Frequently Asked Questions

After you submit your blade specifications through our quote wizard, your request is distributed to verified smiths whose specialties match your category. Up to 10 smiths can submit competing quotes within 48 hours. You'll receive a notification for each quote. You can review each smith's portfolio, tier rating, reviews, and price before selecting. There's no obligation to accept any quote.

BladeHubs uses Stripe-powered escrow for every transaction. Your payment is authorized when you select a smith and confirm an order, but funds are not released to the smith until your blade has shipped and you confirm receipt. If a blade never arrives or does not match the agreed specifications, you are protected by our dispute resolution process and may receive a full refund. BladeHubs does not store your card number — Stripe handles all payment data.

Every order has a dedicated tracking page at /order/[your order ID] accessible from your customer dashboard. Your smith uploads progress photos at each build milestone — design approval, grinding, heat treat, handle work, and final photography. You'll receive email notifications whenever your smith posts an update or changes the order status. A messaging thread is available on each order page for direct communication with your smith.

If a smith cancels after accepting your commission, your full payment is returned from escrow immediately. The smith's tier status is reviewed and a cancellation is recorded on their profile. BladeHubs will also attempt to match you with alternative smiths who can fulfill the same specification at the same or better price. Repeated cancellations by a smith may result in suspension from the platform.

As a buyer you are responsible for ensuring that any blade you purchase is legal to own and receive in your jurisdiction. BladeHubs cannot ship items that are federally prohibited regardless of state law. Additionally, certain blade types are restricted in specific states — for example, California has restrictions on certain fixed blade lengths, and switchblades are regulated federally. You must confirm your jurisdiction compliance before completing a purchase. Violations may result in account suspension and cooperation with law enforcement.

After an order is marked Completed, both the buyer and the smith are invited to leave reviews for each other. Customer reviews of smiths are publicly visible on the smith's profile and are verified — meaning only real, completed order participants can submit them. BladeHubs does not allow unverified or anonymous reviews. Reviews cannot be edited after 48 hours of submission. Suspected manipulation of the review system will result in account suspension.

Most orders receive their first quote within 12–24 hours of submission. The full 48-hour quote window allows all interested smiths to review and respond. Steel tier smiths — the most experienced and active — have an average response time under 12 hours. If your request receives no quotes within 48 hours (rare), BladeHubs support will reach out to help match you with appropriate smiths directly.

Buy It Now (BIN) listings are completed blades that smiths have already forged and are available for immediate purchase — no commission request, no wait time, no quotes. These are typically blades a smith made speculatively or as demonstration pieces. Buy It Now listings are subject to a listing fee of $1.33 USD per listing per calendar month billed automatically on the first of each month to the smith's payment method on file. This fee includes all payment processing costs. BladeHubs receives $1.00 net per listing after payment processing fees. Listings auto-renew monthly unless manually removed by the Smith prior to the billing date. The Blade of the Month is a selected BIN listing offered at a 15% discount funded from BladeHubs' commission — the smith receives full net payout.

BladeHubs charges a platform commission on every completed transaction. The commission rate depends on your current tier and the transaction type. For custom orders, commissions range from 10% (Steel tier) to 17.5% (Wood tier). For Buy It Now listings, rates range from 15% (Steel tier) to 22.5% (Wood tier). Commission is deducted automatically from the escrow payout when a customer confirms receipt and the order is marked Completed. You receive the net amount via Stripe within 2–5 business days.

The BladeHubs tier system has four levels: Wood (0–1 completed sales/month), Stone (2/month), Bronze (3/month), and Steel (4+/month). Your tier is evaluated at the beginning of each calendar month based on the prior month's completed and paid orders. Advancing a tier reduces your commission rate. Dropping below the minimum for your tier results in a one-level demotion at the next monthly evaluation. Tier changes take effect on the first of the month. Founding Smiths are permanently locked at Stone tier regardless of monthly volume.

The Founding Smith Program offers early applicants a permanent Stone tier designation — meaning you'll never pay more than 15% on custom orders and 20% on Buy It Now, regardless of your monthly volume. You receive the Stone tier badge on your profile permanently. This program is available to a limited number of smiths during the platform launch period. Once spots are filled, the program closes. There is no additional cost to join beyond the standard platform agreement.

Smith applications are reviewed within 2–3 business days. The review process includes identity verification, portfolio review (minimum 3 blade photos required), category qualification check, and agreement execution. All smiths must electronically sign the BladeHubs Smith Platform Agreement before being approved. Applicants who are not approved will receive an explanation and may reapply after 30 days. BladeHubs reserves the right to decline any application without detailed explanation.

The anti-circumvention policy prohibits smiths and customers from arranging transactions outside the BladeHubs platform for buyers and sellers who first connected through BladeHubs. This applies for 24 months from the date of first contact via the platform. Circumvention forfeits the protections BladeHubs provides — escrow, dispute resolution, tier credentialing — and violates the Smith Platform Agreement. Confirmed circumvention results in immediate and permanent suspension from the platform and may result in legal action for damages equivalent to the commissions that would have been earned.

When a customer confirms delivery and marks an order Completed, BladeHubs initiates a Stripe payout to your registered bank account or debit card. Payouts are net of the platform commission for your tier. Standard payout timing is 2–5 business days after the order is marked Completed. For disputes, payouts are held until the dispute is resolved. You can view your earnings history, pending payouts, and commission breakdowns in your Smith Dashboard.

From your Smith Dashboard, open the active order and click "Add Progress Photo." You can upload JPEG or PNG files up to 10MB each. Photos should be clear, well-lit, and captioned with a description of the build stage (e.g. "Bevel grind complete — 0.48" primary bevel"). Customers receive an email notification for each photo uploaded. Progress photos are visible to the customer and to BladeHubs staff and may be used in dispute resolution. Uploading photos consistently builds customer trust and supports your profile's quality rating.

If a customer cancels before you have begun work, their payment is returned from escrow and no commission is charged. If you have already begun work — defined as any material cutting, grinding, or forging — you are entitled to compensation for work performed. BladeHubs will review the order timeline and photos to determine fair compensation, typically a percentage of the agreed price proportional to completion. Customer cancellations after build commencement require BladeHubs dispute mediation and cannot be processed unilaterally by either party.