Project record
"I think we are almost there. Apologies for the run around!"
A hockey team that wanted a scoreboard reading 6–7 on their pin, and got four price points to choose from instead of one recommendation.
West St. Paul · MN
- Size
- 2.0"
- Pin type
- Standard pins
- Inquiry to ship
- 38 days
The brief
A team that asked for a scoreboard on their pin, changed their minds several times, and apologised for it — unnecessarily.
How the design got made
- Beat 1
Opened with two questions at once: send a quote, and how long do pins take
- Beat 2
Asked for something specific and unusual: a Pony pin with a scoreboard reading 6–7
- Beat 3
Quoted across two sizes and four quantities so the team could pick its own trade-off
- Beat 4
Several rounds of revision, including going back to modify an earlier design
- Beat 5
Shipped in early December
The full account
A scoreboard reading 6–7
Most pin briefs ask for a logo and a year. This one asked for something a lot more specific: a Pony pin with a scoreboard showing 6–7.
A particular game. A score worth remembering, on a pin you can hold.
That is what a trading pin is actually for. Not branding — a record of a thing that happened.
Four price points, not one recommendation
The quote came back with the widest ladder in this library — two sizes across four quantities, all on the table at once:
| Size | Quantity | Per pin |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0" | 325 | $3.90 |
| 3.0" | 300 | $3.70 |
| 3.0" | 400 | $3.70 |
| 2.0" | 100 | $1.70 |
Plus $0.10 per glitter colour and $0.75 for a spinner.
Price shown is what this order was quoted at, for this quantity, size and specification, on this date. It is not a current price list.
Look at the middle two rows: 300 pins and 400 pins are the same price per pin. If a team is deciding between them, the extra hundred pins cost only the pins themselves. That is the kind of thing you can only see when the quantities are laid out together — and it is invisible if someone just tells you what to order.
One number worth carrying into any comparison: the spinner is $0.75 here, against $0.65 quoted on other orders in this library. Rates move. When comparing two quotes from two suppliers, compare the add-ons, not just the base.
quoted for this order only — quoted for that order only.
The apology that wasn't needed
Several rounds of revision, including going back to rework an earlier design, and then this:
"I think we are almost there. Apologies for the run around!"
No run around. Revisions before production are free; revisions after the mould is cut are a new mould. A team that iterates four times before tooling is doing it in exactly the right order.
Timeline
Enquiry on 30 October, quoted the next day, three weeks of design, purchase order on 20 November, shipped 7 December.
Why this one is here
It is the clearest example in the library of a customer being given options rather than sold one. Four price points at once, the add-on rates stated plainly, and the trade-offs left to the person spending the money.
Specification
| Team | West St. Paul Hockey |
|---|---|
| Sport | Hockey |
| Size | 2.0" |
| Pin type | Standard pins |
| Banner included | No |
| City | West St. Paul |
| State | MN |
| Inquiry | 2025-10-30 |
| Shipped | 2025-12-07 |
What this price was quoted under
- $3.90 / pin3.0" · 325 pins
- $3.70 / pin3.0" · 300 pins
- $3.70 / pin3.0" · 400 pins
- $1.70 / pin2.0" · 100 pins
Price shown is what this order was quoted at, for this quantity, size and specification, on this date. It is not a current price list.
- Quoted on
- October 31, 2025
- At size
- 2.0"
- Excludes
- delivery charge, rush fee, import tariff
The banner threshold
This order sat under the threshold, so no banner was included. At the time the line fell at 1,000 pins at 2.0 inches or larger: the size step cost $0.20 more per pin — $1.07 to $1.27 — and brought a free 3ft × 6ft banner plus 100 bonus gold-metal or blackout pins with it.
Worth checking before you commit to a quantity: the bigger pin is frequently the cheaper total order.
quoted for this order onlyAbout the prices on this page
Every figure here is taken from a real quote for a real order. That is the point of it — and also the reason it will not match what you are quoted.
- Quantity moves the price more than anything else
- Size and build are priced separately
- Turnaround changes the total
- Import tariffs apply and are disclosed on the quote
- These are historical
What the customer said
“I think we are almost there. Apologies for the run around!”
Customer, West St. Paul Hockey · 2025-11-11 · on a fourth round of design revisions
Questions this order answers
A spinner pin is a construction type, not an accessory. An element of the design — usually a round logo, a puck or a ball — is mounted on a rivet so it rotates in place. It reads as a fidget as much as a badge, which is exactly why players trade for them.
Because it changes how the pin is built, it carries its own per-pin price. On a 2.5-inch soft enamel order at 250 pieces the quote was $3.44 per pin standard against $4.09 per pin as a spinner. That team chose standard construction and spent the difference on putting every player's number on the pin instead.
Sourced — Philadelphia 13U AA order, December 2025
Glitter is a finish, so it applies to any pin type — standard, spinner or slider alike. It is mixed into the enamel of a chosen colour rather than applied on top, so it will not rub off.
It is specified per colour: one glitter colour, or several. Commonly it lands on a single accent area — the shape of a state, a star, a puck. A 1,500-pin association order ran one glitter colour across the whole run; another design used gold glitter only on the state-shaped element.
Sourced — Multiple 2025–26 orders
Two inches or larger is the working floor for tournament trading — smaller pins get passed over. Sizes run from 2 inches up to 6.
One little league's four orders across three years show the migration in practice: they started at 1.25 inches and moved to 2.0. Larger sizes also unlock the banner threshold, which is why the bigger pin often costs less in total.
Sourced — Sizing guidance across multiple orders; Northern Virginia little league, 2022–2026
Production runs 12–14 business days after artwork approval. Design adds anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on how many rounds it takes — one order went from first contact to approved art in five days across three rounds.
Shipping is the variable that costs money. Six weeks ahead of your date carries no delivery or rush charge. Four weeks adds a $40 delivery charge. Three weeks adds $40 plus a $75 rush fee.
Sourced — Standard quote language, 2025–26 season
No. Every figure in this library is what one team was quoted for one order, on the day they asked. It is published as a record, not as a price list.
Quantity and size move it most: the break runs about $0.20 per pin for every hundred pins, and the range here goes from a 1,500-pin corporate run at 1.25 inch to a 3 inch dangler with glitter. Pin type and finish are priced per pin on top of that — a spinner was $0.65 more per pin on one order, glitter is $0.10 per pin per glitter colour.
Timing is separate again. Six weeks ahead of your date carries no delivery or rush charge; four weeks adds a $40 delivery charge; three weeks adds $40 plus a $75 rush fee. The pins are manufactured in China and are subject to US import tariffs, disclosed on the quote rather than at invoice.
For a price that applies to your order, send your quantity, size and in-hands date and we will quote it.
Sourced — Quoted ladders and fee schedule across the AP Pope, Corona Avengers and Brainerd AHA threads, 2025–2026
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