Miles at Miles of Alaska
box 363
Nenana Alaska
99760
1-907-832-5442 miles@milesofalaska.net

Your web site is complicated Why?
Lots of reasons. Let me ramble. It's not as complicated and confusing for me as for you. My site has a purpose that suite my needs, maybe not your needs . But it's my store and my business, not yours. I have to survive. In order to survive I have to figure it out, to figure it out I have to make choices. To make a profit I have to pick and choose who to sell to. 'Because' I keep repeating throughout my site, 95% of my business comes from 5% of my customers. Therefore I need to as fast as possible sort out my customers and locate that 5% so I can give them the most time, and send 95% down the road to shop someplace else, or wait in line if they choose till I have time for them. It could be today byut it could be never. (to reduce it to the simplest terms.) Not exactly as I give stuff away, donate my time to the needy, offer free advice bla bla, but it's my game, my call, my dime, and I do not respond to people with needs not offering me a return. It might be a scam and I don't have time to sort it out. I could just restrict my web site with a password the customer needs to qualify for, or have a minimum order. Instead I give everyone a chance. Those who do not have the time, or cant figure it out, or do not like how I do business can leave. The customer needs me more then I need the customer. I set my life and business up that way. The line forms behind me. I get an average of 30 customers a day, and used to give them all my full attention and it occupied 10 hours a day just doing emails. Not going to work. So it's complicated on purpose . That weeds out the not so serious. Let them go to Ebay. I'm not in completion with Ebay. The email address you see is my one and only and personal email. That phone number is my one and only business and home number available 24 hours a day. I call that personal service. Those who abuse it go to the back of the line. If you have a need, explain to me why I should care. You can pick 2 out of 3. Fast, cheap, quality. You cant have all 3. In other words you can have it fast and cheap with low quality. You can have it fast and good quality for a higher price. You can have Cheap and good quality but you will have to wait. I call that the facts of life we all live by. All 3 are offered by China who owns the us now. or banks run by organized crime or fast food joints-or slave labor, there's a catch. It cost one way or the other. Understanding that, gets you in the front door fastest.
Answer # 2. I'm a one person business on a low budget who lives a basic simple lifestyle . I do not hire anyone to do any aspect of my business. In that way I don't have to follow any rules or listen to anyone or be beholden or owe anyone. My entire web site cost about $100. The bad news is it is a weak program I use that does not support a shopping cart or other various features that other more expensive sites use. I learned to make it work by innovation. My site is run by HTML and I find out later that is now outdated and not in style and not supported by all internet situations. To fix it I'd have to start over from scratch. 26 pages and 1,000 pictures No time, no real need. Most of my income is from those who understand my pictures and site is only my portfolio, my resume, it's not things for sale. My serious internet customers fly to Alaska to see it in person and buy it by the truckload. Sales under $300 often loose me money and might be  subsidized by the big buyers. Thus I do not depend on  sales under $300. It's more to help the customer out, not me. I'm not willing to invest tons of time and money into volunteer work. Read elsewhere to understand more how it works if interested. There will be a category of people who see and understand, who sing off the same sheet of music- likeminded - who will more likely have a good experience on my web site. They grasp what it is I offer and what it is I do not offer. Thus we do not waste each others time and there is less disappointment, returns , or unhappy customers. If you 'don't get it',  is a bad sign, not good. More likely to be a problem. The most common problem is they think this is Ebay and want it super sized with fries, served with a smile for $4. I'm a master chef. I don't follow directions, I write them. It's not going to look like the one on the menu. Its one of a kind just for you and you'll pay a fair gallery price. Not always, but fast food customers are a dime a dozen, and get the lowest priority. Customers who do not have time to read and find out what I offer and do not  offer, might well not be suitable customers for personal service may  need to go elsewhere to shop because they do not have time but exepect me to.  The good news is, because I have no empoyees and I am the source, and have no high overhead expenses, I can usually offer the best prices. It's my time that may add to your cost. Those who do not require my time get the best price and those who need my help pay for it, that seems fair to me

I don't do small retail well because I cant find stuff. I'm not organized enough. I'm best at 'lots' I create over 500 art pieces a year and deal in raw material by the 'large amounts'. I don't have time or ability or interest in keeping track of it. Probably I have what you want, but so what. I might not be able to find it in a reasonable amount of time, and do not even know if I can till I try. Especially when I get the impression someone wants to pay less not more then usual. It's not a problem I feel I need to solve as a big priority. Sooner or later it all sells, if not, it's better then money in the bank gathering like 30% interest a year. Or I will use the raw material myself in my own art. If art I have little money invested and can afford to sit on it. Also on small retail often people are looking for something 'special' and have something very specific in mind for a specific project, thus are not open minded about size color. It is common for me to get talked out of my best stuff at the lowest price! Ideally I want to high grade it, keep the best for my own person use and sell off what I don't want. But who wants someone else's rejects? So it is me stuck with the rejects. Using that in my own art. I'm not especially happy with that. Larger volume buyers want it by the pound to resell usually and are happy with what I send and takes me the least amount of time and the least fuss and the most profit. I do small retail, it's just not the high priority and if I'm busy is the first sales to go on hold.

You are not at an ordinary store. You are at the source , where 'raw' is defined as bloody and still twitching . Or still wet covered in mud. You have met the guy who might have drug it in screaming by the hind leg and ate it. You have arrived at some place related to Star trek. You have met Indiana Jones. The man who can make it happen. For a price, I can find even the holy grail. You just have to make it worth my while. Does this sound  like somone happy to be your butler? One thing  I am is in charge of my life (no I dont want to be in charge of yours)

It's complicated, and I try to explain in various locations on my web site. I have raw material by the ton, by the truckload. I have finished art usually 500 items at any given time. I am one person. I can not possibly list everything one at a time. But I can toss out a pile of random pictures to show the sorts of things I carry. That item may or may not be for sale right now. It's like my resume. It's like to give ideas to people who need a special order. Or to attract large sales or large shops. It does not work for me to go look for one item or to explain about one item or to take a picture to show one customer one item. That takes half an hour on the average and on the average one in 4 inquires results in a sale thus this means I'd spend an average of 2 hours selling each item. Not going to work. Sadly I may well have exactly what you want. But it is not worth spending half an hour to find out. So the customer who wants one item or a few or orders under $100 are stuck with choices in the shop cart, the tip of the iceberg one millionth of what I have in stock. But in this way can show the world instead of one person. I spend that half hour to show it and eventually it gets results. Ideally I'd like to run a web site like a flea market garage sale antique store or junk yard. You go look under the tarps, poke through the boxes and find something and bring it to me and ask me what I want for it. Problem: On the web site there are pictures not actual objects. I need to relate the picture the object and I may not know where the object in the picture is, not when it's by the ton. I try hard to make my business as one on one as possible. Many web sites do not encourage contact, you buy it or not.  You do not talk and ask questions and discuss things, Many will not offer a phone number, a personal email address. Maybe I'm fishing, trolling. Do I need to reel in every nibble I get? Maybe i just like fishing even if I don't catch much. Fishing does not mean looking for suckers or just the big one. What I'm trolling for is my business. How can one be a trapper and explain  how the bait works? For example if one is trolling for chicks does the guy tell the babe his next move? It is enough she knows he has a good heart and is honest. If she's smart  she'll just smile and let him make his moves. Or maybe it is she who is the hunter- depending on if you ask him or her. Like that. What fun is shopping or even life if you always know what's happening geez!

I get a high % of customers who seem to think Alaska is a 3rd world country. Where they can get slave labor done. As a matter of fact Alaska  has one of he highest economies in the world. The highest  per capita income community  in the entire  US is 30 miles from me. Minimum wage is like $10 an hour. Reliable skilled help is more like $20 an hour. Hint-- It's not a good place to be asking for labor work to be done.

I get a high % of customers  who see I am from a remote small place and I appear  like a country bumpkin. Ripe for the plucking by a fast talking city slicker . Quaint, amusing but pathetic. Offering  my personal phone number to the world, my personal  email contact. Etc, all the symptoms of a sucker to take to the cleaners. There are in fact those  in the world that see a weakness and move in for the kill. Such people  should probably read my book. But never mind. Sometimes  the fox pretends it has an injury, is weak and in trouble. The goose comes in to investigate and becomes the meal-- but never mind
I am also amazed how many nice people there are in the world , all over the world in every country, so refreshing, such an honor to know them! Sometimes I even give stuff to them for free! Not because  they deserve it. Those who feel they deserve something free probably  should  not have it for free. So don't  even ask. I made a conscious choice about how I want to run my web site and how i want it to look and work. It's successful. I do good business. If you do not understand it I'm concerned  That's  a red flag. The concept that it's not all for sale to anyone who looks at it and wants it. As a customer you do not have to buy from everyone who makes y an offer, and as a seller I do not have to sell to everyone  who looks. And to be honest there are about 50 answers to "Is this for sale?" Beginning with "Who are you and why are you here?"  

Below is time that is calculated into my prices, that I can offer as free time
$10 sale equals 2 minutes example one email one question no personal picture
, $100 equals 10 minutes, example a personal description, a photo on file , 2-3 email exchanges
$1,000 equals an hour. Example several personal pictures of item several descriptions several emails
$10,000 equals several hours. Example lots of pictures lots of emails phone calls references personal shipping inquiry and or talking to others to find best deals
$100,000 Lets get together in person. My place or yours? Mine? Bring your fishing pole. Lets talk while we fish.

The prices . Ah yes the weighty question of what to charge. The price depends. Depends on what?? Do you want it fast, or can you wait? Do you want the cheapest, or the highest grade? Do you want to pay for personal service, or get in and out quick? Are you buying a lot and will you probably return? or is this a one item one time interest? Is this an item you will re sell like you have a business? or is this for hobby --pleasure and a retail sale. I'm adaptable.
I can not list the 10 price categories for every item. It is best to go to my web site, cut and paste a picture or two to me of what you would like, and I might  give you a price.
Keep in mind it may take me half an hour to give you a price. So one consideration is aksing myself how much time yoiu gave me befor asking. Did you look around for an answer to your quesioin first? I have to find the item  in my shop - another building- take a picture weigh and describe the item and email back. Animal material are not consistent and price changes, sometime by the week. Each batch I get I pay a different rate for.   Rhe material  may have cracked, dried out be worth less or worth more as it is more rare today then last week. Laws  for  import export change effecting price, mayvbe a new permit is now needed. I might quote some ballpark figure off the top of my head from memory so you know what sort of value an item has but it is better to point and say 'this'. The more questions you have the more it cost. Time is money. If you buy it and are not happy then return it and get your money back. That's cheaper then hemming and hawing and being uncertain and distrustful  and keeping me to reassure you with my time and personal service. If you need references  look at my site and contact my references. Various solutions are on the web site. I'm not going to join you in worrying. I didn't  get where  i am by worrying. What I sell and offer is personal. That means I care where it  goes and who has it. My highest price is still within the boundaries of what is normal and to be exepected and not a rip off. If you  get it for less it will not be because  you argued me into a deal. Different  people pay different prices for a variety of reaons. Is that a problem for you? To me it is fair to you and it is fair to me. The bottom line is it is not a simple quesion to answer "How much is this one item?  I only need a minute of your time.  A quick answer!" It's possible you are on the wrong planet. Go back through the stargate. I have to verify I even have that item and that alone might take half an hour. Review my 'free time' chart and what my time cost you beyond the free limit.

'depends' On what?!? It depends on if you want service, quality, a low price, seconds, perfection, a story, good warranties, good return policy, someone you can trust, a long term business, quantity, and other factors and they all effect the price. If you want me to drop everything and focus on you and answer all your questions promptly and give you a personal picture tour of everything that interests you, I'd be glad to do that and you can pay for it. If you want to buy a raw material and then receive personal instructions on how to turn it into jewelry I'd be glad to do that and you can pay for it. If you want the best price, be in and out, exchange one email and no pictures and occupy the least amount of time, then you don't pay as much. If I enjoy our conversations and choose to give you my time because I am off the clock and having fun and have the time you might get a deal. If I perceive you as giving me a hard time, yanking my chain, and the talks are not fun, then you are on the clock because this is 'work' then you will pay more. If I think you do not respect the material and will never be back again and you have more money then time I might charge more. If you are respectful of the material and courteous , I think you might be back again and or tell others to where I might get more business, I might give you the price I give a friend. If you are honestly broke but I think the material will be good in your hands -maybe from a spiritual standpoint I have been known to give it away for free. But if I think you are running a line on me, I'm not beneath scamming a scammer. You might just receive a fake. Because it gives me personal pleasure to reward good deeds, but also mess with the karma of the greedy and rude. It bothers me to charge an amount someone honestly cant afford , while charging that same price to someone who obviously could care less what it cost. Some customers in fact respect my work - what I stand for, have money and tip me so to speak by paying a nice price, and I do not take advantage of that and they know it.
I have a bad memory - hate paperwork, hate doing things in the usual way, and enjoy having control over my business. Much of what I see in raw material is my own personal stash I have to much of and can part with. I don't have prices on things. I do my best to recall what I paid , how much I have, what it might cost me to replace it, how long I have been sitting on it, what kind of shape it is in now (raw animal products when not looked after can warp change color shrink weigh less crack etc) -- compared to a year ago and all these become factors in the present value. Price depends on if you get an ounce or a pound. Animal products are not uniform and it is very hard to put them all in 2-3 price categories. There is more then small medium and large. There is color and hardness and shape. No one wants to ask about a lynx claw and get 20 prices. So instead of posting the 20 prices, I get your inquiry -pick up in my hand what I have, make a judgment call and spout out a number. Tomorrow I might quote a dollar more or a dollar less. That upsets some people and often I simply do not remember a thousand items and a thousand categories off the top of my head or what I said yesterday. On Ebay prices can change by the second right? So mine change by the day. Why get indignant? Then you should have bought it yesterday. I'm not deliberately messing with you. Remind me what I said yesterday politely and probably I'll say “Oh-ok” It's also true - I might have just dropped a piece of firewood on my toe so today you pay a dollar more! I'm still not forcing you to buy it. Yes or no. Do you want it or not? Again my highest price is still fair and if you want to argue the price goes higher not lower because 'fun' cost less a good experience  cost less.

special orders no. probably not, but I still get talked into them
In general special orders take me 3 times as long to make, and are a third as fun to do as creating something on my own. Often what I do on my own turns out better anyway. Few people want to pay 3 times as much money. On my own I can work on 3-4 pieces at the same time so I drill holes for 3 items, sand 3 items using the same disk before changing. etc. I am more efficient and can wait till I have 20 items to run through a mass polisher and not have to polish it by hand. On my own project I do not have to hunt around for special materials a customer wants, or I said I had, but now see I do not, or have, but now see it will not work, will not fit, or I go to use it and break it. On my own I may begin as a necklace and end up as a pin. I may begin using turquoise and end up with opal. I may think I'm making something for $50 and end up with a $2,000 art piece. I may go to cast metal and accidentally contaminate it and instead of silver it is pink. Now it's suddenly worth more as a special secret metal I invented. I may realize I do not have the wolf I thought I had, and substitute a bear. I may begin, and set it aside and not finish it for a year. I may break it and have to redo it smaller. It's actually pretty unusual to have a piece come out as I planned it. Normally an art piece takes on a life of it's own. I may not be the master, the material is. It is my job to release the spirit within the material. It is hard to tell the material what it needs to be. I can start with an idea and the material says no, or the basic idea usually works but expressed in a way I never thought of. No one ever knows any of this when they look at the finished product. I never have to say “Well I wanted it to be a wolf but broke it and had to use a bear instead” I can say “See how the bear is perfect for this piece, how the colors blend and how the massive look of the bear fits the massive look of this claw?” I'm suddenly a gifted genius and not a screw up.
I have made over 20,000 one of a kind pieces and never made two. I have a problem making a pair of earrings that match. If you saw something of mine and want one just like it, that is usually a problem. It was a one of a kind never repeated design. If a customer likes my work and thinks they will be happy with whatever I come up with, keeping in mind the basic concept they seek like 'a wolf claw for a man using as eagle theme' and gives me freedom to let it happen, I can do this. If the customer is buying my art then this is what works. What tends not to work is when a customer wants me to work for them. They are my boss, and I am creating their piece, using their idea.
It is 'stressful' I suppose to know I must please one customer if I want to get paid. I'm usually under a time frame and I have to keep track of what the customer wants and where their piece is I'm working on. I'm someone not used to following directions and instructions. I'm used to doing it all my way. I can't follow the direction on a can of juice and add exactly 4 cans of water. So, doing it the customers way is not likely to happen. It usually starts off sounding easy. Right up till they do not like how it is going. I've done a lot of successful special orders all right but had some real headaches too. So if you want a special order, email me. Maybe, who knows. If I accept I  do my best In all honelsty it is usually the customer who is happy, not me.  I usually would have made more money doing it my way and pricing it after it was done.

Prices from free raw to spendy finished art
Prices! Ah yes the weighty question of what to charge. Let me talk about wolf claws as just an example Well guess what.   I can offer it free! Yes yes I'm sure you are pleased and eager to hear how you can acquire what you want for free! Oh here is what you do. Buy a ticket to Alaska or drive here. Buy a $5,000 snow machine, a $600 rifle , warm clothing and head out in the pucker brush and take all ya want! Cool huh! Help yourself! I hope you can read a map , know how to build a survival shelter if you break down, know state land from Federal land and which side of the river is Indian land? You know how to skin one? Ok ok maybe we scratch that idea.
So now you do not want it free? Now you want me to buy the snow machine deal with the Indians , the Federalies, the homesteaders and you want to pay for my knowledge and have me go fetch the wolf-- kill it--skin it --and cut off the feet? I can sell em cheap frozen you know! Yes! Maybe like $1 a claw! Yes! Cool huh! But of coarse it might be full of live maggots when you get it. You do know how to hold your breath don't you? Like I do! The smell of cooking a bloody rotting foot will in fact gag a maggot. But it saves a lot of money! You do know about not letting the bone come out of the hull? And how long to boil it? You wouldn't want to mess it up? Ok ok let me do that part I'm set up for it. So I boil it and glue the bone in and dry it and it no longer smells and it is dry and it is now called a 'raw material' but in fact it has been already processed quite a bit and to me is not raw but whatever. (raw to me is bloody and twitching) so I deal with all that gore and for $5 to $15 depending on size you can buy it raw! Cool huh! So you can turn it into jewelry! Double your money! Wow! You know how to drill a hole in it or cap it? If you do not know how you can split the hull or have the bone fall out later. You have good source for chains and cords you have the time it takes and the tools to do it too, right?
If not hey let me kill the wolf-- deal with the gore, sort clean dry size cap chain and it is ready to sell! For like $25 and all you do is give it as a gift, wear it yourself, or put it on a shelf to double your money on in your shop! Far out-- what could be easier! So! My question is what level do you want to buy in on?
The same holds for many items-fossils--even stones. Rough is always cheapest covered in dirt, unsorted by the ton for 10 cents on the dollar. But once I clean it grade it cut it rough it out you may call it 'rough' but I have already invested a lot of time or someone has. If you want it weighed and in a little bag all clean-- well that is another price from raw. I call that just one step below a finished product. Some customers want some to have spent an hour, cleaning the mud off cutting polishing grading etc etc which take skill and expenisve equipment. The customer wants to  buy it for a 10% above the 'right out of the ground' price, and the customer wants to spend 5 minutes using no skill and no tools, gluing a little do hikcy on it . Then sell it for triple the money on Ebay (or wherever). Go for it! But such customers find our there is no free lunch. Getting paid a lot for no skill is tough. I'm not excited about and it is not a priority to deal with the ignorant who think they can pay a skilled person 5 cents an hour, while they the unskilled make $50 an hour. I smile with tolerance but sometimes I just don't have time. Ihave more time for the ignorant if they want an item for personal use that will mean a lot to them and do not understand how business works. Such a customer needs to understand I am loosing money in order to be nice and help them.
In truth I am trying to sell stuff as far up the line as possible -as my finished art. I make the most profit. Selling you bloody wolf feet for $1 a claw barely pays me to turn the key on the snow machine. I deal with that when I'm not busy with more important sales. Alaska is a high economy place with no slave labor nearby. It is hard to compete with 'rough' and cover the shipping etc. Cheap labor is 10 bucks an hour. Even then people starve to death on that. I do it but it is not where I make money. So! Now you know all about the wonderful world of selling the Alaska Wild! So again what level are you interested in?

Production-Quantity
In order to give the best competitive price on anything, what you want has to be what it is I am best at offering.
What I am best at offering (in terms of quantity and low price). Is a nitch market of offering a product somewhere between 'mass produced production work' and 'hand done one of a kind'.
Time . Hand done, one at a time might take 5 hours. Mass produced might take one minute. My middle road takes maybe half an hour per item.
Cost Mass produced has initial high cost of equipment, and involves employees. Best prices revolve around price breaks buying raw material by the ton. One of a kind, hand done means buying just enough to create this masterpiece. One at a time is art, and neither time or production cost is a major factor, only quality and design. Production is mostly about time and costs. I'm for now in between. I, for now, give  price breaks by the dozen or the gross.

I offer I still offer and can do the 'one of a kind high end gallery museum quality art' (where my time and cost is no object-you pay well for my talent-which is world known). . I can stretch my upper quantity limit and offer 50 of some types of product - even 100 of something. They will not all be hand done one of a kind works of art at gallery quality with prices at $100 each . They will not be mass produced by the thousand to be sold for $10 each. They will be in between. A nice product - unique, done with care - all items in the order looking 'similar' but not exactly alike, at a uniform set price of $35 (for example).
I have at any given time 500 finished pieces, but only half a dozen of any one design. Requesting specific items in quantity may require lead time and may have to be created during my usual working schedule in order to give you a good price - otherwise it becomes a rush special order. (do- able but not at a low price)
Price My best price will be ordering from my existing completed inventory of 500 pieces. My next best price will be, you give me plenty of lead time to create your inventory as part of my normal work and this may require a month or more. (I can explain why if interested). The next best price is for me to create your needs as a special order
From my inventory
The best price is allowing me the most choice. Time is money. If you want '20 pendants with a wolf theme between $20 and $45 retail' (for example) there is more of a chance I can fill this, and it is less of my time involved then if you want '20 pendants with a copper howling wolf on turquoise'
Lots of lead time
The next best price is giving me time to create the order. I may need to hunt around for a bargain on materials, or save to invest in a gross of something- when you only want 20. . If you want those 20 pendants with copper howling wolf on turquoise -give me 2 months and you might save 25% or more, over wanting it in two weeks.

Challenge with small orders and getting paid
Paying for my time on small orders is not very workable in reality, the way my web site is set up. Example. A customer emails me asking if I have any wolf fangs in stock. What they really want is If yes, can I see some? So lets say I reply and honor the request and spend half an hour looking and taking pictures of the choices, quoting prices for each. It's not as easy as the customer thinks. I have fossil fangs fresh ones small medium and large of each, and ancient fangs that are tiny but nice. I have sharp ones with good points, dull ones that are fat and heavy. I have large damaged for less money. Etc. This transaction usually requires at least 3 emails exchanged. The total time is about an hour. So it's time to pay. I say “That is $30 for the fang and $65 for my time for a total of $95 please” Most customers are going to reply something like “Dream on you jerk! I don't think so! have a nice day!” They will never order from me again and probably tell 10 of their friends about how this crazy guy wanted to charge $95 for a $30 item. And I still spent an hour and have no sale and made 'nothing'. If I forget it! Give the customer what he expects, a $30 fang and limitless time, with the Ronald McDonald big smile. It's not hard to find myself working for 5 cents an hour. Those customers who think they understand, email me “I understand your time is worth something and expect to pay an extra $5 or so” Do I respond “Dream on you jerk! I don't think so! Have a nice day!” (?)
Put it all in a shop cart, no contact no questions no advice! That was at one time my great 'plan B!' But customers still manage to see my email address or phone number and call or email. Many, most, mean well, and just want to glom onto me and be my friend and pick my brain. Tell me how much they appreciate my work my web site my lifestyle and what I stand for and by the way one quick question, I know you are busy. The average 'quick question' is half an hour. Multiplied by 30 times a day (sometimes) Even 3 times a day is an extra hour and a half of my day. Issues with shop cart. #1 is I hate it. I'm Indiana Jones not some flunky clerk. I want to be outdoors having adventures facing dragons, or in my shop getting metal to 2,000 degrees and spinning it red hot and hear that “SSSSSSSS” I want to create art pieces that knock the socks off the world. Magic. Merlin. A shaman. Where I walk, the fabric of the universe parts. The fabric of creation does not part for bean counters! Geez!
When I was young and told my father I wanted to be a hunter and trapper and mountain man he asked me how come I don't just get a camera (and take pictures of cute fuzzy creatures, instead of killing them) My mouth hung open in shock. He had at the time dreamed of single handedly sailing around the world. I answered with a question of my own “Why don't you put model boats together and play with them in the bathtub?” I thought he understood Hemmingway. Lash yourself to the mast so you can feel the full force of the storm. I have in fact more then once in my youth faced bears point blank with one bullet in the gun and smiled “Make your move!” Does that sound like the sort who might be good at or enjoy measuring things and putting them in a computer? (Though I do like the magic of photography). Meaning after I kill the bear I stop to take a picture. Issue # 2 Once listed I have to know where it is and keep it set aside. I pretty much put it in a drawer and forget about it with a number on it. I don't dare move it - bring it to a show or I'll never find it again. So there it sits, no one sees it. It's usually my best stuff, either raw or finished. A year can go by and I forget I even have it. It might have sold ages ago if I would have got it out for a show. I cant even imagine what my business might be like if 90% of my work was tied up in shopping carts. What would I take to the shows? My work moves all over the place. Some goes on consignment in shops, some at shows, some goes in a 'needs polishing again' box, or to friends who try to sell, or in the section for stuff that is organized so I can find it by kind of material it is made of. Thus there are like 5 places to look. Forget it. You look. I dreamed I might find an employee or a soul mate who was my other half. “I make it, you keep track of it” Like that. Split it 50/50. I'd be in heaven. As for me I cant do it. Not for a million dollars, not to save my life. I'd rather be dead. And in fact when a customer emails “I am sure glad I found your site, so here is a list of what I am looking for , I need length width weight a picture of the front the back and the ends and a full description. I look forward to discussing this with you!” My reaction is, well much as if a gay guy just ran up to me and French kissed me. “Yulko! Gross! Yilk! Get away from me! Ilk!” I try to calm down, be kind and polite and helpful. But I can't quite pull it off. My reaction is, you buy it, then you measure it, weigh it, to your hearts content. Enjoy yourself. I don't see the world in numbers. I see it in colors and feelings and moods. Call it the spirit world for lack of a better term. It might have a lot to do with why I have a passion for animal parts art teeth claws and fossils. It's all symbols, that mean something. You wear my art and it's like a book could be written about you ,what sort you are, it stands for something. It has energy. It speaks. Who cares what it weighs? What a silly question. Sort of like being interested in a gal. Is my first set of question going to be “What are your measurements?” I could care less. If I want to know, I cup my hand and decide if she fits. What else matters? Like that. Perfect, a handful.
I have built 10 cabins in my life never measured any of it. I've built hundreds of custom knives in my life never once measured the material to see if it fits. I eyeball it. If it does not fit, no big deal, I alter the design to fit, or I grab a new piece of material. Killed a lot of moose, never once even wondered how many inches the antlers are, Do not even know for sure where you measure at and do not care. Never trophy hunted, I hunt for food. Nor do I sell trophies. I suppose this does not sound like much of an answer. Most of my money is made when folks see all the cool stuff I have and fly here to buy it in large amounts. I don't mind weighing 100 pounds. It's grams and ounces at 2 cents profit that drive me nuttso. Shops galleries see all my art up there on the web, and have me send a bunch. After I know them I just send a bunch and they pick it over and buy what they want and return the rest. It works. I don't have to be a bean counter. So there! And you cant make me.

What I'm worth
What can I offer up besides an opinion ?
I have been in this business almost 50 years
I have created and sold over 20,000 one of a kind art pieces in my life- more claw necklaces then anyone else in the world.
My web site is usually in the top 5 in the world in search engines for the materials I sell.
I get about 30 inquiries a day
I have sold some necklaces for over $5,000, and more then I can count for over $500 each
I was in the news for my art beginning at 5 years old, have been in more magazines then I can count including the cover of a few, been in Alaska magazine 5 times, Geo in Europe twice, double page picture and story of me in the new York Times.
In Fairbanks Alaska alone I estimate 20,000 out of the 70,000 know me enough to greet me by name on the street. I have never been in an airport anywhere in the world where I am not greeted by someone who recognizes me. I get asked to sign autographs. Several times individuals I do not know have traveled across the world to find me in Nenana Alaska , for no other reason then to meet me in person and shake my hand. I constantly get 'fan mail' from those who wish to thank me for having a big positive effect on their life. I've made national headlines in the news before. I'm treated with respect by a great many people.
Consider these aspects of what I offer. Very few sellers of large amounts of raw material are artists themselves who use and understand the materials sold. The materials I sell I found myself, bought off locals or friends or at least hand selected in person. Less then 1% is ordered or received site unseen. Many buyers like a connection, a story behind the materials, want to know where it was obtained how it was obtained and wish to support honorable behavior. Especially with animal products. Very few artists make one of a kind items in enough volume to offer many choices on a regular basic reliably. Consider the variety of my skills I have for selecting materials that work for the artistic, spiritual, collector needs , metal, wood, stone, teeth claw antler horn fossils of all kinds. With 50 years experience. I have knowledge of the animals from living in the wild with knowledge of animals and their parts few have, due to this experience.
I feel it is not my place to toot my own horn, (which is more appropriate for the young playing King of the mountain). What matters for the sake of our business is how you feel and your opinion. I'm not going to argue about it. It's unproductive for me to engage in proving anything and spending time convincing anyone. You decide, am I worth what I say I am or not. And you choose to do business or not.

Personal service, advantage disadvantage
I have wanted my web site to be about personal service. I have run into obstacles/ difficulties. I understand better why most web sites do not offer personal contact with a human being - giving out personal home email and phone numbers etc.
Some upsides to this arrangement for the customer are the chance to have unique art tailored to your wants or more custom raw materials, the chance to ask questions and learn about the art or material, how it is done and from a connection to the item, and discuss payment plans, a final adjustable price, ability to do a trade, and end up with exactly what you want with fewer chances taken or unknowns to deal with.
Some downsides for the customer are dealing with a personality in the seller, requiring the ability to get along, deal with moods, changing prices, a variety of quality and service that is not equal or uniform, varied completion dates and delivery times, it takes longer. There can be a waiting line. Great if you get along, not so great if you suddenly get cut off because of personal differences.
Some upsides for the seller are, a nitch market others do not offer, rewards beyond money in the form of making friends, a sense being helpful - useful- having effect on the world. Some downsides for the seller are meeting a variety of personalities and cultures, some rewarding, but some introduction to scams, users, time wasters, greedy types that drain time and artistic energy, or simple misunderstandings that cost me time- money - and loss of orders.

I have a story involving a friend in the restaurant business who offers personal family style meals. The place is a small remote picturesque village. There is one main room in a log building that has 'atmosphere' hands made chairs tables, local art on the wall, looking like someone's living room.
I was there having coffee hanging out with the locals one day when a tourists family come in and order a meal. No one was satisfied with the way the meal arrived. I overheard how the steak was not cooked right, the salad had the wrong sorts of things in it, and the meals were sent back to be redone with indignation. My friends were eager to please, so tried again to fix the meal to satisfy the customers. Once again the meals were sent back, and once again the owner was polite and apologetic.
I decided to step in. I introduced myself as a local, and sat down and the family was eager to hear some local stories and meet a real Alaskan and all that. I asked if they were having a good trip. “Oh Yes!” I asked if they liked the home style restaurants here in the state? “Oh yes!” Once again with big smiles and nods all around. We are on the same sheet of music. I said then
“So eating in this restaurant is like eating at home. Do you tell your mother to take the food back and try again? You eat it the way your mother fixes it and you shut up!” Everyone was shocked. They forgot they were dealing with human beings with feelings. They forgot this is a remote place and getting a variety of fresh food in by truck at a descent price is difficult. Everything here cost more. Home cooking means 'different' 'unique' and it's not going to be like a chain restaurant where you know what to expect.
The tourists probably meant well - maybe what I said never occurred to them, and they focused on the upside of a home cooked meal, and forgot the downside. Home cooking is not for everyone. If you are not willing to take chances and try new things you might not like it.
The owners thanked me later, as they lost money on these customers and were not in a position to say anything, so I spoke up for them.
So my business is similar. Often people put up money and feel this gives them the right to be deserving, and make demands. Like suddenly they are your boss, they have hired you. It's possible with personal service to get your money back and get asked to leave, or get told the seller just doesn't feel like it today. It might be a bad hair day. This is absurd in a chain store, where the customer comes first and expects their ass kissed. A world where you return items for no reason at all, maybe you don't like the color after you get it home. It's expected, the chain store calculates it in the price of everything. No ones feelings are hurt, no one is concerned or cares or looses sleep over 'your problems'. Likewise no one will get up at 5am to get your order finished, or allow you to call them at home and wake them up with a question, interrupt their dinner, their love life, their time to walk the dog. That would be absurd! Yet that is what I offer and do. My job is my passion and my life. I care. I take it personal when I am scammed, when things are returned.
It takes a lot out of me. So many customers expect wine on a beer budget, want my biggest and my best, for the same price as 'ordinary' So many want free advice and help, and are quite pleased if I give them an hours time on their $10 item. In a chain store the person is an employee who gets paid by the hour not by the job. The item was maybe made in China for 10 cents, and you are paying $10 , so the clerk can afford an hour chatting with you about how the item works. (Except most clerks these days have no clue how the item works, and could care less). When you buy it you are supposed to know what it is, and read the instructions, or buy the video demonstration. The item might have good packaging and look good - with that cool cheap price and it is a throw away item designed to work till the warranty is up.
The upside if my personal service is it comes with a lifetime warranty. The downside is I take it's failure personally. If you used my delicate pendant as a key fob I'm gonna slap you!