Pen Pricing Question

[Vaughn McMillan]

I'm not planning to go into heavy pen production, but I've already had a few people ask "how much" when they've seen my pens. So...simple question: What sort of prices do any of you folks get for your pens? Let's say something like a Berea gold titanium Flat Top American, using your average $3.00 to $5.00 nicely-figured wood blank.

I've asked pricing questions a few times here on SMC for flatwork products, and it seems people are hesitant to say a specific number for fear of hurting my feelings. As a result, the responses are often along the lines of "whatever your market will bear", or "take your materials and labor, add XX% overhead and XX% profit". While these suggestions are valid, I'm looking for hard numbers here...$15? $25? $39.95? ;) I realize the price would vary depending on the sales venue (craft fair vs. museum shop, for example), but I'm mainly expecting friends, co-workers, and the occasional website visitor to inquire about buying a single pen. (I'm not planning to actively market them.) If you don't feel comfortable posting your sales prices here on the Creek, feel free to PM me in confidence. (If it's useful as a frame of reference, my typical customers pay between $35 and $125 for a cutting board, and I've gotten as much as $120 for a little trinket box.)

Thanks in advance -

- Vaughn

[Chris Barton]

Hi Vaughn,

I have sold some of my pens and have priced them this way:

Slimline = $20
Cigar = $30
Fountain = $50

And that is for a "standard" titanium gold kit. Pricing these is a little fickle because the same person that tells you "these are great, you should sell them" is often the person that is unwilling to pay more than $10 for anything. Craft fairs are the best venues to sell at and flea markets are the worst. Folks at flea markets usually are looking for "somthing for nothing" and don't want to spend more than a few dollars. I have only sold my pens by word of mouth.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I make primarily slimlines, of various sizes (Thicknesses). I use them to basically pay for booth space so that I can show the bowls, boxes, etc and not have to worry whether or not anyone buys one that day. Half the joy is to look at customers faces and hear them talk to each other, as they handle or look at a piece.

A basic pen with Walnut, Maple, Mahogany, Locust, and Osage Orange is priced at $25.00. Exotic woods and more detailed pens go for $30.00 or more.

Personally, I feel the quality of my pens make them worth at least that much and rather than sell them for less, I'd give them away, which I sometimes do.

This is what works here. Please keep in mind that although I do make my Art to sell, I don't intend to have it support me. That's too much like a job. I do it for enjoyment, for money to buy more tools, and for "blow" money on trips.

Looking around at local shows, at equal quality pens, should give you the range in your location. Hope this helps a little.

Bruce

[Gary Max]

My pens start at $20.00 to $30.00---that's what I sell the most of--- they do run up to $150.00. Someday I hope to carry $250.00 to $500.00 pens, but the cost of carrying that quality of kit is hard on the wallet. Craft Supply USA has starting making a new line of kits called a "Emperor" that are just very cool.

[Jeff Moffett]

Vaughn,
I recently had an order for a dozen assorted pens (sounds like I’m selling donuts :confused: ), and we agreed on a price of $31 each. I mostly used rhodium and titanium kits along with stabilized blanks, so I probably had an average of $9-10 in materials per pen.<O:p</O:p

[Frank Fusco]

One rule of thumb is 3X cost of materials.
The real guide is what your market will bear. Locally, I can't sell a Slimline for $15.00 and a 50 or 60 dollar Ti Baron puts some folks into near cardiac arrest.
OTOH, a fellow from a pen list sold an Emporer to a Las Vegas casino store for about $250.00, they quickly resold it for $3000.00.

[Chris Barton]

One other suggestion Vaughn, buying wood for pen blanks as "pen blanks" (i.e. pre cut to approximate size) is a big money drain. I never buy pen blanks any longer. I buy lumber for my other projects and use the scraps. If you want exhotic wood it is far cheaper to by it by the foot as lumber versus pen blanks. Just an example, I bought a couple of board feet of cocobolo for under $50 and that will make nearly 100 pen blanks for what 6 to 8 prepared pen blanks cost.

[Corey Hallagan]

Vaughn I figure that I am not going to make much less than 20.00 per pen. So I add $ 20.00 to the cost. Slimlines with a usual wood that makes it about 25.00. With nicer woods I push the higher cost pen kits as well. That way I can get 30.-35. for those. So far I have sold about 1/2 dozen pens. This week I sold a slimline pen and pencil kit in walnut and titanium gold for $50.00 Anyway good luck!

Corey

[Bernie Weishapl]

Vaughn I do mostly slimline pens. If they are like just run of the mill wood I get $25 and if they are exotic I get from $30 to $40. If it is a pen and pencil set for slimlines I get $50 and for exotics $70 to $80. I have sold quite a few at those prices. I made a couple of super nice ones and had $125 on them and haven't sold one yet. Good luck.

[Barry Stratton]

I've asked pricing questions a few times here on SMC for flatwork products, and it seems people are hesitant to....... - Vaughn

Sounds like flatlanders!

I've mainly sold slimlines and comforts to date and have gotten $15-$25 for slimlines, depending on kit trim and material used (antler is my "most" expensive") and $20-$25 for comforts. I have sold 2 Panache pens - charged $35 for those, and 4 Toolbox pencils - charged $20-35 for those (buddies got them for $20).

Good luck Vaughn!

[Vaughn McMillan]

Thanks guys...you gave me exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Like Bruce, I think I'd rather give a pen away than sell it for a bargain price. (The look on someone's face when you say "aw...just keep it" is worth the price of admission.)

Chris, I agree with you about using lumber instead of pre-cut pen blanks. So far I've done about 50-50. I've used scrap for some, but I tend to pick up a fancy blank or two whenever I go to Rockler, just to get a feel for some of the different woods.

Jeff, I really like the dozen pens...great colors.

Thanks again everyone -

- Vaughn

[Keith Christopher]

I believe it depends on the crowd. I usually price them according to material. I've gotten 80$ for ebony cigar pens. But typically 40$ per. If I sell the elgrande I get 50$ for normal ones and 90-110 for ebony/pink ivory. Emperor I get 150-250 per depending on the material used.


Last emperor I sold was amboyna and gave a discount for 144$ (the kit cost 44 the blank was 8 I'll let you do the math. I spent a little under an hour on completing it.)


Keith

[Rob Littleton]

Yep, the crowd is it...........

My buddy can sell an antler cigar pen in California for $90 ALL DAY LONG.

Here is Presoctt, AZ, When I tell someone $35, you would think I'm asking for the wife and kids.........the area generally says the price.

Most of my cigar pens go for $25 except antler and aluminum, slimlines go for $12.

If I wanted to get rich on this, maybe I'd have to reconsider but for nowm, these prices work for me.

Good luck bud.


I believe it depends on the crowd. I usually price them according to material. I've gotten 80$ for ebony cigar pens. But typically 40$ per. If I sell the elgrande I get 50$ for normal ones and 90-110 for ebony/pink ivory. Emperor I get 150-250 per depending on the material used.


Last emperor I sold was amboyna and gave a discount for 144$ (the kit cost 44 the blank was 8 I'll let you do the math. I spent a little under an hour on completing it.)


Keith

[Christopher Stahl]

Where and how is everyone selling their pens? I've been wondering this for a while.

[Stephen Hibbs]

i get $5 a piece for my pens/pencils. I sell at my school(i'm still in HS) and most people are really stingy and gawk at prices as they drink their $4 coffee they buy every day. I mostly sell to friends and such though since the abovementioned people piss me off too much to be dealt with, and I make about a dollar a pen, so pretty poor. I guess $2 an hour at that, but I mostly do it for practice and because it's cool to have people using my pens around school. I guess i'm not a realistic pricing opinion though.

[Keith Christopher]

Where and how is everyone selling their pens? I've been wondering this for a while.


Well first and foremost, make an EXCELLENT one and use it ! for everything let people see it and ask about it.

I also have some that sell in local cigar shops. First they will most likely consign them taking some off the top. But once they sell they'll want more profit and want to buy them from you for 10-20% lower than you're selling them for. The impression of a cigar shop like a fine wine shop is CLASS. this give the impression that these pens are high quality and the price is fitting. so 30-50 a pen is easy for them to justify.

NEVER EVER tell the person buying the pen how much the parts cost, they will NEVER justify the value of your time or talent. once you're good at it, never let them see you make one. Talented people make things look easy and if it looks easy they will not want to pay $$$ for it.

Stress they are hand made, use the wood to your advantage. Ebony (for example) is harvested in exotic places, use it to your advantage. Put them in a nice box not the sleeves you can buy cheaply. Sell the whole package. When I get a nice burl, I make a 'limited edition' set from it and use it to my advantage. Shiny glossy pens catch the eye. It's like a fishing lure. Make business cards that say some thing about the pen:

e.g. Congratulations on your new hand crafted pen by KC Woodworking
Your new pen is #3 of 15 in a limited edition "Amboyna Emperor series."
Amboyna, also known as narra is harvested in Southeast Asia and is prized
for its wonderful figure and deep rich color. With proper care your pen will
give you years of enjoyment. It uses standard refills that can be purchased
from your local office supply store.

Believe it or not this can fit on a business card. I print them on my photo printer along with a small paper on how to care for the pen and what the refills are.

If this was easy everyone would do it. Your time is worth money. DON'T SELL ON THE COST OF THE PARTS BUT ON THE FINISHED WHOLE PRODUCT !

You're not fleecing anyone if you give a good product, quality hand made craftsmanship. Make them WANT to spend the money on your pens.


so in short, I approached a couple of local cigar shops, a local artisan consignment shop, and word of mouth. And for now it's working. Also when I make one for a friend and charge 30$ I tell them not to talk price if anyone inquires about it as I am providing them with a special deal and it is not for everyone. I do not pass down friend of a friend of a friend savings.


Well this works for me.

[Vaughn McMillan]

Keith nailed a lot of the successful things I've done when selling high-end cutting boards. The presentation plays a big part in the perceived value of the product. My boards ship with a tri-fold brochure that tells about the process used to make the board, as well as care and feeding suggestions. I've also added jute bows, or even felt storage pouches, to some of the more special boards. The addition of a few dollars worth of "dressing up" can pay off in higher sales prices, and it helps build your reputation for attention to detail, and perceived quality. (This assumes, of course, that you're selling a high-quality product in the first place. You can dress up a pig and call her Nancy, but in the end, you've still got a pig.)

I've not had a chance to seek out a few local shops for consignment (or wholesale) sales, largely because I've stayed comfortably busy selling by word of mouth and my website. I'm not looking to sell my work as a full-time job, so I've reached a comfortable level of output.

From the feedback I'm seeing here, it looks like pen sales could help support my spincrack habit, much like cutting boards and boxes have helped pay for flatwork toys. Thanks again to all of you for the input.

- Vaughn

[Ken Salisbury]

Many factors come into play when pricing pens. Kit type, material, segmented, standard, etc. I have made more than 2000 pens in my time.

I have sold at craftshows, art shows, Applebees Happy Hour :), neighbors, friends, etc. As a general rule I sell the slimline kits for $20, FT American & RT Euros for $25. Burls, Segmented, Extraordinary Blanks, Acrylics, etc, etc sell for $25 to $75.