What are pens worth?

[Josh Bowman]

I'm slowly dragging a friend into the vortex and he's out to make pens first. What are some good starting prices for 7mm simple pens and more advanced bullet pens?

[Tony De Masi]

I've not sold any slimlines but I have sold several of the bullet pens (Woodcraft version) with deer antler on the top and not wood. Around here I can get $30 for them. I thought I might have been able to get more, but apparently not around here.

[Jim Underwood]

The difficult answer is whatever someone will pay for them, or more to the point, however much he can sell them for. There's at least two parts to that equation; the buyer and the seller. The third part could be the market or venue... Selling in upscale venues in larger cities is quite a different market than selling in craft markets in out of the way small towns.

The easy answer for the slimline pens is $20-$25.

[Robert McGowen]

Hi Josh,

Your question has so many variables that I don't know if there is an answer. It depends on the location that they are being sold at, competition from other turners, your own skill, how they are marketed, etc. I have sold pens in a gallery where they were being sold for $95 each, and sold quite a few at that price. I had the same pens at another location (and I mean the exact pens sometimes, as I would move them around if they were not selling) and never sold a single pen at this second location and they were priced at $40.00 each!

So I guess your answer is: whatever price someone is willing to buy at and your friend is willing to sell at.

[Ronald Fox]

You could try using an equation to come up with your price. I have used this equation:
Price of the kit, add $5.00 and then multiply by 2.5

Examples:
Slimline ($2.00 + $5.00) x 2.5 = $17.50
Bullet click pen ($10.00 + $5.00) x 2.5 = 37.95

This is a great way to come up with a rough price when starting out. Once you figure out how well the pens sell, and your quality improves, you can change the your prices (or multiplier).

Hope this helps,
Ron

[Cory Norgart]

There is a huge difference between trunkwood and burlwood, air dried or stabilized blanks, and style of pen.

[Jim Burr]

Slims $15-25
Aero's $45
Sierra's $60-80
Jr Gent' $125-200
Vertex click $65

[Billy Tallant]

Slims bring around $20-25, depending on materials.
Sierra's $30-$40
Bullet Pens $40
I base my pen prices on material costs. Pen Kit & blank + tax--times 2 + $10. Works good for me.

[Sid Matheny]

When I was making a lot of pens my slimlines were going for $25 -$35 depending on the blank. I have sold pens for up to $90 but have never sold one I would have gave more than $25 for my personal use and have sold a few hundred pens.


Sid