i buy most of my leather from tandy, not all though. i don't like to have it shipped to me - i like to personally look at the leather i'm buying. i have a small leather shop so i don't need the large quantities of leather some folks would. if i'm making a regular belt i use belt blanks. the time involved in cutting the belt from the hide and doing the punching and skiving makes it more expensive than buying the blanks. over 2 inches wide and i cut it from the hide. again, because it winds up cheaper. then again, i have uses for the extra leather after cutting it from the hide. most of the scrap even gets used.

side notes: if you decide to cut from the hide, invest in a strap cutter. it's faster and more accurate than cutting that long, straight edge by hand. and if you're cutting 9-10 oz hide (or heavier) you are really going to need more than a knife and a pair of scissors. which means a cutting surface too. i have a cutting table i built for $300, but for occasional work that's a bit extreme. a kitchen cutting board will work for small areas. long straight lines won't cut well that way though.

fwiw