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If you sell your pens..........

trapper

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Joined
Feb 13, 2013
Posts
252
Ok peoples,
I'm guessing all of use here make pens because

1. We enjoy it

2. We probably do it with a view to gifting our products or selling them on.

If you are selling them the first thing you have to accept is the product must be affordable within your market. There is no point in trying to sell a pen at a loss or to someone who cannot afford the price, simply you wont make the sale.

If your selling them its clearly with a view to obtain a reward for our efforts (beer token maybe) and probably fund the next one!!

I reckon it is important to consider many things in setting your sale price,

Firstly cost of components and materials, second labour, third overheads consumables etc.
For my part labour is pro rata £10 per hour.

Ok lets say components (kit) £5.00 + labour £10 + overheads etc £1.00 = £16.00

So wow you can sell a Sierra type kit for £16:nonono:

What about a tad bit of profit........... ok add 50% thats £8.00 ok so sell the pen for £24.00

Which means after you have paid the bills you make 33.3% profit or £8.00 to fund your next one you've even pid yourself £10 for the honour of making a profit.

Just a thought and meanderings of a legal mind..... hope it helps
 

Jim

Grand Master
Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Posts
15,617
I fully understand where you are coming from Steve, but in reality i couldn't get £24.00 for a Sierra in my neck of the woods. I get £20 for a baron pen i sell which i am happy with to be honest, all what i sell goes back into my pot to buy the accessories such as glue, sandpaper, micro mesh etc etc ...:bwink:

£10 Slimline straight forward
£15 Slimline segmented
 

trapper

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Feb 13, 2013
Posts
252
I agree with Jim the value of an item is simply what someone will pay for it. Generally here in the "bad lands" I find it more profitable to make as much of any pen as I can rather than using kits....... it does mean more investment in tooling etc but after that more freedom in styles etc......... that said I have sold one of the Gatsby pens for £35.00 to a chap in Sweden but that did include a bought in wooden box........... incidentally I think I have secured a source of brass tubes in all the popular sizes just awaiting prices etc only thing is you will have to cut them to length........ i get them in metre lengths thinking of selling them as 12" lengths
 

trapper

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Feb 13, 2013
Posts
252
I cut all my blanks if "square" section on my band saw using a sled and the table square, I fit the tubes and use a pen mill in the pillar drill. If the blanks are round I set them up in my metalworking lathe suported by a tailstock, revolving centre and cut a tad oversize by parting tool in the tool post then bore drill the sized blank glue up the tube and face off using the facing tool in the toolpost. Generally all the profiling I do either between centres or on a mandrel on the woodworking lathe............ some woods real hard stuff I will profile on the metal late using carbon tips I've used this in the upcoming tutorial i'm writing regarding section turning, the wood for the body of the pen is African Pav Rosa..... It's harder than Phil Mitchell:funny:.
 

Terry

Chairman Plonker
Executive Member
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Jan 31, 2013
Posts
9,504
Location
An exile Geordie living in Kingston upon Hull
First Name
Terry
Sorry Steve I didn't explain myself properly. What I meant was cutting the tubes themselves if you buy them in metre lengths. It is something I haven't tried but I was thinking a tube cutter that they use for copper pipe would suffice!!:thinks:
 

ataylor

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Nov 6, 2011
Posts
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UK
First Name
Andy
Sorry Steve I didn't explain myself properly. What I meant was cutting the tubes themselves if you buy them in metre lengths. It is something I haven't tried but I was thinking a tube cutter that they use for copper pipe would suffice!!:thinks:

I am pleased that you didn't express your self well mate, what a great answer by trapper. :ciggrin:
 

trapper

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Feb 13, 2013
Posts
252
With the brass tubes i cut them for example 5mm overlength using a metal blade on the bandsaw held in a sled with an end stop run true on the table with the table square. If the cut is burred or otherwise not so clean mount the tube up in a collet chuck and smooth off with a facing tool........ I have tried a plumbers hand pipe cutter the auto ones are ok but the clamp style tend to crush the tubes but you end up with a sharp edge and some burrs
 

trapper

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Feb 13, 2013
Posts
252
oops sorry ps to this: Carbon fibre tubes possibly available checking specs for internal diameters at the mo might be of interest to resin casters:thinks:
 

ataylor

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Posts
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UK
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Andy
With this being an hobby for me i would be fine making a little so that i could carry on with buying the kits, but i also understand that people also like to make up their wages or pension using this hobby, and i wish them all the best and hope that they can make a good go at it. :bwink:
 

ataylor

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I have never sold a pen that i have made,they have all gone to my family and friends. :thumbs:
 

Mattyd

AKA 'The Dundee Redneck'
Graduate Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2012
Posts
583
Location
Dundee
I work on cost plus £10 per hour.........
a basic pen is £13 posted, up to late £20's for an expensive kit, or a one off, or resin/burr hybrid...
I keep notes of what Ive paid, and include the cost of postage of any items i've had to order in.........
 

ataylor

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Joined
Nov 6, 2011
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1,668
Location
UK
First Name
Andy
I work on cost plus £10 per hour.........
a basic pen is £13 posted, up to late £20's for an expensive kit, or a one off, or resin/burr hybrid...
I keep notes of what Ive paid, and include the cost of postage of any items i've had to order in.........

Matty, the hybrids ain't cheap, do you sell these easily or is it on requests? They look great on pens and must help with selling them? :nooidea:
 

Mattyd

AKA 'The Dundee Redneck'
Graduate Member
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Dec 21, 2012
Posts
583
Location
Dundee
sierras I build on spec, because i get two pens from one blank.......... so its half the risk...
The others are built to order.:thumbs:
 

trapper

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Feb 13, 2013
Posts
252
Well other than my "will this work" and some promo items I only make to order apart from maybe something I fancy for myself but yep £10 an hour is good enough for my labour....... as an aside I also seem to make a lot of general carpentry stuff but again to order. I'm lucky that I just about make a living from something I enjoy doing. Mind you my "oops blimey what" cupboard needs an extension:funny:
 
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