Will you order an X Marks kilt?

[Miah]

I think I can swing a couple meters of Poly viscose. As long as it comes in at about 25 a yard or so. I would love to get more but at this time I can't say that I will for sure be able to.
It is even hard to say for sure on the Poly V not knowing what the price will be.

[kilt by death]

Tartan 1 or 2??

This may be bad form to ask, but could you get it through Cynthia to keep cost down??

Thank you. Even if it is Tartan 1, which I really don't think I could wear, kudos to ya for all your efforts!!!

[KiltedBishop]

I'm game but cut mine in half for the wool. I will go with a 4 yarder this time. Wool please, PV if wool is not availble for 25 per meter. Wool for 55 per meter

[Alan H]

Tartan 1 or 2??

This may be bad form to ask, but could you get it through Cynthia to keep cost down??

Thank you. Even if it is Tartan 1, which I really don't think I could wear, kudos to ya for all your efforts!!!

Without naming names, I'm working with a well-known, and frequent X-Marks participant regarding getting the material imported into the USA legally and at the absolute bleedin' lowest cost to those who order it.

Don't forget that in addition to the purchase price of the cloth, there's import duty, since both our suppliers are outside the USA. That can add on 20% to the purchase price for wool, or even more. There's shipping. How much does 20-30 meters of 16 ounce wool weigh? Then there's the shipping from the "importer"...the person who's handling all this out to you, the buyer.

Pretend that the material wholesales for $30 a meter. I'm not saying that it sells for that, just PRETEND that it sells for that. That's roughly in the ballpark

Cost to the person who foots the bill and puts in the order for all of us, for a 25 meter order: $750

If it's wool and there's a 20% import levy, that's $150.

Shipping from the UK (if we go with the UK supplier) $100 for the whole thing...wool is heavy, and we want it insured, you know!.

So now, just to get the stuff into the USA that $30 a meter material suddenly costs $38 a meter. Is it even halfway reasonable to suggest that the person who goes to all the work, and who is in the business of supplying Scottish clothing and other items make at least SOMETHING for their work? How about a really minimal markup? You know that normal retail is somewhere around 50-150 percent markup, right? That can mean doubling their price when they sell it to you. So if they make 20% markup, which is 'waaay-- 'WAAAY off the low end of the scale, that's 6 dollars per meter. Then they will clear a smashing $150 for a whumpus-load of work. Is that SO unreasonable?

I'm not saying that the person I'm talking to about doing the order will insist on that level of markup, but understand that they'll spend a lot of time ordering, dealing with the mill, and then cutting and distributing fabric around. It' snot unreasonable to expect them to make some tiny amount of money in recompense for their efforts.

So now that $30 per meter material is now selling to you for $44 per meter.

.........and you still don't have it at your doorstep yet. You'll have to get it shipped to you or the kiltmaker of your choice, which will probably cost around $10 via US Mail around the USA. If you're ordering from New Zealand it'll cost a bit more, eh?

We just need to be realistic here, OK? Nonetheless, even with all that, we've still beaten the $65 a meter cost for Locharron, or Matt's extremely qualified and dedicated handweaver....who I have no doubt whatsoever turns out absolutely stunning tartan.

By the way, I've learned a whole, whole lot by going through this process. It's been quite an education.

[Alan H]

I'm game but cut mine in half for the wool. I will go with a 4 yarder this time. Wool please, PV if wool is not availble for 25 per meter. Wool for 55 per meter

Cool, and thanks. Adding in Kilted Bishops statement, we have "commitment" for a total of 11.3 meters of 16 ounce wool. If four more people commit to buying enough wool for a four-yard kilt, we have a minimum order. If two people commit to buying enough wool for an eight-yard kilt, we have a minimum order. JerMc might go for 2 meters when we get a price.

We have "interest" but no "commitments" to buying Poly-viscose as a first choice in the price range I've given. The "interest" adds up to about 6 meters.

**********************************************

Regarding the price range, read this. Pretend you want 2 meters of fabric for a four-yard (meter) kilt.

Wool:

Low end price: $45 a meter times two meters = $90
High end price: $55 a meter times two meters = $110

That's a twenty dollar difference, guys. It's not very likely (like, fat bluidy chance) to cost less than $45 a meter. $45 a meter TO YOU, retail price for 16 ounce, high class worsted kilting wool is a FANTASTIC price.

PV:

Low end price: $20 a meter times two meters = $40
High end price: $25 a meter times two meters = $50

The price differential is just not that great, guys. Waffling over ten bucks doesn't make a lot of sense. BTW, this could be significantly lower.

Look...READ THIS..

Whjat will it cost to get a USA Kilts Philabeg built for you?

If you bought two meters of X Marks PV at $25 a meter, you'd spend $50, plus shipping. Call it $60.

Send it to Rocky at USA kilts for a Philabeg...well, Rocky charges $110 for a philabeg kilt (if your hips are 44 inches or less). If Rocky gave you NO DISCOUNT for supplying your own fabric (riiiiiight, he's not gonna give you a break on it.. ) Then the $110 for bulding the kilt plus the $60 for the X Marks tartan puts an X Marks kilt around your **** for $170 drop-dead maximum cost. Truth is, it'll probably cost less than that, more like $130 - $140, and maybe even a bit less. Maybe it'll cost exactly what a philabeg costs. Why don't you e-mail Rocky and ASK him?

Bear sews kilts all the time from customer-supplied material. His web site says a 4 yard PV kilt costs $130 USA. You can even get it in a "traditional" three-buckle closure if you want. Even if he gave you NO DISCOUNT for supplying the fabric, you're talking $180-$190 for an X Marks tartan kilt in PV from the Bear. Not sure about all this? Maybe I'm 'waaay off in this..could be. Gee, I think Bear has an e-mail account you can write to.

Bear does machine-sewn-with-care kilts in wool as well. His website says $300 USA for a 4-yard wool kilt and that includes the cost of materials. If you supply him with the cloth, he'll probably knock off a few bucks from that price. Add in the cost of the X Marks tartan and figure that a 4-yard wool X Marks tartan kilt from the bear will run you somewhere around $300 USA, maybe a bit more.

M.A.C. Newsome has publically told us what he charges for making a 4-yard box pleated kilt. His price for labour plus shipping the kilt to you in the USA is $236. If you buy two yards of 16 ounce X Marks tartan wool it's going to cost your somewhere around $100. That means a custom-made, hand-sewn four-yard wool kilt...a freaking GORGEOUS thing, from M.A.C. Newsome in the X Marks tartan is going to cost you around $350, plus or minus $20-30. Not sure about that? Well message Mat and ASK him. Believe me, I can't WAIT for mine!!

Guys, the prices are all there on our kiltmakers websites. It's not hard to figure this stuff out.

[beerbecue]

For those who aren't in the know, you can use USPS Priority Mail flat rate box for $7.70, and that's 2-3 day v. parcel post.... regardless of weight...

And 16 oz. wool is what, 16 oz./yard(metre), so the math is easy....

For 4 yards cross-country, it is cheaper to use a flat rate box than it is parcel post....

Material will easily fold neatly into a flat rate box.... You could probably get a kilt to go in neatly as well....

Just a thought......

[bikercelt1]

BTW, I reviewed the main X Marks tartan material thread (not the poll) and I cme up with the following. If your name is here, please confirm!


Bikercelt wants a 4 yard kilt in either PV or wool, so 2 yards of whichever for him.

Actually, I'd be looking for an 8 yard kilt, so 4 yards of double width and wool would be my first choice but I could live with the P/V.

And let me say thank you for all your work on this. I know trying to organise this isn't easy.

Jamie

[Manu]

Thanks a lot for everything Alan. You are working you butt off for al;l of us here, and its greatly appreciated. I cant wait.

[Alan H]

BTW, I reviewed the main X Marks tartan material thread (not the poll) and I cme up with the following. If your name is here, please confirm!


Bikercelt wants a 4 yard kilt in either PV or wool, so 2 yards of whichever for him.

Actually, I'd be looking for an 8 yard kilt, so 4 yards of double width and wool would be my first choice but I could live with the P/V.

And let me say thank you for all your work on this. I know trying to organise this isn't easy.

Jamie

Thanks, Biker-Man! Four more yards! We're nearing a minimum order. In fact, I know full well of one other person who's committed to getting enough for an eight yard kilt. He's just been busy and hasn't responded to this post, yet. Putting in his four yards puts us up to a minimum order for wool, so I will pursue that avenue.

I'll check this post again at the end of the day on Monday or maybe Tuesday morning and see if a significant number of "commitments" have come in for PV over the weekend. If they have, great. If they haven't, then so be it, and I'll drop the PV and just carry on with the wool.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. So far it's all been web surfing and e-mailing and building a coule of web pages for order forms. It's taken a bit of time, but it's been fun and I can squeeze it in after work or during a few minutes break during the work day...No biggie. But thanks for the comments, anyway!

[Thistle Stop]

For those who aren't in the know, you can use USPS Priority Mail flat rate box for $7.70, and that's 2-3 day v. parcel post.... regardless of weight...

And 16 oz. wool is what, 16 oz./yard(metre), so the math is easy....

For 4 yards cross-country, it is cheaper to use a flat rate box than it is parcel post....

Material will easily fold neatly into a flat rate box.... You could probably get a kilt to go in neatly as well....

Just a thought......

You might be able to get 2 metres into a flat-rate box, but in 16 oz. wool it's a pretty thick bundle. I doubt that 4 metres would go in one, and I know for sure that an adult-size, woollen kilt will NOT fit in one of those boxes. Besides, you'd have to fold it in half to get it in, even it you could manage to squish it in there, which is not a good idea -- better to roll it up and mail in a tube or a 24" long box.

If you want to mail it insured, you will have to add 2 or 3 dollars for that.