How to Make Custom Enamel Pins and Start an Online Accessories Business in 2022 If you are a massive enamel pin fan, interested in making custom enamel pins, and want to start your own online enamel pin & accessories business, that's great news! Enamel pins are hot right now and this is the blog post for you!! On this page, I'm going to teach you how to make custom enamel pins using a few simple steps. Plus, I'll provide some free tips on how to get started in the online accessory and custom enamel pin business which could lead to the first order on your very own store. So, if you're ready to learn, keep reading! The small yet fast-growing enamel pin industry has been heating up with new innovations and creations from designers all over the globe. From charity campaigns to personal style statements, these cute pins have become a popular way for people who want to customize their jewelry and clothes to make a custom statement It's a great time to be an entrepreneur, especially if your idea has anything to do with fashion or beauty products. With an industry filled with endless potential, what better way than by creating these adorable little accessories that can easily adorn anyone for any event? (backpack pin anyone?!!!) It doesn't take much effort either; all you'll need is some creativity (of course) and a little business savvy. The best part? You can sell them easily through social media channels like IG, imagine your own artwork used to fill friends' feeds (if they aren't already addicted). There's no better time than now if you're interested in getting started. The future of custom enamel pins is here! What are enamel pins/lapel pins and what do they represent? Enamel Pins, otherwise known as lapel pins are small, decorative metal pieces, cured in hard enamel that can be worn on the lapels of your jacket or displayed anywhere as an accessory ( even backpacks and shoes). They're often used to show someone's membership with certain organizations but they've also become more popular in recent years primarily around fashion trends where people will purchase custom hard enamel pins to create their unique style or in support of a cause, pop culture icon or event. Why has the popularity of enamel pins exploded in recent years, and why will they continue to be popular in 2022? Brought into fashion by international military personnel and political bodies as early as the first world war, Enamel pins custom designs have been around a very long time and their popularity has persevered throughout the ages with technology making factory production easier. Military and political groups still use proprietary custom enamel pins but the usage has expanded into popular culture as hard enamel pins and soft enamel pin trading & collecting has become a popular hobby. The introduction of the Hard Rock Cafe's Pinflair trend in the mid 80s/early 90s and the demand for pins of popular cartoon characters encouraged by the Disney franchise has helped keep the enamel pin community healthy. More recently artists and designers seem to have vaulted to the forefront of the custom enamel pin scene by creating special, limited edition, high demand pieces for many popular themes. There is no doubt that custom hard enamel pins will remain popular for many years to come as they embody the latest political landscape, cause, trend, and fashion. Why should you be making enamel pins? Enamel pins have transformed from simple lapel pin adornments and tourist souvenir pins into an art form. Everyone selling artwork knows that ART IS TIMELESS. Not only is art timeless, it often retains and increases in value and desirability. With globalization, currency stabilization, free design software, and easier access to a specialist pin production factory, it's easier than ever to custom design pins and fill orders for your brand. Enamel pins normally fetch between $8-$15 ( £7-£12)with the addition of free shipping this price point appeal's to the impulse buyer, which is great for marketers and sellers. Enamel pins are always up to date. Instead of coming in and out of fashion, enamel pins reflect the current affairs and popular climate. Designs reflect up-to-date causes, issues, TV shows, news, celebrities, groups, clubs, quotes, and pop culture so pins will always be trending making it easy to appeal to your customer. Custom enamel pins will allow you use your ideas to create your own images and artwork to customize your own artistic and creative outlet. Art is therapy and we are all about self-love. Your custom enamel pin shop could create a stable revenue stream and turn that side hustle into your paid passion project Dropshipping Enamel pins is easier than other products out there. Enamel pins are relatively well constructed which prevents breakage during transport, they pair well with other fashion products, or are great as a sell alone product, pins are non-perishable, there is something for every customer - there is a pin for any niche market you care to name, enamel pins are pretty lightweight making shipping faster & cheaper ( some times free) and pins also have a decent profit margin, especially when you fill a bulk order. Let's get into the pin world by taking a deep dive into the different types of enamel pins. Photo-etched In the photo-etch process, Only the shape of the pin design is stamped out during the photo-etch process. Through a chemical process on the pin face, the design is then etched into the metal backing and then filled in with color by hand. After the pin is baked and polished, a fine coat of epoxy is applied to create a lovely shine. Hard Enamel AKA Cloisonné Copper or brass are both used to stamp out and create the initial metal design. The factory stamping process leaves recessed areas, or pockets, different colored powders are then used to fill up the recess which completes the design aspects, before being fired at around 800-900 degrees Fahrenheit (447 Celsius). After, the firing, the surface of this pin is ground down into a perfectly smooth, high shine finish and plated over to create an amazing-looking product! This process was originally referred to as Cloisonné or called Epola fill (Imitation Cloisonné) Photo dome This process starts with the design on a strip of vinyl or a large page of especially durable paper that is applied to a metal base encapsulated in a dome of epoxy. This is a process that has a rapid production time which makes it cheaper to fill orders and therefore more popular to create in the US. Soft enamel Soft enamel is a similar process to making custom hard enamel pins, where tiny metal shapes separate the colored fill areas in the design. Unlike the hard enamel process, the colored powder fill lies below the metal, after the firing process the metal is prominent and raised which is obvious to the touch and highlights the artwork. While the soft enamel finish is the most recognizable and traditional of the enamel pin options. This option can also be covered in epoxy to create a smoother finish. 4-color process Otherwise known as offset printing this process is similar to the process used to print and mass-produce magazines on a production line. This process is best suited to create incredibly complex designs and fill hyper-realistic photo work ideas. Screen printed Silk screening is another name for screen-printed pins. This process is started by applying color to a metal base with a silkscreen before applying a thin layer of epoxy fill for a high shine finish. How do I choose a type of enamel pin to work with? Wow, we geeked out a bit and overloaded you on pin info and plating options. But rest assured, when you are looking to design and set up your own pin business, production line, or dropshipping store you will only need to work with 2 types of pins. SOFT ENAMEL PINS and HARD ENAMEL PINS. These 2 types are most customers choice, making them the most popular types of enamel pins on the market and leading the market in demand and sales volume. How do you make an enamel pin, and what do you need to start? Are you thinking of starting a business making custom enamel pins? Well, you've come to the right place! In this article, we'll walk you through everything you need to know to get started on your very own custom enamel pins brand. To start, you'll need to do some research to figure out what supplies and tools you need to create custom pins. Then, you'll need to design your pins. Once you create your design, you can reach out to a manufacturer with your artwork proof and start to produce your pins. Finally, you'll need to build an audience for your brand to sell your pins online or in-person to create a strong brand presence. With this guide, you'll be on your way to creating custom enamel pins that are perfect for any occasion or event! Let's get started ! If you are new to the business and new to designing custom enamel pins then it's easy to get bewildered working out where to start. You have a ton of questions!!! So here is the definitive list flow to get you off to great beginnings. Finding a niche and my customers Create designs that translate well on enamel pins Create trending enamel pin designs that sell and fill orders Find hot products to sell online The how, when, who, and what of selling enamel pins online. Find your people, find your niche The key to sales is understanding your audience. Understanding an audience is easier if you have an advantage. Think about the things you love. Are you a massive sports fan, a car head, an avid anime watcher, or a guardian of the ocean? Any of these interests can be translated into custom pins using your own artwork. Picking an area of interest you are already enthusiastically involved with, will cut out a lot of the guesswork. Utilizing your own niche communities is fun and rewarding but if you are already a marketing pro, you may prefer to find a new niche to explore. If this is the case, get ready, your first job is intensive research The 3 best niche finding tool we use are Google Trends Gives you a general review and ideas of global Google searches. Reddit RedditList will help you discover and monitor the most active Reddit boards. You can use this information to delve deep into any interest, subculture, diversion or hobby you like. KWFinder KWFinder analyses the frequency of Google search words and terms to help you hit interests that are already in high demand Create enamel pin designs. After that happy moment of discovering and deciding on your tribe. You will need to decide what designs will appeal to your niche and start your artistic journey to create your own custom enamel pins. There are 2 ways to do this. Design it yourself or work with a design professional. Design it yourself. If you have the technical expertise, an in house design team or artistic flair to create a digital proof of your custom enamel pin designs, then these software packages will come in handy to get your idea and artwork in a first proof format that is acceptable and ready to pass on to a manufacturer. Paid Photoshop/Illustrator Free Sumopaint GIMP Pixlr Paint.NET Work with a Pin Pro If you do not have an amenable friend in the design discipline willing to work on your product's artwork then you will need to hire a freelance designer who can complete the task of designing for you or modify proof work for you. There are many gig apps and online marketplaces that service design freelancers where you can find your dream pin designer with a quick and simple inquiry . Sign up for a membership account to explore any of these options: Fiverr Upwork Creative Market GraphicRiver Noun Project Tips on custom enamel pin design to get your proof approved. Do not use small txt or weird unreadable fonts Do not use gradients Use solid colors only Try the Pantone color match system for enamel colors that match the factory colors Format designs in PNG, JPG or vector Finding a solid manufacturer to produce your pins This is Defo the hard bit and the chapter that should make you sit up straight, listen and lead to plenty of further research on the subject. Once you have an amazing set of professionally produced enamel pin designs, it's time to get them made and into your shop. The process is not complex but unfortunately, there is a proliferation of suppliers available to produce the pins which you must search and wade through to get your gear made. You can either go with an American or European-based company like these: Wizard pins, The/Studio, Made by cooper, True Metal Works OR you can start an account and contact and negotiate service, terms, price, and delivery with Chinese suppliers directly through Alibaba. Once you select your provider and send artwork you will need to consider and negotiate the following points with them Materials - decide on hard or soft enamel pins - color of your custom enamel pins metal base. Pin Backing - ask about the backing options for your custom enamel pin. Is there only a factory standard option or do you have more choices? Packaging - ask how the custom pins are packaged. Is the packaging free? are they in baggies on backing paper or loose? can you design the packaging with your brand logo or will you package them in -house yourself? Shipping - Ask what carrier is used for delivery, if there is a tracking service for delivery available that you or your customer can access, ask about the shipping materials used, check shipping times and shipping price, and consider import and export tax and laws to your home country and that of your customer Price - Settle on a 丨 unit price, ask and establish itemized costs and any additional fees to avoid financial surprises with your enamel pins. Before settling on a final price, do a cost analysis on your custom pins, are you able to make a profit and price your designs in line with current market trends and still make a profit? Don't be afraid to ask for a discount on large orders or your first order. Samples - Do not skip the samples of your custom pins, this extends your production run time, and samples may come at a higher cost per unit but being able to inspect the final product before it reaches your customer or you settle the bulk order for your custom pins may allow you time to quality control and amend any errors before committing to hard enamel that may not work for you. Production - contact the factory to check and double-check the production time start as well as the keeping decent tabs on the order status and delivery date so you can calculate when you will be ready to fill your first enamel pins order Communicate - Do not be afraid to ask the factory for discounts to fill especially large orders. Ask customer service if the factory offers any perks like free design service for your lapel pins Don't design it, Just find it??!? An alternative to designing your own custom hard enamel pins is Dropshipping. You can source your soft enamel pins and hard enamel pins from AliExpress and have them sent directly to your customers via your online store. Some Aliexpress factory suppliers offer add ons so you can now fill 'semi' custom enamel pin orders with a simple logo or standard free design work for your dropship clients for a reasonable price. Selling enamel pins online, Getting started Setting up an online store. Your potential customers need to be able to see your custom hard enamel pins so you will need to put them somewhere online for them to be accessible to the wider public to buy. So first you need to create an online store. There are plenty of easy to use, merchant platforms to choose from, even if you do not code these platforms will take care of payment integration, help to fill orders, make web design a smooth process and even change currency for you depending on your customer location. Prices for these platforms vary but most offer a free trial so you can check them out before you fully commit. Our team favorite is Shopify. Because of their easy-to-use back office and administration system that is complemented by an epic support forum, active community, and great customer service team. Other great platforms to get started with are : Etsy Amazon Ebay What are some tips for marketing custom hard enamel pins? So you have an amazing website, your pins have arrived fresh from the factory floor and you are ready to fill orders for custom enamel pins. BUT the sales are not yet flowing in and you are sat on top of a pile of custom pins. What are you missing? Marketing and promotion......... Marketing, ads, and promotion in itself a massive subjects, so just like your niche research, it pays to be informed. You will want to spend some time researching this subject to find a great fit for you and your online biz. You will want to explore paid ads but do not forget to explore your free options too but here is a quick summary of activities to get the traffic flowing and the sales consistent. Google Ads and Shopping Social Media Marketing Create discount promos, special offers, and coupon marketing Blogging Colabs Social Media Ads SEO Influencer promotion Free Prizes Examples of successful custom hard enamel pin businesses and brands we love. We are the best enamel pin site around, however, we love us some custom enamel pin stalking, so here are our favorite custom hard enamel pin brands that you can check out, research, and learn from. Let these successful independent pin businesses inspire you to greatness in your own realm. https://enamelpinfactory.com/ https://wizardpins.com/products/hard-enamel-pins https://www.hottopic.com/accessories/enamel-pins/ https://www.gs-jj.com/enamel-pins/Custom-Enamel-Pins https://www.enamelpins.com/ Love custom hard enamel pins ? check our social contact details and get your fill of pins
