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Post by fernwood on May 3, 2019 6:32:53 GMT -5
Yesterday I met with the Manager at the business I am setting up at for the Arts Walk. She loved my create a necklace or bracelet idea.
At past shows I have had torque style bracelets available and silver plated necklaces. Customers could purchase either and then a charm/pendant or multiple, to add to them.
The manager also loved my simple pins that are just flat, tumbled cabs with a stick on pin back. She asked if I could offer those as a make your own, too.
Purists will say the flat cabs are not really cabs, but they do have some tapering and a girdle.
Was planning on offering the flat cabs for $5.00 to $10.00 each, depending. Should I just include the pin back for free?
The pins I have already made will be about $15.00 and up.
Appreciate any thoughts on this. Thanks.
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Post by rockjunquie on May 3, 2019 7:46:54 GMT -5
If pins are 15, then charge for the conversion.
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Post by MsAli on May 3, 2019 9:26:56 GMT -5
I would charge for the pins. Dont sell yourself short on them
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Post by Rockindad on May 3, 2019 10:20:44 GMT -5
Yesterday I met with the Manager at the business I am setting up at for the Arts Walk. She loved my create a necklace or bracelet idea. At past shows I have had torque style bracelets available and silver plated necklaces. Customers could purchase either and then a charm/pendant or multiple, to add to them. The manager also loved my simple pins that are just flat, tumbled cabs with a stick on pin back. She asked if I could offer those as a make your own, too. Purists will say the flat cabs are not really cabs, but they do have some tapering and a girdle. Was planning on offering the flat cabs for $5.00 to $10.00 each, depending. Should I just include the pin back for free? The pins I have already made will be about $15.00 and up. Appreciate any thoughts on this. Thanks. Not sure exactly what pins you are using so will use the assumption that they cost you 50 cents apiece, I know there are many other cheaper options out there and I'm sure a lot nicer ones also. I think it would be a hard sell to start with a $10 cab and charge 5 extra dollars for this, assuming you are going to have to peel and stick in front of the customer. Maybe another option would be to have a group of your cabs that are most suited to pins separated from the others, priced higher and with signage stating that these cabs come with a "free" pin conversion. Just a thought, apologies if any of the assumptions are incorrect. By the way, I am in no way condoning leaving money on the table, can't give it away, just a different approach. Best of luck! Al |
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Post by fernwood on May 3, 2019 11:16:25 GMT -5
The pins cost $.07 each.
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Post by greig on May 3, 2019 12:12:30 GMT -5
I would not have "free" pins or some chucklehead will grab a handful.
A long time ago, I had a small wholesale import business. For one line of goods, I resold items that a larger US partner sourced from other geos. Rather than make my own catalogue, I used theirs. While I was really selling porcelain figurines, the catalogue included sets of stick pins with a little metal figure on the end: butterflies, ladybugs, cat face, etc. They were really inexpensive. I personally didn't like them, but they were in the catalogue, so I shipped quite a few over the years to stores that wanted them. The reason that I bring this up is the issue for me was always was the pin. At the cheap price, kids wanted to buy them and ended up with a sharp pin stuck in their shirt or in a shopping bag in their hand. I was always worried that somebody would get seriously poked. I never found a solution, but it was always a worry. As such, for liability reasons, I would be tempted to sell the pins separately and don't directly help them make their item. I think your idea of providing the stuff to easily make something is a wonderful idea. My caution tale is just food for thought.
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Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2019 12:51:42 GMT -5
Definitely don't give away free or at cost. I'd have a box of them marked "Make Your Own Pin/Brooch" and charge $0.35 - $0.45 each for the pins. Not a big profit maker, but hopefully, they would encourage people to buy your cabs. |
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Post by stardiamond on May 3, 2019 19:54:58 GMT -5
I like the bracelet necklace idea because people like to customize those. For the pins, I would just offer the cabs as pins. I've made a lot of cabs and my wife bought a lot of them from other cutters as a collectible. Anything done to a cab than putting a hole in one is a complicated proposition. Making them into a pin is a simple solution.
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Post by fernwood on May 4, 2019 5:14:10 GMT -5
I went through my flat cabs and selected about 25 that would work for pins. Plan on charging $1.00 for a pin back to be attached to the back. Since people will be handling the cabs, I will need to clean the back prior to attaching.
Thanks for the input everyone.
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