Beating a dead horse?

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ESwindell

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Mar 4, 2008
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195
Location
Northwood, NH, USA.
I hope that this will not come across the wrong way, and I have spent quite a bit of time searching this site for the answer but.....
I am wondering what pen kits to add to my inventory. The list I have come up with from the searching on this site are: Cigar, Sierra, Jr. Statesman, bullet and Slimline. I found mixed results regarding Euro, and Baron. I looked at the group buy and found another list.
I live in the Northeast and plan on doing craft fairs, does anyone know if the real high end roller and fountain pens Jr. Gent., Emperor, Imperial, would be worth having in inventory.
With fountain pens is there a whole lingo that would need to be learned in order to be able to "sound intelligent" to have informed customers?
Also finishes, found to stay away from 24k and that Titanium is well liked but, gold, black, silver, combination there of, other?
I know that this is like asking which lathe or tools to buy,(or even worse trying to answer: "does this make me look fat"[:0][:0][:0][:0][:0]:D) everyone has their favorites and there is no one right answer. I may be opening up a HUGE can of worms but I am just overwhelmed with all the choices out there and don't have the funds to try one of each.
Thanks in advance for all your help and advice.
God Bless,
Eric
 
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Rifleman1776

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Dec 18, 2004
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Mountain Home, Arkansas, USA.
No one can fully answer that for you. You and your market will determine which pens will sell best. From my experience, I did not start selling pens in any numbers until I focused on high end/high quality. Just showing a beautiful Gent will sell Euros. Focus on quality. As for sellers: Euros are far and away my biggest selling model. Jr. Gents next. Very few full sized Gents or Cigars. I have never done an Emperor or Majestic. Good luck.
 

sbell111

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Jan 16, 2008
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Location
Franklin, TN
Before I explain our experience, let me explain why we sell pens, at all. My wife took up the hobby with her dad because she wanted to make sure that he stayed active. They liked it so we needed a way to get rid of the pens so he had a reason to keep turning them. Therefore, our sales are not to generate an income. They only serve to (hopefully) finance the hobby.

This is what we've done:

We started out selling only in a local, weekly, farmers market. At first, we only offered slimlines and comforts and were able to make a nice, little profit.

After a year or so, my wife added keychains, teachers pens, and lipstick pens. We bought about 20 kits of each and started offering those styles. Teachers pens sold OK, so we continue to order those kits. The lipstick and keychains didn't, so we haven't reordered them.

Another season went by and she added Wall Street IIs and 'Classic' fountain pens and rollerball/gel pens. They both sold well, so we're keeping them around.

We are now going to more and more shows and, like you, wanting to offer more variety and (hopefully) sell with a higher individual margin).

This year, I ordered cigars and Jr Gent IIs. If they earn their keep, we'll keep carrying them.

In the future, who knows?

I don't think that it's possible for one turner to simply give another turner the magic formula of styles, materials, and price point. These things will be completely different for each individual turner, area, and venue.
 

Chasper

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Mar 22, 2007
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1,987
Location
Indiana
I have 17 sets of bushings and 15 drill bits, some of both are usable on more than one pen style. I also do some closed end pens. I feel that I have 60-65% of the pen styles that I should offer. On the lower end of the price range I make black chrome, gun metal, copper and chrome. Higher priced pens are in black ti, gold ti and plantinum only. I'm learning to speak fountain penese, but I only have a meger FP offer, maybe 12-15 pens in 4 styles.

At a recent small craft show, a gentleman who was also selling pens came by our booth, he was noticably fustrated and agitated. With an hour left in the show he has not made a single sale. He had slims, cigars and workshop pencils (I have no idea why he decided to invest in workshop pencils), all of his pens were made from local and bland domestic woods; wax finishes. He ranted for a while about how could we afford all those kits, expensive blanks, custom lights and tables, merchandise displays, etc. when sales were so bad. We commiserated with him for a while and he left feeling smug that at least he hadn't invested as much as we had. We didn't mention that we had accumulated $500-$600 at that point in time with more to come.

Do you want to go to shows or do you want to sell at shows? Consumers demand choices and variety or they will find it from someone else. They want the very highest quality and have a strong preference for lower prices. I'm a beginner, I still have a lot to do to expand my offer and a lot to learn about selling. Ask questions like this all you need, beat all the dead horses you want, however, nothing will substitute for giving it a try and seeing what works for you.
 

ed4copies

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Mar 25, 2005
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Location
Racine, WI, USA.
Start by changing your name. I sure don't want to be swindled!!!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Next, follow Gerry's advise. Or Steve. Trial and error in YOUR market.

Try to keep one pen style in each size range. Make sure you LIKE turning that style. I dropped the Euro years ago because it looked like every imported POS I saw AND I didn't enjoy MAKING it. Dropped the perfect fit, cause I am not confident in the way it works. Crummy reasons. OH, they also were not selling well. Is that because of the pen?? Probably not, maybe the salesman who does NOT believe in the product --AH HA!!!

Good luck, try a couple at a time and find the ones you like! They will sell, cause YOU believe they are good. The prospect CAN tell.
 

toolcrazy

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Dec 23, 2006
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Port Orchard, WA
My list is:
Cigar
Baron
Sierra
Sedona
Jr. Gentleman
Jr. Retro
Jr. Statesman
Jr. Emperor
Also,
Streamlines and Slimlines as long as they are good quality.
I want to try out a Cambridge, but haven't yet
 

ed4copies

Local Chapter Manager
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Mar 25, 2005
Messages
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Location
Racine, WI, USA.
Steve,

The Jr. Gent and Baron are SO similar, why have both? I did, then I converted a rollerball to a fountain to sell it. Got Jr. Gent and Baron "post" confused, cap didn't fit right - all kinds of confusion.

Just a FWIW, you may not have encountered YET!!
 

Texatdurango

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Apr 23, 2007
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Location
Show Low, Arizona
Well my 2 cents worth sounds a lot like some of the others so far. I would say all of the kits sell, somewhere, sooner or later, and at the right price so buy the kits that you enjoy making and put them on your craft table for sale. Remember that it's not just the kit, it's the quality of the finished pen that counts, and sells! Just don't expect to slap together an emperor kit with a cheap blank with a friction polish finish and ask $200 for it.

I've only done a few shows and have an assortment of pens for sale. The twist type ballpoints like Sierra, Jr Gent and Atlas sell well while the Jr Gent rollerballs are my best capped style rollerball sellers. I hear the cigar pens are good sellers but I wouldn't know because I personally don't like them and will never make them just because they sell.

I get more enjoyment from making the higher cost kits like the Emperor, Jr Statesman and Jr Majestic so I make more of them now. They don't sell as well in my area but you don't have to sell as many to make a profit either!

So, I would say make what you enjoy making and sell them and don't worry about missed sales if you had only made the other kit!
 

ESwindell

Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2008
Messages
195
Location
Northwood, NH, USA.
OK, I was wondering how long it would be before I got hit with the Swindle line.[8D] I guess I thought that there must be a list of old stand buys that you carry so that you will have sales while you experiment with other kits and bring them to market.
"Do you want to go to shows or do you want to sell at shows?"
Great question, I want to sell at shows. I did have my own business until I got a back injury and now I am disabled.
"Is that because of the pen?? Probably not, maybe the salesman who does NOT believe in the product"another good question/statement, and yes I agree that your attitude has a lot to do with how the customer perceives you just as in the craft part of this site the discussion about standing or sitting. There is only one chance to make a first impression.
 

jcollazo

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Joined
Apr 3, 2006
Messages
714
Location
Bellflower, CA, USA.
Here's what I've been selling as "stock" pens...

Comfort (without the grip) - I have 2 corporate customers that buy 30-50 each month.
Designer/Euro - Mainly women
Sierra
Cigar
Jr. Gent !!
Jr. Statesman

Periodically I get some other mid to high range kits but it's usually in response to a previous customer's wants.
 

Hello

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
185
Location
Brattleboro,VT, USA.
Eric,
I live in the Northeast as well, southern Maine.
I've started thiniking recently that its more about the type of people you expose your products to than the tyeps of products you expose to your people.
I took my pens to the Putney Craft Tour (not as a participant, but just to show them to some of the other artists and craftspeople). The people I encountered there were all about the pens with a great CA finish....it didn't seem like the wood or kit type mattered as much as the finish type. But, locally, I sell at a Swiss watch and clock shop and the people who buy my pens seem to go for the things that are just a little different than you might normally expect to see - like snakeskin, plain wood with no finish, coffee grounds, modified slimlines etc.
I hope this all makes sense.
 

Rmartin

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Joined
Jan 14, 2007
Messages
1,263
Location
Columbus, Ga, USA.
Here's what I make:

Slimline in GoldTi & Crome (Corian only)
Streamline in TiGold
Cigar in GoldTi, BlackTi, Crome
Jr. Gent in GoldTi, BlackTi, Plat
Serria GoldTi & Click Serria Crome

I also have a few in the high end, but haven't made any fountain as of yet.
 

MichaelS

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
73
Location
USA.
OK my 2 cents err I mean 3 cents worth. I sell to foundations and company's that give them to donors and customers. Majestic and Majestic Junior Fountain with a laser engraved nib with the company or foundations logo on it or on the cap. They love the splated maple and burls. Also schools alumni and Hospital doners. Seem to like the Tycoon, Apollo Elite and Olympian.
 
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