Pendants, earrings and key chains, etc.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

We have all seen them off and on in this forums and about the web. The acrylic & wood pendants in the shape of monograms, spiders, cats, bats, giraffes, unicorns, names/words. Then there are the acrylic dangly earrings in all shapes and sizes. Last, but not least, we have the acrylic key chains in the shape of monograms, words and so forth.

Last night I had time to finally sit down and look at Pinterest and Etsy and see dozens and dozens of different laser cut acrylic items for sale.

So the big questions that keep coming to mind when I look at all those pictures are: 1) How are those designs not going to break the first time they are worn or used to hold a single key? and 2) How are those designs not going to poke or cut someone with the sharp edges the laser is capable of cutting into acrylic? and 3) Does the seller not care their items will break?

Are people actually selling these items on a regular basis? and are people not receiving complaints the moment the customer walks out the door and breaks it within a few minutes of wearing/using it?

[Dan Hintz]

I haven't looked at pricing, but I'd be willing to bet the user fails to complain if it breaks because the low price makes it not worth their while... probably more expensive to ship back and get a new one.

[Dave Sheldrake]

UK law is pretty restrictive about what you can and cannot sell here (potentially dangerous items etc) but I've seen quite a few items on Etsy that are choking hazards, stabbing hazards and so on being sold on a daily basis. As Dan said, when was the last time any of us asked for a refund or complained about something that cost under couple of dollars. Its a mindset, if it's that cheap then surely "it's bound to break" so when it does we aren't surprised hence don't complain.

Personally I'm no different, I tend to think "It's cheap for a reason" then chuck it away and buy another if it's not a critical item.

One of my few vices, I smoke cigarettes, I'm forever buying lighters because when I get a $1.50 pack of 5 there's usually 1 out of the 5 that doesn't work or breaks the first time I try to fire it.(I've usually lost the other 4 within a week or so anyways) so far I've never complained. My wife bought me a really nicely hand engraved Zippo a few years back, daft thing is I never use it as I don't want to loose it so I keep buying cheap pound shop lighters and keep getting broken ones :)

best wishes

Dave

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

I should have put this in my original post. The items I was looking at on the intenet ranged in price from $19 - $50. I didn't notice any cheap ones for $5 or less.

[Joe Hillmann]

I wondered the same thing about how delicate some of the designs are. I assume the seller just doesn't care but at the same time earrings and necklaces probably don't take that much abuse.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

but at the same time earrings and necklaces probably don't take that much abuse.

I guess I see it different. Dangle earrings & long hair won't mix. Whether it's turning your head or a gust of wind, long hair will get tangled into the earrings and those designs will break the moment the person tries to move their hair out of their face. Even without long hair, add a scarf that seems to be the fasion now and those sharp points will get caught in the fabric.

For the pendants, all someone needs to do is put on a winter coat and/or a scarf and once again, that pendant is toast.

As for those keychains, put one key on it and put it in a coat pocket, duffel bag or purse. It might survive a few times if the design is more sturdy, but it won't survive long!

I can hope for the positive that the seller never tried using it and is totally clueless, but that doesn't explain why they would keep selling those designs after the first customer complained about it breaking right away.

Who knows, maybe they know something we don't and the acrylic & wood they are using don't break yet can still easily be cut by the laser.

[Chuck Stone]

Who knows, maybe they know something we don't and the acrylic & wood they are using don't break yet can still easily be cut by the laser.

I've made a few keychains out of 1/8" BB, but I doubled them up and domed them with epoxy
so maybe that doesn't count. But it's been a few years and they're still going strong. (took two
back and re-buffed them.)

[Kathy Madan]

I sell lots of wooden earrings in various designs. So far only 1 returned for breakage and we just replaced it for them. Cost is minimal, customer service is priceless.

[Bruce Clumpner]

We've been selling designs using 3/16" plex for quite a while and it holds up very well. We sell both wholesale and retail and never had a return. In fact my daughter asked to replace the first test piece I ever designed for plex because she's had it on her keyring for 6 years now and is tired of it. As long as your design is well thought out it should hold up for years.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

But the key question is, do your designs have the thin or pointed shapes I was describing above? I have no doubt a solid shape is quite durable. It's the ones that are 3-character monogram scrolls; thin cuts designs; or do an image search such as this link http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=laser+cut+pendant+images When you look at those designs, they are going to be sharp, breakable edges.

I too have test key chains I made years ago that have held up without any problems, but those designs were solid shapes that can take abuse. If I were to use a snowflake as a keychain, I can't imagine it lasting for more then one day or two.