Is it rude to laugh in a customers face?

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edicehouse

edicehouse

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15 pens for $10 a piece.

With the cardboard case I get from Oldman.

Lets see each pen kit 3.00, acrylic 4.00, box > 1.00. I figure $1.00 for CA, Paint, Wax, sand paper, micromesh, carbide tip each pen so that total is $9.00 and I think that is being generous. But I doubt she would want the normal slim line, she would want the $6.00 one from wood craft (or a style like that). So I figure $12.00 a piece, so she wants me to give 30 hours of time and $30, so she can buy 15 pens. :confused:
 
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Just quote her your regular price. Maybe, give her a wee discount on that. Otherwise take those 30 hours and put them towards something else. But, don't laugh in her face...unless she laughs first. :wink:
 
I did make the mistake of saying $15 before I actually broke down the cost. I did get the black friday sale on kits 10 for $20, and they are having that sale until towards the end of Dec. So at $15 I should make about 100, but dang it, that just sucks.
 
Hey, I just did 40 slimlines for $12.50 each...but at least it was for my brother and the blanks didn't cost me anything...I look in the mirror and laugh in my own face for making that deal.
 
I did $15.00 for nice plated slimlines last year for a friend. Won't happen again. More so because I don't think he appreciates me freezing my B**** off in the shop this time of year. Even though he's a skinny fellow and can't handle the cold in there with a propane heater pointed at him...
 
When I first started making pens I charged $12-15 for them because I saw others selling them for that. After I started analyzing costs and vying my time I brought it up a minimum of 25. And I don't make many of them because at that price point it's really not worth my time. I mostly keep a few in stock to have a bottom line offering. But I really stock up on the aero/Sierra/Gatsby class pens where you can get more money with less time investment for the single tube types. And I really have built up a good offering of roller balls and fountain pens, where it really starts getting to a level where you can get a fair amount out of the pen for your time involved.
 
I don't have much issue with people selling slims for $15 using standard kits and 'normal' wood. I figure that their true costs for those pens are as low as four bucks or so. That leaves them eleven dollars to pay themselves (and put toward table fees).

I wouldn't want to build my business around selling just $15 slims, but it's not a horrible model if you can sell a bunch.
 
I'm like Dave, I keep a few for a bottom line offering, and personaly I don't think the slim lines are that easy to make if you make them with straight barrels. I would much rather make other low cost 7mm styles like the apprentice roadster .
 
LL Woodworks said:
I'm like Dave, I keep a few for a bottom line offering, and personaly I don't think the slim lines are that easy to make if you make them with straight barrels. I would much rather make other low cost 7mm styles like the apprentice roadster .
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I've actually been thinking that we need to build our inventory of 7mm pens back up. I can think of a couple of recent shows that would have been much more successful if we were better prepared for low-end sales.

I also agree about the difficulty factor in turning a slimline. I actually believe it to be the most difficult pen style to turn properly.
 
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While I like the idea of doing upper end shows for the bigger sales, many of our regular shows have needed lower priced items to have made sales. I too will be building my inventory of $20-$50 items so I can tailor to the market.

I just hate having customers walk away because they're looking for a gift but cannot afford the $100 pen. Maybe $25 this year, then the more expensive one next year.
 
I've done very well with slimlines over the years...I've long since lost track of how many pens I've made over the years and don't track the individual styles I make or sell, but I only have one or two slimlines in stock right now.... I usually sell them in the $20-25 range.

I've just gotten tired of making them since they don't really show off the wood well.... usually now if I do a slim, it's from antler since that shows up pretty well on any pen....
 
I have tried keeping a few slims available for $15 so that even kids can afford one on their allowance. I actually had a young kid keep returning to my table at the last craft fair I did. He was very interested in the whole proccess but getting his Dad to share the interest and part with any money wasn't happening. In the last half hour he returned and selected the pen he had been eyeing all day and proceeded to count out his money .... Lots of change!!!
I let him have it for $10 ..... He was my favorite customer of the day!
As far as the pricing goes though I haven't seen that a $15 pens sells any faster than one for $25.
 
Lenny said:
I have tried keeping a few slims available for $15 so that even kids can afford one on their allowance. I actually had a young kid keep returning to my table at the last craft fair I did. He was very interested in the whole proccess but getting his Dad to share the interest and part with any money wasn't happening. In the last half hour he returned and selected the pen he had been eyeing all day and proceeded to count out his money .... Lots of change!!!
I let him have it for $10 ..... He was my favorite customer of the day!
As far as the pricing goes though I haven't seen that a $15 pens sells any faster than one for $25.
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I was doing a little show one day and a kid (about 12 years old) came up about 3 times looking then he said he wanted to buy one, I told him to get one of his parents. He brought the mom back and asked if there was a problem. I explained to her that I didn't feel comfortable selling a pen to a younger kid without parents permission. She thought that was so nice she bought one for her and her husband also.
 
Yes

edicehouse said:
15 pens for $10 a piece.

With the cardboard case I get from Oldman.

Lets see each pen kit 3.00, acrylic 4.00, box > 1.00. I figure $1.00 for CA, Paint, Wax, sand paper, micromesh, carbide tip each pen so that total is $9.00 and I think that is being generous. But I doubt she would want the normal slim line, she would want the $6.00 one from wood craft (or a style like that). So I figure $12.00 a piece, so she wants me to give 30 hours of time and $30, so she can buy 15 pens. :confused:
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In answer to the title question - don't do it. If she thinks the pens are only worth $10 each, so be it. I would just say I can't do them for that price. If she asks for your best price tell her you would need to know the style and the blank materials before you can price them.

I have said many times, the customer does not care if you make a profit or not, the customer will pay what they think the item is worth and no more. If it costs too much for the seller to part with it for the price the customer is willing to pay - the customer does not buy. Simple really and in this case what she was willing to pay was not enough to induce the seller to sell.
 
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