What would you make?

[builtbybill]

So, people at work are starting to find out that I make pens. Then the almighty question gets asked - How much would it cost to make me one? To which I reply, that depends on the style, finish and material used. Their response is then "I don't know, I trust your judgement just make me one, please."

So if this happens to you what would you make? I just got a bunch of the Le Roi V2s, and and extra Cigar Hybrid, so I will be using those for this go-round.

Just curious what style/finish/material you would recommend to a customer that does not know what they want? They just know how much they want to spend, under $20 seems to be the most common price point.

Keep in mind that I do not "sell" pens. I make them as a hobby, but I will typically charge them about $3-5 dollars more than the cost of the kit/blank/shipping just so that I can cover my finishing supplies.

Thanks,

Bill

 

[triw51]

My best sellers are mesa style and slimline stylus. I use local woods and that seems to be a big selling point when I tell them the story of where the wood is from. (i.e. this is sycamore from Oak Creek Canyon. The branch fell down last year durning a big wind storm etc.) The story part is valid because I live near two tourtist attractions.

 

[magpens]

In my experience, most people of the type you mentioned are looking for a click pen. Given that you are not expecting the price to more than cover your costs and that "under $20" is the customer's criterion, I would suggest a vertex click pen. Use "found" wood for the blank, so zero cost there.

 

[Ted iin Michigan]

Frankly, "under $20" shouldn't get much considering it's a "custom" pen. If it were me, I'd be looking at a slimline, possibly a PSI Executive (they're both twist pens) and an inexpensive acrylic blank. If you are skilled at CA finishing, even better. Go wood (no pricey burl but something interesting - Bocote for example).

Figure $5 for the kit (Executive), $5 for a blank. Shipping about $1 (to get the stuff from PSI to you), finishing supplies might be $2. That's $13. Even if you do this as a hobby, your labor still has value. If you don't think so, come work for me! 1 1/2 hrs labor at NC's minimum wage is $10.88. That's almost $24. And there's no allowance for shop time, utilities, etc, etc, etc

So..... $20 would be a steal.

By the way, personally I LOVE the Vertex. One of my best sellers. But I get a MINIMUM of $35 for a Vertex.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

I do not sell any pen under $20 ever.

If I was asked the question, how much, my answer would be $40 and up.

I made the mistake early of selling a cigar pen to one of wife's coworkers who is also a good friend of ours for $25 which she knew was less then I charge for them.

Another coworker saw it and how much and wanted two. I was not happy but didn't want to put wife in awkward situation so I made them.

Always price your pens so that if someone asked for 5 or 10 more at the price you'd be happy to make them. IMO.

 

[1080Wayne]

Ask them to provide wood that has meaning to them . It might be from a tree their grandfather planted .

Selling a pen at a low price point to a friend or co-worker is one thing , but don`t leave them with the impression that they can order more from you at that price for them to give as gifts .

 

[eranox]

I have to agree that $20 is probably too little to fool with. I have found that many of the men that want a pen are enamored with the .50 cal pen kits, and those aren't too expensive, use a minimal amount of materials, and are quick and easy to make. That said, I usually sell them for twice that, and I think they're worth it. For a friend or coworker though, I could let it go for $20.

Make very certain to communicate that the recipient is getting a very deep discount. It has backfired for me more than once where I gave a pen away for near cost, and had several more people whom I did not know queued up and expecting the same deal.

 

[glenspens]

Tell them all that $40.00 in the bottom line . if some one buys one cool ,then make some up and give them all one for christmas and if someone buys one from you through out the year then give them a upgrade in Dec.

 

[Edgar]

It's just a hobby for me too, but when people ask me to make a pen for them, I charge a minimum of $25-35 for a slimline (more for better kits & blanks) and give them the choice of a couple of charities to make the check out to.

That seems to be enough so that I don't get overwhelmed with more requests than I care to handle & it helps the charities that I normally support anyway.

 

[WriteON]

I do not sell any pen under $20 ever.

If I was asked the question, how much, my answer would be $40 and up.

I made the mistake early of selling a cigar pen to one of wife's coworkers who is also a good friend of ours for $25 which she knew was less then I charge for them.

Another coworker saw it and how much and wanted two. I was not happy but didn't want to put wife in awkward situation so I made them.

Always price your pens so that if someone asked for 5 or 10 more at the price you'd be happy to make them. IMO.

Iv'e been through this repeatedly. I am done. If I want to do a pen for cost I add $10 on top of the kit. That covers the blank and finishing material. As I'm giving it away I tell the person please do not ask for more(in a tactful way).
I gave a Western Pen to my friends daughter. Her co-worker wanted me to make a pen for her. I quoted $70 and she ok'd it.

If we do things for free or too cheap it kicks us when the chisels and polishes have to be replaced.

 

[thewishman]

Ask them to provide wood that has meaning to them . It might be from a tree their grandfather planted .

Careful with this approach! Using a family treasure that is not really suited for turning is beyond stressful for me. Very old, knotty, splitting, pine barn siding is not fun to turn - especially when it is the only piece remaining.

For an inexpensive pen, for a buyer that trusts your choice, choose a material you are comfortable turning and something that you have on hand - blank, kit and bushings.

 

[Brian G]

"Their response is then "I don't know, I trust your judgement just make me one, please."

I decided that I'm keeping a portfolio of pens that I can show as a reference. It's starting with my keepers and firsts of a kind. That at least gives somebody a better idea of what you can do and might spur additional requests.

Whenever I ask if the person prefers skinny pens or thicker pens, they seem to answer "medium, I guess." I don't know what that is, so having a pen or two for reference helps. Click or twist matters, too.

 

[PapaTim]

Bill,
I know it's a hobby but at $3 to $5 more than the costs you've outlined, you're actually paying them to take one of your pens. What about the cost of electricity, added wear and tear on your lathe, wear on your chisels and grinder wheels as you sharpen and other hidden costs?

This is a hobby for most of us but selling items too cheaply says you place no value on your skills and ability. I understand that you're not looking to get paid for your time but I think you're missing getting compensated for many hidden costs that have nothing to do with your time.

As an added note Bill, thanks for your service.

 

[Mike Powell]

I want to put so much more info in this thread, and I have deleted my reply a few times.

Hobbies still need to fund themselves Bill..

Co workers are a hard bunch, one says I got it for this price, and then they all want it for that. But, you need to keep your hobby going and pulling it out of your pocket every time gets expensive quick.

for 20 bucks, I would use a slimline and a local wood blank from Slabs blanks and boards. You could probably break even there. Scott at SBB has beautiful cedar blanks and if you watch his site they go on sale often for under a dollar. You can order 10 or so it fills a small flat rate box, then you have some extras for sale at 25-30 to make a little profit.