Hi Bert- Pricing can be difficult to figure out, and especially on Etsy where there is such a wide range on what appear to be similar pens. Last year I saw a nice increase in business from the year before (~400 pens sold in 2013), and am slated to see another 20% increase on that this year. The key for me has been wholesale.
Figure out what your costs are, what you need to charge to make money on a pen as if it was already sold. That's your wholesale cost. Now double it- You've just discovered "keystone pricing", that extra is what goes towards the marketing of the pen or, if being sold by a retailer for you, to cover their overhead costs.
I hardly get any sales on Etsy except for the occasional one here and there. Etsy is a way for me to get more visibility. Besides Etsy I have my own business website, a facebook fan page, twitter account, instagram account, and pinterest account. People often don't take into consideration the time necessary to market their goods....social media gnomes do not take over anybody's computer in the night (sadly). If you have any questions I can help with please feel free to ask.
As far as shows, I've stopped doing craft fairs but I will be a vendor in the DC Pen show later this year. It's the biggest pen event in the world, I'm pretty excited for it :)
