Quation about number of pen kits

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
K

keithbyrd

Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
2,623
Location
Mount Wolf, PA
Title should be QUESTION not Quation!!but I don't know how to edit the heading!
I'm curious - I have been making pens for almost a year and I am getting a fairly healthy imnventory of kits, busihing, blanks etc!
So I'm curious
icon5.gif
- Do you make a lot of pen kits or focus on just a few? Roughly, how many different pen kits do you make?
I just organized my bushings and blanks this week end and found I have 42 different bushing and have made at least one difFerent pen with each one!
 
Last edited:
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
When I started I set out to make one of every pen ever made and spent a LOT of money on bushings for pens I only made one of and won't make again. Now I find I only make about 8 different styles.
 
Keith,
There is the "80-20" rule that applies to most things in life.

80% of sales will come from 20% of your products, in this case.

When we started doing shows, I offered every kit that was made (about 20). I SOLD a bunch of cigars, slimlines (with a special shape) and Jr. Gents.

Ultimately, I cut down my selection to about 5 styles. Then, when the Emperor came out, I added that and the Imperial (maybe 20 pens in total), just for a "high end".

You will get much faster (and more accurate, for a better end product) at making one style than you do with a whole bunch of styles.
 
I have made a bunch of different types of pens. I can sell razors, slims,anything bullet,Vertex magnetic cap,Zens and sketch pencils.
Pens like the MAjestic,Nouveu Scepter, Jr Gent, Sierra, and others I have tried, that I cannot sell. So I stick with the first group that I can sell. The only way you will find out what you can sell is to do what you have done and keep making the ones that sell good for you. You will eventually sell the ones that do not sell so good or just give them away as I have done with some of mine.
 
Keith, I found that to many is confusing and to little doesn't give the customer enough choose. You have to tailor your line to the type of venues you do. I have 5 basic component sets for my regular line and two for my higher end line.
My regular line consist of Jr. Gent at the low end , next step up is the Retro, next is the Jr. Statesman in black Ti and finally the Jr. Statesman in 22K. I had enough fore sight to aquier enough Emperors to last a few years so they along with Majestic are the high end. I have added a ball point in the last two years when the EZwriter 9000 came out and for that I use the Arrow a Sierra type component set, which is the lowest priced pen I sell.
If your venue is craft type shows and farmers Mkt type shows the slims, bullet, cigar,Arrow (Sierra type) and maybe the jr. series as a higher end component, or some components along those lines. To many different styles just confuse them, you need a steady transition from your lower priced to your highest priced component set with out have two or three compnent sets in the same price range.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom