What do you think? A niche business for this woodworker?

[Jim Rimmer]

Could someone please show me a link to a heftier bench with cabinets and drawers for a lower price. I am having troubles finding one.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...Workbench.aspx

[Rich Engelhardt]

I think the work bench is over priced. What do you guys and gals think?

I'd never pay $600.00 for the bench.
I might pay $6.00 for the plans though...as I'm sure quite a few others would.

Might just be he's trying to see the wrong product.


Re: The Rockler bench above. That ones says it weighs in @ 66 pounds. While it's a nice looking bench, it's probably not as hefty as the one the OP linked to.

[Carl Beckett]

Dont confuse COST and PRICE

The two have NOTHING to do with each other (now of COURSE there is a direct relationship between COST, PRICE, and PROFIT). But cost and price have nothing to do with each other.

This post has it right:

A basic law of economics: A thing is worth what someone will pay for it. (This is PRICING)

It is often seems to me that a great number of woodworkers try to sell on price when the customer really doesn't know what things cost. (This confuses the issue by trying to correlate PRICE to COST)

The goal of PRICE is to generate as much revenue as the market will bear. It really doesnt matter how much the thing costs, or whether you can profit from it. If you cant get anyone to pay that price, then you wont sell any (and there is a term called price elasticity that has to do with how many more you could sell if you lowered price, or how many fewer if you raised price)

Then COST - you want to minimize the cost to make the product. It has to meet specification. But it doesnt matter if you are making a lot of 'profit' or negative profit, you want to minimize cost. (thus, maximizing potential profit)

Of course someone has to put the two together at some point to determine if there is a BUSINESS proposition. If no PROFIT, its bad business. But keep the evaluations of cost and price separate from each other, and you will have a more clear understanding the business potential.

[Larry Edgerton]

If you read the add, it says absolutely nothing about being a woodworking bench. Its a work bench, you guys added the woodworking bit. Not everyone out there is a woodworker, just on here. I doubt he really expects to sell any to other woodworkers.

It seems to be split right down the line of hobbiests/Pros. The hobbiests think it is too expensive, and the pros know it is not.

If you want to see what can be done with marketing, check out California Closets. Stop looking at it from the standpoint of a woodworker, and look at it form the standpoint of say, a guy that likes to tinker with a 49 TD on weekends.

I think the guy has something. I think his price on that piece is too low to make a profit, but he has created a lead in to a custom garage setup that is where he probably wants to go, and then his costs are not comparable to anything in the box stores. Good lead in in my opinion.

[Caspar Hauser]

As Mr Edgerton points out, the ad describes it as a garage bench.

He should paint it a primary colour, fit better castors and bump the price.

Good luck to the bloke, I hope he does well.

[Chris Fournier]

Pricing aside I don't think that this bench has much application in any field unless you're looking for exercise - you'll be chasing that thing on wheels all over the place! This is a heavy duty trolley, not a work bench.

I think that much of the $$$ squabble has to do with the fact that $600 is not an inconsiderable sum of money but the product looks very home grown and unfinished. If the builder had taken the time to paint the base and refine a few details I think that few out there would lambast him for the price. I really think that the product has very little market, for $600 even the most uninitiated weekend warrior is gonna try to build his own and will do an okay job.

[Chip Lindley]

If you read the add, it says absolutely nothing about being a woodworking bench...

If you want to see what can be done with marketing, check out California Closets. Stop looking at it from the standpoint of a woodworker, and look at it form the standpoint of say, a guy that likes to tinker with a 49 TD on weekends...

As Mr Edgerton points out, the ad describes it as a garage bench.

Not a "woodworking bench". Ok. But, my garage IS my woodworking shop! Surely you can see how I became confused?? ;-)

Add "peer pressure" to my comment about "impulse buying" as a strong motivation to sell high-priced, under-made "stuff". Marketing has done it's job well when an all-consuming "need" now exists where none did before. Strong demand raises the price beyond reason. Two years later, the same "stuff" is in a "garage sale" to make room for more NEW "stuff".

[David Larsen]

I am not against a guy making a buck and / or being compensated for his time. I guess my issue with $600 for this bench is that I don't think it is worth it. $600 for a garage workbench isn't out of the question. I am not impressed by the bench I guess. I don't mean to criticize, but it looks like someone's high school shop project.

[Jeff Mackay]

One way to look at this question might be to ask: "what about the competition?" In a quick Google search, I found at least a half dozen samples that are available commercially. Most have steel bases, some have storage space, some don't. Most have a hardwood work surface. None are exactly like the one in the ad, but I'd say $600 is at the high end of the ballpark. Unfortunately, the competition is already available through commercial channels, and the finish-level on the competition looks better (in my opinion) than the sample in the ad.

The second question is: "who is the target market?" If the target market is Joe Six-Pack (or his wife), do they buy new products through classified ads? Or do they buy them from the borg? I'm pretty sure it's more the latter than the former.

To sum it up, I think the seller will need to make some improvements in the product to sell many. But I think the biggest problem will be marketing and distribution: how will he find the buyers? how will he get the product to the buyers?

Jeff

[johnny means]

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...Workbench.aspx

Have you actually seen this thing? I have and can tell you I have saw horses that outweigh this thing. It's comparable to the my kids work bench from Tonka that he built when he was 4 .