How much for your hand turned pens?

I get asked quite often how much do you sell your pens for? and can I make money from turning pens?

My answer is often how much you get depends on what your selling and yes for sure you can make quite a bit of money from selling pens.

How much I sell my pens for is based on the current calculations. For retail prices I generally use the following calculation.  3 x price of kit + 5 x price of blank + $20 for an upmarket pen.

So for example, a Red Mallee baron rollerball pen kit in upgrade gold is priced 3 x $10 + 5 x $3 + $20 = $65. This is the minimum price I normally sell for. If it was a special piece made particularly well I would price it at about $90 and let people bargin a bit down to $75 or $80.

Some people may say that’s too low, some may say it’s to high. I would say that is probably in the middle range of what people sell for. Too low $50 for about 30 mins work is not too bad considering your working at home. Too high, well its a hand crafted 1 off piece.

Slimlines and Streamlines prices are not based on that calculation. Generally slimlines are priced between $12 – $30 depending on where and when they are sold and also what finish is put on the kits. Most people use a friction polish like Shellawax, Glow or just plain bee’s wax.

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