It doesn’t really matter if you’re a larger shop or working out of your kitchen, you charge what the market will bear in your area.
We basically charge by the full sheet if you go an inch over 48”. Under that and they get charged for a half sheet. Yes, it then goes into inventory…. WHY ??? Because we have the room, can do it and our reputation along with our customers know this about us and like us for doing this.
The remainder that sits on our shelves from full or half sheet cutoffs… become our ‘GRAVY’. Next guy that comes in for a 2’ x 3’ sign pays for the half sheet again. Hm-m-m-m, sounds like I hear a ka-ching ka-ching in the background.
If you’re not doing this to some extent, you’re looney.
bob, even if you had a little closet, you would become an inventory keeper of cut-offs and make more money. Whether or not you consider this custom made signs [goods] or off the shelf [mass produced], doesn’t enter into this. Call it whatever you like… making money and getting paid for your work is all that matters, as long as you don’t cheat anyone.
If I had to trot out for every sign order we did… I’d be trotting all day long with out getting any signs finished. So let me ask you this bob…. If you get two 3’ x 4’ signs on the same day, do you trot to your supplier on two separate occasions or get both pieces at once. Oops, how stupid of me, you could get this all out of one piece, so do you only make one trip and pick up one piece ?? Hmm, not according to what you said. Next, if today your customer orders a 2’ x 3’ two sided sign and you trot down to the wood store and come back and there is someone waiting to talk to you and you talk them into a 3’ x 4’ sign… do you turn right around and go get their piece down at the wood store.
I’m not making light or fun of this bob, but you described it in a fashion that doesn’t make sense to me. I’m sure there are all kinds of scenarios that can take place, but your theory just doesn’t cut it, across the board.
