Custom Enamel Pins in Small Batches or Small Quantities

It probably ranks as the most asked question we have encountered in the decades we have been designing and making custom enamel pins. I’m speaking of the question, “Can you make less than 100 pins?” Of course, there are popular variants of this question like:

1. Can you make a small batch of enamel pins for me?
2. What is your minimum order and can I order less than it?
3. What is the smallest quantity of custom pins I can order?
4. Can I order 50 pins instead of 100?

We totally get where you’re coming from and over the years we have tried to accommodate orders of any quantity, even those below a “minimum.” The short answer to these questions, is “Yes” but there are caveats.

I think it would help to illustrate how pricing is determined for ours and most any other product out there. We price our pins are competitively as possible and most likely just outright lower than many popular custom pin companies. When we created our pricing schedule we had to, of course, cover our costs and then some sort of profit. What are the costs, then, of making a custom pin then? Here are some of the factors we must consider:

• The graphic designer time to create your custom pin proof
• The materials to make your custom enamel pins
• The steel die used to stamp your pins out along with the CNC programming to cut your design into the die itself
• The labor to paint, polished and package your pins
• The shipping, handling and import taxes and fees for transporting and delivering your order of pins

These 5 points compromise the most basic and directly related elements of the costs for an order of custom pins. There are harder to calculate indirect costs like utilities, rent and the like but the basic ones get the job done in explaining the costs we have to pass onto a customer.

Knowing what goes on behind the scenes, you begin  to understand that when an order drops in quantity, the per pin price rises. If you order 100 pins, then we have more pins to average the fixed costs of manufacturing your order, such as the mold and shipping costs. Let’s say we halved your order to 50 pins, then we have half the number of pins to average in those same costs which means the price per pin not just rises but it actually skyrockets. 

With the short answer being “Yes” to a question of ordering a smaller batch of pins it just might price your order out of your budget. So if you’re ordering 50 pins or perhaps less, there are some considerations you should make before proceeding with a smaller quantity. The most important consideration is if you’re selling these pins the higher per unit cost would cut into your own profits. The more you order, the lesser you pay per pin which means you have greater flexibility in your own pricing. If you feel confident that your design would attract a lot of attention we recommend ordering as many as you can in your first order. If you’re not selling the pins and they are for personal or business use, you should definitely order the quantity you exactly need but do consider cost saving measures such as:

• Think longer term. Maybe you just need 50 custom pins this year but if you take the date of your pin then it can be used any year, for instance.
• Turn your custom enamel pins into a tiered award. Utilizing the same design but order it in many different metal finishes can accomplish the goal of increasing your total quantity without introducing any expensive setup costs since the design remains the same.
• Create different color schemes. In the same vein as the previous point, you can change the colored areas of your pin to create unique looks without changing the mold or die of your pin order. This could allow you to offer more products to your customers without added costs to your bottom line.
• Offer choice with different clutches and attachments. You might know that we offer upgraded clutches and even magnetic attachments for our custom pins. If you were to order, say, 50 of a pin with a rubber clutch and 50 with a magnetic clothing attachment, you can increase the options for your customers and order enough pins that you drastically decrease your per pin costs.

In closing, technically you can order any quantity of custom pins you’d like so if you’re in the market for a custom enamel pin, reach out to us by completing our free quote form or emailing us your pin ideas.