To try and keep the response shorter.

Copper is hardest, cause it doesn't really get you anything extra - just a bare minimum profit margin, no "surplus"

You can kinda get a little extra if you mine the copper instead, like you say you do, but its just basically covering "spares"

Ideally, to really keep the progress rolling - you want to get the best handles for Copper, and maybe tin,. Yes. They're hard to keep in stock - and you could buy the insanely cheap ones, but its harder to make a buck off of.. well.. a buck.

1$ handle is only making 0.15$ with 10+5% mark up (markup and charisma)

a 9-20$ handle is at least close to a buck to 2 bucks.

You'll also want to keep the bellows hot after day 19/20 or so somewhere between 13-20, the customer wait period drops to 60, or so it seems

And pre-make a few tool heads-  Personally. I focus on pre-making 3ingot tool heads - they take the longest to prepare on the anvil, the longest to hammer, and they sell for the best profit margin - so having them "rushed" for the most - is most beneficial - where as daggers, are the least, and quickest.

Just make sure to keep 3 ingots on the forge of your current metal tier, at all times, to be prepared to make any item you don't have in stock.

At this current version, you'll also want to make sure its /only/ tool heads. and not actual weapons and tools.

Reloading forces you to have to reassemble them if they were assembled before reload. - and after you have more than 1 tier metal - they can distract the npc from the correct item. - which wouldn't be a problem, if yes, they would accept any metal.

Example

Tin Greatsword is requested

You have a copper and tin greatsword both on counter, but the copper one is in front of customer, and the tin one is off to side.

Customer will lock onto the copper one - its a "greatsword" and thats what they want, so they reach for that, but can't accept "copper for tin" - thus they get kinda stuck in an infinite logic loop, until that improper greatsword, is removed from their reach, and they're left with the correct one. which they'll then take.

Specializing

I also dabbled in specializing for when I would go mining.

Create one or maybe two types of items,and place them handle-wrap in under the cloth on the counter.

Greatswords are great for this, you can stick 2-3 on the top shelf (blade pointed at bed, handle at shelving unit)

and 3-4 on the middle shelf - all of which the customer can reach, immediately buying and taking off - provided, there's no interference.

Like the aforementioned tin vs copper greatsword - All Tin, or all copper, or all etc. - at least for now.

This way, you can leave the shop open while mining, sure you'll hear a lot of empty customers

But there'll be a few where you hear an immediate purchase, you're 50+$ richer now, sure you'll spend half that on a handle - but you didn't have to have /no sale/ while mining.

also doable

Spears - Dagger blade to the shelving - handle directly under cloth - What's important - is the wrap, the bottom of a pole - is nothing, the wrap just under the blade is the customer's area. - which is why they have to be flipped

Dagger tip#3 makes it even easier to fit them in the top shelf - and you can have a few of them there.

A Pole-sword (glaive)/(Pole + guard(none or any) + 1h blade) - might also fit, but the area of reach may not. - Pole+greatsword doesn't fit anywhere. - its massive :3 - you'll have to hand those to a customer, potentially knocking over a lot of other things.

But yeah. That's some things you can do to increase profits, keep pace, etc.

I ramble/d, I totally meant for this to be shorter....

I've seen your tips and I've tried most of em already before your post ;D but unless and until I don't have a freaking tin hammer I can't sell tin. And need to have least $1.5k in order to get 3 tin ingots and make a Pickaxe for me to mine some tin... Plus from day 18 onwards customer rush like anything and I'm on a Laptop. It's freaking difficult to do anything! By the time I forge the item I don't even get the chance to bring it inside (sometime can't even cool it) and boom they are gone. And it's kinda difficult to pre-make all the weapons and keep in front . I don't know if it happens only to me but when I already have a weapon made but then a customer wants same weapon, when I give it to them they don't even take it! Then I gotta go all the way to anvil and remove the blade/blunt/axe/dagger head and rejoin it to sell. WTF? Yes, I know the game is in Alpha but this error happens to a very people like me... Others can easily sell pre-made weapons/tools. Thanks and also I'm looking forward to be a genuine / Daily Tester for the game. Sending Feedback/Bugs/Errors/Experience/etc... Can't wait to see the next Alpha ;D

Well. I can't even sell one single assembled item after 5 minutes (in the same session) this time I kept 2 assembled items on the counter... Customer asked for one hand sword and I had 2 of em ready ( one on counter and other on a shelf) he didn't took the counter one even though I swiped his throat with it lol and then tried to give him the shelf one didn't worked either then I went out disassembled and reassembled and then he took (all this stuff happened in same session I didn't even went AFK). However now I'm just keeping the tool heads near my Assembling Counter and whenever a customer wants it I just quickly assemble them and done ;D 

And BTW I had no idea there was 'Steel' tools in the game before you mentioned them. I mean what we see is just Copper<Tin<Iron<Adelite<Mithril<Adamantine<Titanium O well maybe a mix of certain metals lmao. However I am working on a To-Do list for the community and devs. So if a moderator makes it sticky then we can take others reviews and edit it.

And yes I totally get the point of the last 2 posts ;D