I need to have 2 double sided yard signs printed. I do have more to be printed next month and I get a few every now and then through out the year. Would like to expand on yard sign business but I. An never keep a suplyer last guy was charging $5.50 per sign double sided plus $14 shipping for first sign and $5.50 plus .75 each additional sign I'm willing to pay a little more but I can only get $12-$15 each in this area
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Looking to outsource a few yard signs
- Thread starter Jj72ny
- Start date
bannertime
Active Member
$15 for a double sided full color yard sign? In small quantities?
Gino
Premium Subscriber
If that's all you can get, then don't advertise you do them. Turn crap like that down. We get well over that when doing 25 at a time. I just sold 5 to a guy last week for $35.ea plus $2.99ea for the stands. Did 'em on the flatbed.
Maybe you could look into purchasing a small 30" inkjet printer, all the supplies needed and see why you should get more money than what you're charging.
Maybe you could look into purchasing a small 30" inkjet printer, all the supplies needed and see why you should get more money than what you're charging.
twmiller24
New Member
Check out Signs2Trade.com.
Gary Wiant
New Member
I agree with Gino don't do them for that price your only hurting yourself. What if a customer wants the exact same sign on DiBond? Are you going to give that away too?
Usually the reason you can only get that much out of a ________ (sign, vehicle lettering, banner, etc) is because that is what your willing to sell them for. If your design work is good you should have a problem charging what they are worth.
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
Usually the reason you can only get that much out of a ________ (sign, vehicle lettering, banner, etc) is because that is what your willing to sell them for. If your design work is good you should have a problem charging what they are worth.
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Years ago, when we hand-lettered something..... anything with 1 or 2 colors, I couldn't figure out why if we lettered two front doors on a pick/up and got $175. for it, why a set of magnetics cost $125 ?? You just did the same thing..... plus the cost of magnetics.
Come round to today's strategy and it's worse...... you letter 2 front doors with die-cut or digital print for $350, but sell a set of magnetics for $75.
How do you people find it works to have all this technology at your fingertips, which cost a pretty penny, then charge next to nothing to beat out the other schmuck, down the street ?? It's nothing but a race to the bottom.
My taxes keep going up, my overhead and utilities keep going up, payroll is going up and insurance is skyrocketing, but you business geniuses are happy making less and less. How do you guys/gals figure this sh!t out ??
It's not only the design work that makes one stand out against the rest, but the durability of your product, your serviceability and reputation. Without those, you're just another hack.
Gary Wiant
New Member
Absolutely agree Gino, its not just the design that makes your work worth a fair price (what you should be getting).
There are basically 3 types of Sign shops
1. The "used car salesmen" they are the ones that charge absolutely as much as they can out of each customer, but not based on the job, you know screw them for all you can, but usually only get them once.
2. The "bottom feeders" these are the schmucks that lowball everything to everyone, they spend the least amount of time doing the design that they can, and they use the cheapest material they can get their hands on regardless if it will last or if it's the right material for the job.
3. The "professionals" these are the ones everyone should strive to be, they learn design concepts & color, use the best material available, charge a fair price, you don't leave money on the table but you don't gouge either. Charge what it's worth, do a good job & take pride in your work.
We chose #3 and the sign business has treated us well.
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
There are basically 3 types of Sign shops
1. The "used car salesmen" they are the ones that charge absolutely as much as they can out of each customer, but not based on the job, you know screw them for all you can, but usually only get them once.
2. The "bottom feeders" these are the schmucks that lowball everything to everyone, they spend the least amount of time doing the design that they can, and they use the cheapest material they can get their hands on regardless if it will last or if it's the right material for the job.
3. The "professionals" these are the ones everyone should strive to be, they learn design concepts & color, use the best material available, charge a fair price, you don't leave money on the table but you don't gouge either. Charge what it's worth, do a good job & take pride in your work.
We chose #3 and the sign business has treated us well.
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
bannertime
Active Member
Years ago, when we hand-lettered something..... anything with 1 or 2 colors, I couldn't figure out why if we lettered two front doors on a pick/up and got $175. for it, why a set of magnetics cost $125 ?? You just did the same thing..... plus the cost of magnetics.
Come round to today's strategy and it's worse...... you letter 2 front doors with die-cut or digital print for $350, but sell a set of magnetics for $75.
I've wondered the same thing. It was explained to me that it was the assumed "value," that changed the price. Uber has multiple ride options and each one gets you to the place you want to go, but some are "nicer" than the other. Also, there is a bit more work on a vehicle install. Magnets take like 5 minutes while a vehicle will take about 20 for the same size graphic. Materials are cheap, but time isn't.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Wait a minute..........
If you have a business name, phone number and what the business actual does and you cut it out of die-cut vinyl and put it on the truck, what would take so much less time to do all the same things for a pair of magnetics ?? Same cutting time, same weeding time, same taping up, lining up and considering the computer time is the same for either or application, why is one considered cheaper ??
Just asking.............
bannertime
Active Member
Again, there is the assumed value on the job. If you could make money on $75 magnets, then you could make money off $75 truck jobs. However, that truck job has a higher arbitrary cost because customers and sign shops gave them a higher value. Their look, durability, and performance are better than magnets.
As for the time, dealing with customer supplied material always cost more. Cost goes up due to inherent "risk" of working on something that can't be replaced in house. You've also got extra time cleaning and dealing with the customer while they hover. Does it take me that much longer these days? No. I also don't charge $350 to do two doors. My gap between magnets and similar size truck graphics is much smaller. If they could bring the truck door onto my table and already have the exact space and measurements marked out on the door, then $75 it is. Believe me, I've done it before with tailgates.
Marlene
New Member
with a truck, you have to clean it. there is more measuring involved as trucks aren't straight and set time aside to do the job. with a magnetic, you can do it when you want. the magnetic is clean and straight so easier to set up and apply. for those reasons, I would think the magnetic would be cheaper plus it can be digitally printed making it even faster to make.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
I do believe you.... and understand where you're coming from, but you're using the same jargon and reasoning for what these salespeople use on everything today and not logic.
The main reason most shops will charge less for magnetics is simple. They don't have a place to do a truck indoors in wintertime or bad weather. Therefore, in order to be competitive, they hafta take that advantage away from you and make their magnetics cost much less. This is what decreased the value of magnetics. Using fancy words and made up rationale is their way of getting business. It goes without saying for the other things that take place in a shop.
If one works outta their house or a small rental building with no bay space....there are things they cannot offer in a commercial world, so they tend to bring novelty things in, trinkets, business cards and other things which a regular sign shop actually doesn't do. When they were able to start producing things with small digital printers in their dining room, they had to use the bedroom for the laminator, but here's hoping little junior won't get sick from the smells. Out comes latex, which is better, but still not good for in-home usage. Same goes for the person who doesn't have room to build a sign in-house. They probably don't have the tools, supplies or know-how to do it, so they look for lesser grade substrates/materials, thus lowering the value of a one time..... good product. Over time, the end-user starts seeing this kinda products and the bigger shops will lower their prices to now compete with the bottom-feeders.
Can we do it ?? In our shop, we can certainly compete with these guys and if we wanted to, could blow thier doors off, but why ?? They are the ones who have the cheap-a$$ customers who waste time and don't wanna pay for anything in the first place. Those shops get known for doing that kinda work and they remain in that rut for a very long time..... if not forever. Us, we're working smarter and using our tools to their fullest and getting paid what we should. There's been occasions where we wanted to smack a competitor right between the eyes and believe me, they can't produce the stuff and make money for what we could, but again..... why ?? Just to keep them out of our hair from time to time.
I understand your thinking, I just don't fall prey to it. We generally get $350 for a pair of doors with a digital print or very simple 1 or 2 die-cut vinyl on them. Most vans are at least double that and higher. We do an average of 4 to 5 trucks a week.
The main reason most shops will charge less for magnetics is simple. They don't have a place to do a truck indoors in wintertime or bad weather. Therefore, in order to be competitive, they hafta take that advantage away from you and make their magnetics cost much less. This is what decreased the value of magnetics. Using fancy words and made up rationale is their way of getting business. It goes without saying for the other things that take place in a shop.
If one works outta their house or a small rental building with no bay space....there are things they cannot offer in a commercial world, so they tend to bring novelty things in, trinkets, business cards and other things which a regular sign shop actually doesn't do. When they were able to start producing things with small digital printers in their dining room, they had to use the bedroom for the laminator, but here's hoping little junior won't get sick from the smells. Out comes latex, which is better, but still not good for in-home usage. Same goes for the person who doesn't have room to build a sign in-house. They probably don't have the tools, supplies or know-how to do it, so they look for lesser grade substrates/materials, thus lowering the value of a one time..... good product. Over time, the end-user starts seeing this kinda products and the bigger shops will lower their prices to now compete with the bottom-feeders.
Can we do it ?? In our shop, we can certainly compete with these guys and if we wanted to, could blow thier doors off, but why ?? They are the ones who have the cheap-a$$ customers who waste time and don't wanna pay for anything in the first place. Those shops get known for doing that kinda work and they remain in that rut for a very long time..... if not forever. Us, we're working smarter and using our tools to their fullest and getting paid what we should. There's been occasions where we wanted to smack a competitor right between the eyes and believe me, they can't produce the stuff and make money for what we could, but again..... why ?? Just to keep them out of our hair from time to time.
I understand your thinking, I just don't fall prey to it. We generally get $350 for a pair of doors with a digital print or very simple 1 or 2 die-cut vinyl on them. Most vans are at least double that and higher. We do an average of 4 to 5 trucks a week.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Yeah well, you just missed the point entirely. Sure, there's maybe an extra 5 minutes with the measuring and sh!t. To someone who knows what they're doing, that amounts to nothing. They bring the trucks in already clean. That's our policy. We get paid for lettering the vehicles, not washing them. We are now charging $185 to clean the trucks where we must put lettering, unless its a partial or full wrap.
If your shop schedules jobs/projects, you can't do it whenever you want..... you do it when it's time to do it.
So, all-in-all, for something you think is gonna take maybe a few minutes more or something take a few minutes less, that's worth charging 1/3 or 1/4 of lettering directly ?? Evidently, you don't do a lotta vehicles.
bannertime
Active Member
I don't either, and I've never had a customer ask so I've never had to pretend to be a sales person. This idea is why I try to do literally everything I can, myself. Work on my own equipment, computers, cell phone, vehicles, house, guitars, guns. Because I understand that things have arbitrary labor cost to them, that I don't want to pay. Does it cost me $150 an hour to send out a guy in a bucket truck? No way. It's all just made up cost. I have a set price for door lettering, including anything up to 18in x 24in either digitally printed or 2 color cut vinyl. If they want it installed it's a set price per graphic as long as the vehicle is clean enough we just wipe down with isopropyl. I wish I could get $350 for just the doors, but down here, they'd laugh in your face. I don't even think I could justify that price for 6sqft of material.
So I guess my questions is; why don't you charge $350 for a set of magnets? The price of our magnets hasn't changed for nearly 25 years now. The price of vehicle graphics has gone up significantly though. Possibly due to customers always saying "man if I'd have put that on, it'd be all sorts of crooked!"
Gino
Premium Subscriber
I believe we're saying the same thing. Our market around these parts isn't much different then yours, but perhaps, cause I'm older and ready to walk away when someone starts stammering about price or methods, I kinda command a better pay than the salesman that hems & haws and drops a little here or there. These people can see it in your eyes, they can hear it in your voice and they can tell if you are solid with your policies. It's something that is learned and for some it takes a long time and others, pick it up quickly.
A lot to be said for going to Burger King, McDonalds and the other fast food places, but when you go to a good steak restaurant or a fine dining Italian restaurant, you're not looking for Texas Steak House of Luigi's Pizzeria. You're sitting down to a 5 or 6 course meal and you're gonna be well taken care of and they'll put the napkin on your lap and pour your port and the food is exquisite and when you leave and drop the $60 tip, you're completely satisfied. Other than being full at Burger King, when's the last time you tipped at any of those places..... or felt like it ??
I really don't want to do a lotta magnetics, but when we do, we generally get around $200 for a pair. It was at $165, but we put them up about a year ago.
pm me your regular e-mail address. I hafta talk you you about not raising prices for 25 years. That's frickin' absurd. I also wanna send you some pictures.