Number of pens

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George417

George417

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Joined
Oct 18, 2009
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Location
Saginaw, Texas
A question for the guys who do the craft shows. How many different styles of pens do you normally have on display for sale???? I normally have 3 to 4 different styles. Of all my styles I will have many different materials used (acrylic and wood).


:befuddled::befuddled::befuddled::befuddled:
 
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I take,
  • Streamlines (4 platings)
  • Creeklines (2 Platings)
  • Polaris (2 Platings)
  • Sierra's (2 Platings)
  • Jr Gent I (3 Platings) (note I'm going to discontinue these due to problems, and replace with something else)
  • Sedona's (2 Platings)
  • Cigar (2 Platings) (thinking of adding a third plating)
  • Triton convertible (thinking of adding other styles and plating)
  • Roman Harvest (2 Platings)
  • Wine Stoppers
  • Key Chains (2 Platings)
 
24 pen types in 46 platings. 10 non-pen small turnings. Mostly arcylic, some antler and a few wood.
 
The Penguin said:
Xander said:
Chasper said:
24 pen types in 46 platings. 10 non-pen small turnings. Mostly arcylic, some antler and a few wood.
Click to expand...

There are 46 different platings? :eek: Can you give a list of them?
Click to expand...
I think he means 24 pen types with 2 or more plating choices per type.
Click to expand...

Well that makes more sense. But 24 pen types? :eek:

Just FWIW, when I start selling pens I plan on...

2 different style twist ballpoints (Lets say Sierra and Cigar) in several platings , in wood and acrylic. So, 12 varieties of twist.

Same for click ballpoints (Now 24 varieties)

Same for rollerball. 2 styles, 3 platings each, in wood and acrylic. (36)

Same for fountain pens (48 varieties total) And that is if I only have 1 of each.

So I'm looking at about 100 pens just to get started doing shows.
 
Slimline 2 platings
Elegant American 2 platings
Mont Blanc style 2 platings
2 Rollerball styles 2 platings each
Sierra 2 platings

Segmented pieces go on the high end display box.
 
Only 8 different styles, and nothing else (sold my last shaving set this week-end, for the footprint they took up on my table vs the income they generated I have discontinued them). IMHO to many choices just confuses them.
 
Clarification needed: when I wrote 46 platings I meant one to four maybe five different platings on each of 24 different pen styles; actually kitless doesn't have any component parts so I only have 23 styles that are plated.

Our show inventory level isn't for a first time seller. I think of it as a "model inventory" that is based on past selling experience. There is some seasonality to it, not all styles/colors sell at the same rate all year, and there is some regional orientation. If we have a extended road trip of 3-4 east coast shows coming up, we need a different group of products ready to sell than if we are going to some local shows.

At this time of year the model inventory is higher than it will be in the fall when we have so many shows close together and very little time to restock. We try to sell down the inventory so that it is at a low point at the end of the calendar year. Also on 5-6 weekends per year we do two shows and that takes double the inventory.

Keep in mind that not all styles/colors sell at the same pace. It is inevitable that best sellers by style and color (or wood type) will sell at 2-3 to 50 times the pace of your slower sellers. The problem is that for your first few shows you don't know what your best sellers are. Eventually you will accumulate some multiple show sales history. Hint: keep careful records of each show so you know what to expect when/if you return to the same show the next year.

Say you go to your first show with 12 different colors of a particular pen type, and over the course of the show you sell 5 of them. What does that tell you about what to take to the next show? I believe it tells me to make 2-3 or more of each of the five that sold for the next show. After building on that kind of response for a few years you may find that your model inventory needs 25 of one color and 2 of another. You can take special orders, but for the most part you can't sell things you don't have. You won't maximize your sales unless you can replace items as they are sold during a show.

Total number of items in inventory? I like to have 300 on display and an equal number in the cases under the tables, times two shows that adds up to 1200 total pens in the model inventory. Right now we have more than that, at times it will hopefull be well below. Except for a few very slow sellers, if I sell a pen and don't have another under the table to replace it, I think I've made a mistake. For some of the best sellers I go to shows prepared to replace the top sellers over and over.
 
Last edited:
Chasper said:
Total number of items in inventory? I like to have 300 on display and an equal number in the cases under the tables, times two shows that adds up to 1200 total pens in the model inventory. Right now we have more than that, at times it will hopefull be well below. Except for a few very slow sellers, if I sell a pen and don't have another under the table to replace it, I think I've made a mistake. For some of the best sellers I go to shows prepared to replace the top sellers over and over.
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WOW...what do you do in your SPARE time? :biggrin:
 
Thanks for starting this thread. I have my first show coming up in a few weeks and have pondered the same question. I decided that since I have never done a show and had no idea what to take, that I would just make a nice variety of pens this time, and see what sold. I do plan to take extras of the items that have sold best for me in the past ( Bullet pens and Aero pens ). I expect to have about 200 items for the show. I'll have a selection of everything from slims and stylus up to fountain pens with prices ranging from the $30's to several hundred dollars. Hopefully I'll have a few sales and get an idea what what I should take for the next show.
 
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