For those about to sell...we salute you...

[Matthew Poeller]

I have been turning pens for about 6 months now. I have always loved pens and turning is wonderful to do since the result is almost immediate unlike most of my other projects. Well any of you that turn pens know that in six months you can start to accumulate a lot of pens. I now have so many that I cannot use them all so I have decided to start selling them. I am almost complete with my website. I have put up a posting on classifieds here at work. I have only sold one but I have received many comments to the effect of, "Those are very nice but I am too cheap to buy one." Now don't get me wrong I would rather have a whole shelf full of pens rather than sell them for less than I think they are worth. But it would be nice to sell some.

So my question is, I see that people here sell pens, many for pretty high prices. Short of going to a show (I do not have time for that on the weekends.) How do you find most of your pens are sold? Website? Work? Friends? If website, how do you direct trafic to your sight?

Thank you in advance.

[Tom Seaman]

I sell about 30-40 pens a year. Virtually all of them are sold at work, or my wife's work (she's a teacher). I make a bunch during the late summer/fall, and my wife takes them into work in November for a few days. Most are purchased as Christmas gifts, since many people, including myself, are "too cheap to buy one" for themselves. Since I've been doing it for 2-3 years, friends/coworkers now know I make them, and during the year I'll get requests for pens for birthdays, graduations, etc. when they need a nice, affordable gift.

I also give them away as gifts, which means I don't have to go shopping.:D

[Ed Scolforo]

Matthew: I work in a hospital and have a large group of fellow employees as potential customers. Most are sold at Christmas time. Word of mouth works well here. I also sell to friends. Haven't tried craft shows, etc. It's weird that, in the summer months, I can't stand the thought of hanging around the cellar turning pens, but I have no problem in that regard now when it comes to bowlturning. Yahoo has an excellent group devoted to penmaking, I'm sure you can get some good ideas there. Good luck.
Ed

[Tom Mullane]

Matt, I do 2 sessions at my local indoor farm market (Christmas Season and Mother's/Father's Day season)... we have a good market that gets a lot of traffic... only open on Saturday mornings from 6AM-Noon...
I also have a website that has done good for me...
As for getting people to my website, that is a combination of luck with people doing an online search and signing up for as many search engines as you can.. I do all the freebies and 2-3 of the pay ones...
I have also been very lucky with word of mouth sales from people who have seen pens I sold at the market...
I always carry at least 2 of my pens where ever I go and make sure to take them out to sign anything making sure I tell the person offering me their pen, "No thank you, I only use the pens that I make" and then show them the pen... sounds corny, but it works... LOL
IF you set up a website, make sure it is easy to navigate and informative. It has to look as professional as possible and STAY AWAY from the freebie hosting services. They do not make you look professional and most people do not want to see the popups that they contain. Pay the money for a reputable hosting company. I use www.aplushosting.com and have been very happy with their service, but there are a whole lot of them out there..
I hope this helps... and remember there is no overnight system for success... I got real lucky when a collector saw my sight and bought pens from me and showed them to other collectors who are also buying from me.

[Andy London]

My son who is now 14 does most of our turnings and sells his pens at a farmers market we attend every Saturday from 5 a.m. until 1 in the afternoon. It's located in a historic brewery building, right in the middle of the rich area of the city and next to where the cruise ships dock. There is about a two year waiting list for crafters to get in, all work has to pass a jury and the vendor is only allowed to sell items that have passed, you can only sell work you make and you must live here, this keeps the out of province and country out and makes sure people are only buying from the maker/artist.

Last year he sold just over 300 and his orders will be well beyond that this year. He sells a few off my website, I have a large client base who visit the website on a regular basis and some orders are by search engine.

He's never really persued friends/neighbours as he has more than enough orders to keep him going. This was a result of being on CBC radio for turning Hurricane Juan woods which was followed by two nesapaper articles and an article in an international magazine.....with that kind of exposure one has an almost instant client base.

[Matthew Poeller]

That is some great information. Sounds like, "if build it they will come". Like I said I am in no rush but I love the feedback.

Tom, I have a hosting service since I used to use it mainly for e-mail so I did not have to switch all the time. I have used that. www.mpoeller.com/hand_crafted_pens.htm. Not 100% complete yet but it is on its way.

Andy, Amazing that your son is doing that. Just WOW. That is all I have to say about that.

Tom Seaman/Ed, Thank you. I think that I will get some more business around Christmas time. We will see what happens. Next year when I am done with my masters I will look into the Farmer's Market/Craft Show.

Again. That you all for your input.

Matt

[John Hart]

Matt,

I would also like to mention Directories. Your site is fast loading and professional looking so it will be very attractive to propective buyers....so you have that pinned down pretty good. To get traffic to your site, you need to become "visible" to the world and many of the craft directories are a good place to start and most of them are free to list your site. Just go to one of the directories and submit your site with a very nice description. Submit to a dozen or so and you will get traffic. Some of them ask for a modest fee to post your logo or a banner of some kind. A good example of this is Craftworld.com. I listed mine there and got a pretty good boost in traffic. I have no affiliation other than the fact that I'm listed there. Their address is http://www.craftworldonline.com

That's just one of them and I have a list of others if you'd like. I intend to get listed on 50-100 directories.

Nice pens by the way!

[Raymond Overman]

John,

I wouldn't mind seeing that list of craft directories you mentioned. Thank you.

Matt,

As for sales, I do two local craft shows a year where I live. They're inexpensive to set up for, no travel or lodging is required, and I have a good time at both. There about 6 months apart and I usually sell enough to bring my inventory down to a level my wife doesn't fuss about it being in the house. I don't make as many pens as I used to but it seems to be a staple that people look for in my display, then they buy a bowl.

I also have a website (www.overmanshop.com) but don't generate any sales off of it. I list it on my business cards and use it for a quick reference in conversations.

My father has sold enough pens in the last 6 months made of Honduran wood to friends, family, church members, and co-workers to finance himself on a mission trip that his church is sending to Honduras. All of those sales have been word of mouth. He's sold enough to pay for his flight, food, spending money and everything.

[Matthew Poeller]

Than you for the compliment on the site John. I am going to look into the craft directories.

I think that I have also had an ebay marketing idea that seems to be working. I will let you know in 2 days 8 hours and 14 minutes.

Ray, Thank you for the input. That is great that your father was able to do that. I am sure that I could sell alot of pens if I were doing it for charity but unfortunately I have not started the Matthew Poeller foundation yet.

Thank you all for your input.