Anyone doing bumper decals for car dealer lots?

[Colt]

First change your tag name. Your making people with the real name Colt"like my self" all over the world look dumb.
And yes you can buy wholesale I did it when I first started.

"Chill" out and worry about your own business instead of what someone else is doing that you don't anything about.

Some places will sell to you wholesale regardless. And some won't without the proper ID numbers. I don't know why you guys are making this an issue. I'm not worried about wholesale and didn't care about it.

 

[Colt]

Then how do you pay your sales taxes? You are not a real business. How do you plan to be a business unless you act like it? If you are not acting like one then you will never get the respect you are looking for. Do not ruin it for the others by referring them to wholesalers. Don't be a dabbler. It show you are merely a tourist wandering through looking for a few souvenirs,.

Get somewhat legal and get your wholesale accounts and earn a living.

I had came up with a bunch of designs I wanted to put on shirts and other things. Screenprinting was not an option. And the local vinyl t-shirt shop would only do basic letters for some reason, they wouldn't cut any custom vector artwork. So I got the equipment and made it myself. Turned out great. And some others wanted me to make them stuff. So I made some stuff. And thought I might could do some other stuff on the side which would end up covering the equipment. Which I've done decals on glass and things for people. And I had been noticing the decals on bumpers and thought maybe exploring that option as I had assumed those were cut out locally. But like people keep pointing out, places are getting those done in bulk with die cutting that is cheaper to do. Though I know of some people who cut those things out anyways. I'm still going to explore it and check out the profit and time involved. I never planned on doing reselling.

 

[Jillbeans]

Ok let me get this straight.

I would feel like I was scamming someone if I marked up and sold stouse.com decals to a dealer when I could have just told the dealer to go to stouse.com and order themselves.

But this

I was going to see what the going rate was then maybe see if I could do it cheaper since my overhead is low.

is fine with you?
It's OK to kiss the car dealer's hiney but stab a local sign person in the back?

 

[SlightlyChilled]

 

[Fanaticus]

at least become an llc.

What's that cost for the paperwork? A couple hundred dollars? Then you get all the "legal" stuff you need and the world of business opens up to you.

Otherwise what you have is a hobby.

Not trying to upset you, just saying. It's worth it if you intend to pursue it as a career and earn a living.

But, then you have to keep track of sales and pay tax on what you earn too, like a real business.

 

[Vinylman]

I had came "come"up with a bunch of designs{did YOU design them? or steal someone elses creations?} I wanted to put on shirts and other things. Screenprinting was not an option.{Why not?} And the local vinyl t-shirt shop would only do basic letters for some reason, they wouldn't cut any custom vector artwork.{Please explain, YOUR definition of "vector artwork". It is NOT something you created in Word®} So I got the equipment and made it myself. Turned out great. And some others wanted me to make them stuff. So I made some stuff. And thought I might could {"might could"??} do some other stuff on the side which would end up covering the equipment. Which I've done {Which I've done}?? REALLY? decals on glass and things for people. And I had been noticing the decals on bumpers and thought maybe exploring that option as I had assumed those were cut out locally. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENGLISH IN OUR COUNTRY? But like{ as} people keep pointing out, places are getting those done in bulk with die cutting that is cheaper to do. Though I know of some people who cut those things out anyways. I'm still going to explore it and check out the profit and time involved. I never planned on doing reselling.

So following your logic { now THERE is an oxymoron}, you started all this to create a few T-shirts for your personal use, and the monster you created dragged you into a situation that is FORCING you to become a professional. You do not want to be a professional, and yet you joined us professionals here on a web site blog designed for PROFESSIONAL Sign Writers, to discuss Professional issues, in a Professional manor.

Did it EVER cross your mind that you are coming here asking those of us who have spent a considerable number of years honing the skills that allow us to refer to ourselves as PROFESSIONAL, to divulge TRADE ONLY details about our craft, so that you could, "make these myself and try and undercut where ever they are getting them from."

BTW, I am a PROFESSIONAL, because I have spent the last 35 years SUPPORTING THE FINANCIAL NEEDS of my family exclusively by doing what you want to play at!

So explain to me, [and perhaps others here] how helping you would be of any value to this industry?

You have made 26 comments so far on this board.

Make your LAST ONE, Good Bye!

 

[mark in tx]

I'm a sole proprietor and I buy from Stouse.

I guess you just want to hear someone say you have a good idea.

Fine.

Good idea you got there, go for it and let us know how things turned out.

 

[Shadowglen]

I second that with a change.

Good idea you got there, go for it and GO AWAY!

 

[J Hill Designs]

yep we are a sole proprietor too, but buy from stouse...

 

[royster13]

I am a "Sole Proprietor" and buy from Stouse and 100s of other suppliers.....

 

[Colt]

Ok let me get this straight.

But this is fine with you?
It's OK to kiss the car dealer's hiney but stab a local sign person in the back?

I'm not kissing anything and not stabbing anyone in the back. It's called competition. If I want to compete with lower prices than I can. That's the way the market works.

Looks like the local sign people aren't doing a good job anyways. I was at a place that was newly opened, and I was talking to the owner while I was there and asked about their vinyl. And they said the guy screwed up and used the wrong font and didn't do the vinyl the way she wanted it, etc. But she just let it slide and didn't have him redo it since he was old. And another sign shop installed a sign and they screwed something up and tore something up. So the owner won't use that sign shop again.

 

[Colt]

at least become an llc.

What's that cost for the paperwork? A couple hundred dollars? Then you get all the "legal" stuff you need and the world of business opens up to you.

Otherwise what you have is a hobby.

Not trying to upset you, just saying. It's worth it if you intend to pursue it as a career and earn a living.

But, then you have to keep track of sales and pay tax on what you earn too, like a real business.

You're not upsetting me as I can do what I want just like you do what you want. People like to get into other peoples business for some reason instead of worrying about themselves and their own business.

 

[Shadowglen]

I never said this was a career. People here assume and make up things behind their keyboards. I never planned on going into business with it. I got the equipment to make stuff for myself. But thought of doing some stuff on the side as people were having me do some things for them. That's all it is. I'm fine with it being a hobby as that is all it was to be.

Just because I have a lawn mower doesn't mean I can't go mow someone elses yard from time to time if I want.

you are on a Message board for professionals in the "SIGN INDUSTRY", not a message board for "HOBBYIST".

Please go out and find a message board for hobbyist and cricut fans. I think this one may need to be escorted off the premises. He clearly is in the wrong place.

 

[Shadowglen]

You're not upsetting me as I can do what I want just like you do what you want. People like to get into other peoples business for some reason instead of worrying about themselves and their own business.

You are the jack hole that initiated all of this and made your business everyone elses. and I use the words YOUR BUSINESS very loosely

 

[Colt]

you are on a Message board for professionals in the "SIGN INDUSTRY", not a message board for "HOBBYIST".

Please go out and find a message board for hobbyist and cricut fans. I think this one may need to be escorted off the premises. He clearly is in the wrong place.

Maybe I mispoke about it being a hobby as I was using somone elses definition since someone else brought up the hobby part. It started off as a hobby and turned into a part time business. Though some people do refer to a part time business as being a hobby. I do still make stuff for myself. Just the same as a guy with a lawn mower business can still cut his own yard.

I'm new to the sign industry and have gone out and done jobs for businesses. So I'm in the right place as a true "HOBBYIST" wouldn't be doing that.

 

[Colt]

You are the jack hole that initiated all of this and made your business everyone elses. and I use the words YOUR BUSINESS very loosely

No one made you click on the link. It's like what they say, if you don't like the channel, then change it instead of staying around whining. I would appreciate it if you don't resort to name calling as it's NOT professional.

 

[Shadowglen]

Then show some respect to the many professionals that have years of experience in the sign business that were honestly answering your questions and trying to help you. You just keep firing back negative crap at the folks that originally were trying to help you.

You act like a peaked in High school know-it-all PITA.

 

[hydo1]

This entire thread is insane. Get a price from Stouse, double or triple it, give the price to customer. Maybe they will take it, maybe not. If they take it great, if not MOVE ON.

I had a similar project for a quantity of 30 only, I bid the job but apparently the customer was getting them from another company for 1/4 of the price.... BUT... it took 3 months to get them done and this company was out of business. He was convinced that they should be the same price. Dealing with that kind of logic, is this a customer I really want? Needless to say he walked away empty handed and I moved on to the next profitable project.

Also, off topic a bit, but I hate it when dealerships put these decals on the cars. You spend that much on a new car and they want you to drive around advertising their dealership for free? Hmmmm.... no.

 

[Haakon]

Though some people do refer to a part time business as being a hobby. I do still make stuff for myself. Just the same as a guy with a lawn mower business can still cut his own yard.

I'm new to the sign industry and have gone out and done jobs for businesses. So I'm in the right place as a true "HOBBYIST" wouldn't be doing that.

The guy with a lawn mower business has just that, he is not just a guy with a lawn mower. Whether or not you make decals for yourself does not make any difference to if you are running a legitimate business or not.

I also started out with a plotter in my basement, while I was going to school for graphic design, cutting graphics for me and my friends. Still not a business even if it put some cash in my pocket now and then. Or even when car clubs and tuning shops bought some custom decals from me. Still a hobby, and the only way you can make businesses buy from you this way, is to undercut pricing so severly that a business will come better off taking the payment you need out as their own salary, pay taxes on it and give you what you have quoted. No paperwork. This is NOT how you do business.

A legitimate business will not deal with/buy products from someone not registered as a company, they will not be able to write off those expenses without a receipt from a registered legitimate company. Your accountant will verify this (or probably a accountant in your case, just check up on it).


Register your company, and wholesalers/members of the trade will gladly do business with you. Otherwise its just a just a hobby, no matter what kind of clients you have.

 

[Colt]

Then show some respect to the many professionals that have years of experience in the sign business that were honestly answering your questions and trying to help you. You just keep firing back negative crap at the folks that originally were trying to help you.

You act like a peaked in High school know-it-all PITA.

The only negative I see are the people doing the name calling and put downs.

I show respect by not engaging in name calling unlike what you are doing. You've been posting alot of negative crap.