Pen Prices

Was looking for pen boxes on ebay and came across a site for handmade pens, I was amazed how cheaply they are being sold, in some cases they hardly seem to be covering the cost of the kit and materials. Surely if you are selling anything whether it is handmade or not you have to take other factors into account and sell the articles at a fair price.

Robin

nimrod said:

Was looking for pen boxes on ebay and came across a site for handmade pens, I was amazed how cheaply they are being sold, in some cases they hardly seem to be covering the cost of the kit and materials. Surely if you are selling anything whether it is handmade or not you have to take other factors into account and sell the articles at a fair price.

Robin

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Some people do not value their work/creations.

Peter

We've had this debate a few times Robin, the facts are folks will sell pens for the price they want, some only want to recoupe the price of the kit, whilst others want to make a lot of money out of their pens & there're a lot in between.

The main thing is to sell your pens for what you think they are worth, that way you will be happy & at the end of the day that's the most important thing.

I know Robin, it seems like some people are that desperate to sell they will do it at cost to themselves. Either that, or they don't need to make anything monetarily, it's just something to do. Either way, its no good for those who arw trying to make something, and it also takes away the effort and hard work put in by the creator. You can't have a Porsce for the price of a mini !!:nonono:

As Doug says an age old debate, I took a member to task for selling his too cheaply but after listening to his argument I couldn't make him wrong.
To quote him.
"I make my pens for enjoyment, it's my hobby and a way of relaxing. My mobility stops me from going out to sell them so I have a limited market.
After a period of time I found I had 300 pens and no money, eBay was a way to shift my surplus and get more kits, I started at low prices to cover costs in the hope that the bidding would go up.
It rarely did but I drew the money out in £500 lumps and got more kits to continue my hobby."

Before I started making pens I had several nice pens and a few cheap ones. The cheap ones were always thrown on the desk and treated as cheap pens and the other (mont blanc) was treasured. They're all made from resin on a machine but I treasure the expensive one for some reason. I sell my pens at a premium and I know that he majority of them will be treasured... probably

I'm sure if you search this forum and another forum over the pond that this has been a debate many times.

But as Grump said, it's all down to what it means to the person at the time wether or not there is profit in making the pens.

Bane of my life Robin.
I think Neil F's signature line is so relevant.

I went to Fangfest a couple of years ago, and there were two turners selling pens.
Both only had slimlines.
One was selling for £11 a pen on it's own, whilst the other was selling for £13, in a box.
The £13 ones were flying out the door!
Not sure if there was any relevance in the fact that the £13 pens were the cheapest thing on his stall, whilst the other had light pulls and "Nik naks" priced at £4

I can see both sides of the debate, but I just feel that you are degrading the skill, time and effort you put into making a pen by selling them for such a low price.

Robin

It's a difficult one, I have researched prices (prior to putting mine on sale) and have been amazed at some of the low values.

nimrod said:

... Surely if you are selling anything whether it is handmade or not you HAVE to take other factors into account and sell the articles at a fair price.

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Hmmmmmm ... Nope, you don't HAVE to. You SHOULD, though ...

Ok I will open up the debate a bit, Mine are £20 for Slimlines and £25 for others, all in boxes. Mind you wood costs me nothing, though obviously have to pay for Acrylics. It pays for my hobby and the odd meal out treat etc.

Goulss said:

Ok I will open up the debate a bit, Mine are £20 for Slimlines and £25 for others, all in boxes. Mind you wood costs me nothing, though obviously have to pay for Acrylics. It pays for my hobby and the odd meal out treat etc.

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Cor blimey guvna your dear init?

Surely it's down to the individual deal, Neil knows only too well what people will pay not what you want or expect to get.
Get real, it's a pen not food.
Joe public will spend money on essentials not fancies.
Arty farty weird beard will make, grow, breed his own rather than line your pockets.
Fancy Nancy will pay someone else to buy it for her.
Your market is limited get to know it first then set your price accordingly.
I know mine is none existent, if I took 100 slims and set up a stall locally charging £20 for a pen, end of the day I would have a hospital food no stock and no money.
If I took same and charged £10 a pen I would have a black eye bruised shins no stock and no money.
If was to charge £2.00 a pen I could consider myself lucky to walk away with about £80 no stock and two newly acquired best mates who want to see me safely to the cash point so I can pay them protection wages.
Know your market and charge accordingly.
I do and don't bother It's cheaper and healthier for me to give away my produce or don't produce, simples init?

Without trying to sound cynical here who is right and who is wrong for selling pens at the price they believe that they can sell for? There can be a lot of factors behind the price, one is that they have tried and failed at higher prices, i sell my slimline at £10, but if they want more than one i let them have them at £8.50, i am happy and they are happy .. But most of all they come back for more when they have a Birthday or some other celebration ..

I agree with you Robin in the fact that they under value their work when giving them away ..

Jim said:

Without trying to sound cynical here who is right and who is wrong for selling pens at the price they believe that they can sell for? There can be a lot of factors behind the price, one is that they have tried and failed at higher prices, i sell my slimline at £10, but if they want more than one i let them have them at £8.50, i am happy and they are happy .. But most of all they come back for more when they have a Birthday or some other celebration ..

I agree with you Robin in the fact that they under value their work when giving them away ..

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Some would say that you are undervaluing your work Jim, far to cheap enuff init?
£60.00 a slimline for one of yours surely??
Well it is a debate init?

Grump said:

£60.00 a slimline for one of yours surely??

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lol, Brian i wish ... I have to make a stance at these prices ..

Look at matey from another forum who was highlighted here a short while ago at £400 & 500 a pen, who sent one to the Royal couple as a wedding gift.
Whether they ever saw it is another thing but it is all good advertising for him, nice sales pitch, impressive website.

Or is it? Does he sell 1 or 2 per week, month or year? Does he sell any?
Am I in awe, do I feel threatened, jealous or do I just think it's all billshut?

Does he subsidise his hobby with a full time job or is he a retired gentry, do I care?
I can stand at my lathe all day and not turn a pen, I am down to the last 20 sets of 500 sets of 8 saucepan handles.
Not glamorous but earning money init?

Are his pens any better than anyone else's? He uses the same kits.
There is only so far you can go to improve it, putting a solid gold nib on a shit kit is still a shit kit init?
Years ago I used to race cars, I put a v8 engine in an Anglia all I had was a fast Anglia.
I built a workshop, kitchen and bedrooms in a coach to save B&B money we could eat sleep and repair from one unit.
Good idea? No I was the tramp in the coach and not allowed on some circuits.
A friend had a caravan with a rotten chassis but lovely interior, I bought it from him and put all the furniture in an ambulance I got from auction, scrapped the caravan ally body and got my money back from the purchase.
Was it now a campervan? No I was now the tramp in the Ambulance.

Personally I don't give hoot how much you or anyone sells their pens for as long as you are happy with what you are doing.
This is a hobby for me and not a money making scheme, I won't get rich from pens or any other wood turning I do.
But I only do what I want and not what others say I should do, we all have different circumstances and live in different areas of affluence init?

So, you're going to sit on the fence about this then Brian

I've mentioned this before but every post has a Tom Sharpe book attached to it. The latest one would be Grump on the bus.

paulm said:

So, you're going to sit on the fence about this then Brian

I've mentioned this before but every post has a Tom Sharpe book attached to it. The latest one would be Grump on the bus.

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I reckon Brian would stand a better chance of a follow up Channel 4 documentary, series one "Tramp in a coach" and series two "Tramp in an Ambulance" there's probably some EU funding available.

I guess we come from various perspectives, hobbyists don't "need" to sell, bar recover costs and "fund the fun" ( a late night c4 documentary).

But the pros, boy they have to be viable prices and they must be so wound up by the legions of hobbyist pricing. But that's no different to hiring a handyman in cash, to do some plumbing, or asking a "firm" to do the same with their labour costs, Vat etc.

We however benefit from the likes of Neil and Walters trade information, professional advice etc and then potentially accidentally undercut them, - damn gents they are to help etc.

Mine are just life experiences, at least I have a life.
Who was it that wrote tales from a small island?
Some damn yank called Bill Bryson I think.
I just tell it as I see it, I could be wrong, often am but still survive init?
Still don't change the fact a shit kit is a shit kit no matter what price you charge for it init?