i have a tackle shop that wants me to build some cheap rods to put in his shop to sell
iam all ready doing repairs for him.
i told him that a custom rod is built for for the customer as per his liking and what he wants and the guality of craftmanship put in a custom rod and the rod builders reputation
he still wants me to build some cheap rods for his shop
i would like your opinion on this subject please
thank you don danforth

Don,

Like you said, a custom rod is custom for one person. If you put rods in his shop they won't be custom rods anymore- they will be small production rods. That said, you can't compete in cheap rods. Even if you take the least expensive blanks out (probably Forecast) and fit it with the least expensive components (again Forecast comes to mind) you'll still have $40 or more in components for light spinning or fly rods. Then figure in what your time is worth and then mark up what the shop owner wants. I know I charge at least $100 for a rod. If the shop owner wants to make his normal 30%, that means the price has to be $200 for the finished rod without taxes. Now you bring in a customer and he compares your $200 rod to a $100 nice production rod from shimano, St Croix, or plenty of others and there is no incentive to buy your rod. Yes, you may have better wraps and finish, but $100 worth? You've lost all of the benefits of custom rods that justify that extra $100 price tag because it wasn't made for that person.

Others here have posted to similar questions. Do a search in the archives and you'll find a bit more.

Thanks,
Rick

I would consider doing it with the proviso that my name was NEVER associated with the rods. Not EVER in ANY way. ... No, on second thought
I don't think I would trust that either. Leave the "cheap rods" to Wal-Mart.

I sure agree with that. I would not put the name Ken Preston, alias Dog Hair Preston, on one of my rods.

I agree with Rick and Ken.

Personally, I am of your own philosophy. I build for individuals, not people who might like to buy a rod that I built. Nothing wrong with the opposite approach either. It's a matter of semantics when you get down to it.

It depends on what the definition of "cheap" is. I've built a lot of cheap rods for mysel, and for most the kid rods I do (hey... I just realized I fish like a kid...) but even then you are looking at about $30 for materials. Let's say that you are happy to do some simple thread work on a Mudhole special with cheap guides and stuff and $20 bucks for your trouble is fine with you. That's a $50 rod not counting the shop markup. I don't know about you, but that's not a cheap rod to me.

If the shopkeeper sells one of your cheap rods to a moron who prompty breaks it, is he going to take the heat or is he going to pass it over to you? It's all about your reputation.

If this is something you want to do though, if it were me, I would specify the most inexpensive components you are comfortable with, have him pay you up front for the components and your labor rate, and between the two of you, figure out some warranty agreement. If he does not agree to that, I wouldn't do it.

While you can't "custom" build for a sale rack, you can certainly handcraft a rod for the masses, but by all means, do it on your terms without compromise. If you waffle on that, you are the one that will ultimately pay the price.

Even if you built a cheap rod using cheap parts and the word got out you were building cheap rods and some broke your name would then be associated with building a inferior product. My reputation is more valuable to me for building a superior and quality rod than trying to make a fast buck. Just my 2 cents
Good Wraps Bob

Just a add on why not build him some good rods. But it must be explained that they are not custom rods. Except they are a better quility rod than the mass-produced rods, Even though you used the same componutes

I just happen to be checking out my web site. Checking out other competitors. Just for the heck of it Put Fishing Rods in your search. See how many people are building rods. And the prices.
What about that Guarantee?? As said ? $20.00 in your pocket, but the guy breaks it? Are you going to fix it ? Will he pay?
I kept on thinking of building some rods - just to make some money back on all the stuff I paid for over the years?? I had a few people want a rod ( if the price was right )? Then I started to think - what if he breaks it? Who pays for that guarantee?? Gave the guy a BETTER price. Don't think I will here from him. OK no agravation for me.
K mart around the corner.

Thanks guys I needed these posts

I had thought of doing something simmilar to this for a local tackle shop. But what I was thinking was to build a rod with a few different style/color guides. Each with a different color/style wrap (trim bands/inlays) and a couple of short butt wraps just to show what was possible. Then offer a small percentage to the tackle shop for any leads that produce a sale. Just a thought and if it didn't work out I'd have a heck of a conversation piece what with all the different colors and styles on one rod.

I am starting to think like one post I have seen her, which a builder gives a price, if they bicker about it, he raises it.
I am getting to that point. To many kicking the tires

Check out the prices here??
[www.orvis.com]

I have done this before, but It was a shop that only sold mid to high priced rods. The rods were in the middle price reange ($150-$180). The problem was not the price, as much as the waranty. People buying rods in a shop that have the money to buy a custom, or small production rod will usually buy a big name rod for a little more money just because of the warranty.

That was what I was thinking on the guy I gave a higher price too. If he breaks it, because it was a cheap blank, and I told him there was no guarantee, he would probably bad mouth me cause I would not fix it for nothing. Then again if I told him no guarantee he probably would not buy in the first place??

A "cheap" rod should have no waranty, you bought it you broke it , oh well it was a "cheap"anyhows!!!! CAVEAT EMPTOR

I had my warrenty built in to the price of the rod. Check out the cost of the blank , grips and thread. Thats your replacement cost. In most cases you can reuse the guides and reel seat. so you just throw in free labor. Now if you use quality blanks the factory would cover that if it was a factory defect.
Good Wraps Bob

If you check out that Orvis link, on the top right there is a statment some thing like We guarantee you will get the rod with out defects? That seems to be the end of that? But at least there is some sort of guarantee?
That is like the prices you see on those products where they say -- under $100.00 --Yea, $99.99??????
Sounds better don't it. Not 100??? Play on words
Then of course there is -- $19.95

Some dects do not show up tell the blank is used That could be a material falure. What they are saying is these are visable defects. like color or the blank being straight. exaple a major blank manufacture was building fly rods for sail fish. They took 20 blank to Cobo. All twenty broke. At the time they could not understand why. What they found out when they got back to their shop was there was a defect in the grafite that did not show up untile the rod was used.
Good Wraps Bob