Communication w/ Wolfman Razors

This is why he chooses to keep supply extremely low, so as to increase desireability and therefor price. He keeps demand high, and response low so that the inventory availability is sold within seconds. He does nothing to prevent reselling of his products at ridiculous markups, because anything he could do to help would damage his own profit margins by virtue of decreasing demand.

What makes you say that? Do you have evidence that he purposely keeps supply low? His razors have been about the same cost for a while - if he purposely is driving up demand without adjusting his prices to reflect that, that'd be a pretty dumb business decision, no? I think supply is so low because the hand finishing takes time. He polishes everything to a mirror-like finish (including his brushed razors, which I don't think others do) instead of media blasting them for a quick brushed finish. I can't imagine him being "shady." Hell, if there's a demand for $400+ used Wolfmans on eBay, I would've increased the prices a long-ass time ago if I were him.

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 NEVER said there was ANYTHING shady about him. Keeping demand high and supply low is EXTYREMLY good business. It means he can work at his own pace to stockpile inventory, sell out in a matter of minutes, and casually rebuild to the next sale. That's extremely smart. Nothing shady at all.

Clearly there is a demand for his razors at double retail. They sell, which means there is a market, presumably, unless the same 3 people are buying from the same 1 guy every time...

Also, I'm sure the reselling is hurting his profit margins way more than if he was able to make enough supply to meet demand. No profit <<< some profit.

Not at all sure how somebody reselling a product he already received 100% retail value on could possibly hurt his profits. He already calculated his costs and overhead when he applied his selling price, presumably. When he got paid what he asked for, he made his profit margin precisely as he intended. The fact that this person can turn around and tack on an additional $150 and sell it again has little or no bearing on his actual profit margin. Economics doesn't work that way.

NOW...were he to increase his retail price by $150, he would GREATLY impact the profit margins of the resellers by eliminating that markup. Why he chooses not to do this escapes logic...

I hope he reads every response and feels it deeply. It would show that he cares. Unfortunately, I don't think he does. He makes his money and moves on. There is nothing wrong with that by any stretch, but feigning concern over his emotional well-being because someone said his customer service sucks is a little silly...It's not like he has been accused of illegal or unethical practices without any evidence...

Of course he cares about his customers, why else would he even be in this business? If he truly hated is, he would've just moved on and go back to doing whatever machining he did before. I've talked to him about the scalped razors and he's furious about it, but what can he do? He can only make so many razors, so the only thing he can do is increase the price, which he doesn't want to do for his customers. I can't blame him if he decides to, though.

I think throwing out baseless accusations against him gives the impression of spite doesn't help, especially when oddly reasoned economic theory is thrown into the mix - low response typically doesn't result in immediate sales, that's just high demand.

I never said he didn't care about his customers. I said I doubted he cared about what is staid on the forums. And he shouldn't. It should not bother him one bit. If he is doing his business ethically and to his own standards, everyone else should not matter.

I did, however, say that I truly doubt he cares one bit about resellers, because he does not do anything to stop them. That's a pretty realistic observation. I said that "pretending not to sell to resellers..." is a waste of time because it clearly doesn't work. I never accused him of not caring about his customers.

I said poor customer service is inexcusable. That's a fact, not an accusation...

How is that not the same thing? A ticket can be considered a material good - so the concept applies to other consumable goods. Scalping is a version of your "smart retailing."

1. He's not deliberately limiting production, so that's not a viable strategy, though he probably can post when he's posting stuff for sale.
2. Probably the only viable option. Guess we're gonna see $400 Wolfmans in the near future. Good thing he has Guerilla razors in the works now..
3. Agreed.. That's probably why his assistant can help make more Guerillas than WR1s.

It's hard not to know when someone is aiming to resell before the damage is done. All you can do is not sell to the same person in the future. Also, you clearly haven't seen Facebook recently. There's a reselling/raffling "epidemic" if you will. People raffling Wolfmans left and right, just to re-raffle. It's ridiculous.

How is that not the same thing? A ticket can be considered a material good - so the concept applies to other consumable goods. Scalping is a version of your "smart retailing."

1. He's not deliberately limiting production, so that's not a viable strategy, though he probably can post when he's posting stuff for sale.
2. Probably the only viable option. Guess we're gonna see $400 Wolfmans in the near future. Good thing he has Guerilla razors in the works now..
3. Agreed.. That's probably why his assistant can help make more Guerillas than WR1s.

It's hard not to know when someone is aiming to resell before the damage is done. All you can do is not sell to the same person in the future. Also, you clearly haven't seen Facebook recently. There's a reselling/raffling "epidemic" if you will. People raffling Wolfmans left and right, just to re-raffle. It's ridiculous.

It's not the same thing because a ticket to an event is not a material good or a service. Words have definitions for a reason.

1-intentionally not hiring help to increase your supply to meet demand is intentionally limiting production. I'm not saying he's wrong for intentionally limiting production I'm just pointing out that limited production of his razors is intended. Whether it's because he feels a need to control every minor detail or because he loathes hiring help is inconsequential. The result is the same. Production is limited not by availability of materials or labor but by a conscious choice...intent.

2-I think he should be capturing that revenue for himself. However, this will result in a cyclical movement of his pricing as increase in price will cause a decrease in demand and require a fluctuation in price to accommodate. A difficult proposition to be certain...

3-agreed

I ignore the Facebook groups intentionally. It is the same people trying to raffle and re-raffle at higher and higher profits that are the first to cry if they feel slighted by "the community". It's drama that is really unnecessary. Everyone is more worried that someone else might get something they can't get than they are worried about enjoying what they have. I have no time for that nonsense.

I only participate here because the people here are more genuine, and even a huge disagreement will try to find common ground. On Facebook, everyone wants to be recognizable even at the detriment of their reputation. I haven't got time for that nonsense. I argue politics and local civics on Facebook, not shaving and who is reselling wolfman razors...

Again, I must reiterate that I find nothing "shady" or unethical in Wolfman's business model. I think it's very smart of him to ignore resellers as much as possible and keep his current standard of limited production runs. I just think it is illogical to think it is unintentional or has no impact on the resale value...



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And he could easily eliminate the aftermarket reselling of his products. It would be nothing.

But would it be worth the effort and would there be any point in doing so? If he is selling every razor he makes, then it is a simple matter of deciding how many to produce / how much time to devote, and then selling at a price he is happy with. Like sporting events tickets, once sold, the product is beyond the seller's control. It is no different than an antiques store selling a Gillete adjustable toggle for $20, and then having it resold on eBay for $500.

All the "I gotta have" nonsense in wetshaving gets a little ridiculous at times. There are plenty of affordable alternatives for the most part. Any gaps in supply are likely to be filled by some new entrepreneurs in the future. Sooner or later, supply catches up with demand.

Does he actually make them on a lathe still? Last I read he upgraded to a CNC in his shop.

It's CNC, but he's mentioned that the finishing is what takes time. Since the machines haven't been running while he's doing the finishing, he decided to introduce the Guerrilla line as a higher availability, less finished (but still good imo) product.

How do you get on the Wolfman razor waiting list? Is there a list? I have a subscription to the newsletter but have never received an email. The only communication that I've seen is twitter updates indicating some inventory is available. These items disappear in seconds. What kind of a buying experience is that? Blindly adding items to a cart and purchasing just to have a Wolfman item?

Why can't James have waiting lists like other vendors? Is there anyone running the social media customer service, sales or marketing at Wolfman? Can I go to Alberta and show up to personally order a razor?
I recently purchased a BBS-1 from John at LAshaving because I was able to get on the waiting list almost 9 months ago. I was able to obtain 2 Wolf Whisker brushes from Peter Wolf by signing up on the waiting lists in the past year. Brad Sears is currently making a brush for me because I was in the list. I don't mind waiting for such high quality products I just want the opportunity to do so. I don't want to purchase a Wolfman on eBay that's 4 times the value!

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He does have a wait list, but I think he's still working is way through them on top of working on the BBS-1 orders.

This is why he chooses to keep supply extremely low, so as to increase desireability and therefor price. He keeps demand high, and response low so that the inventory availability is sold within seconds. He does nothing to prevent reselling of his products at ridiculous markups, because anything he could do to help would damage his own profit margins by virtue of decreasing demand.

What makes you say that? Do you have evidence that he purposely keeps supply low? His razors have been about the same cost for a while - if he purposely is driving up demand without adjusting his prices to reflect that, that'd be a pretty dumb business decision, no? I think supply is so low because the hand finishing takes time. He polishes everything to a mirror-like finish (including his brushed razors, which I don't think others do) instead of media blasting them for a quick brushed finish. I can't imagine him being "shady." Hell, if there's a demand for $400+ used Wolfmans on eBay, I would've increased the prices a long-ass time ago if I were him.

Also, I'm sure the reselling is hurting his profit margins way more than if he was able to make enough supply to meet demand. No profit <<< some profit.

I hope he reads every response and feels it deeply. It would show that he cares. Unfortunately, I don't think he does. He makes his money and moves on. There is nothing wrong with that by any stretch, but feigning concern over his emotional well-being because someone said his customer service sucks is a little silly...It's not like he has been accused of illegal or unethical practices without any evidence...

Of course he cares about his customers, why else would he even be in this business? If he truly hated is, he would've just moved on and go back to doing whatever machining he did before. I've talked to him about the scalped razors and he's furious about it, but what can he do? He can only make so many razors, so the only thing he can do is increase the price, which he doesn't want to do for his customers. I can't blame him if he decides to, though.

I think throwing out baseless accusations against him gives the impression of spite doesn't help, especially when oddly reasoned economic theory is thrown into the mix - low response typically doesn't result in immediate sales, that's just high demand.

It's not baseless if it was coming from James himself. James replied quickly to managing I appreciate.

If I was not clear here it is again. James is aware of the scalpers which is why the guerilla is coming out soon to cater to everyone. He keeps his supply low because he can't make them fast enough to keep up with the demand. This is understandable because not everyone has the ecommerce acumen, resources, time and cost to expand and improve their businesses. It's just two men correct?

And where is this waitlist? Are you referring to the waitlist that was last done in July of 2016? I've heard nothing since? Has anyone?


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I'm amazed at the amount of attention being paid on this thread to a guy doing what he wants to do, how he wants to do it. I haven't read the posts today, and don't plan to. I'm checking out, but I certainly hope that I never read this many posts from complete strangers about how I should do my job. I wish you all the best.

I'm amazed at the amount of attention being paid on this thread to a guy doing what he wants to do, how he wants to do it. I haven't read the posts today, and don't plan to. I'm checking out, but I certainly hope that I never read this many posts from complete strangers about how I should do my job. I wish you all the best.

It is traditional wetshaving at its finest. If people didn't do battle, then all that would be left is shaving. How boring would that be? The B&B and TSN things have both been done to death, which leaves stainless steel razors. "My razor handle is bigger than your razor handle" and all that stuff.

Dang dude, that guy has a Micromatic. No wonder the other guy got the chick.

You must be howling mad. Maybe wait until the next full moon?

Seriously, if you email a vendor - any vendor - multiple times, wait a reasonable amount of time, and get no response, then maybe it is time to move on and take your business elsewhere. As a customer or potential customer, you are entitled to good customer service and quality products. If a reseller or manufacturer doesn't deliver, then they don't deserve your business. By the same token, you don't deserve the aggravation of dealing with a lot of nonsense.

The last email I sent him was days ago. A few weeks ago I sent him another. No response whatsoever. Moving on.

He did reply to me, it seems that the scalpers have ruined it for everyone by selling his razors at ridiculous prices. Thus he is limiting quantity and making amother razor in mass for the public to consume.

Since I signed up for the newsletter two years ago I've tried or purchased almost 50 to 75 different DE and SE razors. I did get to try a Wolfman and it was one of the best shaves I've ever had. I just wish I had the opportunity to purchase one at his price.

Thankfully I've got into straight razors which hurts or helps my RAD depending on your point of view.


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the need for 'scalping' rests solely on the feet on the manufacturer as James' output is so low compared to the astronomical demand for his products. if James has a problem with the secondary market for his products, he either needs to increase supply or raise his own prices to slow down the demand.

it also seems James could stand to make his processing more efficient. for example, to order his new guerrilla razor, from my understanding, you need to email him. why wouldn't he just add a page on his site and allow the software to do the work for him?!?!?!?!? work smarter, not harder, IMHO.

Seems to me (and I do NOT own, nor plan to own a Wolfman) James is doing an exceptional job creating a sought-after product and a buzz that is electric. Good on him. It's his business friends. He'll run it his way. As it should be.