Communication w/ Wolfman Razors

"Scalping" is specifically a reference to selling event tickets.  Reselling material goods you previously purchased is called retail.  High markups is called smart retail.

While 'scalping' was originally a reference to event-tickets, that does NOT mean it cannot be applied here - people are intentionally buying a Wolfman simply to turn-around and re-sell it. That is the very definition of Scalping, not "Retail". Retail literally is "the sale of goods to the public in relatively small quantities for use or consumption rather than for resale."

Break it down. Retail is the act of purchasing materials specifically for resale. That is what a retailer does. The people purchasing wolfmnan razors and flipping them at a markup without using them are participating, explicitly, in the act of retail because they are, explicitly, purchasing an item with the intention of reselling it.

That is retail, by definition.

"Scalping" is a specific form of resale, where an individual purchases tickets to an event that is expected to sell out. They then increase their asking price for said tickets, and sell them at the venue. Both are forms of resale. 1 is purchasing a physical item with value and reselling it. The other is purchasing the cost of entry to an event and reselling it.

Scalping is specifically the resale of tickets to a sold out event.

2-Raise his prices. If he charged $400, the resellers would have no room for further markup.

Come on man - you literally pointed out that Economics doesn't work this way elsewhere so why is it that if a sorta-rare item costs $400, it shouldn't go for $550? If the market supports it (and quite likely it will ) then the issue still remains. Shawn of ChatillonLux once commented on how low his profit margin was on a LE set and watching it resell for a multiple of his price was weird for him.

I never pointed out that economics does not work this way, simply because economics DO work this way. If Wolfman raised his prices to what they are currently going for on eBay, he would eliminate the markup available to resellers, and thereby eliminate the resellers market, at least to a certain degree. Eventually, price will outweigh demand, and the market will stabilize, until the price needs to come down in order to raise demand and get them selling again. That is literally how an economy operates, in microcosm.

Let's also consider Price Elasticity - those who genuinely want a Wolfman will balk at paying $400 and he won't have the demand that he has now. Price-setting is all about balancing what the market will bear versus what's the highest he can charge without losing too many customers. No businessman wants to price themselves out of the market nor is he creating a product for the Rich-only.

Duh. This is why I stated earlier that it is a difficult proposition. Being difficult to manage does not reduce the viability as an option to eliminate resellers. He would simply be required to monitor his market value very closely so as to not price himself out of the market. Not impossible...just difficult. And pretty basic business...

Purposely? You mean by not hiring skilled machinist to assist in the production? Or not hiring skilled polishers to assist in final finish?  I understand wanting total control over every aspect of the process, but please don't try to tell me that there is not another capable machinist available for hire, or even a lowly polisher that could be quickly and properly trained...

I don't get this reasoning either - if we don't expect Artisanal vendors to produce massive quantities of highly-desired soaps, are ok with Limited-Edition, are ok with Artisanal soaps never releasing their formula to somebody else because it's their product of love, then why are we not ok accepting a vendor who has a clear passion for his work not taking on an assistant? After all, it's the vendor's right to produce his product exactly how he wants to.

I never said it was not OK. I merely pointed out that it was intentional. It is by his conscious choice. Nothing wrong with that, but let's not overlook the factuality of it...

The problem isn't about James' inability to hire more or turn a hand-made product into a mass-production (thereby taking the joy out of it) - it's that there will always be people who game the system - both scalpers and the people with deep pockets who don't mind the premium. Asking James to both hand-produce and then keep an eye on scalpers is near impossible - nothing he does cannot be beaten by somebody motivated enough.

Again...duh. That's been my point all along. James is doing nothing to curb resellers, and he SHOULD be doing nothing to curb resellers. Resellers drive demand. Limited productions and comparatively low pricing drives resellers. He creates a resale market by limiting production and pricing. This has always been my point...

I'm not sure why you're arguing with me. It seems like you read just enough of my response to generate a seemingly contrary position, but not enough to realize our positions are not contrary. You just want them to be...

Hey, folks, don't get your knickers in a twist. This thread is beginning to go in circles, with no end in sight. At the end of the day, it's still just a razor. The guy in the next lane may be driving a Lamborghini to my Toyota Corolla. The fit and finish may be a million times better on the Lamborghini than the Corolla and many may much prefer the look of the former to the latter. If we both drive up the freeway from San Diego to Los Angeles at the posted speed limit and under the same road and traffic conditions, we'll both get to L.A. at about the same time. It's the same when comparing some posh $200.00+ razor to my very user grade Gillette NEW long comb razor. The posh razor will definitely look better than mine but both can give an excellent shave with proper blade, soap, and technique.

Once I buy something, it becomes mine. If I can sell it for more than what I paid for it, I would be stupid to sell it for less.

I think some people see scalpers as parasites, jacking up the price of a product without any added value.  That is understandable, but sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles.  It is not like the scalpers are increasing the price anyone would pay for a Wolfman razor.  If a scalper kept his or her razor instead of selling it, you wouldn't be able to buy that razor for any price.  And no, you aren't owed a Wolfman at a reasonable price.  By the same token, it is not James' job or place, or that of ANY vendor, to babysit or police his customers.  As for those appearing to spring to the vendor's defense, you seem to be using this thread simply as an excuse to pick fights.  While the occasional flamewar can be fun, the fine folks running DFS likely disagree.

It's not rocket science:

If a product is overpriced, buy a competing product that is more reasonably priced.

If the wait time for a product is long and you are impatient, buy an alternative that will ship more quickly.

If a vendor gives you poor customer service, then buy somewhere else.

Your experience with a given vendor might be different than someone else's.

I don't see how any of that is so hard to figure out. Traditional wetshavers have a mountain of options. Why not take advantage of them?

Every season sees a new food hailed as a wonder product. I remember when people ate bran muffins and then drank this noxious fungal tincture. Soy, almond milk, blueberries and kale are tomorrow's reverse mortgage spokespersons vaguely familiar from old T.V. sitcoms. So it is with shaving product. This thread is, well, threadbare.
Anyone good at forecasting trends? I'm guessing free range Escargo and Charcoal's patinated brass razors. At least the snails can make a run for it.

Kav, I agree that some follow the latest fad. Like you, I was a fan of Alan Watts, and heard him speak live and in person: In those days, we chewed brown rice for hours, and ate kale decades before it was trendy.

Free-range escargot. You made me laugh out loud!

Today, if a restaurant has a special with a side of quinoa and kale, I have a crisis as to whether I'll stay or leave forthwith.

But I must take issue with one thing: Sometimes-albeit rarely-a popular trend proves to be exceptional.

The shave I get from my Charcoal Goods razors are exceptional, patina or no. Same with the Wolfmen I shave with. I got both of these brands of razors in spite of-not because of-the hype.

Back on topic, I am a repeat customer of James's, and sometimes he answers my emails, and sometimes not. I just take this as how it is. For a one-man operation to put out a world-class product is a remarkable accomplishment. I can overlook the email thing because frankly, the product is that good.

I could never stomach that whole macrobiotic brown rice shtick and fondly remember Allan smoking his tobacco and smelling of vodka. Zen is an abused word from
curtained massage parlors to sunsets needing no word elbowing out 'have a good one' and God knows what that might refer to. Allan would probably tell us these razors are splendid examples for lovers of material to possess. He might also tell us worrying so much about acquiring one is foolish desire and if we simply acknowledge the desire we are free and likely as not the razors will be made available in good time.
Now, if it was Anton Zandar la Vey or Jim Jones who I encountered later in SF the result likely would have been less beneficial. I really POed that lion tamer and the black corpsman I was dating whispered during a Jone's serman we needed to LEAVE NOW and she was going back to her Baptist church.

On another forum, a guy received 10 Wolfmans and 10 Paladins without having to wait years or for his turn. It was a project and makers gladly said yes. And yet other guys wait months for their turn, strive to put their name on the waitlist, be extremely quick to buy one in nanoseconds, while makers say they have no time or they don't respond to some emails. Haha these are the artisans nowadays. I admire their work but that doesn't seem fine. That's how artificial shortage works and that's why people sell them on Ebay for profit. Good for them. I'm not jealous, really. But from now on, I won't blame the sellers on Ebay, but the makers. They created this, it's their fault.

Just read your post and saw that thread elsewhere. I got a Wolfman early on and enjoy it but, yeah, I had to laugh at that one.

On another forum, a guy received 10 Wolfmans and 10 Paladins without having to wait years or for his turn. It was a project and makers gladly said yes. And yet other guys wait months for their turn, strive to put their name on the waitlist, be extremely quick to buy one in nanoseconds, while makers say they have no time or they don't respond to some emails. Haha these are the artisans nowadays. I admire their work but that doesn't seem fine. That's how artificial shortage works and that's why people sell them for margin. Good for them. I'm not jealous, really. But from now on, I won't blame the sellers on Ebay, but the makers. They created this, it's their fault.

Just goes to show you that there is nothing, and I do mean nothing, stopping these artisans from ramping up production without deteriorating quality, thereby eliminating the high markup on resale.

Resellers are a scapegoat. The "community" loves to jump on them, instead of comprehending basic economic theory, and using a modicum of logic to look at the situation realistically...

Chances are really high that Wolfman has a fair stock of razors sitting in an area, just waiting for final polish before they are posted for sale...