Armorsmith Archive
Thread: Question for all the older server Master Armorsmiths?!
Tribuss wrote:
Is it going to boil down to:
mass production vs. customization
specialization vs. generalization
price gauging
Well, there isn'tany worry about Specialization vs Generalization because if someone wants a special suit, they'll ask for it (and whom they ask depends on who has the best general items.
Mass Production vs Customization is just whether or not you can keep up with demand. If you have an empty vendor when someone needs armor, you lost a sale and possibly a repeat customer. If you know your sales trends, and you can keep up to demand by hand crafting, by all means use it if you want to save on credits but not time. If you have a large customer base with high demand, mass production may be the only way to keep up (don't over do it though... nothing turns me away like an OVERSTOCKED vendor, but that's my own personal taste. If it's too difficult to see all the different types of armor offered, I'd walk away. Use multiple vendors to your advantage).
Pricing is something that is a factor, but I'd say that it boils down to these:
Location, Location, Location
Advertising
Customer Service (and Charisma)
Etiquette
I'd probably rate them in that order, but Etiquette is underlying each of the first three.
I'm not going to go in depth unless asked to, but that's my opinion.
I'm not an old-timey master from an old server, having mastered a few months ago on Tempest. I have found for me, though, that specialization has been a good strategy in the current market.
I have yet to make a piece of composite armor, although I am quietly accumulating good resources for it. What I do make is good Ubese, good wookiee armor (can never remember how to spell the name for that) and I try to keepImp PSGs on my vendors. I'm not getting rich overnight, but I am doing all right and getting an increasing number of repeat customersplus lots of word-of-mouth inquiries and sales. When I get requests for composite, I refer people to a couple of friends who are Master Armorsmiths who make very good composite. Those friends have focused on composite and decided not to do Ubese themselves any more, so they refer Ubese inquiries to me. Works out pretty well.
Wynsum
Thanks so far for everyones discussion...Lets keep it going....
So, Rick....curious on your ideas.....first I agree with your ideas
I have always conducted my business from a customer service point of view.....the problem now is I never seem to keep up with orders so I am having to start in on the mass production to keep up.
As far as location....totally agree with that....every business seems to come to that eventually....especially in a commodity type market which probably best describes the armor market (as stated in a thread above).
There are two things I am curious of and wanteveryone elses opinion:
(1) Advertising --- Personally I cant stand the spamming that goes on and refuse to ever do it....I know it works but I just dont like it. So, I have to do it the hard way....I do like the last post with the threads on the trade boards....those are good ideas...but lots of people are starting to do that. I suppose I am more of the low key type....right now my best advertisment is the fact I am the number one armor vendor on the planetary map...(not sure if that is the best way). Also, since the first time I achieved Master I got spammed with Tells because of my title and searchable. I turned that off several months ago so I could have some piece and quite. I have since turned all that back on and seem to be generating business from that again.....does everyone still think that is a good form of advertising?
It mainly depends on your main customer base. I mainly supply a guild or two with armor and then have other individual, mostly repeat, customers. So what I try to do is keep large amounts of full suits of triple-layered kinetic composite in stock and then throw in ubese and chitin when I can. Also stock individual chests, pants, stun helms, and PSG's. I only rarely take any special orders because I don't have the time. As someone previously said, you just have to find your niche.
Lowca is also currently seeing an increase in the number of master smiths. I don't expect it to cause any problems, but it will probably result in me having to lower my prices and pay more for certain materials (like wooly hide).