Why Buy a Handsewn Traditional Kilt From a Middleman?

[arrogcow]

Cough cough...hey Adam....point taken, but was speaking here of hand sewn traditional kiltmakers - not contemporary kiltmakers.

I realize Bear sells contemporary kilts (actually I thought I did have a traditional wool option, but I honestly don't remember). My point was that even someone with no middleman can still get very far behind in terms of what they are actually delivering vs what they are promising.

Adam

[GlassMan]

Lately I've been getting all of my kilts from Rocky. His premier line is excellent and holds up extremely well in any comparison to my handsewn kilts from Scotland. Personally I like knowing that I'm helping to support a local craftsman especially one who does such good work.

But as for buying direct from Scotland, I've tried and it worked well too. In one case it was through Kilt Store and as a middleman they offer excellent service. In other instances it has been by way of the Hector Russell company store in San Francisco. The also have provided excellent customer service. So I guess what I'm saying is that I don't mind paying a middle-man's markup as long as I am getting some kind of value for that money (either local service or excellent customer service).

[Ialtog]

Buying direct is a rather high priority for me. I guess it is a sort of political/psychological/aesthetic sort of thing. I get most of my food direct from farmers at our local farmers' market during the summer and then from a Community Supported Agriculture program the rest of the year, for example. When it came time to buy a kilt this forum introduced me to Rocky and I just naturally gravitated toward buying from him. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk on the phone with the person who was doing the work. I like knowing the money is just going directly to him, but I also like developing a sort of relationship with the craftsperson whose skill is being utilized. Having that kind of relationship makes the apple all the more sweeter, and I imagine it's going to make the kilt all the more cooler!

[Big Paul]

"Factory" direct is always better!! I don't mind a guy makin' buck, if I can get what I want.. With kilts the choices are plenty!

[David Thornton]

Hi Cuz, I'll try to answer your initial question about middlemen. And, I'll use myself as an example.

I book hunts in S America, S Africa and sometimes in the US. Sera R, a former client, decided I got paid too much. So he recently booked direct with the outfitter. His cost? $4,000. Because I send a group once a week, my cost for the same trip is significantly lower. In this case $850 for the hunt, $800 to my flight consolidator and about $1000 for shells. I do not upcharge for my service. And, If something goes awry, who has the most leverage? Me (read middleman) who spends hundreds of thousands or the individual who spends $4K?

Just a thought.

Maybe it pays to use a good middleman.

David