Annual Sign Sale Going On Now
Annual Sign Sale Going On Now - Save an additional 15% off our prices and even more off suggested retail pices. Hurry, this sale ends soon!Increased Costs In 2021
We're in our 12th year of business thanks to our wonderful customers like you!
Over the last week, we have been notified by nearly every wholesale partner that currently supplies our goods that due to increased raw goods costs, production costs, and transportation costs, a sharp rise in wholesale pricing as well as higher shipping costs is inevitable. While our suppliers are holding back and absorbing as much of the additional temporary costs as possible, an average increase of 5-7% has been passed on to online and brick-and-mortar retailers like us.
Products made of raw wood, steel, aluminum, silver, glass, and injection molded poly resin materials are among a few of the categories of products that have proven to be the most affected by these increased costs. These increases are three-fold for us as a small business since we are not only absorbing higher incoming shipping costs (since the 4-7% increases in January 2021 with all major shipping carriers) but also the higher cost of the goods, higher minimums required by our suppliers, and increased outgoing shipping costs to our customers. While we have continued passing our discounted shipping rates to our customers, we have not increased our tiered shipping rates for the past three years and at this point, we do not plan to increase shipping rates, however, this may have to happen down the road as our current shipping rates barely cover shipping costs in most instances, even for smaller packages of less than 3 lbs. to most delivery areas. Costs of packing materials, tape, and shipping boxes have also seen sharp increases in costs. However, for customer shipping that creates a loss of less than $5.00, we absorb the difference in higher shipping from our profit margin rather than raising shipping rates or even higher product prices. We only bill our customers for larger or heavier items that require over-sized rates or when shipped to an obscure delivery location that dictates much higher costs. We will continue this practice for a long as is feasible.
We have been ensured by many of our suppliers that these price increases due to hyper-inflation in a post-COVID economy will be temporary and lower prices may come back when the "new normal" has settled things back down with the economy and foreign trade. And, of course, the geo-political atmosphere we are currently experiencing is also causing increased concern for the cost of goods globally in an unfair trading market with much market insecurity and concerns of higher risks.
We are currently adjusting prices for products with all our suppliers and in the coming weeks will be eliminating a few more of our current suppliers while adjusting available product lines for some items that we feel may no longer be practical for us to carry that are creating high-cost overhead on incoming merchandise as well as utilizing precious warehouse space. With much regret, many of our most popular items may no longer be available after these adjustments have been made.
As we remain a small, family-owned and operated business, we try to make these decisions with our customers' best interests at heart. We want to continue offering a wide variety of goods at fair prices with the lowest possible shipping costs. While shopping with us, keep in mind that while we can no longer offer free shipping because search engines like Google and Yahoo penalize us by restricting relevancy and viewership on search results when we offer "FREE" anything. This hurts us and other small businesses in lieu of "big tech" helping their biggest paid ads customers Amazon, eBay, and other big box stores that can afford to absorb these costs and whom receive much larger shipping discounts due to volume than we do. We are trying our best to prevent being squeezed out of the online marketplace to continue offering our customers fair and honorable pricing and policies without deceptive offers where the added costs are tacked onto the cost of products just for the sake of offering "free" anything. Many of our products are already priced at 20-25% below the manufacturer's retail suggested price to help our customers defray anticipated increased shipping costs. So, while we do not offer free shipping any longer, we do offer lower prices and our fairest shipping rates possible.
As a reminder, our products are sourced from American based companies providing American jobs and we plan to continue supporting American owned and operated businesses only. We believe that we can help keep costs down by being the solution rather than contributing to the problem.
We appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to serve our customers.
Buffalo Trader Online Owners & Staff
Let's Go Buffalo!
Commonly and inaccurately called 'buffalo,' the American Bison is a member of the bovine family. Once symbolic of the Great Plains, these formidable beasts are vegetarians, grazing mostly on plains grasses, shrubs, herbs and twigs. Standing up to 6.5 feet tall and weighing up to a ton, bison are still relatively quick and agile. They can run at speeds up to 40 miles per hour!
Bison were critical to the survival of the Indian societies during the 19th century. Over 50 million were killed for their lean meat and thick fur, which is so well insulated that snow can settle on its back without melting. The bison population has rebounded and today over 200,000 live on preserves and ranches where they are raised for their delicious meat. It has been indicated that bison may one day replace the cow industry.
Denny Karchner pays tribute to this noble mammal in his piece titled Honoring the Dead - A Paint Study of Life and Death. Karchner brilliantly captures the somber pride of a bison returning to the bones of a 'fallen' relative to pay respects. This oil depicts the essence of the reverence we share with our fellow beings...
Powwow... WOW!
There's a new oil in Buffalo Trader town. Proud - Jay Eagle is Artist, Denny Karchner's latest addition to the oil family. The subject, Jay Eagle is a winning Powwow dancer an example of which can be seen in this video:
Although styles vary between regions, the Powwow (Anglicized for the Algonquian term, pauau), can be traced back roughly 400 years to a Pawnee Religious ceremony practiced in the early 19th century and later adopted by the Omaha. The exact origination of the Powwow is vague as traditional Indian dance was deemed illegal by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1890's. It is documented that tribal medicine men and spiritual leaders performed Powwow in religious ceremonies, as well as elite warrior societies known as Grass Dancers.
The original painting is currently available! Or varying sizes of this beautifully historic piece in print can be purchased exclusively at Buffalo Trader Online. Enjoy!
A place to hang your hat...
Several theories exist regarding how the name "Ten-Gallon Hat" came into existence. Most commonly known is the belief that the hat was large enough to hold 10 gallons of water (it has been proven since then that the hat can actually only hold about 3 quarts). Although the exact beginning of this term cannot be traced, it is more likely that the term came from the vaqueros of Mexico with whom American cowboys rode during early cattle ranching days.
It is theorized that the mispronunciation of the Spanish word 'galon' is how this all came to fruition. Galloon was a woven strand of metallic thread used to decorate the traditional Mexican sombrero. The amount of galloon or 'galon' on a sombrero indicated the quality of the hat. So, loosely translated in early American terms, a 'ten-gallon hat' was a hat of very high quality.
Several other hats were available for the working cowboy. In the mid-1860's, Mr. John B. Stetson of Philadelphia designed a wide-brimmed hat after a brief respite in Colorado. His first hat manufactured was known as "The Boss of the Plains". The Boss had a 4-inch wide brim and a 5-inch tall crown. From there the cowboy hat was modified based on demands of rodeo and working cowboys alike.
Buffalo Trader's own Denny Karchner, brilliantly captures the cowboy essence which cannot be completed without the proper hat. He's done so in his pieces, Alan Baker as Buffalo Bill, and Charles Bolin - Quickdraw Artist. These pieces exemplify how the proper hat 'tops off' a cowboy's image!
This ain't my first rodeo...
When we think of cowboys, visions of men wearing 10 gallon hats, blue jeans and boots come to mind. Maybe these men are herding their cattle while riding their trusty steed or perhaps they're in the horse ring breaking a young stallion. One event that epitomizes skills of a true cowboy is that of the present day rodeo.
These competitions were originally known as 'cowboy tournaments' and can be traced back as far as the 1700's when the West was of Spanish rule. Spanish cattlemen, known as 'vaqueros', greatly influenced the American cowboy's language, equipment, traditions and clothing. Stemming from the Spanish verb 'rodear', rodeos were often an informal competition amongst ranchers after a successful cattle drive. These rodeos allowed the various outfits bragging rights to which group had the best riders, ropers and all-around best drovers. Participants discovered they could earn additional income by charging an entry fee when traveling through small towns. Eventually, rodeos became the very popular spectator sport that it is today.
Artist Denny Karchner, brilliantly captures true cowboy aura as depicted in his pieces Western Contemplation - Dustin Roush, The Bronze Cowboy, and Last of the Real Cowboys. Buffalo Trader Online offers these must-haves at varying sizes and price points sure to fit any space and budget.
Ride'em cowboy!
Four Dead in Five Seconds
Who doesn't love a good Old West movie? And what's a cowboy story without a proper gun fight? When we think of the American 1800's we envision men on horseback wearing bandanas and racing alongside a train with intentions of robbery at gunpoint. We think of saloons where inebriated bravado ended in gun fire. The reality, however, is that more times than not, Old West guns were used for hunting. Only a few very notorious gunfights created our current understanding of life in the American Old West. One of the most notable was an incident that occurred on April 11, 1881.
Located in El Paso, Mr. Dallas Stoudemire was the sixth man in eight months to hold office as city marshal. Dallas was known as being quite the gunman on both sides of the justice system and his time in El Paso would only add to his motley reputation. Just three days after taking office, Stoudemire would be involved in one of El Paso's most notorious gunfights.
On that fateful day, approximately 75 Mexican men rode into El Paso, looking for two young vaqueros who had been killed trying to reclaim their stolen cattle. Constable Gus Krempkau held an inquest where the Camino Real stands today, and the Mexicans were allowed to take the vaqueros' bodies back to their country much to the dismay of George Campbell, former city marshal. Words were exchanged between Campbell and Krempkau as a crowd gathered. John Hale, friend of Campbell was alongside his friend. As tensions flared, Hale grabbed Campbell's gun and fired the first shot killing Krempkau. Stoudemire, who was eating lunch at a nearby saloon, pulled both his guns and ran firing toward the scene. One of his shots hit an innocent Mexican bystander. The next two shots hit Hale and then Campbell, thus ended the "Four dead in five seconds" gunfight of El Paso.
Collectors and storytellers alike are sure to appreciate Denny Karchner's pencil rendition of these historical firearms in his piece called The Three Ubertis. An Italian gun manufacturer, Uberti is internationally known for their fine Western vintage firearms. Buffalo Trader Online has made it possible for you to own an artistic piece of 'smoking barrel' history!
The legend lives!
