I would like to know how some of you handle payments on rods. I have been building for a while. But lately with a ever expanding customer base I am getting alot of orders in from people I do not know anything about at all that saw a rod somewhere or was referred. Do you ever get stuck with a custom? And do you get deposits from people you dont know? I build alot of surf rods and some of the blanks can get pricey. Hate building 1 to a set of specifics and getting stuck with it. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
HAGO!
Joe

i have just gotten started building rods but have had a taxidermy buisness for several years
what i do with my taxidermy customers and will do on the custom rod customers is the put a deposit
that will cover all expenses on supplies and shipping charges plus alittle extra (not much but a little)
before i order anything i have that money in hand that way im not not any money if they are slow to pay
then you have some leverage if they are to slow you can notify them they have so many days to pay
balance or it will be sold or they will be charged storage.
most people faced with that dont want to loose what they have already invested or wind up paying extra on the storage .
hope this helped

david williams

I always required payment in full, up front. Anybody who is truly serious about buying a custom rod will not have a problem with this.

However, you may find it more mutually agreeable to require 50% of the full price up front with 50% to be paid upon delivery of the rod. This is probably the fairest method for all parties concerned - each is at similar risk.

....................

I've gone the 50/50 route with all but a few close friends ever since I got stiffed on a rod several years ago. Ralph

If at first you don't succeed, go fishing, then try, try again.

Hi Joe,
I always ask for 1/2 now and 1/2 apon completion even for friends & family members.
Can't get stuck that way and best for everyone concerned. Have not had any complaints
at all ! At least not yet, knock on wood!!

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

I learnt the hard way, customer shot through and I hadn't taken a desposit. Now strictly deposit of at least components and postage/duty. Worse thing was I knew the guy well.

I'm not going to go into details, just a couple of facts... I waited 4 months for payment from a VERY good friend.... I have rods sitting here for 4 years now.... one set was 4 rods, all the same from a "good customer" haven't heard from him since, although I have seen him several times,,, now it to a point that they don't even answer the phone. (caller I.D.) I have repairs sitting here now for 5 years!!!!!!!!! So, I get paid 100% in advance, if they can't live with that,,, I send them to Wal-Mart !!!!

Tight lines & smokin' drags,

Art

Once you get your fingers burnt, you sure do change the way you do business. I just got done on an @#$%& transaction, the seller had a go at me because I put a complaint and money recovery in with Paypal. Another tip if using @#$%& at least pay with Paypal at least you have a chance of getting your money back.

Hay Art You having a rod sale ?? LOL

Just got stuck with 10 Striper stand up rods [200.00ea.] from a guy that bought 20 of the same back in Jan. this year. Since we had done business before I didn't get a deposit and got the shaft. Our Striper season starts next month so should be able to move them. If you are going to be dumb then you've gotta be tough! Jesse

The 50% upon order and 50% upon delivery seems to be the best method for both parties as far as custom rod work goes. Lots of people are excited about getting a custom rod, but then reality sets in, or the money is needed for other things or the wife decides she wants new drapes or something and the rod builder is left holding the bag. There is no reason not to ask for at least 50% up front - anybody who is serious about having a rod made and intends to pay you for it, should have no problem with that arrangement. If they do, then you've just been given a red flag that you need to pay attention to.

On the other side of the coin, the rod builder who takes money up front must be diligent and responsible enough to deliver the rod within the time frame given. It's not really a matter of how long it takes to complete the rod, it's a matter of what date did the builder tell the customer the rod would be ready. In 15 years or so of building rods for sale, I never missed a completion date. In fact, I usually pushed the quoted delivery date out a week or two more than I thought I needed so that the rod would be completed "early." Most guys were estatic that I had gotten their rods done before I had promised and it really helped build a reputation for being dependable. After a year or so nobody had any qualms about paying me in full upfront - they knew I was going to deliver what I had promised, when I had promised it.

Builders who miss completion dates or keep customers waiting for weeks beyond the completion date only make things harder on other builders who are requiring a deposit. There are several large scale builders who have built a very bad reputation for not delivering rods when they said they would, or flat out failing to deliver the product at all. Their failure (or even dishonesty) has hurt the craft of a custom rod building as a whole.

On repairs, you do have the customer's rod. In those cases I just waited for payment until the work was done. However, if the customer did not pick up and pay for the repair within 30 days of notification, I sold his rod/s. They were informed of this and I had a large sign in the shop stating this policy. Nobody could say they didn't know about it.


...........

In agreement with Tom on the repairs, I finally called the consumer protection agency here and asked what I could do with these rods that were repaired and not picked up, they informed me that I could and should make one last call to the party and give them a date to pick the rod up by, and if it was not picked up,,, I could sell it !!!!

However, "used" and "repaired" rods are not what I want to sell, and don't sell quickly!

I know for myself, I deliver the rods in such a short order that the customer "doesn't beleive that it is done already",,, and they like that....

I also felt like a "bad guy", an "untrusting guy" by asking for money before I did the work... a lot of times the customer would ask why I want money now???? That answer was easy,,,, I grabbed some nice rods and show them and tell them that they have been sitting here for such and such amount of time...because the guy that ordered it didn't come back. And I can't afford to do that, and I certainly don't need another personal rod ! They get the point.... now in fact, even new customers ask me how much money I want "down". I have had some ask "what happens if you die?" I tell them you got a receipt, my wife will refund you your money if I croak !!!!!!!!!!!!

I tell ya,,, every day is a day in paradise!!!!!

The really sad thing is that I do quite a bit of weaving , I will weave the customers actual signature in a rod.... and how many guys want an "Jon Doe" signature on their rod??????????? This is really a sticky situation no matter how you look at it...

Well, I'm getting off the soap box for now,,, I have managed to get myself depressed enough for one day..........

Tight lines & smokin' drags, and may your losses be kept to a minimum !!!!!!!!!!!! (lol)

Art

Having to justify to the customer why you demand payment up front can be tricky. By the same token, however, why wouldn't he want to pay the full amount up front? It's a two way street. But I know exactly how you feel - I've had the same question put to me many times.

This is why 50% down and 50% upon delivery is probably the best route to take. Each party is in jeopary for roughly the same amount so the burden is not put on either entirely. Few customers could balk at such an arrangement.

Do give the customer a recept showing his 50% deposit, of course. Most feel better knowing there is a written record of the amount they've paid you.

............