Feeling the squeeze!... regrets

[SCR0LL3R]

Economy issues aside. I guess I have to set myself up with some rules regarding spending on this hobby, and stick to them.

Here's a good one for me:

Rule #1: Until I sell at least 50% of any pen style I currently carry, I can NOT buy ANY more kits in that style.

I am already rationalizing 1 exception to this rule. I am doomed! This is how the addict's mind works!

 

[ed4copies]

Dawn and I used to joke about this at the end of nearly every show!!!

We had hundreds of pens and pieces of stained glass to pack and put BACK INTO the trailer----they had come OUT of the trailer several days earlier.

WHY DIDN'T WE JUST SHOW THE PRODUCTS THAT WERE GOING TO SELL!!!

It would be SO MUCH easier!!!

 

[Smitty37]

Scale volume

Economies of Scale are much larger than some of you seem to think. My vendor can probably make 5,000/10,000 kits for the same fixed costs as he can make 100 for. 1500 to 2000 is a "small" quantity. I believe they can do production runs of up to 30,000 at once.

The big problem with pen kits is that nobody (even those we call the "big boys") is really big and really producing in large quantities.

With respect to the sales of finished pens...they are factory made. If they can sell Bic's for about what it would cost me to buy the tips in 1000 lot quantities why wouldn't they be able to produce wood pens cheap. It is like being a tailor (and there are still a few around) he'll never be able to produce a suit cheaper than the off the shell variety from Blair and you'll never produce a pen cheaper than Bic or Papermate - both you and the tailor have to give customers some reason other than price to buy from you.

 

[studioso]

Ask Amazon how many $1,400.00 pens they sold. I bet none if any.
Amazon.com: Graf von Faber-Castell Elemento Limited Edition Fountain Pen: Office Products

more thank you think

this pen ranks 215,819 in sales in office supplies. out of 1'745'223 items in that category.

 

[Smitty37]

But what does the number mean....

Ask Amazon how many $1,400.00 pens they sold. I bet none if any.
Amazon.com: Graf von Faber-Castell Elemento Limited Edition Fountain Pen: Office Products

more thank you think

this pen ranks 215,819 in sales in office supplies. out of 1'745'223 items in that category.

I have seen numbers like that from Amazon but have not figured out what they mean....if all items are ranked it could indicate that it sold one item and the only items ranked below it didn't sell any and it could be "tied" with 1,500,000 other items that also sold one item. We've all seen the lists that go 1,2,2,2,5,5,7,8,9.....

 

[ed4copies]

Do they rank by dollars sold or units sold?

Not likely to have "ties" in dollars, VERY likely to have "ties" in units.

 

[Pens By Scott]

I hear you, but when you compare the prices of the limited amount of supplies available up here and the prices as well, buying from the US is still cheaper than buying the same items locally.

...
So if you want to move on you won't have much trouble selling your hobby related items on this forum...
:clown:

Since I am in Canada, the cost of this stuff crossing the border and high shipping costs would mean I would take a big hit if I wanted to resell... Stuff coming in from the US gets 30% in extra charges with taxes and shipping by the time I get it... Not worth it to resell really. I just have to stop buying and slowly but steadily sell... eventually I should make most of it back. More than if I resell my supplies.

The hard part is to draw the line and STOP SPENDING. I like to collect and I like to shop!

 

[Smitty37]

Oh.....

Do they rank by dollars sold or units sold?

Not likely to have "ties" in dollars, VERY likely to have "ties" in units.

I think we disagree here Ed - with nearly 2 million items on the list, there are sure to be a lot that sell at or near the same price so a tie in units sold would probably translate to a tie in dollar volume. Also, I would imagine a lot of that 2 million are duplicates....I can't think of anyone who could dream up 2 million completely different items (even allowing for many different brands of paper, paper clips, pens, erasures etc.) of office supplies.

 

[SCR0LL3R]

I hear you, but when you compare the prices of the limited amount of supplies available up here and the prices as well, buying from the US is still cheaper than buying the same items locally.

It's pretty close in price... I order mostly from exoticblanks.com, beartoothwoods.com and penblanks.ca . All three of which have some overlap in the products they sell as well as selling some items that the others don't. I just try and optimize each order when it's made. Quantity discounts make more price difference than anything.

 

[pens by david]

Keith,

Sorry you are having bad luck, I started one year ago ,had to buy a lathe ,tools, kits, bushing, finishing stuff,sand paper several diff kinds ,etc,etc,etc.

If you are looking at this as a business your out lay to start is high no matter what business you go into. In my own personal business it took 3 years before we showed a profit, second business we started took 5 years to show a profit. Now both daughters and son in laws work for us I started playing golf and have never even broken even!!!

Point being this.. if you enjoy doing what you are doing It is not the money it is the joy of creating .

I guess my take on my hobby / business is don`t try so hard. Set your price and stay with it , I have been fortunate I have made over 150 pens 100 bottle stoppers and right now down to almost nothing . Did give away I would say 10 to 15 pens and same on bottle stoppers ,from that I have gotten lots of orders for pens bottle stoppers ,this does not count the 20 I made for the troops. I now sell pens etc all over the world all buy word of mouth.



Remember it is more gracious to give then to receive, or what goes round comes round .

Keep it fun, Hope this helps,

David In beautiful Coeur d Alene,Idaho

 

[ed4copies]

Do they rank by dollars sold or units sold?

Not likely to have "ties" in dollars, VERY likely to have "ties" in units.

I think we disagree here Ed - with nearly 2 million items on the list, there are sure to be a lot that sell at or near the same price so a tie in units sold would probably translate to a tie in dollar volume. Also, I would imagine a lot of that 2 million are duplicates....I can't think of anyone who could dream up 2 million completely different items (even allowing for many different brands of paper, paper clips, pens, erasures etc.) of office supplies.

Heck, Smitty, there have to be 2 million types of copier toner!!! :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

 

[Smitty37]

Hmmm

Do they rank by dollars sold or units sold?

Not likely to have "ties" in dollars, VERY likely to have "ties" in units.

I think we disagree here Ed - with nearly 2 million items on the list, there are sure to be a lot that sell at or near the same price so a tie in units sold would probably translate to a tie in dollar volume. Also, I would imagine a lot of that 2 million are duplicates....I can't think of anyone who could dream up 2 million completely different items (even allowing for many different brands of paper, paper clips, pens, erasures etc.) of office supplies.

Heck, Smitty, there have to be 2 million types of copier toner!!! :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

You might be right but who stocks all of them - not even Amazon can do that.:biggrin: and of course 1999872 have the same price.