Knife Pricing

One very tough aspect of knifemaking is pricing. Priced too high, your knife may not sell; too low, and buyers may doubt its quality.

As knifemakers, I am confident we all feel our time and energy are priceless commodities: the time spent learning and perfecting the craft, dollars invested in materials, equipment and running a shop, attending shows, marketing campaigns, and the other assorted costs of running any business.

I have been told by customers that I price my knives too low. There have been occasions when I had $200 knives on my table and was told they were priced "about a hundred dollars too high"! My rule of thumb is simple: I look at how much I have in materials and time, then add in shop upkeep, marketing costs and the like.

Expertise raises prices

In addition to creating hand-forged knives, I am also a collector and dealer, and as such have a pretty good grasp of knife values. As my level of expertise grew, my finished product improved and my prices increased. When I attained my Mastersmith rating with the American Bladesmith Society - a rating that at the time fewer than 70 people worldwide had attained - my prices were raised substantially.

Since my good friend Zoe Mills was kind enough to produce this website, demand for my knives increased. I also began using more expensive materials - pearl, ivories and the like - which ultimately raised prices further.

Scarcity is real

I was a part-time bladesmith producing maybe twelve knives annually, and I never expected production to increase - so the number of Ellis knives is strictly limited. Each knife I made is a true one of a kind. There are easier and faster ways to create knives, but smithing is the path I chose.

In those years my prices started around $300 and went past $4,000 for that special art knife - and I stood behind every piece.