New to pen turning

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Joined
Feb 3, 2017
Messages
6
Location
Indianapolis, IN USA
Hello everyone,

My name is Scot Brown. I just started turning pens last Fall after learning from Bill Bettag. I really love turning pens. Here are a couple that I have made recently. Let me know what you think about them. I'm trying to sell pens to help pay my way through school, but I am having trouble finding ways to sell them. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Sincerely,
Scot W. Brown

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B54eEDVMoD9LTGFndERUdGhGLWVFTnVUQVdtWUVBWGhSNXdZ/view?usp=sharing
 
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magpens

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Joined
Feb 2, 2011
Messages
15,913
Location
Canada
Welcome to IAP, Scot !!!! . Those pens are really nice !!!! . Selling is a challenge but others here may have some tips ... a lot depends on where you live and how you go about it, I think.
 

stuckinohio

Member
Joined
May 3, 2015
Messages
1,695
Location
Columbus Ohio
Scott,

You posted this in the "for sale" section. You should go to the new member section and introduce yourself. A moderator might see this and move it before you get a chance but you never know.

Lewis
 

Wood Butcher

Local Chapter Leader
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
970
Location
Westfield, IN, USA.
Hey Scot, glad you made it to the IAP forum. As I think I mentioned, ALWAYS carry a pen and flash it with flourish every chance you get.
Others will chime in as well on a "marketing approach" so consider all suggestions then pick the ones that will work for you. It was a pleasure getting to know you.
Your pens look great.
Wood Butcher
Bill
 

Maverick KB

Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
161
Location
Huntersville, NC
Scot,

First bit of advice, at your age there may be a few challenges or even a few lessons in taxes, bank accounts etc involved. Consult someone experienced with these subjects you know and trust.

Second, it was said already... always, always, always have one of your pens on you and some contact cards/business cards. You would not believe how many sales you can get just by pulling out your pen to sign something like a receipt or take a note in line at a store or coffee shop.

You may have some luck on sites like Etsy. It's slowly catching on here in the US, but it's big in Europe. Get to know customs forms and watch out for shipping charges.

Ebay has worked for some, I've never sold a pen on ebay.

If you want to put forth a little effort in getting things set up, Amazon has a handmade section now that's similar to Etsy. Benefit is the massive volume of traffic Amazon gets. It's not very prominent on their site and it's somewhat easy to miss, but even 0.5% of Amazon traffic looking your way is a very big deal.

Look around Facebook for local trade shows, craft shows and events where you can set up a table. A lot of small local shows run weekly over the summer. We've done 2-3 in a weekend for weeks straight before and had mixed results. You win some, you lose some. Larger events usually do much better but have higher vendor fees. Sometimes paying $100-500 for a booth. Choose wisely there, that's a fair number of sales just to get your fees back.

Talk to some local shops. Consignment type, high end second hand shops etc. Generally any locally owned store will be better than a corporate chain. Talk to the owners and get to know them. They may let you place a small display on the counter or off to the side. You might find a locking acrylic case to put them in. It would be between you and the owners if they handled the transactions for you and what arrangements you make. You might also keep several nice pens in a locking display as examples with some contact info/flyers/post cards for people to contact you directly for purchases. This is one way to avoid any money issues with the local business and keeps everything friendly, but it will miss out on the impulse buys.

There are also some businesses who might buy in bulk for employee gifts or promotional gifts if they are hosting a big client. Look up some wedding planners in your area and get to know them. They have many pieces to organize to pull off a wedding and will tend to stick with people they know and trust (ie worked with before) when getting all the vendors lined up. I doubt anyone's ever approached any of them offering quality custom hand made pens and guest books before. You might not make the guestbook, but you could be of service by locating and reselling one that matches the theme or look of your pens. There are also cake serving sets available you might try your hand at. It's not turning, but putting a handle on a cake serving set is simple enough with a little practice and attention to detail.

The best advice I can offer you though, is to always keep your eyes open for an angle. Don't lock yourself into something too specific, be flexible. Be confident when you speak, but know your limits and don't over sell yourself. Be respectful and kind and talk to as many people as you can. Keep your mind open... be creative. (the wedding planner suggestion is not one I've ever seen mentioned around here before). Consider your market, who are you selling to, where are they buying and when/where are they in need?

Remember this. Your pens might be absolutely perfect. Any pen turner might appreciate your mastery of the craft. You might consider yourself a true artist... but 90% of your customers are not going to know what they are looking at. They do not understand the difference between your pen and the other guy's. For that matter, why spend so much on your pen when a *insert fancy brand* can be found at the box store for the same or maybe less? Talking to your customers will give you insight as to what they are interested in and what matters to them. Remember, you want them to hand you money so it's not your interests, opinions or taste that matters... unless it matters to them.

Best of luck to you! Stick around and let us know how things are going, and if you come up with any brilliant ideas be kind and give back.

Cheers,
Ken
 

ver2go

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2016
Messages
7
Not sure if it was intentional or the norm here, but you have your FULL address listed in your Location. Just thought I'd bring that up in case it was by accident.
 
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