Thread: Classifieds/Honing Services

Not sure if I should put this here or somewhere else, but over the past few months I have observed quite a number of new SRP members who take up straight razor shaving, start honing, and very quickly begin to offer member services in the classifieds.

I have no problem with this, however it would be nice if there was some kind of way for other new members looking for these types of services, to ascertain the true experience/quality of the work they can expect to receive.

To illustrate : I have been honing my own razors now for approximately 12 months. It is possible for me to get a great (IMHO) shave ready edge on a razor, which produces a fantastic shave. My edges are not, IMHO, at the same level as the well known guys offering professional services, but from what I have seen recently, I could offer professional honing services at this point. Conceivably, I could charge $15 per razor, undercut the pros charging $20 per razor, and a newbie would think they were getting a great deal. The newbie would be wrong, and in my opinion, I would be ripping off our members.

To take this a step further, even services such as paypal have a verification process that confirms that you are who you say you are.

The answer to this issue is made even more complex, because the guys I would trust to verify another member's honing capabilities, are themselves offering such services and could be accused of having a conflict of interest in these matters (which would put them in an awkward position, which is not desirable either).

One solution to this problem would be to allow reviews of services by our members, however that has its own set of issues (i.e. if a newbie kills an edge due to poor stropping, its not the fault of the person who honed the blade, but it may be perceived that way by the newbie). IMHO if a razor is honed, it should be sent shave ready and the member shouldnt strop it before shaving - maybe that might be the answer.

In any case, I think we have an obligation to ensure our members are presented with adequate information that allows them to make the best decision they can - if they knowingly choose to send their razor to a newbie, then thats their choice, but to allow a practice to continue which puts our members at risk, is unwise in my opinion.

Anyway, I will leave it for the mods to ponder, and others (most notably those I refer to above ), to flame me.

Members currently have the option to leave feedback in the classifieds system.

For example, here are some feedback comments for Maximilian: Member Feedback - Straight Razor Place Classifieds

There ought be a better solution, but it seems there does exist now a sort of feedback system should one choose to dig for it

Wylie, this issue comes up now and again and I can only say, yeah. I agree with you on every point. But really, I can't imagine a satisfactory way to handle the issue. I mean, once you get into issues of approval/disapproval, you are basically GUARANTEEING conflict of one type or another, and even simple customer reviews are eventually going to cause some issues.

I hope wiser heads than mine can come up with a solution, but in the end it comes down to the same old thing: Caveat Emptor.

Originally Posted by JimR

Wylie, this issue comes up now and again and I can only say, yeah. I agree with you on every point. But really, I can't imagine a satisfactory way to handle the issue. I mean, once you get into issues of approval/disapproval, you are basically GUARANTEEING conflict of one type or another, and even simple customer reviews are eventually going to cause some issues.

I hope wiser heads than mine can come up with a solution, but in the end it comes down to the same old thing: Caveat Emptor.

Hi Jim,

My thoughts exactly, but I feel we need to do something about it it and set some sort of policy in place to deal with these sorts of issues (even if its just that we have no policy and its dealt with on an adhoc/as needed basis)....otherwise I might start offering services!!

Originally Posted by wedwards

Hi Jim,

My thoughts exactly, but I feel we need to do something about it it and set some sort of policy in place to deal with these sorts of issues (even if its just that we have no policy and its dealt with on an adhoc/as needed basis)....otherwise I might start offering services!!

If you start offering services maybe we can make it against the rules. I'll bring it up with the mod team.

I'm with you 100% on this one. I'm my own worst critic, but have to say that I have gotten to where I can put a good shaveable edge on a razor & bring razors back...too a point. Do I offer my services? Not really, I've offered to fix some things for some unfortunate folks, but I only charged them postage or cost of materials. I recently compared one of my razors to a well known "person", and the edge was as sharp IMO, just not as smooth or have that "majic" that a honemeister can do to a razor. Am I ready to offer my services on the classified's, no. Why? I guess I'm being honest with myself and future customers...if I ever "get there" & think I'm good enough.
Scott

I agree with JimR. This has come up in the past and no adequate solution could be figured out.

Poor quality work will out itself in short order. I think the system might be fairly self-correcting. If you are no good, others will learn soon enough. I wouldn't expect much repeat business for those that turn out a poor product. That old saying: "You're lucky if a happy customer tells a single person, and an unhappy customer will tell 10 people."

I would offer to hone a razor for someone for free, with the understanding that they get what they pay for, for fun, and to hear from someone else where my edges were at, but if it ever gets to the point where I consider it work, and feel the need to charge for it, (and I put food on my table by charging for my craftmanship every day so I know whereof I speak) my own sense of pride would lead me to ensure that they were receiving a quality product... I mean, now I'd be doing it as work, for money, and my reputation would hang on it. If I want any more of it, it darn well better be good.

Isn't there a marketing term for this concept?

Whatever, I don't deal with unknown quantities with money i can't afford to lose. It's not like buying a used car from "some guy" with next month's mortgage payment...

I cannot think of any way to "rate" how good someone is at honing a razor.

If you are new, 30 minutes on this site will give you a great idea who to use.

My take is this: it is only those who are relatively new to the forums and who have not had the opportunity to delve into the community (or have not been bothered to) who would not know who the established and respected honers and meisters are on our forum.

If you are not prepared to put in the time to find out something as important as who can impart an edge that will not wipe your face off the bone, then you deserve what you get IMO. It is not hard to find out, it just requires some effort and time/perseverance. Two things that if lacking in your person, make you wholly unsuited for the pursuit of straight razor shaving anyway.

James.