• Thanks for visiting The Penturners Forum today.

    There are many features and resources that currently you are unable to see or access, either because you're not yet registered, or if you're already registered, because you're not logged in.

    To gain full access to the forum, please log in or register now. Registration is completely free, it only takes a few seconds, and you can join our well established community of like-minded pen makers.

Cheeky Question - Price

Gav

Registered
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Posts
284
Location
Pontyclun, South Wales
First Name
Gavin
Dear Friends.......

Some friends and family have shown an interest in buying some of my pens as gifts (I've been giving most of my creations away so far) and have asked for some prices, now I'm at a loss as to what to ask.

So, my question is this, how much would you charge for a slimline? And how do you go about putting a price together?

Any guidance would be much appreciated!

Gav
 

Terry

Chairman Plonker
Executive Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2013
Posts
9,504
Location
An exile Geordie living in Kingston upon Hull
First Name
Terry
I am in the same boat as you Gav but the going price seems to be about £15 for a slimline rising to about £20 for a more exotic wood or acrylic. Some sellers do charge as much as £45 for a slimline but as Jim says it depends where you live. If you live in a poorer area people won't pay a lot and if you live in an affluent area you can get away with charging more!!!!!
 

Woody

Registered
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Posts
12,812
Location
at home
First Name
no
And Terry about summed it all up some say 3 times the amount you paid for everything it took to make the pen others add up all the cost and how much you want for your time plus some for profit but at the end of the day people will pay a fortune if the have it people who don't wont as an example a guy with a big yacht paid me £75 for a junior gents F/P made out of a bit of old Oak from the HMS Victory but a guy from Boston docks Linc's said a biro will do me thank you very much
 

Neil

Fellow
Joined
May 21, 2013
Posts
3,132
Location
Hitchin, Hertfordshire
First Name
Neil
Gav,

Two things seem to get debated at length on penturning forums, the use of imperial/metric drills and what should pens be sold for.

Its quite simple, if you ask me. It's what people will pay for them, nothing to do with what they are worth, nor the price of the components, the length of time it took to make them or the price of the blank, the latter is a small percentage of the price. A good blank makes it easier to sell amongst the others than may inhabit your stand, it wont normally get you a better price. I have frequently had over 200 hundred different woods on my stand and am greeted by someone asking me if I've got any in oak! To put that in perspective, I am often asked "You sell pens?" to which my rather deceptive response is, "No, I sell stories!" Its a genuine response as I explain that nobodu rushes home and tells everyone what pen they have bought Aunt Sylivia for Christmas, but if Aunt Sylvia was a nurse and you had a pen in Lignum Vitae, which as the wood of life has medical connections, or if somone of distinct Caribean connections bought a pen, I could sell them one again from Lignum as the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago grows on the tree. Of course if Aunt Sylvia was an undertaker, then it would have to be made of Elm, the traditional wood of coffins as they were resilient for some time to rot and helped, it was thought to preserve the body before the soul departed. And you heard the one about someone beng six feet under? OK it means that they are dead but it is actually a reflection on their wealth as gravediggers were paid by the foot, and if they werent rich they ended up in a paupers grave which was a cloth sack and two feet down. Now paupers graves were often near Yew trees, planted there not so much because of the myth about keeping evil souls away from the graveyard or the slightly more practical reason of keeping cattle out of the graveyard, but the real purpose was that the smell of yew is repugnant to foxes and rats and it stopped them digging up the grave and having a take away!

By the time you have added value to the pen its worth more than the £7/8/10 quid you see some slimlines being sold for. Gary Rance told me a very valuable tale. Put a pen in a box and it becomes a gift. My own addition to that is that a gift is worth, generally, more than a pen, particulalry if it has been thought about and the wood chosen to match the recipient.

Main law of business, doing business with friends and family is bad news, it always comes back to bite you on the arse. I get round this by giving friends and relatives a price list and telling them that they get 12.5% off, takes the awkwardness out of negotiating.

£15 for a streamline and £18 for a streamline stylus is what I charge, nice to get more but it is a fine balance in that I need to generate volume sales, its great making pens but if they sit on the shelf it doesnt fund your table fee!
 

Gav

Registered
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Posts
284
Location
Pontyclun, South Wales
First Name
Gavin
Thank you all for your comments.

Neil, I love the idea of selling a story, I think that's where the 'value' comes into it, and something I'll try to incorporate!

Now, metric or imperial.....:thinks:
 

Bluefoxy

Full Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2013
Posts
173
Location
London
I think it's worth remembering that the pens we make are unique, particularly the wooden ones. A standard Parker jotter will set you back £8.99 in WH Smiths. Silver top in cheap alloy and black plastic bottom in plastic. Parker turn out millions of these and they are all exactly the same. Functional but hardly design classics. I love Neil's idea of selling a story but I would also emphasise the uniqueness of the product. Having said all that I don't sell my pens so what do I know :winking:

Ray
 

Neil

Fellow
Joined
May 21, 2013
Posts
3,132
Location
Hitchin, Hertfordshire
First Name
Neil
Wow,i'm selling standard silver slimline in beech,oak,maple,mahogany,pine or walnut for £7.50 including P&P and in a pouch
If you factor in travel, accommodation if any, table fees, finishes, paper, consumables such as paper towels, kits, wood, glue, - you're losing money.
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Selling a pen is great in helping finance the hobby we love, all the pens i sell goes back in buying my equipment and kits ... I sell my slimlines at £10, segmented ones at £15/20 depending on how much work was involved... Neil, that is an excellent tip regarding the stories when selling your pens, do you research your information or is it something you have learnt over the years ... :thinks:
 

Pete B

Registered
Joined
Apr 22, 2013
Posts
264
Location
Almost in Northumberland
Hi,

£20 for a slim line is a reasonable mark up i think as they are cheap kits to buy.
But i try to get £35 to£45 for squires (i know they are a bit ugly but a lot of girlies like them) and £25 to £30 for timberbits cheaper sierras but i can make a lot more sierras per hour than slimlines.
I once sold two statesmens in burr elm i think it was in a posh antiqey type shop in Newcastle in a posh walnut case, i got less than half that from the shop. But i only sold about half a dozen pens and a few bowls there in over a year so the prices were wrong, wrong shop perhaps.
We are all up against brands. As has been pointed out with the parker analogy, but i wonder how much Mint Blanc cheaper pens actually cost to make and where they are made and i bet its a raging certainty that they are not that hand made like our pens, but the brand is huge.
Neil they are good stories and very interesting, i try to know where all my timber comes from but sometimes its hard to actually find out, some people like to know you know this.
Neil you have a real handle on prices as i think are by far the largest volume seller here and probably have the most experience of selling. i would love it if you would share what you charge for other kits, as i struggle to say the least to get it right.
I know theres big difference between the sunny wealthy :winking:south east compared to the cold dark north east, but we did get the outside toilet taken out last year !!
Seriously if you could find the time it would be appreciated by not just me.

Regards

Pete
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
Hi,

£20 for a slim line is a reasonable mark up i think as they are cheap kits to buy.
But i try to get £35 to£45 for squires (i know they are a bit ugly but a lot of girlies like them) and £25 to £30 for timberbits cheaper sierras but i can make a lot more sierras per hour than slimlines.
I once sold two statesmens in burr elm i think it was in a posh antiqey type shop in Newcastle in a posh walnut case, i got less than half that from the shop. But i only sold about half a dozen pens and a few bowls there in over a year so the prices were wrong, wrong shop perhaps.
We are all up against brands. As has been pointed out with the parker analogy, but i wonder how much Mint Blanc cheaper pens actually cost to make and where they are made and i bet its a raging certainty that they are not that hand made like our pens, but the brand is huge.
Neil they are good stories and very interesting, i try to know where all my timber comes from but sometimes its hard to actually find out, some people like to know you know this.
Neil you have a real handle on prices as i think are by far the largest volume seller here and probably have the most experience of selling. i would love it if you would share what you charge for other kits, as i struggle to say the least to get it right.
I know theres big difference between the sunny wealthy :winking:south east compared to the cold dark north east, but we did get the outside toilet taken out last year !!
Seriously if you could find the time it would be appreciated by not just me.

Regards

Pete


Well said Pete ... For us all ... :kiss:
 

sbwertz

Full Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2013
Posts
301
Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
First Name
Sharon
I'm not sure what the rate of exchange between the US dollar and British pound is, but I sell a simple slimline in basic plating and "found" wood for $15. I add $5 if it has a stylus on the clip. If it is an exotic wood blank I had to buy, I add $5. If it has semiprecious stone inlay, or decal, another $5. So, for example, a slimline in pecan (found wood) would be $15. If it has a stylus, $20. If it also has turquoise inlay or a decal $25. Simple slimline with a purchased box elder burl blank, $20, etc.
 

Bluefoxy

Full Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2013
Posts
173
Location
London
I'm not sure what the rate of exchange between the US dollar and British pound is, but I sell a simple slimline in basic plating and "found" wood for $15. I add $5 if it has a stylus on the clip. If it is an exotic wood blank I had to buy, I add $5. If it has semiprecious stone inlay, or decal, another $5. So, for example, a slimline in pecan (found wood) would be $15. If it has a stylus, $20. If it also has turquoise inlay or a decal $25. Simple slimline with a purchased box elder burl blank, $20, etc.

$15 dollars approx. £10 give or take a few cents. So my dear you seem to be at the cheap end of the spectrum. However as a number of posts have stated many people sell pens to fund their hobby. Only a few, like Neil, entertain it as a business and believe me he works very hard at it!

Ray
 

yorkshireman

Wood Rat
Executive Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2013
Posts
5,199
Location
wrexham
First Name
Keith
Matt you're losing money. A quick estimate of costs;
slimline kit £3
wood say £1
glue, polish etc 50p
electric and heating £1
outlay on tools per pen say £1
depreciation and replacing tools per pen say 50p
your petrol money collecting materials
the list goes on and on mate. If someone offers less than £10 for a slimline just smile and walk away.
 

Old Corky

Full Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Posts
54
Location
Pine Island,Texas, USA
Wow,i'm selling standard silver slimline in beech,oak,maple,mahogany,pine or walnut for £7.50 including P&P and in a pouch

I sell the Slimline for $15 or about 10 pounds. I pay about $3.50 for the kit and since I buy 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 by 12 or 24 inch turning squares and rip them to 3/4 by3/4 inch sticks. That's 8 pens per foot so the blanks are usually less then a dollar per pen. And with the short left over ends, I make "Stubby Stylus'" out of them and sell them for $10. each. Hardware for then costs about $3.00.
Stubby02.JPG

Old Corky
Pine Island, Texas
 
Warning! This thread has not had any replies for over a year. You are welcome to post a reply here, but it might be better to start a new thread (and maybe include a link to this one if you need to).
Top