I write today with news regarding our Ligne Bretagne pipe brand. I regret to inform of this change, but we will no longer be able to accept any special requests or commissions for Ligne Bretagne pipes. Back when we started the brand, we operated under this "No Orders" rule for seven years, but I though I would try taking some orders after we re-opened our business in the USA. Alas, it just hasn't worked out in a profitable way. This was brought home to me recently while doing some labor/time calculations for a batch of special-ordered LBs versus regularly produced ones.
The Ligne Bretagne pipes are priced as low as I can manage while producing a pipe that I'm personally happy with, but their pricing is built around maximum speed and minimum "padding" - That is to say, they are profitable when I can reach into a box and pull out a stummel and make the best pipe from it that I can, but rapidly become less profitable when I have to exchange emails with someone about what they want, search the garage for the right shape type and size and grain quality, refer back to request specs, etc. This leaves me with two options - Either institute some sort of tiered pricing plan making special requests cost extra, or stop doing them. I dislike price hijinks so I'm choosing option #2.
There are other reasons, the prime one being that I'm simply getting too many requests. I can't even begin to handle the requests I have piled up in house now, and this leads directly to the problem that one ends up with buyers complaining on pipe forums that they ordered a pipe from that guy 6 months ago and STILL haven't gotten it, and thereby this pipemaker is a horrible person. When you have 10 orders in-house, you can remember the distinctions of each and realistically work on satisfying them. When you have 50-100 orders in-house, they become a blur that you'll never get on top of, you forget what most of them want anyway, and it creates an aversion to doing any of them. By the time you get to an order that's 5 months old, the buyer has lost interest, spent his money on something else, etc, so probably 2/3 of the "stale" orders end up being a waste anyway.
Another problem is in detail - Namely, that too many people are treating orders for Ligne Bretagnes like orders for discount Talbert Briars. If someone says they want a sandblasted bulldog, any finish, like #XX, that's fine, but too often I'll get LB requests that read like, "A large billiard, bowl canted 2 degrees forward, stained in red-gold contrast like your #XX with a shank 4.5cm long and a tapered bit at least 6cm long but no more than 6.5, with bit 3mm thick and weight no more than 40 grams." I don't deny a buyer their right to get what they want, but that's an order for a $400-500+ Talbert Briar handmade, not a Ligne Bretagne factory pipe. Since I don't want to muddy the waters with a lot of specs on what kind of orders I can and can't afford to do, I feel it's best just to stop doing them. I am going to try to finish out the orders that are currently in-house as best I can.
Finally, there is the problem that LB sales are eating up Talbert Briar production, and my pipemaking love resides in high grade handmades, not in factory pipes. I enjoy having a line to offer to those who can't afford the more expensive work, but lately there has been so much demand for LBs that I haven't had time to make Talberts, and this is going to change. So, from here on, we're re-instating our previous rule - No special orders for Ligne Bretagne pipes can be accepted, sorry. Buyers looking to have a custom pipe made just for them, to their specific preferences, are still very welcome to talk to me about Talbert Briars, however.
I've said this before, Trever. I don't think you charge enough for LBs. I have a pretty fair idea what goes into their production, and given the age and quality of the briar, the excellence of form, and from my experience with four of them to date, their outstanding smoking characteristics, you ought to be able to get more for them. I'll be very interested to hear how your survey goes.
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