How to Buy Personalized Pens in Bulk: A Checklist

By Daniel Whitehouse

Fountain pens

How to Buy Personalized Pens in Bulk: A Checklist

By Daniel Whitehouse

Buying personalized pens in bulk can seem like quite a complicated process as your search, shop around, and click through endless pages of offers, items, lists of products... 

However, as a company that’s shipped out hundreds of thousands of personalized pens to both individuals and groups since 1994, we at Dayspring Pens have discovered the perfect formula for buying custom pens in bulk.

In this article, I am going to share everything you need to know about buying a personalized gift for a group so that you have the smoothest possible experience when you buy—whether it's for your office's promotional giveaway or your wedding.

What's the Deal with Buying Personalized Pens in Bulk?

They're Special!

Customized gifts like ballpoint pens with custom engravings communicate to others that you care about the individual receiving the gift. They aren't just a cog in the wheel.

Just because you are buying items in mass, that doesn't mean the gift has to feel like a Happy Meal Toy (everyone gets the same cheap thing).

Indeed, you always want the recipients to feel seen and appreciated.

And...

You're Probably Spending Some Money!

Buying in bulk means you are going to be spending at minimum a couple hundred bucks.

You are going to want to get something that is not only special, but is really worth it like a personalized brand name pen. It's functional and unique.

It also means...

Mistakes like mixing up names and late deliveries reflect poorly on you as the giver. Additionally, they send the wrong message to the recipients.

So how can you avoid these? By using a solid checklist!

The Checklist for Buying Personalized Pens in Bulk

  1. Know the occasion
  2. Determine your timeline
  3. Draw up a budget
  4. Know your recipients
  5. Understand the customization options
  6. Find customer reviews
  7. Check for discounts

Let’s explore each in detail.

Know the Occasion

What’s the occasion?

As obvious as the question sounds, it’s easy to not only get simple things mixed up but also get personalized gifts for the wrong occasion. 

For instance, imagine getting wedding gift pens saying “In Loving Memory” on them or buying fountain pens for a group of pilots graduating with their licenses.

As functional as an engraved pen is, it is important to make sure you choose the right pen for the right occasion!

Is the occasion something practical? Ballpoint pens are ideal for people constantly on the go.

Is the occasion a once in a lifetime event? Commemorate with luxury 10k gold pens.

Learn More: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Pen 

 

Determine your timeline

When do you need it by?

If you are planning on giving pens that aren’t personalized, then time and planning aren’t that crucial. 

You can easily order the pens on the eve of the event, and everyone’s happy.

But if you’re looking to buy customized and personalized pens in bulk, it’s a good idea to begin planning early.

Production time versus shipping time

Custom gift businesses will list the production time (how long it takes to prepare the order) as well as the shipping time (how long it takes to get to you).

At Dayspring Pens, standard engraving takes four to five business days. However, shipping can take between 3-7 business days based on your location in the US.

Hence, it’s best to give yourself at least two to three weeks once you have your order all placed before you need to give your gift pens out.

However, in case you’re pressed for time and need the custom pens fast, we’ve got the rush production order. That guarantees your order is completed in one business day.

You can always choose to expedite shipping if you need too!

Draw a Budget

How much money are you willing to spend on your custom pens?

Not every occasion requires something expensive. What the occasion is will determine what the appropriate price point is for your pens.

If you are buying on a corporate budget, you will want to know just how much you can spend per item as well as what your HR department allows for gifting.

Keep in mind:

  • The occasion - does it warrant a higher price gift?
  • The relationship between you and the recipients - is it personal or professional?
  • Your time frame for giving - how fast you need the order made?

Know What Your Recipients Want

This is essentially a question of what kind of relationship do you have with your recipients.

What are their interests and hobbies? Do they have favorite colors or quotes?

If they’re your employees or work colleagues, what are their roles and performance achievements?

Is it a promotional event and you need giveaways? If yes, then engrave the pen with company’s logo or name.

When it’s a graduating class, make it personal and special for each student. An example is “Congratulations, David! You’re graduating!”

Personalization is going out of your way to share your brand or make people feel special. They’ll know that the gifts were made for them.

 

person giving Cross pen case to another person

 Gifting in a Hurry? Enjoy Fast Delivery on 1 Day Rush Pens


A team of junior employees receiving a personalized pen with their names and achievements engraved from the CEO gives deeper meaning to the gifts.

Additionally, it demonstrates that the CEO went the extra mile of knowing the contributions of each individual employee to the company.

Even when the customized pens are promotional giveaways, it pays to put in more thought so that your gift is kept. The longer someone keeps your promotional gift, the more contact they have with your brand.

Understand the Customization Options

There are three main techniques employed in achieving customized pens:

  • Imprinting
  • Clip Emblems
  • Engraving

Imprinting prints the logo directly onto the surface of the pen.

Pro: Great for mass production like promotional giveaways.

Con: The imprinting can wear off.

Clip Emblems are special cast insignias attached to the clip of the pen.

Pro: Super unique way of branding.

Con: It can be an expensive process on your first order - lots of set up fees.

Engraving cuts the logo or personal message into the finish of the pen.

Pro: Permanent and can be individualized to each pen.

Con: There can be limitations on the color and look.

 Further Reading: The Definitive Guide to Engraved Pens

 

Cross Townsend Black Selectip Rollerball Pen

Cross Townsend Black Lacquer Rollerball Pen

To understand more about our engraving techniques, have a look at our Ultimate Guide to Personalized Laser Engraving.

Find Customer Reviews

Before making a bulk order of customized pens from an online store, it’s best to first look through the experiences of past customers.

While you may do everything perfectly on your end, the whole gifting experience could go awry if the store does a poor job.

To avoid turning up with no personalized pens due to late shipping or a botched order, visit the store’s customer review section.

However, if the online store has exceptionally few or zero customer reviews, beware their services may not be what they say they are.

Moreover, look for third-party reviews on the store.

Check what blogs and Youtube channels that review pen stores have to say about them. This is important so as to eliminate any internal bias in the customer reviews.

Check for discounts

Finally!

If your order is in bulk, then the cost difference between retail and wholesale purchases cannot be overlooked.

Check with your sellers to see what discounts apply to your order.

In addition to free standard engraving, Dayspring Pens offers up to 20% wholesale discounts for bulk orders and ship out all orders for free anywhere in the United States.

Thus, you don’t have to break the bank to personalize a bulk of custom pens.

Can Dayspring Pens Help Me Buy Personalized Pens in Bulk?

Dayspring Pens offers a variety of executive gift pens from different brands such as:

With personalization styles that include:

  • Logo engraving
  • Logo imprinting
  • Custom engraving
  • Clip emblem

Unsure if your art design will look right on a pen? Dayspring Pens offers three free proofs for bulk orders and will work with you personally to find the best showing for your order.

Apart from our gift pens with varying writing styles like fountain, ballpoint, rollerball, and gel, we also have accompanying custom gift products such as:

  • Stylus pens
  • Pen desk sets
  • Nameplates
  • Journals
  • Laser pointers
  • Clock sets 
  • Supplies such as extra ink refills

Note that even the custom gift sets come with a free standard engraving of up to 25 characters in length.

To place a bulk order with us:

  • Visit our site and select the best pen(s) for the group.
  • Fill out the form details; text to be engraved, engraving font, side to be engraved, and upload the list of names to be engraved if there’s one.
  • If you need the one-day rush order, be sure to tick the one-business-day order.
  • Finally, check out. You’ll receive your order at your chosen destination in 10 business days or less.

We also welcome any questions or inquiries about our pens and services, so feel free to send us an email or give us a call.

Need ideas on engraved gifts? Check out our complete list of personalized gifts

Go Out and Make Your Bulk Personalized Pen Order

So there you have it! Looking for bulk personalized gift pens can be a task filled with different products and search results that make finding the right pen a hassle.

If you start your shopping with our helpful checklist, we hope you will be able to reach the absolute best gift items at a price that perfectly matches your needs.

Have any questions about the intricacies of buying in bulk for whatever occasion from advertising to wedding?

Leave it in the comments below and we will be happy to help!

daniel

Daniel Whitehouse is the President and CEO of Dayspring Pens. He uses his expertise with premium writing utensils to create exceptional, intentional products and craft easy-to-understand articles that help both new and experienced users learn more about their writing tools. He lives in Virginia where he and his wife are raising their four children.

To learn more about him and his insights about custom engraved gift pens, follow Daniel on LinkedIn.

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