Pin Making tips and FAQ!
We all started somewhere and are still learning. Here are some tips to get you started!
Save up more than you think you need (extra $200-$300~)
Why? You also need to pay for shipping supplies. If you don’t have a $200+ label printer, you need paper, tape and ink. You also need to pay for bubble mailers, bubble wrap/tissue paper AND customers shipping. PayPal does not release funds for up to 21 days for new sellers, and Shopify takes a few days to release funds too!
Will you tell me who your manufacturer is? Why don’t pinmakers like to share their manufacturer?
I work with 4 or 5 factories sourced from AliBaba and Instagram. You can just type in “enamel pin maker” or “lapel pin factory” into the search bar on either of those platforms and take a CHANCE! At first, I was confused as to why makers don’t like to share their manufacturer. There is one main reason why:
When a factory becomes popular, they get overwhelmed, therefore quality goes down. This has happened COUNTLESS times to other pinmakers I know, and it recently happened to me. I have had 3 batches of pins from a VERY popular manufacturer (5 star reviews and everything!!) turn out HORRIBLY and have made me want to quit pin making!
Self fund your first pins
This will gain customer trust. If your manufacturer promised the pins to be done in February, expect them to be done in March. If anything goes wrong with preorders (financially, quality wise) that adds more stress to your new business. Customers have expectations of you if you hold pre-orders.
Don’t order a lot!
EVERY pinmaker has been through this. Ordering 100pcs of a pin we think will sell SO WELL! But...it bombed. There are manufacturers out there with a minimum order quantity of 50 or under. Don’t just pay for 100 for your first pin. Lol.
GOOD LUCK!!