How Much IS Too Much

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crafttx

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Dec 13, 2007
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Location
Forney, TX, USA.
I have been experimenting with a unique resin however it is very costly. My question is "how much is too much to pay for a blank?" OK, these are not your typical poly blanks as they are much easier to turn being not as brittle and for those of you wearing Transition eyeglass lenses will darken outdoors in the sunlight. Any big spenders looking for pens/pencils?
 
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I am not a salesman of blanks. I have been turning pens for the better part of five years as a hobby and at the request of people looking for different gifts. In my paying career, I have been a salesman and am currently sales director. I came across samples of this resin, decided to cast a few blanks and love the results however to actually purchase it the cost is unbelievable. I have not figured what the cost per blank would be but it will be high to make them.
 
Well, the price would depend on the material. Without pictures of the blanks I don't think anyone could say how much they were worth. But I am confused are you trying to sell blanks to us?
 
I am not trying to sell blanks just looking for some feedback as to whether or not it makes since to produce them. I have turned a couple and given them away to people that introduced the resin to me. If I can find time over the next few days I have one to turn and will take pictures. I also hope to determine on Monday what I am looking at for cost.
 
"How much is too much?" is a relative question.

$2.00 to $6.00 for good to VERY good blanks.

$8.00 - $10.00 for GREAT wood and synthetic design.

$15 - $30 for custom that is also very eye appealing, extremely unique, or one of a kind rare. One of my personal observations is that once blanks hit around $10.00 to $12.00, orders drop to special order. Exceptions are the "Cross", "Stars and Stripes", "Piano", and snake skins. Yours might fit in here too. It sure sounds good.

Problem is, we often think of our own creations as more appealing than it actually is and want to charge for it according to our own personal feelings.

Example: Click here for a view of one of my pens. The amount of time it took to make the blank was about about 3 hours. When I was doing graduate work in the late '70s, I made $12.00 an hour loading and unloading trucks to provide for my growing family. Using that as a standard for today, I should at least charge $36.00 for time alone. Would anyone be willing to pay for the time alone for what I have in it?

IF I wanted to make even a small profit, I would have to charge $45 - $50.00 for it. I don't think anyone will pay what it is worth for me to make one. And I still owe a blank to one fellow for some help, when I get some time to get into the shop.

To really sell something, the price has to be reasonable and that usually comes from mass production, which I have not figured out yet for my stripe blank.
 
Let me get this straight...Are you saying that the blanks are made out of photochromic resin, where the blank would darken in the sunlight, and clear up in the dark? I would think you'd have better luck using 'mood ring' resin, something that changes color based on heat rather then light. Wow, actually, that'd be really cool! Where do you get that stuff? How neat would that be? "Mood Pens"

What color would 'damhikt, I'm frustrated because this resin cost a fortune and I just blew a chunk' be? [:p]
 
The biggey for me would it be something I can make a buck with---a mood ring doesn't sound like a money maker.
Big bucks for a blank means a super quality level that comands a high priced pen not a toy.
Send me a sample and I will tell you if it will make money:D
 
Transitions glasses are made of photochromic resin...the plastic turns darker based on how much light they receive...I think that my dad paid a TON for his transitions glasses a decade or so back, so I can't imagine what a pen blank would cost...

Seems to be more of a novelty than a blank with 'I HAVE TO HAVE THAT' qualities...

Still, sounds pretty cool!
 
Originally posted by maxwell_smart007
Seems to be more of a novelty than a blank with 'I HAVE TO HAVE THAT' qualities...
Click to expand...

Yes, but there's a market out there for novelty blanks. I can't find the link, but there was a story floating around a couple of weeks ago about the guy in South Texas making money hand over fist using cow pies for pen blanks and selling the pens at $45 a pop. He can't make enough to meet demand. If I had contacts in the design world (architects, graphic designers, glass artists, etc.) I'd give them a cool mood pen or light changing pen to carry around. Probably sell quite a few. Maybe market them to art museum gift shops or such.

With that said, I wouldn't spend more than $12-$15 for a blank without knowing for sure I could move it.
 
A few weeks ago there was a post here about some blanks on E-bay that were made to look like Mokume-Gane and I made some comments about the person selling them was selling "snake oil".Long story short, I was wrong so lets not judge untill we see these.
 
"making money hand over fist using cow pies for pen blanks and selling the pens at $45 a pop"

I think this is a typo, he meant "$45 a poop" ;)

Seriously, I enjoy hearing about what folks are thinking regarding innovative materials for turning, as to what the market would support? I would refer you back to the pen kit discussions, amazing to see what some cost guessing what they actually cost to produce, you never know.......good luck
 
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