Questions
The things teams ask us
If yours is not here, ask it in the message when you start your pin — a pin specialist reads every one, and you can leave anything you are unsure of blank. Start your team’s pin.
Timing and deadlines
- How long does the whole thing take?
- For most tournaments, count back about 49 days from the day you need the pins in hand. Late-season tournaments are the exception: winter production schedules pull their deadline a long way forward, so check your tournament rather than working it out. That covers 7 days for design and your approval, 21 for production, 14 for delivery, and a 7-day margin so they arrive the week before your tournament rather than during it.
- When do we have to order for our tournament?
- Pick your tournament on the Fargo page and it will tell you the exact date, along with how many pins your roster needs. Several late-season tournaments share one deadline that is a long way earlier than their dates suggest, so it is worth checking rather than assuming.
- We have missed the deadline. Is it too late?
- Often not. Every tournament has an order-by date, and ordering by it gets you our standard price. After it there is often still a way: fewer than five weeks before your tournament the pins have to ship by express, which costs more, and the price we quote includes it. Fewer than four weeks before it, we cannot make custom pins in time, so we stop taking orders for that tournament. Ask and you will get a straight answer — we would rather say no than take an order we cannot deliver on time.
- Do you charge extra to rush an order?
- Inside five weeks of your tournament, yes - it costs more. Fewer than five weeks before your tournament, we have to ship by express, and that costs more - the price we quote includes it. Fewer than four weeks before it, we cannot make custom pins in time, so the order window for that tournament closes.
Quantity and cost
- How many pins do we need?
- Most teams trade 20 to 30+ pins a player at a tournament, and coaches trade as much as the kids do. Our estimate uses 30 a player, which leaves room for spares. Tell the calculator your roster and it does the arithmetic and shows its working.
- What do they cost?
- It depends on three things, in this order: how many you order, how big the pin is, and whether it does anything — a spinner, a dangler, glow in the dark. The calculator on the order page estimates your exact combination instantly, including the design, the tooling and standard shipping and handling. It is an estimate rather than your final price: we confirm that once we have seen the artwork, and it is usually a little lower.
- What does shipping cost?
- Standard shipping and handling is already inside every price the calculator shows you, so there is nothing to add for normal delivery. The one thing that can change the final invoice is a faster delivery service, if your deadline needs one, and we tell you about that before you commit.
- What is the smallest order you will take?
- 50 pins. The price per pin at that size is high and we will say so, but we will make them.
- Is there a setup or mold charge?
- No separate mold, die or setup charge. Tooling and design are inside the price you are quoted, not added to the invoice afterwards.
Artwork and design
- We do not have a design. Can you still help?
- Yes. Many teams send their own artwork, and if you do not have any, we can help you come up with a design. Tell us the team, the colors and anything the kids are into, and we will draw it. You will see a proof before anything is made.
- What kind of file do you need?
- Anything. A logo, a phone photo of last year’s pin, a screenshot, a picture of a drawing on the back of a schedule. We have never turned a file away for being the wrong format — making it work is part of the job, and telling you your file is wrong would be a strange way to earn your order.
- Can the kids design it?
- Yes, and those are usually the best ones. Photograph the drawing and send us the photo. We turn it into something that can be made in metal while keeping what makes it theirs, and they will recognize it when it arrives.
- How should our pin be made?
- Three ways, best first. Signature HD is our best: every shade and detail comes through, for art with painted shading, gradients or photo detail. Classic is hard enamel. Our standard: a smooth, polished finish, recommended for logos and classic designs. Essential is soft enamel. For tighter budgets: raised metal lines, the classic trading pin. Pick one on the estimate and the price follows; we will tell you with your proof if your artwork suits another.
- Can we use an image we made with AI?
- Yes. Bring it. Logos, mascots and bold designs are made as Classic, our hard enamel standard. A design with painted shading, gradients or photo detail is made as Signature HD, our best: every shade and detail comes through, so blends stay blends. An enamel pin needs a metal line between every color, which is why artwork with gradients or a painted background comes back looking fenced-off in enamel. The estimate on the website prices either, and your quote comes with your proof.
- Can we use an NHL team logo or a cartoon character?
- Send it to us and we will work it out with you. Professional team logos, college marks and cartoon characters belong to somebody else, so we will work with you to either get permission or change the design into something that is yours - before anything reaches production.
- How many changes can we make to the design?
- As many as you need. Revisions are included and there is no charge for them. The only cost is time — each round adds a day or two, so sending every change at once gets you there faster than one at a time.
After you get in touch
- What happens after I send the form?
- We reply by email within 3 business days — usually sooner. Send artwork or an AI concept with the form and your quote comes back faster. A real person reads it, not a call center and not a bot. You will also get an email right away with a link to your own page, where you can add artwork, see your proof and follow your order - without filling anything in twice.
- Where do the pins get delivered?
- To you, not to the rink. Give us the address you want them at and we will get them there ahead of your tournament weekend.
- Can we reorder the same pin next season?
- Yes, and it is quick. We keep your design, so a reorder is usually a short conversation about the season dates and the quantity rather than starting again.
Still not sure?
That is what we are for. Tell us the team and the tournament and we will work the rest out with you — starting one does not commit you to anything.