Changes in the works
I'm honored to be popular again for a time!
I am currently unable to make any soft slant backs due to the post-surgery condition of my back. However, I am recovering slowly but surely and I hope to be able to manhandle such large amounts of fabric in due time. I am hoping to be back in production by Spring, which isn't too far away. It may be limited production, only 1-2 a month, but I'm hoping for better.
I have invested in a few additional bits of tooling to try to make production easier. A tubing saw was on the list, so as to give me a better chance at making good welds on the custom fittings needed for the frame. I haven't been able to test it yet, but perhaps by end of month.
In reviewing my last year's progress and comparing the amount of time spent versus price paid I am obliged to change my prices to reflect more fairly the amount of time I spend making, improving and supporting these.
One change in the business model is that I will begin taking deposits rather than making tops on request and hoping to get paid after. Not that I've been stuck with any soft slant back I've ever made, but there have been cases where a potential buyer either left the site while I was sewing, never to return, or another buyer changed his mind about what style of enclosure he wanted. These are both understandable, but I need more assurance to push myself to complete a top than the belief that "It'll sell eventually".
Pricing will change. I have not decided exactly how much, but it will increase. Some marketers I have spoken with (I work in business so get to ask people with more experience than me for advice) have said I should charge as much as four times what I have, to account for my R&D time and for gathering and storing bulk materials and lastly for my evidenced willingness to form a relationship with buyers to ensure they are satisfied with the setup and performance of the product. Four times what I have charged so far would be well over a thousand dollars! My checkbook and spare parts wish list love the sound of that, but I feel it is unfair, even if I truly am the only source of these soft slant backs. Conventional business wisdom says one should charge "what the market will bear" meaning as high as you can. Maybe this is acceptable for commodity products or products where there is no relationship between buyer and seller, and the seller has no attachment to the product.
That is not my situation and that is not me.
(By the way tlmarks, I sent you that PM and quoted you a price. I will stand by that. And you get first refusal on the next soft slant back I produce.)
Currently I am limited to black and green, as I am still without a source of Desert Tan fabric. I have no idea why several places had it when I began this project, only to have every single one dry up while I was using my initial outlay of fabric. Last week, I decided to stop waiting for eBay or other sources to magically satisfy my repeat requests and I have begun reaching out to textile mills and their distributors myself. They are not excited about dealing with a guy who thinks just one whole roll (~40 yards) is a lot of fabric. They want my to buy a container load. I can't do that, but I am trying to find a source even if I have to buy what to me is going to be a lifetime supply.
Sorry for the novel. I have been thinking hard about how to serve my fellow MV owners and our tight-knit community to the best of my ability while recognizing I have no plans to make this my true line of work, i.e. stay a cottage business. I say MV owners, rather than just HMMWV owners because I have had the honor of having been asked to develop a better mousetrap for M35 owners as well. I'm working on that as my back and schedule permit too. I have a pattern, and now need to test it.
I don't foresee a custom textile business in my future, but I am very honored to serve my fellows here. I will probably never sell this stuff on my own website or even on eBay, but never say never...
So in summary, by the end of February I hope to be in a position physically and financially to open up for orders in a revised fashion and format. Prices will increase but I will offer more choices for form and function too. I will post updates on this thread and will PM those of you who have encouraged me to continue in this thread, to offer you head-of-line opportunities.
Sincerely,
Alex Boesenberg (Bulldogger)