I apologize to anyone who was offended by my last comments on the Ebay post. But the fact of the matter is, I learned as a young boy, if you poke a dog with a stick long enough he's going to bite you. I do have a temper.
I will no longer post comments from anonymous posters. I've had enough of people who would belittle me and others and whose sole purpose seems to be to stir up crap and act like bullies. You guys don't see plenty of comments that I have deleted in the past because of foul language and/or personal attacks but I allowed a few in that last posting so folks could see what comes in. But if you aren't willing to put your name on it I think that I am going to have to stop putting those comments up. Some of the anonymous stuff is downright vicious.
Also, I appreciate that many folks are well meaning in their suggestions on how I could improve my business and the processes related to it but I'm in good shape and have a clear vision. I'm doing the best I can, trying to satisfy the demand and keep everyone happy. So thank you all, I very much appreciate your business and your support and like I said, sorry if I turned anyone off with my responses.
42 comments:
Keep up the good work Peter,
You rock the House!
Jake
No apologies needed, Peter.
In the meantime I was just too slow to get a bugbite. :( Oh well, everyone on EDCF was much faster than me. Along with those eBay flippers.
-Ed
We love you man!!!
Thanks for the BugBite surprise! Can't wait for the Mini Keyton surprise (hint, hint)...
Absolutely no need for apologies and by all means don't try to keep 'us' happy or you'll run yourself ragged. IMHO continue to do what's good for your business and makes YOU happy. I hate to see something good and pure mangled into shit by greedy, spiteful people who hide behind a keyboard. Happens all to often these days.
Matt
I agree with Matt, theres no reason to keep us happy. Remember that for every Ebay scalper there are at least tenfold of us gearknuts that appreciate and respect the care and ingenuity that goes into your tools.
Whatever the opposite of offended is -- that's what I am. It takes a lot more than calling an asshole an asshole to offend me!
Although you did leave out a category -- some of us are collectors AND users! :-D
Also if you have a bit of time do a solar arc collaboration with Spyderco:)
take care
aj
Keep up the good work, Peter! I appreciate your dedication to your work and to your fans.
Peter, No need for apologies. It is your work and you need to run it the way you want to. Hopefully it will become easier for us users to buy things we want in the future. Keep on trucking.
No apologize needed. I am more than grateful that you care enough that you will take time and effort to do something about. Even more so, there is not need for those to belittle you on your own site. Keep doing what you're doing man. You have supports/fans for life.
Peter- I thought you were sufficiently "poked with a stick" that some response was certainly understandable (i.e., apology accepted but not necessary!, imho). I personally can't resist a good heated discussion. Truly, Peter, it was informative to see a sampling of what you receive for trying to follow your muse, as it were. My job exposes me to people's, shall we say, quirks on a daily basis. But it never ceases to amaze me at some level. (And maybe we, on both sides of the argument, forgot a little that we were just responding to your policy).
-Tim
Peter,
I don't currently own any of your products, although I'd certainly like to. I would be pretty upset if people were selling my goods at huge markups on eBay. I'm glad you're filtering your traffic that way, and look forward to actually beating someone to a prybaby one day...
Peter,
I took the time to write a not to lengthy comment and it was not posted. There was no profanities in it and it was well written, nothing offensive in the least. It was not posted, wether you agree or not, at least post it, you have always in the past.
As for posting anonymously, you have given us the option to do so. Do not blame us for doing so. If you do not like it than remove that option. This is not OUR wrong doing.
Former Atwood Collector
sorry but I am really busy today so if I missed something...
This topic needs NO apology from you Peter. there are some topics that may in the future require a comment, but this is Not one of them.
Having just discovered your work i must say "Like your work"
One thing to remember tho is there are more places than just ebay to sell stuff...
someday i hope to get one from you and not some over-inflater selling your gizmo's.
Kd7txg
__________________________
a confirmed Gizmo freak who also tunes pianos
Just don't start painting houses
Hi, Peter...One reason some people post anonymously is so as not to open ourselves up to the vengeance of some of the scalping assholes in other venues. For instance, if some of us sell on ebay and post in defense of you and your policies, those scalpers may seek us out and screw with our auctions (I don't sell your items on ebay and never have) just to leave us negative feedback, for instance.
Anyway, I would like it if you might still post anonymous comments, especially when they are in full support of you. We believe in what you're doing and appreciate it very much. It's just that the scalper assholes are low enough where they would do things like mess with us elsewhere and it wouldn't be too difficult for them to find us. I recognize many of the names here from edcf and CPF.
Thanks for everything you're doing to ensure we can continue to buy your creations at affordable prices for working folks. You're awesome.
I too agree with virtualmatt. Peter, do what you like and if someone does not like it, F them. You cannot please everyone and you cannot punish the masses for the mistakes of the few! Well you can, but you shouldn't.
-La Navaja
Don't let the haters fade you Peter - just do your thang!!! We wuv u ;)
I soooo identify with you, also being a fellow artist, that the politics of selling your work and dealing with some individuals drama, can often taint the feelings you put into your creations. Plus, I just have hella-respect for someone that works with metal. . . how kewl!
I ran into that same sales drama nonsense when my own works got well known enough to have galleries perk up and notice them. Suddenly, it was all this focus on producing more, more more and charge more money. . more More MORE!!! ALL THE TIME!!! ick. . . nothing like that sort of avarice to kill off my creative process! (I carve stone and do oil paintings, as well music, writing, you name it. . . renaissance girl, I am. . lol)
Also, in regards to some of the comments on the last thread, Peter IS an artist, thank you very much. His works are not only incredibly utilitarian and versatile but aesthetically pleasing to such a level as to be almost surreal - as if alien technology or something, even. . . .lol.
Anyways, glad there are still fellow artist / artisans out there like you that are focusing on the ART and not the DOLLAR. :)
Alright, I've calmed down. Truce! :D
I tend to get a little carried away sometimes with everyone making demands on me in all directions at once. Lots of good points in both of the discussions. I still hold that I'm unhappy with the Instant Flipper Syndrome and I think most folks can see why.
I'm not going to take away the anonymous posting but I will curtail any that are nasty or attacks. No need for that.
Hi Peter - In the last thread I almost made the remark that, if I had some of the unpleasant customers you have...by which I mean the ones who swear, denigrate, and provoke... it would seriously cut into my work devotion. I think you do a great job of dealing with success (on the one hand), and with whining customers (on the other). I don't think I could be as unflappable. And, it's pretty amazing you're a one-man shop, while still accessible. We do appreciate that!
Anyhoo, thanks for the nibbles--they look delicious.
I just want to say you make great tools, and as long as you keep doing that I will want to own them.
..Peter makes beautiful tools that have really been noticed within a collectors niche and so inevitably they will increase in value and be traded and sold on a secondary market..but that's all part of the appeal isn't it?
..those who buy to instantly flip, when identified will not now be sold to any more..... that's cool!
..in the meantime Peter is coming up with new fascinating designs and selling at reasonable prices and then the chase is on to obtain some of these which is the fun.
..and then are are those that cry because they didn't manage to obtain a piece in time .. gedda life!! ..... sometimes we win sometimes lose that's how it is..
...let's ignore the ranters and ravers and help each other out by trading and keep the good humour in this!
...and "bollocks" I missed a nibble today
Peter,
I remember a time when a merchant would post a sign saying, "We reserve the right to deny service to anyone." Didn't like the person's shirt? No service. Didn't like how the customer treated the staff? No service. Many don't understand the adage, "The customer is always right." It doesn't mean the merchant has to tolerate bullying, rudeness, or any behavior that the merchant feels adversely affects the merchant's relationship with the public.
"Let the market dictate..." Well, some people need to understand that the customer is only half of the market dynamic. The merchant is the other half. Each shall entertain the other to the extent they desire. The relationship must be mutually beneficial. In my mind, your policy execution is akin to a merchant ejecting an unpleasant customer from the store. I am certain that your customer base will appreciate your decision. Have a good day!
Will
Peter,
Recently 2 of your triangles sold on ebay for very near your original price. Well done Peter, I believe your efforts have been rewarded...your market and collector's value have been diminished!
Atwood Collector.
You certainly need not apologize for being angered by abusive behavior. I hope, however, that you’ll give some consideration to Webb's thoughtful comment (10:32pm 2008-02-12) in response to your “Ebay Policy Spelled Out” post.
Webb correctly observed that the vigorous black market, along with the scalper purchasing and resulting scarcity on your website, all flow from the fact that you’re selling your creations at prices that are obviously far below market value.
Your goal is to provide regular folks, actual users and respectful collectors an opportunity to purchase your tools at what you consider to be a fair price. But this generous intention is clearly being frustrated by your current approach. As long as there is such a wide disparity between your asking price and the market price, scalping is inevitable, especially as scalpers have a myriad of marketing venues – not just eBay.
To make matters worse, your efforts to police this activity by tracking and banning individual offenders means you’re spending time doing something you find distasteful rather than exercising your creative capabilities. Meanwhile, your customers are forced to check your blog/website with compulsive repetition in the faint hope of hitting during the nanosecond when something is actually available. Inevitably, many regular folks, actual users and respectful collectors don’t ever get the chance to purchase directly from you because the market dynamics mean that your website inventory is regularly and immediately stripped bare. Which, of course, means that they must go without or purchase at a market price which benefits only the scalper, not the creator. This sure sounds like a lose-lose proposition for both you and your customers.
So I hope you will consider Webb’s argument’s in favor of offering you products at realistic market prices – and perhaps even his intriguing idea of a declining pricing scheme. Let me add that I’m not wealthy, so purchasing at market prices isn’t a trivial expenditure for me. But, unless I have the online time to make visiting your site a high-frequency ritual - and, sadly, I don’t - I’ll have to pay market price anyway. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to wish I had the opportunity to purchase from you directly, or to wish that you benefit from the actual market value of your efforts. Thanks
Guys, I know you mean well and I appreciate you taking the time to make suggestions and try to educate me on economic theory of the free market. Some of your ideas are good and your arguments are well reasoned, perhaps even clever. But I'm doing it the way I think best and what works for me and what I am comfortable with. To quote a great American, Walter Cronkite, "And that's the way it is."
It's not very punk rock to apologize! (:p
Those that don't 'get it' will eventually get bored and leave. All your friends will still be here.
-Rob
Hehe, you're right Rob, but if you'll notice most of those guys are now dead. Their music lives on but maybe if they had learned a little diplomacy they would have gotten further. Or maybe they were just a bunch of spoiled brats after all. TV Party Tonight! :D
No worries about apologizing. Even with all the negative and positive feedback you've received recently, just remember; it's still YOUR business. You run it the way you feel you need to. As a recent collector AND user who has finally been able to acquire a few or your tools after endless months of watching your site, I agree with how you're running things, even if this means I miss out on more tools than I'd like to. I'd rather take to opportunity to get them from you than feed the flippers on ebay.
Kudos to you, Peter.
I think the waiting game sucks. HURRAH FOR THE FLIPPERS!
It's the only way to get something Atwood made anymore besides wasting your time. I got really tired of waiting for these 'creations' to be available to purchase. I check the site about 2-3 times a month because I'm not going to waste my life waiting for a glorified screwdriver anymore. I have better things to do with my time.
Make bigger batches or charge more or get off your soapbox!
Sheesh....lets clear up something first.
Just because someone sells their Atwood doesn't necessarily make them a flipper.
Just because its on Feebay(check out the seller boycott btw the fee increase is ridiculous) doesn't make the person who is selling it a flipper.
The "flippers" that everyone here is bitching about...are the people that scan this site JUST to snag an item for the sole purpose of selling it for a profit.
Yes a majority of it wind up on Feebay
There used to be a buncha places where you could get an Atwood(on the 2nd hand market) for the same price or ~$5-10 more.
Now...those places are also scanned by these profiteers just so they can snag it and jack up the prices! But they don't always get it first so...keep looking.
Of course Peter's one off's or older ones should/would command higher prices!...but the stuff that was released last week?
For example like the Triangles? WTF why go out and pay ~$75+ rip off shipping...when Peter said he'll be making a TON of em?
I know there's a LOT of new fans of Peter's work who honestly just wants to have/own some/any of it... just be patient please good things come to those who wait!
And for those who are sooo desperate to get one that they are willing to pay much much much more...well I implore you to collude with other buyers and keep the ridiculous bidding to a minimum for brand new items. Everyone except the seller will then benefit ^_^
so peter love the black flag quote, i noticed watching some of your videos you were listening to some dub in the background... have you heard of dub step, a mix of idm electronic music and dub/reggae? let me know if your interested and i can send you some tracks! keep your head up and don't let the haters/flippers/econ majors drag your creativity down!! keep your aggression and take it out on the grinder good sir!!
So let me get this straight...
- You won't keep a list of what I want to order.
- You never make enough for anyone other than 5 people to get one.
- I now must take a month off from work to sit at the computer and hit refresh constantly for a 'chance'?
- I am not allowed to use robots to scan the site repeatedly.
- I shouldn't buy an Atwood for more money on ebay even if I am willing?
It's getting foolish and frustrating to be a Atwood collector anymore.
I used to be a big Atwood collector with 15-20 pieces. I have sold some of them here and there. I now am embarrassed to have one of his works on my keychain. This attitude he has developed over the last year is wearing on my patience.
IF YOU CAN'T MAKE ENOUGH MAYBE STOP MAKING TOOLS COMPLETELY LIKE YOU SUGGEST. It would actually make me happy. Or maybe bring on an apprentice to help you make more (or are you too scared they'll steal your secrets?).
WHAT A BIG BABY. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE AT TRYING TO GET AN ATWOOD. MAYBE YOU'LL WIN THE ATWOOD LOTTERY. HA!
IFS* 101
h__p://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110225347277
guess some people don't read this blog, sigh...
I'm just highlighting that we can help Mr.Atwood out with his flipper policy a bit, at least with the scanning-of-eBay side of things
*Instant Flipper Syndrome
C'mon guys, no need for nasty remarks. Really, don't like it then go somewhere else or make your own.
Peter- I have been aware of your work for less than three months. I do NOT watch your site all the time or thousands of times a day! I DO look at that page maybe twice a day, on average, but sometimes not at all. I have "won the lottery" as one complainer put it five times now. Seriously, Peter. It isn't that hard to get one of your tools! Peace, yall!
ok really i think this thread has run its course... i come here to see or hear of new designs and i have to read all this bullshit,and thats what it is. i understand the ebay policy, and for new items i have to agree with Peter,if i were in his shoes i would feel the same way...Peter has way more fans than critics as he should... some kind of sale schedule would be cool,certain days with pre scheduled times so your most ardent fans wont have to be glued to thier computers all day long to grab your latest work of art...Peter your work speaks for itself, let your tools do the talking.do me a favor and put a lock on this thread. thank you
I wish the folks who have better things to do with their time would do it instead of this endless whining.
No need to apologize, you're just trying to let people get a chance at starting or continuing a collection for a reasonable amount of $$$. BTW, if the Victorinox Swisschamp, which was produced by a FACTORY, can make it into the New York MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) then your stuff CERTAINLY QUALIFIES!
There is a story of man who saved the life
of a children from being drowned, it was hard and dangerous because the current was strong. Finally, he succeed in putting the child alive on the river bank.
Then his mother says : " and what about his cap ?"
quote from another poster
"I know there's a LOT of new fans of Peter's work who honestly just wants to have/own some/any of it... just be patient please good things come to those who wait!"
I am a new fan! I found Peter Atwood by a cool tools web site and went to find one, they were sold out. I googled Atwood tools and found some sites that carried his merchandise, they were sold out to. I went to Mr. Atwoods web site and saw a world of really cool things, so much so, if i could have aforded, i would have bought several. I emailed him about when a tool would be available. Mr. Atwood replied and just said check the web site. I have since done so like another poster, a couple times a day during the week. I finally hit it at the right time and got a tool and it is a beautiful thing in person : )
to make a long story longer...
Mr. Atwood is a polite, considerate, hard working Artisan, who still takes the time, when he has it, to make sure your happy with your order and goes the extra mile for you the customer. Just like the quality of his tools, he is a quality person! I look forward to scratches and nicks on my Atwood tool!
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