"Grade B" lures?

[exx1976]

Those who sell lures:

Try as we might, I'm sure at some point you end up with the occasional lure that just doesn't QUITE make the grade.  What do you do with them?  Keep them for your own personal use, sell them at a discount as "grade B", or "bargain bin" lures, something else?  Trying to plan for the future...

[Travis]

I believe you need to be very specific on what make the grade is.  A messed up paint job is one thing a bait that blow outs, has no action, crooked eye ties, misbalanced, etc.. is a completely different thing.  Personally I would not sell a lure that I thought was  a "B" grade lure. 

Makes zero sense from a starting business sense than knowingly putting out a defective product.  

 

[exx1976]

8 minutes ago, Travis said:

I believe you need to be very specific on what make the grade is.  A messed up paint job is one thing a bait that blow outs, has no action, crooked eye ties, misbalanced, etc.. is a completely different thing.  Personally I would not sell a lure that I thought was  a "B" grade lure. 

Makes zero sense from a starting business sense than knowingly putting out a defective product.  

 

To clarify, I'm referring to cosmetic issues.  Say you make numerous copies of the same body/design/etc.  All function, but one has a booger in the paint, one has a bump in the epoxy, etc.

Clearly these would not be "put out" as a product with known defects.  However, your statement makes poor business sense.  Every manufacturer does it.  There are "factory seconds" sales constantly, for extremely high-end brands, no less.

Hence, my question:  What do you do with them?  Keep them for your own personal use?  Sell them as "grade B" or "factory seconds" or "bargain bin" lures at a reduced price, give them away to friends for free, throw them in the trash?

[Salty's]

Throw them in the trash. 

 

I learned long ago not to sell blems. Guys will line up a mile long to buy them and you won't sell any finished good product. 

[Hillbilly voodoo]

If they are too bad I rob what useful parts I can 

Mild blemish I fish them and give them away as testers. I often give away lures to kids at the dock as well. I carry cards in my truck and boat as well

Giving away blemished lures has resulted in lots of customers 

I would never sell a blemished bait because I want paying customers to get quality 

[exx1976]

1 hour ago, Salty's said:

Throw them in the trash. 

 

I learned long ago not to sell blems. Guys will line up a mile long to buy them and you won't sell any finished good product. 

An interesting point, that.  But isn't the whole idea that eventually you get good enough that the blems are few and far between?  Guys can line up all the want for blems, but if there's none available....  ?

I guess I'm looking at it as a way to recoup *some* of the cost of the lure vs throwing it in the trash.  Additionally, it might allow a new customer that perhaps is on the fence about your regular pricing a way to check out product at a reduced cost?

I don't know.  I talked to a buddy that makes lures, and he says he waits until he has a dozen or so, then sells them for 40% off.

Edited January 24, 2021 by exx1976

[mark poulson]

I only make lures for myself and a couple of buddies, so probably doesn't apply to most of you.

If I have a lure that doesn't work, or that didn't come out the way I had planned, I take the hardware off and give them to my 2 year old grandson.  Rattling baits are his preference. 

[Travis]

3 hours ago, exx1976 said:

Additionally, it might allow a new customer that perhaps is on the fence about your regular pricing a way to check out product at a reduced cost?

 

If someone honestly is on the fence about buying a bait then likely not going to be a repeat dependable customer.   Fish them yourself or give to friends/family.

Same token I may be picky compared to others.  I picked these up several years ago from a popular bait maker than was getting some press.  At 15 a pop I found some of the fit/finish to be sloppy.  

[exx1976]

2 hours ago, Travis said:

If someone honestly is on the fence about buying a bait then likely not going to be a repeat dependable customer.   Fish them yourself or give to friends/family.

Same token I may be picky compared to others.  I picked these up several years ago from a popular bait maker than was getting some press.  At 15 a pop I found some of the fit/finish to be sloppy.  

Wow.  Those look like hell!  My prototype lures look better than that.  LOL  I would never do... whatever that is.  So yeah, I'd never sell those as a "factory second" or "grade B" or whatever.  I'm talking about that one lure that has some bubbles in the epoxy that you missed.  Or maybe you laid it on a LITTLE heavy in one spot so the epoxy has a bump in it.  Or there was a blemish (overspray, booger, whatever) in the paint that you didn't realize until you did the topcoat.  Or the lip has a scratch in it.  Something along those lines.

In other words, they would fish just fine, but cosmetically maybe they are only an 8/10 or something.

[Big Epp]

I like @Hillbilly voodoo's idea!

[Hillbilly voodoo]

44 minutes ago, Big Epp said:

I like @Hillbilly voodoo's idea!

Gained about $2000 or more in sales last year just by giving away a handful of blemish lures at lakes that cost me maybe $100 in materials. It’s even better when the father of the kid calls me to buy some lures because his kid out fished him that day. Nothing sells lures better then fisherman seeing them catch fish

I tell every kid that I give a lure to it’s their lure and Dad is not allowed to use it 

Think of it as investing in advertisement 

[exx1976]

12 minutes ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

Gained about $2000 or more in sales last year just by giving away a handful of blemish lures at lakes that cost me maybe $100 in materials. It’s even better when the father of the kid calls me to buy some lures because his kid out fished him that day. Nothing sells lures better then fisherman seeing them catch fish

I tell every kid that I give a lure to it’s their lure and Dad is not allowed to use it 

Think of it as investing in advertisement 

I like that idea as well.  Problem is, there aren't many kids that fish Muskie - which are the lures I'm making.  I think the premise still applies, though.  I'll give it some thought.  Thanks!

[Hillbilly voodoo]

43 minutes ago, exx1976 said:

I like that idea as well.  Problem is, there aren't many kids that fish Muskie - which are the lures I'm making.  I think the premise still applies, though.  I'll give it some thought.  Thanks!

Kid can mean teenager. I hand out lures according to the person fishing. Adults get them too

I build mostly for pike and lake trout because I am in western Canada. As of last year some of my lures have found their way to Ontario for musky. I build baits between 4-1/2 to 8inch not big by musky standards but not little baits either

not what most consider little kid lures 

Something to consider if you have designs that work well for other species besides musky don’t ignore that possible customer base 

either way the principal applies using blemished baits to expose your lures to new customers. The hardest part of selling a good lure is getting a fisherman to try it. If you get them to try it and get results they are repeat customers. If they out fish friends with your lure you gain another. A lure in a fishes mouth attracts more customers then a lure on a shelf or pic on the web

Your goal should be increasing your customer base not recouping a fee $. The old saying you need to spend money to make money applies

This is my train of thought any how 

[exx1976]

50 minutes ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

 

Your goal should be increasing your customer base not recouping a fee $.

Depending on the number of "grade B" lures I end up with while getting started, there's nothing that says I can't do both.

While I like your idea, I was thinking about it and I'm not sure how practical it will be for me.  All last season, I can count on one hand the number of other fishermen I ran into at boat launches.  I suppose time will tell.  I'll be sure to keep some within reach when at the launch. 

[Hillbilly voodoo]

4 minutes ago, exx1976 said:

Depending on the number of "grade B" lures I end up with while getting started, there's nothing that says I can't do both.

While I like your idea, I was thinking about it and I'm not sure how practical it will be for me.  All last season, I can count on one hand the number of other fishermen I ran into at boat launches.  I suppose time will tell.  I'll be sure to keep some within reach when at the launch. 

I also enlist a few people to test baits and hand them out each season. I give them blemished baits and instruct them to hand out a few as well

in the end find what works for you 

[exx1976]

1 hour ago, Hillbilly voodoo said:

I also enlist a few people to test baits and hand them out each season. I give them blemished baits and instruct them to hand out a few as well

in the end find what works for you 

AH!  Now THAT may be the way for me!  I have several folks around the upper -midwest that are presently testing lures for me, and a couple of big-name guys have agreed to test as well as soon as they are no longer iced-in (those two are in Northern WI and Northern IL).  The reason I've yet to sell a bait is I'm working through a few iterations with my testers to ensure the lures behave as desired in real-world conditions, not just the swimming pool I tested them in.  I do not want to go to market with a product that is not EXACTLY as I intend it to be.  I've already invested too much time and effort to accept money from paying customers for a lure that has a flaw that I overlooked.  Better to have multiple sets of eyes (and hands) on the lure.

Thank you so much for your persistence in sticking with this discussion, despite my objections to previous responses.  My apologies if I came off argumentative, but my innate approach to problem solving is to look at possible solutions and try to identify why they won't work.  I've found it to be an easier and faster approach than trying to evaluate the merits of a solution.  If I can find one item that checks a box on the "dealbreaker list", then it doesn't matter how fantastic the rest of the solution was. 

But this - this is gold.  It will allow me to get my lures out into the public's hands in MULTIPLE states, rather than only in areas that I fish, and with good reviews from fishermen that the recipients presumably know and trust.  Genius!!

[Hillbilly voodoo]

28 minutes ago, exx1976 said:

AH!  Now THAT may be the way for me!  I have several folks around the upper -midwest that are presently testing lures for me, and a couple of big-name guys have agreed to test as well as soon as they are no longer iced-in (those two are in Northern WI and Northern IL).  The reason I've yet to sell a bait is I'm working through a few iterations with my testers to ensure the lures behave as desired in real-world conditions, not just the swimming pool I tested them in.  I do not want to go to market with a product that is not EXACTLY as I intend it to be.  I've already invested too much time and effort to accept money from paying customers for a lure that has a flaw that I overlooked.  Better to have multiple sets of eyes (and hands) on the lure.

Thank you so much for your persistence in sticking with this discussion, despite my objections to previous responses.  My apologies if I came off argumentative, but my innate approach to problem solving is to look at possible solutions and try to identify why they won't work.  I've found it to be an easier and faster approach than trying to evaluate the merits of a solution.  If I can find one item that checks a box on the "dealbreaker list", then it doesn't matter how fantastic the rest of the solution was. 

But this - this is gold.  It will allow me to get my lures out into the public's hands in MULTIPLE states, rather than only in areas that I fish, and with good reviews from fishermen that the recipients presumably know and trust.  Genius!!

I have testers in 3 provinces and multiple regions for a reason 

 

[Skeeter]

If it is not right.....it never leaves the shop.

Skeeter

[Big Epp]

... ... If anyone needs a tester* in northern Illinois you just let me know!  

 

*said tester is not a professional and has absolutely no social media presence outside a YouTube channel with 2 subscribers.  Said tested is also has a very poor quality camera and cannot guarantee any good photographs of the successful use of your lure.  Said tester has 4 sons who are very energetic and enthusiastic about fishing, but not particularly focused (especially the 2 month old).

[eastman03]

Yea, if it isn't right I for sure don't sell it.  They go into my tackle box, or a close friend to use and test.  If it has my name on it and I sell it, I want it to have good finish.  Otherwise, you will be selling all your lures for discount, or other potential customers will see a sub par product.  I like the idea of giving them to kids, but yea as a musky lure maker that might be tough lol.  Honestly, I don't make/paint tons of lures, so I will usually take the messed up lures, and start over with it.  Put a different paint job on it, or experiment with it.  I have a bunch of lures on my "wall of shame" that will never go out to anyone lol. 

 

I agree with Big Epp, I'll test something out for anyone! 

[Salty's]

On 1/23/2021 at 7:27 PM, exx1976 said:

An interesting point, that.  But isn't the whole idea that eventually you get good enough that the blems are few and far between?  Guys can line up all the want for blems, but if there's none available....  ?

I guess I'm looking at it as a way to recoup *some* of the cost of the lure vs throwing it in the trash.  Additionally, it might allow a new customer that perhaps is on the fence about your regular pricing a way to check out product at a reduced cost?

I don't know.  I talked to a buddy that makes lures, and he says he waits until he has a dozen or so, then sells them for 40% off.

If you make as many lures as I do in a year I doubt you could do any better. Wood is an imperfect medium. I have more bad lures on my shop floor than most guys have ever had lures in their tackle bag.