# Sierra Question- Closed



## jodoidg (Jun 14, 2006)

Dose BB at AZ ever run a special on Sierras or did I just miss it?
I have been keeping an eye out for a few months and havenâ€™t seen anything.  We (the penturners) use this kit quite a bit.  We do a lot of group buys from CSUA but I havenâ€™t seen one for the Sierra/AZ/Berriah.  I am NOT at this time volunteering to do a group buy but I am inquiring as to why or why not a group buy may be appropriate? [?]
Thanks
JD

6/15/06
Thank you all for the feedback.  As a newbie I didnâ€™t want to step on any toes.  I have participated in several group buys, scored some fantastic wood from you folks and saved a ton of money in doing so.  Not to mention the hours saved by good advice I have gleamed from this site.  Sorry I missed the earlier group buy and I donâ€™t have a clue where RTJWâ€™s site is at.  Honestly, I have gotten everything I need right here.  I personally try to use the best materials when making a pen, each takes the same amount of time.  If I can use TN over 10K I do.  With all that being said I was looking primarily at 3 Sierra Kits the Gold Titanium, Black Titanium & Platinum and the Black Titanium & Gold Titanium.  Granted itâ€™s only a savings of about $5/ kit.  For myself I would like 10 of each Kit, meaning I would have to find takers for40 more kits.  I would like to keep a minimum order of 5 kits/same style and see if I can hit the 50 kit mark.  Any Interest?
John


----------



## mrcook4570 (Jun 14, 2006)

BB runs specials on Sierras from time to time.  As for a group buy, the cost of shipping, paypal fees, etc would quickly wipe out any savings from the quantity discounts.  The Sierras are fairly cheap to begin with, so you won't see a huge $ savings like you would with a $50 kit.


----------



## Randy_ (Jun 15, 2006)

There was a group buy on Sierras a while ago, IIRC??


----------



## wdcav1952 (Jun 15, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Randy__
> <br />There was a group buy on Sierras a while ago, IIRC??



Yes, there was a group buy through Ernie at Beartoothwoods.com  I saved a nice amount by participating.  The group buy was run through Johnny Wooten's site.


----------



## JimGo (Jun 15, 2006)

I ran a group buy on Sierras too.


----------



## JimGo (Jun 15, 2006)

To expand on my earlier comment, I ran a group buy on Sierras - that was my first group buy, and at the time, I thought it would be my last.  I realized that for what I, as the organizer, saved in the cost of the 20 kits I ordered, I put in an inordinate amount of time.  This is especially true when you consider the savings isn't off the base price, but rather the incremental cost savings associated with buying 100 kits compared to the savings associated with buying 20 kits.  I think I wound up saving something like $20-30, and I probably put in about 15-20 hours.  Had I spent that time out in my shop, I could have had 7-10 pens, and my profit on each pen would have been more than I saved on the group buy as a whole.

Of course, I'm now running a group buy on the new CSUSA kits, but I can justify that a lot easier!  At least with this buy we're saving $10-15 per kit!  But for the lower priced kits like the Sierra, I don't think it's worth the time and effort to run it.  It is easier to wait for Bill or Ernie to put them on sale! []


----------



## wdcav1952 (Jun 15, 2006)

Sorry, Jim, I had forgotten that you ran one.  Heck, I even participated in it and I still forgot.  Guess I better open that next AARP membership letter!


----------



## Randy_ (Jun 15, 2006)

> _Originally posted by JimGo_
> <br />To expand on my earlier comment, I ran a group buy on Sierras - that was my first group buy, and at the time, I thought it would be my last.  I realized that for what I, as the organizer, saved in the cost of the 20 kits I ordered, I put in an inordinate amount of time......At least with this buy we're saving $10-15 per kit!  But for the lower priced kits like the Sierra, I don't think it's worth the time and effort to run it......



I, too, bought a few Sierra kits through Jim's group buy and appreciated the chance to do so.

Jim: I think you need to look at the bigger picture and consider how much money was saved.....IN TOTAL.....by your group buy.  While based on a purely economical standard to only yourself, it may not have been justified, but you should consider that you provided a useful volunteer service to "MANY" members of IAP and that the total benefit to all members was much more than the few dollars that you saved as an individual.  

Being on a limited budget, I appreciate the opportunity to save a few dollars wherever I can and in some cases it means the opportunity to try a kit that I might not otherwise be able to try.  I'm not a high volume turner and it's not uncommon for my Internet orders to the pen companies to cost as much in postage as the materials that I am buying so the group buys are a blessing to me!!            

Thanks again for your efforts.


----------



## JimGo (Jun 16, 2006)

John,
My suggestion would be to start a new thread, or edit the title of this thread to read "Sierra Group Buy" or something like that.  Not everyone will return to a previously read thread, especially if they think the conversation won't be of interest.

Oh, and I think your math is off a bit (no offense intended).  If you order your kits from http://www.arizonasilhouette.com , Bill will let you "mix and match" kits to get a bigger discounted price, and his max discount is available with the purchase of "only" 50 kits.  So, you mentioned buying 30 kits - to get the maximum discount, you only need to find "takers" for another 20 kits.  That shouldn't be hard to do around here.  When calculating the cost of the kits for others, remember to include the cost of having Bill ship the kits to you, unless your order totals more than $500, in which case, according to the Shipping Terms & Conditions page on his site, shipping is free.

Good luck!


----------

