Hi everybody i have an opportunity to create badges and sell them at 50%-80% profit on top. Now i can easily start an enamel badge business and beat the prices others are offering as i have already looked around. Now im not sure what type of badges would be popular? Does anybody have any ideas how and where i can find an audience who are interested in purchasing small enamel badges at bulk? Thanks!
lol im not selling badges yet!! I just want to know how i would be able to obtain a badge market or those who will want to buy from me. Ok here is what i have... I have a manufacturer who does quality but cheap enamel badges. I/You/We design and they implement it. I can easily beat everybody listed on googles sponsored ads offering badges.. http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=enamel+badges&meta= http://www.maxbadges.com/Enamel Badges Price List.pdf Small enamel metal badges, embroidery on clothing, soft enamel etc.. Below are some bulk orders i made for myself for a few friends websites where they have sold them for 80% profit or even 50% profit. Below are the two badges: They measure 1.5cms / 15mm in Diameter.
I think there is a market for that. Main problem I forecast is the cost of shipping. I guess a lot of people will buy these for the novelty of it. But shipping isn't going to be cheap and is going to be more expensive than your products maybe.
No shipping is cheap! lol ive had two lots sent over to me.. Im just after an area where i can market these... from the research ive carried out.. its usually big companies and other private organisers and teams who tend to go for badges... otherwise its a slow market area i suppose...
Don't make the mistake most everyone else makes.... instead of looking for a market to sell your product you should be looking for a product a market really wants... So look for a market first, then find out what they are passionate about. After that look at their number one problem and give them a solution. Like I said before, DO NOT have a product first then try and look for a market... it just doesn't work that way. I made that mistake a few years ago and I lost $15,000 because no one wanted the product I had. Now, I look for markets with problems first, then find the solution!
thats how much I lost in the strip club when I turned 21 within a few months =) so KayZ, whats the prices?
Kayz, there is much competition out there. If you don't believe me look at my first link in my sig. This is a great area but not like you imagine. By the way, they are really called lapel pins. This is a very large part of my business so I know first hand that it is not as you think. You have more competition than you can imagine and if you think your the cheapest you will be corrected soon. I only say this because when I started I found out how hard it is and now I am one of the biggest sites for it. Business is nice but you better be prepared. One of the biggest things you better start learning is the niche lingo, like lapel pin.
Very well said, your very right indeed. Dont make/buy the product if you dont know or have anywhere to sell it/market it. Well im not selling the badges, and i dont want to give away the prices! But if i were to sell them in large QTY's then i would sell them for $1.10 each or maybe $1 each. That will not include the mold fee as such. ^^ If i was to sell a QTY of a 100 badges with the above figures + mold fee then i would be making a good profit.. I understand that you have been in the business for a very long time and i dont doubt your expertise the slightest. Yes i am aware of the competition hence i posted up the google links above and i'll say it again: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=enamel+badges&meta= Ive looked at them all and i can beat their prices. Lapel pins and Enamel? Correction where i buy the badges from they call it "Soft Enamel". Lapel Pins are not a niche. Yes i understand its hard work when it comes to business, and in business you have to be aware of competition too. I also noticed customers are made to order 200, 300, 400+ as a minimum to even be able to place an order. What about when in actual fact the company only requires 50 or less... badges....? So they are forced to buy a bulk of 200, 300+ badges when they only need 20 dont you think the rest 180, 280 badges left over are a waste? But of course there are people who do offer smaller QTY but for a higher price. As you instructed me to take a look at your signature link where you also are selling badges. I noticed for a 15.8mm sized badge has a minimum QTY order of 299pcs @ 0.119. Its interesting to see your prices in comparison with the list of other businesses i posted above in the google link. Your prices are no different. After your very forward post regarding competition and being one of the "cheapest" i can tell you with regret that you have too many costs involved and you are miles away from what i call cheap + quality. Your price list? http://www.uschallengecoins.com/Custom-Pins.html I have no middle man nor a reseller. I design the badges myself and forward it onto the manufacturer. They make the badges from the raw materials they have and are sold at incredibly low prices. Your post and others who have shed interest have somewhat inspired me, as i can truly start a business now which i can say with my hand on my heart beats any and all the prices that are available on the internet today. I have not come across a single business which includes a QTY of 50 badges as a minimum on their price list. Some also charge per colour, whereas with what i have to offer doesnt involve per colour prices... (but having said that i may charge per colour... even though the manufacturers dont state such a thing as "per colour charge") To give you a perspective I can sell a QTY of 20 badges @ $1 each or less having still made a profit on top with the customers own design and with as many colours as they want.... in the UK $1 is around 0.50 pence, i can tell you now people have bought the badges ive posted above for £2 thats around $4 each... which is a fair price when the design itself is unique The company dosent only do badges but also embroidery!! I am now quite excited! My studies are almost over.. a month or two to go! I think im going to start a new venture! I think i really am onto something! Here comes the big daddy!! competition!! "Watch out watch out Kayz is about!"
Kayz, Good points. I am not concerned, I was only lending my opinion and since my prices are in USD I have some of the most competitive prices around. Besides that is a base price table and not actual. Many people will make an order of only 20-50 pins as well just like I will. I was showing you my site to show you one of many sites out there. I have 120 sites...I showed you one. As you stated 299 pins at 12 cents (rounded up) each is $35.88, if you are saying this is expensive I would say you are crazy. Calling them soft enamel badges will lessen your sales. Most people will not refer to them as such. As for the soft enamel and lapel pins. Perhaps in the UK they call it soft enamel. In China where they produce these lapel pins they will call they soft enamel referring to the type of paint they use. They also use hard enamel. They are called lapel pins though in the collecting and buying field. Soft enamel paint is also used on coins, keychains, and other products. You are referring to paint and yes I know on many manufacturing sites out of China they use this term. All factories in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, and so on do embroidery, pins, coins, belt buckles, lanyards...if you are just figuring this out I would do more research before jumping in. I wouldn't worry about what people have posted for their quantity of 50, most don't post. If it helps you though, I will add that to my chart for you. No one on the internet has beat me to date. I seriously doubt you will either. I am not having a pissing contest, I was merely just telling you it's a bigger field out there and take a look at my site. I appreciate the link you gave me. This is an exciting field to get into. I wish you the best of luck. Establishing a customer base is the toughest part. If you don't know what your talking about you will lose them very fast. You're in the UK so it may be different there but you still have a lot of competition out there and I know some of them. I highly suggest you do a ton of research, and really have a great factory putting your stuff out there. Anyone can make a pin, but few make great pins.
Oh and Kayz, when you up and running come on over to MilBid.com and sell you pins. Always looking for sellers that want to market to people looking for them. I don't sell on there, just giving you an avenue that doesn't cost anything. If you need any advice or help just ask. I am not your competitor and would be more than happy to give you any advice.
You know... i dont know what it was and why i thought 0.119 was $1.19 it was one of those quick glimpses i had. I will put my hands up and tell you that yes.. you are the cheapest! Ive ordered QTY's upto 30, 70 and 100. I have just sent them an email to send me an entire list of what they manufacture and how the prices differ in terms of QTY. But yes.. you are cheap... i highly doubt they will tell me what uve told me. With regards to Asia... i am well aware of what they do and have to offer... there is so much potential!
I kinda thought you took that number to be that and thats why I put it out there like that. Seriously though if you are interested in getting into this I will lend a hand and help you. I am the number 2 company in the U.S. for all this stuff. However, I do it because I want to save people money and of course I like making money also. There is a mega clientele for this kind of product. I am about to open my first wholesaling site where minimum order is 12 and all pins under a dollar each depending on the quantity. I am a designer also and I know what sells. You will too if you do the right research. You need to figure out if you want to retail or wholesale. Retail is a sweeter piece of the pie. However, if you can get in the middle of both you will be doing very well. I am getting in the middle. If I was in your shoes, I would focus on pins and patches. The patches being wholesale only as there isn't a giant market for retail. Lanyards and keychains have not been so exploited. Get in there too if you can. Like I said, I am only trying to help and nothing else. I have secured my position already and I wish there were more people like you that want to get in to run some of the greedy ones out of business. You can have a lot of fun and meet some great people. I promise though, once you get in you more than likely will keep this line of work for the rest of your life. I am 29 and I can almost retire. I understand this is a public forum and many will jump at this but it's not for everyone. I am flying myself and about 4 of my guys to China this summer to walk the factories we operate out of.
Like i said earlier.. like your post before its all inspiration for me, its what makes me think and gives me that push.. Im sitting on the fence with regards to badges... as for a moment i really did think ive got something here being the cheapest.. but of course uve proven me wrong! 0.119 is cheap.. and not so sure if i want to start something like this. I have other plans but the badge thing was for a few websites and members/groups which sold quite well.. i was thinking i could really get into this.. design my own badges and other peoples badges. People do buy the right badges like hot cakes without a doubt. Likewise i saw the potential.. thought id make this thread and see if there really is potential and a market out there for which i know my time and hard work will be worth while. Your 29 and can afford to retire is just too uber cool and ive only recently turned 22..! How comes when i was in search of badges last year... i did not stumble across your website?
I switched domain names in Oct to my new one so I may not have been in the search engine. If you decide on it please let me know if there is anything I can help you with. Adam