before quantity).

Mark