PRICING FOR PENS 13 year old turner

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Dan Masshardt said:
wildbill23c said:
Well apparently nobody in Idaho makes pens, or uses or sells them because there aren't any pen shows here in Idaho of course, closest one would be Vegas, and with only 1 day off from work a week that ain't gonna happen.
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no competition woo hoo!
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That's what I thought, but every time I go to Woodcraft there's always people in there buying pen kits. Had a guy tell me the other day that he's seen the bolt action pens around town, next time I see him I'll ask him where, because I've never seen them anywhere. Gotta get some display cases and get my pens out there first :).
 
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Don't sell yourself short

I, too, am just getting into the selling end of my hobby. I have sold quite a few, but had to lower my expectations a bit . However , I would not sell even a Slimline for only $5 for my time and skill.
One formula to strive for is called "the 4 quarters model". Add up your materials, then quadruple it. For my current market, I find I can't price quite that high. But most of the time I get very close. More like 3.5 quarters!

Pens make great gifts, and if yours are done right, friends, relatives, neighbors and teachers and many others will scoop them up because YOU made them.
 
Wildbill, I think that you are looking for the wrong kind of shows. You don't want to look for pens shows, that is going to be very very high end pens. I think that you want to look for either arts and crafts or "art" shows depending on the market you want to hit. The arts and crafts shows for the most part are going to be lower cost items and the art shows higher. But may art shows are juried meaning you have to submit samples of your work to get accepted and the booth fees at these can get very high.

Mike
 
Tons of shows of different types, my problem is working 6 days a week there isn't much going on to get out and do on Sundays. Going to try and get a few of the Bolt Action pen kits made and get set out at work because everyone seems to really love them...which is great if people would just stop loving them and buy some LOL.

Anyhow that craftlister is pretty useful though.

As for pen shows I was just hoping there would be one close to where I live as I'd enjoy going through that to look around at stuff I can't afford. However, I'm not really sure what you would classify hand-made pens under is it really art, is it crafts, LOL. Depends on the person looking at them I would assume. To me it would be a craft, but then again if you start making exotic type pens out of acrylic then maybe it would become art if you are making your own acrylic blanks mixing colors and that sort of thing.
 
Welcome Cody! I think Chris had the best suggestion. First pens can vary a lot in quality. If you post a picture in Show Off Your pens, we can give you feedback on how well made it is. Age is not a limitation, but skill is acquired by making more pens. If your turning is a traditional shape, matches the components perfectly, and you use a durable finish like CA or similar, (except not on acrylic) you should be able to get a very good price for your work.

Depending on your customer, you may get bonus points for your age - or they might discount your work - could go either way. If your customer appreciates pens, they are used to paying for it and expect a quality product to cost them some money. If they are not pen buyers, then $10 is going to sound like a waste of money.

I charge 2x what the kit and material normally cost and then I charge $25 per tube for my time and expertise. Assuming $10 kit, $5 blank, I would sell that for $80 plus any shipping that might be required. If I have an unusual blank, the price goes up. Even at $40 you can make a nice profit and start to grow your business. Always make sure your customers know how to refer others to you. Nine people that see it, probably wouldn't pay the cost of the kit, but that 10th person will pay your price. One thing seems pretty certain - you won't get more than you think it is worth.

Good luck with your turning. Show us the picture :wink:

Harry
 
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plano_harry said:
Welcome Cody! I think Chris had the best suggestion. First pens can vary a lot in quality. If you post a picture in Show Off Your pens, we can give you feedback on how well made it is. Age is not a limitation, but skill is acquired by making more pens. If your turning is a traditional shape, matches the components perfectly, and you use a durable finish like CA or similar, (except not on acrylic) you should be able to get a very good price for your work.

Depending on your customer, you may get bonus points for your age - or they might discount your work - could go either way. If your customer appreciates pens, they are used to paying for it and expect a quality product to cost them some money. If they are not pen buyers, then $10 is going to sound like a waste of money.

I charge 2x what the kit and material normally cost and then I charge $25 per tube for my time and expertise. Assuming $10 kit, $5 blank, I would sell that for $80 plus any shipping that might be required. If I have an unusual blank, the price goes up. Even at $40 you can make a nice profit and start to grow your business. Always make sure your customers know how to refer others to you. Nine people that see it, probably wouldn't pay the cost of the kit, but that 10th person will pay your price. One thing seems pretty certain - you won't get more than you think it is worth.

Good luck with your turning. Show us the picture :wink:

Harry
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I completely agree. I live in a town full of people that want hand outs. They will go to the store and buy a package of junk pens for a couple bucks, lose or break half if not more of them, then throw the pen away when it runs out of ink and go do the same thing with another package of pens.

Given that you are pretty young, your ability to sell these items will be more popular because its something that a kid made. I'm not trying to put you down for being young, I think its great to see people your age making stuff like this rather than running around town causing trouble. Many people will look at it as being made by hand by a child, they gotta buy one. Then they tell their friends, their neighbors, etc. and pretty soon you may end up having to spend quite a bit of time in front of your lathe LOL.
 
I take the cost of materials double it and add 10% to that. Then I add the turning time at the rate of around $20.00 per hour. My fountains and roller balls start at $75.00 and go up. Have fun and if your demand goes up so should your prices! Good luck!
 
rthines said:
I take the cost of materials double it and add 10% to that. Then I add the turning time at the rate of around $20.00 per hour. My fountains and roller balls start at $75.00 and go up. Have fun and if your demand goes up so should your prices! Good luck!
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Wow, I was just figuring pretty much the same number for a fountain or rollerball pen.

I figure that the slimline pens are only about $10 each, they don't take much time and effort LOL. I've got a lot of people inquiring about my Bolt Action Pens, and have sold 4 of them so far for $45, nobody has questioned the price either. I just made a Wallstreet II Pen/Pencil set and priced it at $40 not much work in the Wallstreet pens either but kits are more expensive of course. Nobody has even questioned any of the prices I've mentioned when they ask how much, and I've been getting a few sales here and there now, so apparently my prices aren't off by much. I think once word of mouth gets around it will pick up more too. Also, I haven't done any advertising or anything, just a few friends, co-workers, and family have purchased pens/pencils from me, and of course they get asked hey where did you get that pen or pencil.
 
joefyffe said:
P.S. Stay away from 24 k. gold. I'ts junk! If that's what you're using, your pens are probably not worth more than 20 bucks. Now this really is the end of my rant! :)
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I'm new to turning, what is the matter with say, the 24 karat on a slimline
I thought they coat it with a sealer
I did also see that , I believe 10k is more money?
 
joefyffe said:
Wildbill: Not to be a smarta$$, but if you can only charge five bucks for your time, your pens are probably worth what you are charging. If you are making two or three per hour, I can almost assure the finished product is worth no more than that. It really ticks me off when turners price pens at 20 and 30 dollars with 10 and 15 dollars of their money invested. If you are into it as a hobby, how about just giving them to friends so the rest of us can make a living? If you are making a quality product, and you have invested 30 dollars in materials, you should be able to reap 75 bucks minimum, and some of the higher end names on this site will say, I'm being too generous. Don't sell yourself short, my friend, make a good pen and CHARGE for it! That is the end of my rant! :) :)
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Joe, venue and reputation count. This is a middle school student. His time is worth what an alternate use of it would bring in and for most 13 year olds that number is 0, and in fact many alternate uses would cost (probably his parents) money so even a low "wage" added to the kit and blank is appropriate. BTW I do not share the belief that one persons prices hurt someone elses. I sell pens locally for a very low price, but I will guarantee that when I make a sale in Milford DE it does not take one away from you out there. People who usually buy from me don't even know what I'm going to charge them until they've picked a pen.
 
Dan Masshardt said:
Tooth and Nail said:
I'm new to turning, what is the matter with say, the 24 karat on a slimline I thought they coat it with a sealer I did also see that , I believe 10k is more money?
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Don't worry about the karats - just avoid gold. Go chrome, gun metal...
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You may have noticed that Dan is a tiny bit biased when it comes to gold finishes :rolleyes:.

24K gold is the softest finish available and will wear the fastest. 10K will a little more durable (less gold), but still behind the other finishes as far as durability. The coated ones are a little better. Titanium Nitride Gold finish (not sure how much actual gold is in it) is very durable. That said, I have a 24K gold stylus I have been using for about 6 months and it show no signs of wear so YMMV.

I will use 24K gold for my low end pens or my give aways, but if I am charging someone a decent amount I go for the TN. IMO some wood blanks really need the warmth of a gold finish to set them off.
 
a pen is only worth what you feel it is....

Smitty37 said:
joefyffe said:
Wildbill: Not to be a smarta$$, but if you can only charge five bucks for your time, your pens are probably worth what you are charging. If you are making two or three per hour, I can almost assure the finished product is worth no more than that. It really ticks me off when turners price pens at 20 and 30 dollars with 10 and 15 dollars of their money invested. If you are into it as a hobby, how about just giving them to friends so the rest of us can make a living? If you are making a quality product, and you have invested 30 dollars in materials, you should be able to reap 75 bucks minimum, and some of the higher end names on this site will say, I'm being too generous. Don't sell yourself short, my friend, make a good pen and CHARGE for it! That is the end of my rant! :) :)
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Joe, venue and reputation count. This is a middle school student. His time is worth what an alternate use of it would bring in and for most 13 year olds that number is 0, and in fact many alternate uses would cost (probably his parents) money so even a low "wage" added to the kit and blank is appropriate. BTW I do not share the belief that one persons prices hurt someone elses. I sell pens locally for a very low price, but I will guarantee that when I make a sale in Milford DE it does not take one away from you out there. People who usually buy from me don't even know what I'm going to charge them until they've picked a pen.
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I have only been active for 2 months, but in that time I have turned @40 pens. I have given away probably 12, donated a couple and sold 17 more for @$20-$25 each. The reasoning for my pricing is that I am simply trying to my habit (hobby) pay for itself (hopefully). I am getting my practice in, and developing more technique and skill. I actually am "picky" on who I sell to - I want these pens to be "used", not just some trophy in a drawer. A great deal of my payment is in the reaction of the new owner, not just the money (don't get me wrong, I am not wealthy, lol, I will gladly take money.
I cannot understand some people charging $65-$75 for a pen (say for a $7 kit and a half-piece of $4 acrylic) - I can understand that craftsmanhip levels can vary greatly, cost of booths and travel expenses, etc, but.... This is a 13 year old young man - make a quality product, and charge a price that allows you to make a mistake (I have killed many an acrylester block...). I would say to simply charge about double your material cost (@$25), and worry about taking advantage of the market when you are out of college!
 
Well I started my day with the belief I was going to finally make my steampunk tie clip before I came across this article. Needless to say this is was time better spent. It looks like some of my pens are on target as far as some other pens are going for. But really when I started turning there was one thing my wife told me had to happen. If I were to start pen turning I had to sell pens because I didn't need another money draining hobby... I guess I collect hobbies :bulgy-eyes: That being said some of my pens will probably go up in price after reading all of this since I may be scaring away some of the dedicated pen collectors of my area with my low prices. However like many have said "You sell to the customer's price range." Most of my sales are to friends and family and there are times that even I cringe at the price I'm asking (never in front of the customer) but they still sell. Thanks everyone for the advice lots to think over.
 
kovalcik said:
Dan Masshardt said:
Tooth and Nail said:
I'm new to turning, what is the matter with say, the 24 karat on a slimline I thought they coat it with a sealer I did also see that , I believe 10k is more money?
Click to expand...

Don't worry about the karats - just avoid gold. Go chrome, gun metal...
Click to expand...

You may have noticed that Dan is a tiny bit biased when it comes to gold finishes :rolleyes:.

24K gold is the softest finish available and will wear the fastest. 10K will a little more durable (less gold), but still behind the other finishes as far as durability. The coated ones are a little better. Titanium Nitride Gold finish (not sure how much actual gold is in it) is very durable. That said, I have a 24K gold stylus I have been using for about 6 months and it show no signs of wear so YMMV.

I will use 24K gold for my low end pens or my give aways, but if I am charging someone a decent amount I go for the TN. IMO some wood blanks really need the warmth of a gold finish to set them off.
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The short answer is none...Gold Tn refers only to the color.

With respect to 24K gold - regardless of the people bad mouthing it, it is still world wide the most popular finish for pens....who makes a typical slimline, r comfort, classic, designer, euro, sierra style, or about any other pen that can't be had in 24K gold if it sells in the popular $3.00 to $15.00 range.
 
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