Delaware Diamond Knives, a manufacturer of precision cutting tools, put up a Web site three years ago. Customers span the globe and include biological and materials research labs, surgeons and manufacturers. Much of DDK's work is for custom designs. The global reach of a Web site and low per-contact costs make it advantageous for small businesses such as DDK, which employs 23. Although he advertises prices for standard items, Tabeling does not provide on-line ordering.
Customers increasingly use the reference material available on-line, though.
What I was stunned at was how global this medium is. He received e-mails from Iceland, Norway and Africa eager to find out more and contact a sales person. The price for entry has also dropped dramatically. This year, the average cost has dropped into the four figures due to more powerful software. The market for the expensive handmade trains is small, but as collectors have gone on-line, the store's Web traffic has steadily grown.