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Thread: Prices for pens

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    919

    Prices for pens

    Since we have a thread discussing the pricing for wine stoppers, so I thought I'd ask about pricing for pens. I've been making slimlines and I figure the break even point for all the materials -- not accounting for my time -- is about $12. What do you charge for slimlines and other 7mm pens?

    Have a good Memorial Day weekend! I hope to spend at least one of the days turning.

  2. #2
    $12 seems high to me for material cost for a slimline. Would you mind giving a price breakdown?

    Slimelines I usually sell for $25 to $30
    Mike Vickery

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Rio Rancho, NM
    Posts
    2,568
    Ellen, I sell individual slimlines for $25.00, and a set goes for $40.00. I usually try to convince my buyers to get a box for them, but it doesn't always happen.

    Nancy
    Nancy Laird
    Owner - D&N Specialties, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
    Woodworker, turner, laser engraver; RETIRED!
    Lasers - ULS M-20 (20W) & M-360 (40W), Corel X4 and X3
    SMC is user supported. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/donate.php
    ___________________________
    It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Goodland, Kansas
    Posts
    22,605
    I agree with Mike. What is the breakdown of your supplies? I figure mine are about $3 to $6. Just curious. I sell my slimlines for $20 and sets for $40.
    Bernie

    Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

    To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.



  5. #5
    I stopped making slimlines (just by preference...nothing against it) but when I was still making/selling them, I charge 25-30 for it. I always include a box. For my more expensive pens, I also include a refill.
    Dario

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Roanoke, Illinois
    Posts
    863
    Depends on where you are located. I can't get $10 here. So I quit making them for sale. I send them to Freedom Pens.

  7. #7
    Hi Ellen,

    Depends on the kit, but for 7 mm I have focused on the chrome Streamlines...$35- 40
    Take care,
    Jim

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    919
    Thanks for the responses. I figured costs as the most expensive kit plus the most expensive wood plus misc costs for the drill bit, glue, trimmer, bushings, finish, and clamping mechanism. This does not include wear and tear on the lathe, drill press, turning tools, and my time. I also thought that $25 was a fair price for the slimlines, so thanks for the confirmation.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Conway, Arkansas
    Posts
    13,181
    Quote Originally Posted by Terry Quiram View Post
    Depends on where you are located. I can't get $10 here. So I quit making them for sale. I send them to Freedom Pens.
    Well...I could at least get $15 each for my pens around here. I've had several offers for $5 for a cutom made pen. I just say "sorry, but I can't sell them for that, I've for a lot more than that in them". I have sold some very nice pens for a fair price, just not to folks around here. Many buyers have the Wal-Mart mentality...I want it and I want it for cheap!!! Well, I made it custom and you ain't gettin' it for cheap.
    Thanks & Happy Wood Chips,
    Dennis -
    Get the Benefits of Being an SMC Contributor..!
    ....DEBT is nothing more than yesterday's spending taken from tomorrow's income.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Los Angeles, CA
    Posts
    919
    I agree. Lots of people would like to have a pen or some other handcrafted item for a couple of bucks, but we all deserve some recompense for the skill that goes into making it.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    DuBois,Pa
    Posts
    1,557
    I sell mine for $34 but that includes a nice wood box.

    Bob

  12. #12

    Donate

    My wife runs the gift shop of our local historical society's museum. I make pens of local wood gathered from our forest, orchards, and rangeland. I donate the pens to her gift shop where she sells them for $25, and so all proceeds go to the museum as my donation. I attach a card giving the name of the particular variety of wood from which I make the pens -- mesquite, pine, juniper, and all sorts of fruit woods. Friends and neighbors give me wood they have gathered while pruning apples, peach, pear, and other trees. My garage is a veritable treasurehouse of coffee cans filled with their gift woods.
    Al Clem
    Sedona, AZ

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