Don't let the tyranny of convenience define your business

[TWISTEDWILLOW]

JHCC, I guess it would be nice to have someone else give me money for my hobby lol,  

i already have my own business and I’ve got a lot of years and experience doing it so I feel comfortable selling my labor in that field,

but I don’t have that same amount of time and experience in my blacksmithing and I see alot of y’all posting every day that are far more experienced in this field and capable of turning out top of the line work every day,  

so I’d really hate to sell a customer something unless I can offer the same kind of quality of work as I can in my repair business, when they could get a much better product from a more experienced smith, 

I see it every day in my business when someone pays to have something done and it ends up a disaster that costs them more in the long run, because some guy before me that doesn’t know what he’s doing screws it up and charges for it. Then I wind up with a grouchy skeptical customer that doesn’t believe or trust me because of the last guy. 
 

if I were to sell an inferior product I could potentially put a bad taste in the customers mouth on buying hand made blacksmith  goods, and as a result take away a sale from the next blacksmith who is more experienced would have sold the same customer an excellent product and kept them coming back for more! 

[Glenn]

Offer the product or service to your customer knowing it is the best you can do.  With a years practice and experience you will be able to offer a product that is again the best you can do, and the second one should be an improved version.  

Like S hooks, the first one will always be rough, number 10 should be better, and number 25 should be better still.   Can YOU tell the difference between the S hooks that were made free hand on the anvil and those made using a jig?  Will one hold more weight than another?  Can you tell which one you modified from a S hook into a J or C hook to please the customer or match their needs?

The price difference should reflect the increased cost of materials, and your improved skill and expertise.