Thread: Pen demand

Gidday RG,
they sell. Not a problem. Perhaps not as many pens are you make, but they sell. but there a lot more then wooden pens able to be made on the lathe
hang around. Most people here happily share there secrets.
Toni

Hi,

"Can someone tell me if there is a market out there for pens. I'm not expecting any one to give me your secrets but I would like to know if it is worth exploring a market for myself"

Yes there is a market........
but in France

Turning pens is constructive, that allows see its creations used
every days between the hands of its customers. It is useful.

I do it as a hobby and sell them to get more and flasher kits
As for a demand ...yes but you need to look for it.
Cost wise a few pen kits, a mandrel and bushes (make your own) and away ya go ....cheaper than a new chisel
Pete

I think that if a company like MontBlanc can sell ordinary old plastic pens starting at $350.00 there is certainly a market out there.

Have a look here. These are not a patch on some of the pens produced by the members of the Pen Forum.

http://www.pencity.com.au/product_in...58a36e85f554d4

Some of the timber pens are things of beauty compared to the ones by all of the pen companys and some of the acrylics produced by the members leave those plain plastic and chrome pens for dead that are sold by the pen companys.

Although I have sold a few and have requests for a few more, I make and use them as gifts quite frequently - this saves purchasing retail items!

I haven't gone looking for a market, but believe if you look in the right directions they will certainly sell.

Using wood with a history or put together in unusual combinations is a real seller!

JD

Yes there is a market for finely hand crafted writing instruments in Australia as well Kruger You need to know what market you want to deal with, if you want to rip out some pens to make a quick buck buy the $2.50 slimline and sell them for $10 at a flee market. But if you are genuinely interested and want to sell quality the out lay for the higher end pen kits is not a big cost. A lot of people don't look at selling pens as a big part of an income, it is not my source of income but I look at the high end market and I look at selling a fountain pen of a certain style for $350 and if I do a matching rollerball that price almost doubles. You have to find what market you want to target and approach people that can make it achievable.
Darren

I've been thinking of selling some of mine once I get a bit better and get things figured out more. There's a flea/antique market here in the local that serves a more upscale sort of person who might be into buying fancy pens and whatnot. I was a bit skeptical of the market until I was in a local bookstore and came across a magazine on pens. There were pens in there selling for $5000-6000. There were also some that, although they were only selling for $100-$300, weren't as nice as some I or others on this forum have made ( I didn't think so at least) So thats when the little gears in my head started turning... So I think there is a market out there, its just finding it.

I'm getting waaay to many pens piling up though, if I don't find some way to move some of these things I'm going to be one of those people you read about in the paper, that when they die, their house is found full of some oddity like newspapers, cats, etc, etc, only in my case it will be pens.

Matt,
Obviously, I can't speak for the market in Australia, however, I do talk with Gina's customers all over the U.S. about their target customers. I don't want to sound snobbish, but the reality of marketing is you can't sell a $100 pen to somebody who works minimum wages. You have to pick your venues carefully. It often pays great dividends to go to a show as a customer and look at what is being offerred and sold. I guess that is why I am not that successful at pen selling. I get the biggest most content feeling when a young child, who is Christmas shopping for his Dad barters me down to $10 or $15 for a nice pen. At least it pays for the next kit or two.

Cheers,

Rick

Thanks for all your replys to my question.

Yeopo me ol mate theres a definant market here and overseas for pens... Ive made and sold a few now nothing under 50... and most around the 100 mark unless its a set or boxed then its more.

Ive started sending the better ones to the states to a friend in Connecticut and another in NY... they are doing far better than I at selling them!!... they also have the target market (financially secure and upwardly mobile) tied up being as theyre part of it helps!

Remember though... ANYTHING Aussie is selling like hotcakes in the states Im presently working out the design for the box and a card that will be included in each one presentation and information high selling points Ive been told... so the name of the timbers used is important as is being clear that its a product of Australia... Americans LOVE us Aussies just now and cant get enough of us or our flora and fauna so anything Aussie like say a Authentic Aussie Red Gum pen... or a Jarrah pen or Sheoak Banksia etc will sell.

But even here they sell well... Ive sold more to my mates at the mine that anywhere else... disposable income and a unique item that can be kept or gifted to someone else Sadly the best selling ones were the Huon Pine and Sassafras ones the Jarrah and Sheoak ones being next best but Im now totally out of Huon and Sassafras but not worried as the others sell well and actually faster... "ooh so Shane finally youve come to like Jarrah eh?" "nah not really boring timber really but hey other people like it so why not!!"

Im presently also working an angle to get hold of some of the timbers from the old Busselton Jetty for pens and if I can ever get my head around turning bowls and such these will be sold down there aimed at the overseas tourists... Ive been given some timbers from Broome as my sis passed by the other week on her move to Albany so theres another opening

Simply put... keep tabs on the type of timber your using the area it comes from and think of your market if you think they may need a map of the area it comes from then get a simple map and include it... presentation and information...

Ive been pleasantly surprised at how well pens sell... and I will admit I dont admit my "total novice" stature at the lathe either that they really dont need to know! to them Im a god!!

G'day Wild Dingo,
I guess I am one of those Americans who love y'all. If you were to go to one of our craft fairs, it would not be unusual to find at least one pen turner who has the regular variety of "exotics" like cocobolo, bocote, bubinga, and the North american woods, but you never see one Aussie wood. For one, just the names of the woods are cool. Hardly anybody here has ever seen, let alone heard of ringed gidgee, or brown mallee.
I won't be doing any craft fairs until the late fall and into the Christmas seasons. I am seriously considering doing at least one fair with Aussie woods exclusively. At the very least, I will have an area set aside to showcase those seperatly.


Cheers,

Rick

Originally Posted by ScrollZilla

G'day Wild Dingo,
I guess I am one of those Americans who love y'all. If you were to go to one of our craft fairs, it would not be unusual to find at least one pen turner who has the regular variety of "exotics" like cocobolo, bocote, bubinga, and the North american woods, but you never see one Aussie wood. For one, just the names of the woods are cool. Hardly anybody here has ever seen, let alone heard of ringed gidgee, or brown mallee.
I won't be doing any craft fairs until the late fall and into the Christmas seasons. I am seriously considering doing at least one fair with Aussie woods exclusively. At the very least, I will have an area set aside to showcase those seperatly.


Cheers,

Rick

Gidday Rick
I'll be interested to know how that goes mate... VERY interested! The blokes over there that Ive sent things through to have onsold them to business acquaintances and such or bought them for their family members as gifts... so far thats been enough and keeps me sending a nice steady flow over that way not to much you know? cause Ive still got the missus pestering me about the honey do list which cause were now selling up and moving has GROWN out of sight!

But Im really interested to know how that turns out for you

Cheers!

Hey Rick , you want some radiata pine?

Originally Posted by echnidna

Hey Rick , you want some radiata pine?