Lots of commenting regarding the shipping costs ordering from Alibaba. Fair point! Shipping costs direct from China will vary depending on the product, what you can negotiate with the factory, fuel prices, etc etc. Some of these factories have US based warehouses now so its really worth checking Amazon, Etsy, and Ebay using "wholesale" or "bulk" in the search. Also worth trying places like Michael's with "buy in bulk" deals. I should have listed more information around that.
You mentioned mistakes you've occasionally made in your engravings. As a newbie considering getting my first laser engraver, it'd be interesting to hear the type of situations that can go wrong and tips to avoid it.
This was super helpful! A couple of these I’ve never thought of. By the way, LOVE your wall color! We have almost black walls all throughout our main level. Took the plunge and painted my whole office(including the ceiling) black this year. I can’t wait to film in there! Hoping it looks half as good as your shots! 👏🏼
Great video! Lots of great ideas and motivation here. I appreciate you sharing this info. Nice thing about the engraving side hustle business is that since it's often localized I find that people are more willing to share info with others. Thanks a lot.
Hi Justin! I love your channel. It's informational, no nonsense but also entertaining. I'm learning a lot from you and I hope to open an engraving store eventually. I'm curious how you manage the photography of your items for your online store? Do you do the photography in house or do you sub it out to a local photographer? Thanks!
Good video. Honestly, on one hand it was annoying hearing "coasters" I mean, EVERY video says that, but on the other hand, there is a reason why it keeps getting recommended. As a side idea to the coasters, I am designing and marketing mine as "candle stands" which opens another market without extra materials. Just have to be careful with finishes.
Thats the way to do it. Cover as many bases as possible without extra inventory. But yeah... coasters and tumblers, seem to be what lasers were invented for haha.
Same as in other videos. There are a lot of people that do the same thing. I think the best way to make money with laser engraver is to sell the layout/pictures. And then make a video like this and tell about the great idea of laser engraving!!!
I have a XTool P2 on the way and have watched way too many videos on products to engrave and sell. Yours was one of the best. Cut right to it in a clear and concise delivery. Do you have a video on your slate engraving method? Again great video!
Much appreciated trying to keep it as concise as possible. For slate engraving I think I watched the video about fiber laser engraving on slate on the Laser Everything channel. Best option would be seeing if there are any P2 specific videos to take settings from. Hopefully waste less material.
I have 2 lasers a 60w CO2 boss and 60w M7 mopa fiber. Just started 1.5 years ago. I do fair in custom work from the local area. But I would like to find something I have to do every day with these lasers. You gave some very valuable information I haven't thought of and that is just hitting the pavement and focus on particular businesses. Thank you for the great video.
Hello, thank you for the good explanation. I have lasered on bamboo a few times but the quality is not very good. Do you have any advice for me to get this right.
Justin, great video! Lots of great ideas. Can you mention the laser community you are part of (mentioned with the military coasters)? I used to belong to a Engraving Etc group many moons ago.
Absolutely amazing & helpful video I’m wondering how do you get this grooved wood effect on the wooden bottle opener? Do you mind telling us about the settings you used?
Thanks for pointing out Etsy as a price check, but sales in person are each persons best chance. Even lower prices than the big sellers on Etsy doesn’t guarantee sales as advertising is key for Etsy, putting small sellers at a disadvantage. Good video… Cheers
Mostly depends on budget. If less than $1K you can start with diode laser like the Xtool D1. If you have $2-3K+ to spend co2 laser probably the choice.
Sometimes butcher block oil. There are considerations you need to make if its something that might contact food. Have to make sure its a food safe finish.
On the leather catch all tray that you made a mistake on, did you find a solution? I’ll bet your laser head bumped the side of the tray because it was so deep. I’ve done something similar. Great work you do!
I might have to get a longer lens so I could avoid the edges like that. Or make sure that overscanning is dialed back. Otherwise those high edges are a pain the butt for sure.
Not usually although there are scenarios where I might ask for 50% down. If I had to order A LOT of a material to engrave and it is expensive or if it was a first time customer. Asking for a percentage down isnt uncommon but full payment is a little less common.
What laser do you use for the slate coasters, wood, leather and anodized business cards? I have a laser and it takes a long time to do all of these cause it's an ATOMATACK A5 PRO
Engraved slate coasters are great. Try giving them a coat of Rust-oleum, clear, satin. It protects the engraving and really increases the contrast. Makes them look much better in my opinion.
Sealing coasters kinda defeats the purpose of a coaster which is to wick the moisture away from the glass. Sealing them just lets it ball up and drip onto the surface you are trying to protect like a wood coffee table.
Hi, I have an xtool d1 pro 20w, how do you get settings right for a bottle opener when the engrave test is too small to fit on it. How did you know what settings to use?
Weird question - I watched your Aluminum Laser Diode Video - I saw the power on that particular brand was set very low. That seems low to me - is the anodization on the cards that thin that you can use such a low power rating?
Yes the anodization is a very thin layer. You can crank up the power to give a much "whiter" engraving but it really blows out the shading of grays I was hoping to preserve when doing a portrait like that. If I was doing text or a logo or something non-photographic I would crank the power more.
That is not a weird question. As a mechanical engineer, I have to be concerned about this often, especially when designing tight-tolerance parts. Depending on the exact anodization process used (as there are a few different process specifications for anodizing), the anodized layer will vary in thickness from about .0002" to about .0024". On most of the products that you engrave, I suspect the thickness would be about .0015". For comparison, the thickness of a standard sheet of notebook paper is about .0035". The anodizing creates a very thin aluminum oxide layer on the surface of bare aluminum. This layer protects the aluminum against galvanic corrosion. Anodizing also hardens the surface of the aluminum. Bare (un-anodized) aluminum is rather soft on the surface, and it can be easily scratched. Anodizing makes the surface much less prone to scratches.
Be weary of alibaba prices, every time i was looking at 25 cent each the shipping was in the hundreds to thousands. Like one order was $300 worth of product and $890 shipping.... so ya you choose.
The newer chromium compound that the majority of tanneries around the world use now doesnt have that issue anymore. Id be much more concerned about accidently engraving fake PVC leather journals advertised as real leather. Something like 98% of the leather in the world is chrome tanned these days so Id imagine it would be a massive issue if still toxic.
I'm thinking about selling products like this but I'm not sure if I shoulod build my own onlineshop or if I should sell on ebay etsy etc... What do you guys thing?
Ive tried matte clear poly coat and had some decent results. Have to make sure you blow/brush away and loose dust from the engraving process though or it will look messy.
Usually anything related to file prep work. Some jobs have a lot and some don't have too much. This job I basically designed the entire graphic so that was a one time fee that doesn't alter the per coaster price.
@@justinlaser ah, so if they come back for a second order you already have a graphic ready to go and they just pay for the product?. i have a sculpfun s9 but for some reason i couldnt get a consistent centre point to begin any project using lightburn (the co-ordinates changed every time without turning off either laptop or laser) i really should get back to it😁 also leather hip flasks with club crest's or for wedding parties seem a good idea
Question... i have an XTool 20W. How can I even try and scale a product with a slow laser? I feel if I got a 50,100, or 500 product order I wouldn't be able to get it done in time. Am I missing something?
No you arent missing anything. If you are starting to get interest for orders like that you will have to upgrade to a co2 laser, or, hope they are extremely patient customers. The D1 Pro and other diodes are great for getting started but you after you get rolling they have to be upgraded. The only way around it is to work on products that are "one-offs" like photo engravings and stuff like that. Might take a while but customer expects that and only needs one.
How do you MARKET those things though? Go door-to-door offering your products to (often "oh so busy" managers) in hopes they agree to order a few? Post about your work on social media sites and hope it does not get immediately drowned out by similar or "more interesting" posts? Create a website in hopes of a customer basically randomly stumbling across it? Creating a product is easy. Getting people to admire it is easy-ish. Getting people to want it is not too bad. Finding someone who wants it AND has money to get it, that's the hard part, especially when it comes to real hand-made things.
Yeah look its not easy but thats business. If you are going the Etsy route make sure your photos are spot on and you will most likely have to run Etsy Ads. If starting locally (in my opinion the best way) start posting on your personal Facebook account and in appropriate local area groups. People WANT to support people they know or are in close proximity. Trying to entice small businesses? Take their logo off their website, engrave it on something useful to them, and take it in to the owners and give them a business card. It might not lead to an immediate order but tell them if they ever need anything done you are local and shoot you an e-mail.
What is it with America and bottle openers, both can and bottle openers in Australia are just old school curiosity items that are of no use in the household anymore and have not been for over two decades, although the odd old style can still pops up once in a while
Mostly depends on price range. You dont need a lot of power but good engraving speed would be a necessity. Sometime like an Aeon Mira does 1200-1500mm/sec engraving and you could plot a bunch of cards down at one time.
@@justinlaser I understand, yeah I have a glowforge pro and its taking me 9 minutes per side which is just far too long... I'll check out the Aeon Mira. But speed is def the biggest deal
I watched a video from someone who was selling on Etsy, and she made around $1700 in revenue, but after all of the listing fees, advertising fees, and so on, she said she only had like $385 in profit. Are the expenses really that high for selling on Etsy? That seems ridiculous.
I do have multiple lasers but not running at the same time. Running on the fiber laser it took me around an hour of actual laser time. A little more for setup and packing. I try to account for that time in my one time setup fee.
Yeah its really not that user friendly at all. They are good about making sure your money is safe and youre getting what you paid for but the communication process all depends on the manufacturers.
Absolutely. Most pens are engraved "flat" by just putting them in a jig and doing the engraving. If you are looking for full wraparound stuff you would have to check for a rotary attachment that can handle something small like a pen.
When you compete with every other soccer mom in your area that has a gloforge, good luck with sales, and etsy is so over saturated with laser engravers
I don’t know, I don’t think the way to financial freedom is selling junk trinkets from China to people one at a time. Even if you get a big order for coasters, if notches bogged yourself down with days of work. To me I don’t see a difference between just having an office job and having yourself forced to stay at home burning coasters all day now you’re a factory worker. You got a find a way to make money where you don’t have to make anything and orders can come in and go out as you sleep or sit on the beach somewhere. For me I’d rather hire somebody like you to do all the work for me and you’re making 60% of the profit and I making 40% of the profit doing nothing because I’ve hired somebody to do all the marketing and keep the Etsy shop up.
Stay away from this hustle approach to making unless you want to stay small. The points this man makes are only going to work against you in the long run unless you are extremely lucky.
Everyone is small in the beginning. Do you think 6 and 7 figure laser shop owners are watching this video? No, its for anyone starting out in their garage.
im hearing very high profit margins yet i don't see a link to your etsy shop anywhere on your channel. does anyone actually pay so much per coaster ect when you can get them way cheaper from literally everyone else who does it .. I'm not sure youre telling the truth , especially when you say taxes are the main mark up ... i know how taxes work buddy , and theres no way it gives any excuse to charge thousands of percent profit margins ..apart from that , great video
Lots of commenting regarding the shipping costs ordering from Alibaba. Fair point! Shipping costs direct from China will vary depending on the product, what you can negotiate with the factory, fuel prices, etc etc. Some of these factories have US based warehouses now so its really worth checking Amazon, Etsy, and Ebay using "wholesale" or "bulk" in the search. Also worth trying places like Michael's with "buy in bulk" deals. I should have listed more information around that.
Thank you for sharing this information. Much appreciated!!
How can I work with people and design these products for them, because I work on Fiverr in this niches
You mentioned mistakes you've occasionally made in your engravings. As a newbie considering getting my first laser engraver, it'd be interesting to hear the type of situations that can go wrong and tips to avoid it.
Great info! I just ordered a LaserPecker 4, and can’t wait to start working on and SELLING products like these. Thanks for all the details.
Great Video Justin - Welcome to the UA-cam family - looking forward to more videos from you!
Thanks Katie!!
Thanks Justin, clear, precise, to-the-point vid without all the ten minute waffle. Other vid makers should take note of this style, thanks again.
thank you!
This was super helpful! A couple of these I’ve never thought of.
By the way, LOVE your wall color! We have almost black walls all throughout our main level. Took the plunge and painted my whole office(including the ceiling) black this year. I can’t wait to film in there! Hoping it looks half as good as your shots! 👏🏼
Great video! Lots of great ideas and motivation here. I appreciate you sharing this info. Nice thing about the engraving side hustle business is that since it's often localized I find that people are more willing to share info with others. Thanks a lot.
Hi Justin! I love your channel. It's informational, no nonsense but also entertaining. I'm learning a lot from you and I hope to open an engraving store eventually.
I'm curious how you manage the photography of your items for your online store? Do you do the photography in house or do you sub it out to a local photographer? Thanks!
Good video. Honestly, on one hand it was annoying hearing "coasters" I mean, EVERY video says that, but on the other hand, there is a reason why it keeps getting recommended. As a side idea to the coasters, I am designing and marketing mine as "candle stands" which opens another market without extra materials. Just have to be careful with finishes.
Thats the way to do it. Cover as many bases as possible without extra inventory. But yeah... coasters and tumblers, seem to be what lasers were invented for haha.
Same as in other videos. There are a lot of people that do the same thing. I think the best way to make money with laser engraver is to sell the layout/pictures. And then make a video like this and tell about the great idea of laser engraving!!!
I have a XTool P2 on the way and have watched way too many videos on products to engrave and sell. Yours was one of the best. Cut right to it in a clear and concise delivery. Do you have a video on your slate engraving method? Again great video!
Much appreciated trying to keep it as concise as possible. For slate engraving I think I watched the video about fiber laser engraving on slate on the Laser Everything channel. Best option would be seeing if there are any P2 specific videos to take settings from. Hopefully waste less material.
I have 2 lasers a 60w CO2 boss and 60w M7 mopa fiber. Just started 1.5 years ago. I do fair in custom work from the local area. But I would like to find something I have to do every day with these lasers.
You gave some very valuable information I haven't thought of and that is just hitting the pavement and focus on particular businesses.
Thank you for the great video.
Hello, thank you for the good explanation. I have lasered on bamboo a few times but the quality is not very good. Do you have any advice for me to get this right.
Great video 👍🏽
Thanks for sharing
New sub. I just ordered a laser cutter and I can’t wait to get started
🙏🙏 good luck with the laser!
Great video! I have the xTool m1, WeCreat Vision and the LaserPecker 4. It's an addicting hobby!
Great video!! A lot of good info here. Looking forward to more.
The marketing info is really great, thanks
Justin, great video! Lots of great ideas. Can you mention the laser community you are part of (mentioned with the military coasters)? I used to belong to a Engraving Etc group many moons ago.
Thanks for watching appreciate it! The group is called "Laser Engraving and Cutting" on Facebook. Very unique name haha!
Absolutely amazing & helpful video
I’m wondering how do you get this grooved wood effect on the wooden bottle opener?
Do you mind telling us about the settings you used?
Well done, very well presented
Thank you appreciate it!
Just found your channel. This is great information! Looking forward to seeing what is next.
Thanks Sherry! 🙏🙏
Finally the video I was looking for!
Yo, the coaster with the lip is the best
I have both a laser engraver and CNC. I started selling valet trays because people can't get any trays from China in a reasonable amount of time.
Great idea. Thought about doing that with leather trays since they are basic designs just need a clicker press.
@@justinlaser Yeah way cheaper than Amazon for sure. Non laminated trays too.
What's a valet tray?
@@JohnSmith-rt5yq Basically just a small tray usually made of leather or wood that is designed to hold keys, etc.. on a table.
If you guys still need valet trays I’m making them in the US. Just me so if it’s a lot of them might take a little bit to complete them all.
New subscriber and have binged watched your videos . i dont think i'll get much sleep tonight my brain is racing . thanks for informative videos
Thanks for pointing out Etsy as a price check, but sales in person are each persons best chance. Even lower prices than the big sellers on Etsy doesn’t guarantee sales as advertising is key for Etsy, putting small sellers at a disadvantage. Good video… Cheers
I think local market is highly underrated for getting sales especially in the age of everyone wanting to be on Etsy.
Thanks for the awesome advice!!!
Thank you!
Great Video ... plain and simple. Sharing good info.
Great video,
Can you please advise what laser machine to start with? especially for Business card/bank cards and for slate coaster.
Thanks
Mostly depends on budget. If less than $1K you can start with diode laser like the Xtool D1. If you have $2-3K+ to spend co2 laser probably the choice.
Quick question sir after engraving wooden coasters or the bamboo trays do you use any type of finished coat to them ?TIA
Sometimes butcher block oil. There are considerations you need to make if its something that might contact food. Have to make sure its a food safe finish.
Great video! Thanks for sharing all of that!
Thanks for sharing, very valuable information.
On the leather catch all tray that you made a mistake on, did you find a solution? I’ll bet your laser head bumped the side of the tray because it was so deep. I’ve done something similar. Great work you do!
I might have to get a longer lens so I could avoid the edges like that. Or make sure that overscanning is dialed back. Otherwise those high edges are a pain the butt for sure.
Thanks so much for your video. One question though, do you ever require payment upfront before you do a job?
Not usually although there are scenarios where I might ask for 50% down. If I had to order A LOT of a material to engrave and it is expensive or if it was a first time customer. Asking for a percentage down isnt uncommon but full payment is a little less common.
What laser do you use for the slate coasters, wood, leather and anodized business cards?
I have a laser and it takes a long time to do all of these cause it's an ATOMATACK A5 PRO
Question for your opinion. I want to do a custom debossed silicone bracelet. Any suggestions on a machine that could do it?
Great info, thx for sharing.
Thank you Ken!
Great channel 👍
Any suggestions on a good start up laser engraver for a beginner for under 800$
I was considering a Glowforge for a part time side hustle. Would love to hear your thoughts on them or get a recommendation of another laser.
Great video, thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Awesome advise. Thank you.
Engraved slate coasters are great. Try giving them a coat of Rust-oleum, clear, satin. It protects the engraving and really increases the contrast. Makes them look much better in my opinion.
Nice! I had.a high shine poly I was using but didn't like it. TOO much reflection could barely see the design.
Sealing coasters kinda defeats the purpose of a coaster which is to wick the moisture away from the glass. Sealing them just lets it ball up and drip onto the surface you are trying to protect like a wood coffee table.
Hi, I have an xtool d1 pro 20w, how do you get settings right for a bottle opener when the engrave test is too small to fit on it. How did you know what settings to use?
informative video - thank you - I subbed
Do you take the time spray coat your slate coasters your make for jobs?
Weird question - I watched your Aluminum Laser Diode Video - I saw the power on that particular brand was set very low. That seems low to me - is the anodization on the cards that thin that you can use such a low power rating?
Yes the anodization is a very thin layer. You can crank up the power to give a much "whiter" engraving but it really blows out the shading of grays I was hoping to preserve when doing a portrait like that. If I was doing text or a logo or something non-photographic I would crank the power more.
That is not a weird question. As a mechanical engineer, I have to be concerned about this often, especially when designing tight-tolerance parts.
Depending on the exact anodization process used (as there are a few different process specifications for anodizing), the anodized layer will vary in thickness from about .0002" to about .0024". On most of the products that you engrave, I suspect the thickness would be about .0015". For comparison, the thickness of a standard sheet of notebook paper is about .0035".
The anodizing creates a very thin aluminum oxide layer on the surface of bare aluminum. This layer protects the aluminum against galvanic corrosion. Anodizing also hardens the surface of the aluminum. Bare (un-anodized) aluminum is rather soft on the surface, and it can be easily scratched. Anodizing makes the surface much less prone to scratches.
Is your favorite laser good to use with acrylic?
Be weary of alibaba prices, every time i was looking at 25 cent each the shipping was in the hundreds to thousands. Like one order was $300 worth of product and $890 shipping.... so ya you choose.
thanks for the great video
I can only find the coaster slates for 2 euros per piece. Any place to get then cheaper?
You only recommend the Xtool D1 pro? WHat about the S1? I am completely new and thinking between the D1 pro and the S1....HELP!
Just a thought... the leather journals, how is the leather cured? If it is Chrome cured, it is extremely toxic when laser cut or engraved.
The newer chromium compound that the majority of tanneries around the world use now doesnt have that issue anymore. Id be much more concerned about accidently engraving fake PVC leather journals advertised as real leather. Something like 98% of the leather in the world is chrome tanned these days so Id imagine it would be a massive issue if still toxic.
Joga duro Rubão!!!
Hi,what Laser machine you use?
I'm thinking about selling products like this but I'm not sure if I shoulod build my own onlineshop or if I should sell on ebay etsy etc... What do you guys thing?
The metal business cards will scratch easily, any suggestion to coat them? Thanks
Ive tried matte clear poly coat and had some decent results. Have to make sure you blow/brush away and loose dust from the engraving process though or it will look messy.
@@justinlaser thanks
Gotta get the anodized aluminum cards not the thin painted ones
what do you mean by 'one time set up fee' when setting up a sale
Usually anything related to file prep work. Some jobs have a lot and some don't have too much. This job I basically designed the entire graphic so that was a one time fee that doesn't alter the per coaster price.
@@justinlaser ah, so if they come back for a second order you already have a graphic ready to go and they just pay for the product?.
i have a sculpfun s9 but for some reason i couldnt get a consistent centre point to begin any project using lightburn (the co-ordinates changed every time without turning off either laptop or laser) i really should get back to it😁
also leather hip flasks with club crest's or for wedding parties seem a good idea
@@glasgowjohn7831 Correct. I would just charge the per coaster price if there was repeat order.
Do you have a video with entry level engravers for those without $5k to spend?
Not yet. Depends on your max price range as well as the type of materials you want to do.
Adding this to my back pocket to justify the Snapmaker Artisan to my wife...
"The R.O.I. honey, the R.O.I!" haha
How can I work with people and design these products for them, because I work on Fiverr in this niches
You didn't mention tumblers. I thought they were a good choice to start with.
Oh indeed. They will get their own video.
Which laser should I buy
Question... i have an XTool 20W. How can I even try and scale a product with a slow laser? I feel if I got a 50,100, or 500 product order I wouldn't be able to get it done in time. Am I missing something?
No you arent missing anything. If you are starting to get interest for orders like that you will have to upgrade to a co2 laser, or, hope they are extremely patient customers. The D1 Pro and other diodes are great for getting started but you after you get rolling they have to be upgraded. The only way around it is to work on products that are "one-offs" like photo engravings and stuff like that. Might take a while but customer expects that and only needs one.
How do you MARKET those things though? Go door-to-door offering your products to (often "oh so busy" managers) in hopes they agree to order a few? Post about your work on social media sites and hope it does not get immediately drowned out by similar or "more interesting" posts? Create a website in hopes of a customer basically randomly stumbling across it?
Creating a product is easy. Getting people to admire it is easy-ish. Getting people to want it is not too bad. Finding someone who wants it AND has money to get it, that's the hard part, especially when it comes to real hand-made things.
Yeah look its not easy but thats business. If you are going the Etsy route make sure your photos are spot on and you will most likely have to run Etsy Ads. If starting locally (in my opinion the best way) start posting on your personal Facebook account and in appropriate local area groups. People WANT to support people they know or are in close proximity. Trying to entice small businesses? Take their logo off their website, engrave it on something useful to them, and take it in to the owners and give them a business card. It might not lead to an immediate order but tell them if they ever need anything done you are local and shoot you an e-mail.
What engraving machine do you use?
Several. Boss LS-1630, OMG 60w Fiber, xTool P2, xTool S1
@@justinlaser thank you for your reply! Have a blessed one 🙏
What is it with America and bottle openers, both can and bottle openers in Australia are just old school curiosity items that are of no use in the household anymore and have not been for over two decades, although the odd old style can still pops up once in a while
Many american beers come in bottles that have crimp on caps instead of twist.
A lot of bottles here arent twist off. Other than that its a novelty item mostly.
Reviews for the leather journal were actually 307 for that item,
Der I didn't even THINK of doing metal business cards for myself. 🤪
😂😂
What machine would you recommend for business cards engraving? (large scale engraving hundreds a week)
Mostly depends on price range. You dont need a lot of power but good engraving speed would be a necessity. Sometime like an Aeon Mira does 1200-1500mm/sec engraving and you could plot a bunch of cards down at one time.
@@justinlaser I understand, yeah I have a glowforge pro and its taking me 9 minutes per side which is just far too long... I'll check out the Aeon Mira. But speed is def the biggest deal
I watched a video from someone who was selling on Etsy, and she made around $1700 in revenue, but after all of the listing fees, advertising fees, and so on, she said she only had like $385 in profit. Are the expenses really that high for selling on Etsy? That seems ridiculous.
I can't sell a single item in my country. Been trying for 6 months now. It appears anything sells in America.
Ah that stinks. Any way to target U.S. shoppers?
How much time was involved in the $450 order? Do you have multiple lasers running at the same time to maximize profit per hour?
I do have multiple lasers but not running at the same time. Running on the fiber laser it took me around an hour of actual laser time. A little more for setup and packing. I try to account for that time in my one time setup fee.
Aren't you using a fiber laser for the coasters?
Yep! Not required though. Have done plenty on my co2 laser and would consider doing it if I had a jig to hold many in place at once.
I've never found Alibaba user friendly. Maybe a video on how to actually order from there...
Yeah its really not that user friendly at all. They are good about making sure your money is safe and youre getting what you paid for but the communication process all depends on the manufacturers.
And then you need to make sure to put a thick coat of poly on it
I make resen pens and people ask if we can laser cut names or words on a curved surface
Absolutely. Most pens are engraved "flat" by just putting them in a jig and doing the engraving. If you are looking for full wraparound stuff you would have to check for a rotary attachment that can handle something small like a pen.
When you compete with every other soccer mom in your area that has a gloforge, good luck with sales, and etsy is so over saturated with laser engravers
The shipping from alibaba makes to product 5x more expensive than buying it from Amazon
$0.70
It's not going to be worth much when everyone markets it.
I don’t know, I don’t think the way to financial freedom is selling junk trinkets from China to people one at a time. Even if you get a big order for coasters, if notches bogged yourself down with days of work. To me I don’t see a difference between just having an office job and having yourself forced to stay at home burning coasters all day now you’re a factory worker. You got a find a way to make money where you don’t have to make anything and orders can come in and go out as you sleep or sit on the beach somewhere. For me I’d rather hire somebody like you to do all the work for me and you’re making 60% of the profit and I making 40% of the profit doing nothing because I’ve hired somebody to do all the marketing and keep the Etsy shop up.
I have 5 streams of income related to this 3 of which are digital. I don't do any work I don't wish to do.
Stay away from this hustle approach to making unless you want to stay small. The points this man makes are only going to work against you in the long run unless you are extremely lucky.
Everyone is small in the beginning. Do you think 6 and 7 figure laser shop owners are watching this video? No, its for anyone starting out in their garage.
im hearing very high profit margins yet i don't see a link to your etsy shop anywhere on your channel. does anyone actually pay so much per coaster ect when you can get them way cheaper from literally everyone else who does it .. I'm not sure youre telling the truth , especially when you say taxes are the main mark up ... i know how taxes work buddy , and theres no way it gives any excuse to charge thousands of percent profit margins ..apart from that , great video