making holsters and making money?

dave421 · April 12, 2007, 04:47 PM

For those of you with your ccw permit, what would you pay for a kydex concealment holster (iwb) that's custom made? To give you an idea, I've been making my own for the past several months and I wear them daily. Everything from a Subcompact XD9 to my 226 and (sold) 1911. I've never been made by ANYONE (including my cop roommate & a bunch of other cops that all know I carry as well as friends that know it). I wear jeans/khakis/shorts and an untucked polo/button up shirt/ sweatshirt/jacket. I also walk/run/play basketball/etc. and I've never had so much as a slip. It's something that's a little time consuming but I enjoy it and I'm thinking about trying to make some money from it (start off slow with ebay or something). Any ideas?

fisherman66 · April 13, 2007, 10:56 AM

Eye candy is always nice. Could you post a picture?

dave421 · April 13, 2007, 08:31 PM

I will be. Right now I'm out of supplies and waiting on my next shipment and the only pics I have are of some unfinished holsters that were in the basic mold & cut stage. I'll see if I can borrow a camera to get some pics of my others before I start the first batch.

starshooter231 · April 14, 2007, 03:54 PM

Do you think you could make a tuckable one for me

. I would be willing to pay a fare price for it thanks. Feel free to pm me.

dave421 · April 14, 2007, 07:48 PM

star, need to know what kind of gun it would be for.

Travismaine · April 14, 2007, 07:52 PM

I have been carrying for many years now and I have spent some good money on holsters. I myself like leather. I am not a fan of the kydex holsters.

starshooter231 · April 17, 2007, 07:18 PM

Dave,
I sent you a pm.

2cam2go · April 18, 2007, 04:28 PM

dave421,
I started doing leather holster repairs for police officers I worked with at that time, 1977. Generally at NO cost (most bought me a coffee) because I liked working with leather. After I made holsters for myself and wore them to work my fellow officers liked them and started ordering holsters from me. My business has been growing ever since. Thats my story and it has worked for me.
I never tried selling on e-bay but it's a great way to get exposure. Advertising can be costly and not produce sales as expected.
Your best asset is your reputation, it will precede you and ultimately determine your level of success. There is always room for another craftsman. Best of luck!

dave421 · April 18, 2007, 11:08 PM

2cam, thanks for the advice & luck. I'd like to try my hand at some leather sometime but I can't find anywhere to get it without ordering a ton of it. I've got the kydex pretty well down but I think the leather will present much more of a challenge with a larger reward (even with the kydex, I still get that good "I did that" feeling). I definitely agree with you that the reputation will be what actually makes the most difference (personally, I won't buy from someone with a bad rep or bad attitude regardless of their quality or price). That will be where my focus goes.

K-Man · April 19, 2007, 04:14 AM

Hermann Oak leather is considered by many to be the best, and you can get it at a variety of places. The pricing would be somewhat lower for you if you obtain a business license (or whatever is required for your locale). This would open up some more vendors to you, i.e., Weaver leather. There you can buy either one side or 20 sides, no minimum order required. I do quite a bit, so I buy direct from Hermann Oak. There is also leather from Wickett-Craig (http://www.wickett-craig.com/). It's been quite some since I've looked at their leather, so I don't remember if they have a minimum order requirement. I know some top-end holster makers that use their leather and are very happy with it. I don't know of any vendors who sell Wickett-Craig leather, but there might be some.

Your customer service/reputation is going to be as important, if not more so, as the quality of your holsters. If you let the customer service go down, eventually you're not going to have many customers.

I started out on eBay because it provided some immediate exposure to our holsters to a large number of people. We also did some talking on a few of the gun forums, and in short order, we got a website up and running. Advertising costs, i.e., website banner ads, magazine ads, etc., can be pretty expensive. I always consider how many visitors/subscribers/readers there are versus the cost versus how much traffic it brings to our website. It's still a gamble. Word of mouth (by your customers) is going to be your biggest advertiser. And it will make you or break you, as it all goes back to the customer service you provide.

Best of luck to you.

April 12, 2007, 04:47 PM	#1
dave421 Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2006 Posts: 510	making holsters and making money? For those of you with your ccw permit, what would you pay for a kydex concealment holster (iwb) that's custom made? To give you an idea, I've been making my own for the past several months and I wear them daily. Everything from a Subcompact XD9 to my 226 and (sold) 1911. I've never been made by ANYONE (including my cop roommate & a bunch of other cops that all know I carry as well as friends that know it). I wear jeans/khakis/shorts and an untucked polo/button up shirt/ sweatshirt/jacket. I also walk/run/play basketball/etc. and I've never had so much as a slip. It's something that's a little time consuming but I enjoy it and I'm thinking about trying to make some money from it (start off slow with ebay or something). Any ideas?

April 13, 2007, 10:56 AM	#2
fisherman66 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2005 Location: The Woodlands TX Posts: 4,683	Eye candy is always nice. Could you post a picture? __________________ la plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas!

April 14, 2007, 03:54 PM	#4
starshooter231 Senior Member Join Date: October 30, 2006 Location: Central Michigan Posts: 210	I would be very interested Do you think you could make a tuckable one for me. I would be willing to pay a fare price for it thanks. Feel free to pm me. __________________ Michigan Gun Owner Michigan CPL Holder Proud Member of The NRA

April 17, 2007, 07:18 PM	#7
starshooter231 Senior Member Join Date: October 30, 2006 Location: Central Michigan Posts: 210	Dave, I sent you a pm. __________________ Michigan Gun Owner Michigan CPL Holder Proud Member of The NRA

April 18, 2007, 04:28 PM	#8
2cam2go Member Join Date: October 3, 2006 Location: Sarasota,FL Posts: 24	making holsters and making money? dave421, I started doing leather holster repairs for police officers I worked with at that time, 1977. Generally at NO cost (most bought me a coffee) because I liked working with leather. After I made holsters for myself and wore them to work my fellow officers liked them and started ordering holsters from me. My business has been growing ever since. Thats my story and it has worked for me. I never tried selling on e-bay but it's a great way to get exposure. Advertising can be costly and not produce sales as expected. Your best asset is your reputation, it will precede you and ultimately determine your level of success. There is always room for another craftsman. Best of luck! __________________ 2cam2go www.sunriseleather.com NYPD (Ret) "Form follows function."...Frank Lloyd Wright

April 13, 2007, 08:31 PM	#3
dave421 Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2006 Posts: 510	I will be. Right now I'm out of supplies and waiting on my next shipment and the only pics I have are of some unfinished holsters that were in the basic mold & cut stage. I'll see if I can borrow a camera to get some pics of my others before I start the first batch.

April 14, 2007, 07:48 PM	#5
dave421 Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2006 Posts: 510	star, need to know what kind of gun it would be for.

April 14, 2007, 07:52 PM	#6
Travismaine Senior Member Join Date: July 19, 2006 Posts: 147	I have been carrying for many years now and I have spent some good money on holsters. I myself like leather. I am not a fan of the kydex holsters.

April 18, 2007, 11:08 PM	#9
dave421 Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2006 Posts: 510	2cam, thanks for the advice & luck. I'd like to try my hand at some leather sometime but I can't find anywhere to get it without ordering a ton of it. I've got the kydex pretty well down but I think the leather will present much more of a challenge with a larger reward (even with the kydex, I still get that good "I did that" feeling). I definitely agree with you that the reputation will be what actually makes the most difference (personally, I won't buy from someone with a bad rep or bad attitude regardless of their quality or price). That will be where my focus goes.

April 19, 2007, 04:14 AM	#10
K-Man Member Join Date: June 18, 2005 Posts: 60	Hermann Oak leather is considered by many to be the best, and you can get it at a variety of places. The pricing would be somewhat lower for you if you obtain a business license (or whatever is required for your locale). This would open up some more vendors to you, i.e., Weaver leather. There you can buy either one side or 20 sides, no minimum order required. I do quite a bit, so I buy direct from Hermann Oak. There is also leather from Wickett-Craig (http://www.wickett-craig.com/). It's been quite some since I've looked at their leather, so I don't remember if they have a minimum order requirement. I know some top-end holster makers that use their leather and are very happy with it. I don't know of any vendors who sell Wickett-Craig leather, but there might be some. Your customer service/reputation is going to be as important, if not more so, as the quality of your holsters. If you let the customer service go down, eventually you're not going to have many customers. I started out on eBay because it provided some immediate exposure to our holsters to a large number of people. We also did some talking on a few of the gun forums, and in short order, we got a website up and running. Advertising costs, i.e., website banner ads, magazine ads, etc., can be pretty expensive. I always consider how many visitors/subscribers/readers there are versus the cost versus how much traffic it brings to our website. It's still a gamble. Word of mouth (by your customers) is going to be your biggest advertiser. And it will make you or break you, as it all goes back to the customer service you provide. Best of luck to you. __________________ www.kdholsters.com U.S. Navy (Retired) May we always have the freedom to pursue our dreams.