How to Start Your Own Enamel Pin Collection

No doubt enamel pins are all the rage. With the influx of the flair trend, we are seeing everything from vintage buttons to patches, sophisticated enamel pin designs that move, hinge and even light up. You might be wondering How to Start Your Own Enamel Pin Collection. If so, you are in the right place!

Creating Enamel Pins for Fun and Profit

Enamel pins have been around for decades, but with so many young artists and entrepreneurs marketing their art on Instagram and Etsy, it’s never been an easier (or better) time than NOW to take advantage of the pin craze. Most enamel pins cost around $3 to make, so if you can sell them for $8 each, your profits can really add up if you’re selling out 100 at a time. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves right away. First things, first, you need to make sure your artwork is fan-worthy.

How to Get Started with Your Own Enamel Pins

First of all, you’ll want to get creative and get sketching. Don’t worry if you’re not the best artist in the world. People love pins of all different styles and doodle art is a lot of fun, too. You can draw freehand and import into Adobe Illustrator, use SketchBook or use Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop with a Wacom tablet and pen. Pick a genre or niche that you love and go from there. Some artists try many different styles, but what I think works best is niche. Also, you’ll want to make sure you use and understand the Pantone color system to make sure your colors are translated properly with your manufacturer. Keep in mind, the more colors you use, the more expensive the final product will be. Keeping your pins at 3-4 colors is ideal for beginners.

How Many Pins Should You Make?

If you’ve already done your homework, you’ll see there are a lot of pins out there on the market. But don’t be discouraged, the pin community is a strong one. And they LOVE their pins! Once you have come up with a few designs, ask your friends and peers online to vote for their favorite styles. The ones that rank the highest or get the most likes are the one(s) you should probably start with. You can even offer a discount for pre-sale orders. Many manufacturers require a minimum order quantity (or ‘MOQ’) and some ask for setup fees, too. Make sure you go with a reputable pin manufacturer who has a good reputation and can offer small quantity to start (50-100). You don’t want to end up with 1,000 enamel pins that you can’t sell.

Where to Order Custom Enamel Pins?

There are a ton of manufacturers overseas who now offer custom enamel pin manufacturing with your art and specifications. I’d recommend ViviPins since it is super easy to order if you’re a first-timer. Just choose your size and finish, add your art, include specifications such as your packaging and pin backs, and you’re good to go. Plus, the prices are the lowest I have found so far.

Where to Sell Your Enamel Pins

Deciding on where you will seel your pins will be up to you. I recommend online since it’s a worldwide audience and easier to build up a following than around your city. But you can also try your local fairs or even ComicCon conventions.  You’ll want a place to sell your enamel pins online, too, such as an eCommerce platform like WooCommerce on WordPress or Shopify. If you need help with this, you can hire someone to build a website shop for you or try your hand at building it yourself. You can also use Facebook’s shop feature, or try selling on Etsy or even Poshmark. Many pin makers have found a lot of success on Instagram, such as @NattyCat

Watch: Enamel Pins 101