ENAMEL PIN MANUFACTURING
Why should I use your company when I could just go directly to China?
It is true that going factory direct is a growing trend in the artist community. With the alleged promise of lower prices, this route can certainly be tempting, but is it all it’s cracked up to be? Here are the top reasons you’re better off with us.
1
STRESS-FREE
The hardest part about making pins is finding a trusted manufacturer. We have already tested and vetted countless factories and established relationships with >> read more the most impressive ones. The result is a network of trusted sources for every possible pin design. If you have any concerns, we are right here in the US to provide you with customer service. Unlike most Chinese factories, we will work with you to correct problems and remake your pins for free if you are not satisfied. Show Less2
PRICE
Our prices are on par with many of the overseas factories we see pin designers using. With us, you don’t have to be worried about any hidden fees for >> read more setup, artwork, or anything else. We also handle the headache of taxes, duties, and newly-established tariffs that the current administration is imposing on goods imported from China. While the cost of shipping from China ranges from $35-$70, your pins will be shipped from our Woodstock, NY office for only $16.50. Show Less3
FLEXIBILITY
Unlike most US-based companies, we have established a network of factories to best handle the multitude of different pin options that are available. There is no >> read more one-size-fits-all pin factory. Based on your design and specifications, we know exactly which of our factories will do the best job on your specific pins, and we put care into our decision. To top it off, we have been in the pin industry for over 40 years. You’ll have experienced pin-makers to recommend the best specs based on your design. Show Less4
WE ACTUALLY CARE
We strive to support independent artists and designers in the pin community. We’d love to follow your Instagram and support your new >> read more Kickstarter. That’s because we’re one of you. We have artists on staff who make and collect their own pins, so we understand what's important to you. We’ve participated in several pin cons and expos, and one of the best things about that is getting to meet our customers face-to-face. Unlike other places, you’re never just a number on an invoice to us. Show LessHow are you able to offer such high quality, especially with prices so low?
Most US companies have a single factory they work closely with. While this may be convenient for the company itself, it doesn’t always make for the best experience or final product for you, the customer. We have a network of factories that we work with, and we are well acquainted with each of their strengths and weaknesses. For example, based on our experience, we may choose to send a glitter pin to one factory and a rainbow plated pin to another. In the event a customer has a specific date they need their pins in hand by, we know that some of our factories are much better at meeting those dates than others. With that knowledge, we send your order to the factory that will be the best choice in fulfilling it the most effectively.
How are you able to offer pricing that is similar to most of the overseas factories that I see?
Trying to find factories that suit your needs can be a truly overwhelming process. Over the course of many years, we’ve put our blood, sweat, and tears into the process of vetting factories, placing test orders with one factory after another, trying to find the best of the best. While it’s generally true that the higher the quality, the higher the price, during our extensive research process we were able to find some true gems out there that have an amazing balance of price and quality.
I’m against worker exploitation and only want to use factories who treat their employees fairly.
We’re against it too! We only use factories that go through vigorous auditing and inspection processes. Our factories are required to provide detailed SMETA and SEDEX reports ensuring fair treatment of employees regarding ethical and safe working conditions and exposure to hazardous chemicals. This audit also enforces overtime caps for workers. We also require SGS reports from our factories certifying that their raw materials are below the legal limits for lead, mercury, and other hazardous materials.
During the process of finding and establishing relationships with our factories, we chose not to pursue a relationship with many factories, because their error rate was too high for our standards. We have also terminated our relationship with factories in the past when their quality declined and they were unable to correct it after being given ample opportunity. This means we are currently working with a network of factories that all produce the highest quality pins we could find. Therefore, we have a lower error rate than most.
Enamel pins are hand-made items. Each pin is handled by several different workers completing different parts of the process. Because of the nature of how they are created, having some flawed pins is common with every factory. The most common flaws are very minor. Although we have a lower error rate than most competitors, certain special options such as rainbow, glitter, and antique metal tend to be more prone to errors in general. Rush orders can sometimes have an error rate as high as 5%, which is one reason they are typically not advised.
What if I am not satisfied with my pins?
Our top priority is for you to be completely happy with your pins. If we made a mistake in production (such as incorrect enamel color used or wrong plating type) or the order has an unusually high error rate, we will redo your pins at no cost. If a new mold does not need to be created--which is the case with 95% of redo orders--you will get the replacement pins within a shorter time-frame than the original order.
We will ask if it is possible for you to send photographs of the defect pins so that we can pass those along to the factory and be very specific about what exactly needs to be corrected.
Intellectual Property and Fan Art Policy
We take intellectual property law and art theft very seriously. This means we will not reproduce any image that is not your original design. Just as we would not produce a pin for a counterfeit pin designer who stole your artwork, we will not produce a pin for you that came directly from Disney, Fox, or any other organization that you do not own the rights to.
We often make use of Google reverse image search to find the sources of images if we are unsure if an image belongs to someone else or not. Many counterfeit designs are obvious, but we also like to make sure art isn’t taken from smaller artists on deviantArt or Twitter.
Fan art is accepted at our own discretion based on how original the concept is and how far the drawing deviates from any existing iteration of the character. If based on an existing character, the artwork provided to us must be your original drawing.
Shown here is a character that resembles an existing comic book character, but is clearly in a different form than the actual character.
Additional Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to give you vector art?
No! Unlike most companies, you can give us artwork in any file type. You can also give us a sketch, description, or even a napkin drawing! We have a full team of artists ready to turn your vision into reality. The best part? We don’t charge extra. Artwork is free with your order.
What is your production time?
Many factors can influence production times. The majority of custom pin orders will run about 4 weeks. Designs with a lot of color and complexity or with special options such as glitter, glow, or rainbow could take slightly longer. Orders over 500 pieces will also add a few days to the process. Please note that production time is defined as the time from when you approve your pre-production sample to the time the pins arrive at our headquarters. Shipping can add an additional 1-5 days to that time, depending on where you’re located.
Do you offer step-by-step photos of the production process?
While pre-production artwork is offered free with your orders, step-by-step production photos and status updates are generally not something we provide. This tends to add a substantial amount of extra time to the process. We prefer to get your pins to you as promptly as possible.
Can I get fewer than 25 pins made?
You can. Technically you can get one pin made, but it’s not worth it. A mold must be created, which is going to run you a minimum of $50. Why pay $50 for one pin when you could get 25x more pins for $99? That is why we advertise a 25-piece minimum, because we’re not big into ripping our customers off, and we feel that selling you under 25 pins would be. But if you insist, we’ll do it.
I need my pins immediately. Do you offer a rush service?
Rush services with custom pins are tricky. Our factories hand-fill the enamel on most orders, which is a process that can’t be rushed without sacrificing quality. We would rather tell a customer that we are unable to fulfill their order in time than offer them an inferior product. In some cases, we can pull off a 2-week timeframe, but anything less than that isn’t realistic for pins. There is a 20% fee for rush orders due to the extra labor required to get the pins out in time. Before charging this fee, we will let you know whether or not your particular order can be rushed.
Do you offer a discount on reorders?
if you are placing a reorder of the exact same design at the exact same size within two years of the initial order, a new mold will not need to be made; therefore, we can discount your order by $50. Just make sure to mention this at the time you place your reorder.