sales- Gold vs chrome vs others

[Bigblackdog]

I want to build a bit of stock before starting to sell a few pens. Personally, I am not a big fan of gold items, but I am not buying the finished article.

What is the typical split of gold vs chrome vs other that people are typically selling?

 

[rayf6604]

I'm the same in not liking gold that much. I decided to stick to chrome or trivalent chrome for the high end pens and I have some titanium gold streamlines and they seem to sell as well as chrome. It's gunmetal that's not that popular.

 

[rayf6604]

To add, I sell hardly any Zetas or Executive Sierras. Most of what I find sells are Streamlines, or ladies pens, and fountains/rollerballs. I have Omega's and Sedonas but Jnr Gents have been a waste of time. I'm hoping the new Barons I've just got are going to sell. I believe in having a good mix of feminine and masculine pens and pens that appeal to younger people. Seems to be working.

 

[Dalboy]

I have a small stock of pens which is a mix. I then listen to people comments about the type of finish and style of pen and adjust my stock accordingly, not very scientific but it works for me. Remember that not all areas are the same what may sell in one venue may not in another and they can be only 5 miles apart

 

[Grump]

Not for sale but I made three pens from a dad's walking stick for his offspring after his death.
In order for them not to be able to mix them up I did one in gold one in chrome and one in copper.
They all wanted the gold one to the extent I striped the other two and replaced with gold.

 

[Phil Dart]

The answer is Mark, that I don't think there is an answer. I find that the best selling plating is influenced by the type of pen and the type of sale. It's maybe a question of sucking and seeing, and gaining experience in what sells best where. Its not really a question of what you like, its what your customers like and I find that a shop environment yields different sales to an online environment, which is different to a craft stall environment.

For example, gunmetal slimline stylus pens outsell chrome and gold put together by about 30 to 1 for me. Gold click sierras, which are my best online seller, outsell chrome by about the same margin. Sales of them to America used to be exactly the reverse, but now they seem to prefer gold too. I can't sell gunmetal elegant sierras or zetas online for love nor money, but they are amongst my best sellers in the shops. Gold fountain pens outsell chrome by about 20 to 1 to the point that I rarely buy chrome FP kits anymore.

99.99% of my pens are sold without any influence from me, because they either go online or through a shop, so the finish really is down to customer choice, not any sales patter from me.

I suspect that if we could collectively dream up a posh word for chrome, it might be a different story, but my theory is that chrome smacks of cheap and car bumpers, gunmetal has a mysterious, modern ring to it, whilst gold has connotations of quality, so as far as FPs are concerned I would always expect gold to outsell chrome.

Rhodium is a special case for me because I reserve it for high price/quality kits, so its a bit difficult for me to make a comparison. If I market a rhodium pen, generally speaking they get a choice of rhodium or rhodium - there is no alternative finish to compare it with, and I can't say that rhodium is less popular simply because for obvious reasons I sell fewer high priced pens than the lower priced ones.

It will be interesting to see how my epsilons perform, which I only have in chrome. They're not online yet and I've just started putting them in one or two shops, so we shall see.

It will also be interesting to hear what others have to say, particularly the big market stall sellers like Neil F if he catches on to this thread.

 

[Penpal]

Choosing between kits in various finishes can be perverse I have watched the discussion so far with interest all my choosing has been dependant on the blank being used is it complementary or not.

Peter.

 

[Bill Mooney]

Gold tips the balance for me.

 

[Bigblackdog]

At least with platings, the investment need only be a kit or two, unlike introducing a new kit that requires the bushings. Thanks for the advice so far.

 

[wm460]

Majority of my sales are gold.

 

[Penpal]

Certainly Silver kits are on the slide I notice.

Peter.

 

[Jim]

2 to 1 in favour of Chrome for me ..

 

[Doug]

I used to find Chrome was the most requested

 

[Winemaker]

I find most people ask for Gold

 

[Lons]

It's been said before and I don't think there's an answer. I choose the plating, providing I have the kit available, depending on how the blank looks. One which matches chrome might look horrible in gold and vice versa.

 

[Penpal]

Mark every now and then I mix kits up a bit I notice others do as well using different materials for centre bands sometimes changing clips worth trying without saying to prospective buyers get feedback usually appreciated just thought mate.

Peter.

 

[Neil]

The answer is Mark, that I don't think there is an answer. I find that the best selling plating is influenced by the type of pen and the type of sale. It's maybe a question of sucking and seeing, and gaining experience in what sells best where. Its not really a question of what you like, its what your customers like and I find that a shop environment yields different sales to an online environment, which is different to a craft stall environment.

For example, gunmetal slimline stylus pens outsell chrome and gold put together by about 30 to 1 for me. Gold click sierras, which are my best online seller, outsell chrome by about the same margin. Sales of them to America used to be exactly the reverse, but now they seem to prefer gold too. I can't sell gunmetal elegant sierras or zetas online for love nor money, but they are amongst my best sellers in the shops. Gold fountain pens outsell chrome by about 20 to 1 to the point that I rarely buy chrome FP kits anymore.

99.99% of my pens are sold without any influence from me, because they either go online or through a shop, so the finish really is down to customer choice, not any sales patter from me.

I suspect that if we could collectively dream up a posh word for chrome, it might be a different story, but my theory is that chrome smacks of cheap and car bumpers, gunmetal has a mysterious, modern ring to it, whilst gold has connotations of quality, so as far as FPs are concerned I would always expect gold to outsell chrome.

Rhodium is a special case for me because I reserve it for high price/quality kits, so its a bit difficult for me to make a comparison. If I market a rhodium pen, generally speaking they get a choice of rhodium or rhodium - there is no alternative finish to compare it with, and I can't say that rhodium is less popular simply because for obvious reasons I sell fewer high priced pens than the lower priced ones.

It will be interesting to see how my epsilons perform, which I only have in chrome. They're not online yet and I've just started putting them in one or two shops, so we shall see.

It will also be interesting to hear what others have to say, particularly the big market stall sellers like Neil F if he catches on to this thread.

Different kits from different sources have different thickness platings, and in my opinion this is significant. Gold (streamline gold is just yuck) and Chrome (yup goes on taps and towel rails) are pretty ghastly. My best sellers are Gun Metal. Not because it is Gun Metal but because it accentuates the wood. Its the mix of wood and colour not the plating alone that sells, contrast is king.