raising prices

[petepaz]

everything we do is custom made(same with most of you here) so we raise prices as need be based on our material/over head costs (mostly material since that goes up like every month) and the only people who really will notice that is your regular customers that you work with on a weekly or monthly period. we don't usually get any complaints. if it is a regular customer i will let them know when i do a quote that we have had a price increase and i will explain why. haven't had any complaints, worse case is i end up doing one more job at the old price and going forward the price goes up

 

[royster13]

I raise my prices when I can get away with it and I lower my prices when I do not close enough quotes......Selling prices are dictated by what the market will bear.....

 

[Pat Whatley]

When I bought my shop four years ago I raised prices a minimum of 25% across the board day one.

Nobody flinched.

I've always been convinced that a customer won't even notice a 10% price raise. Will they really notice that much difference in the price of a $200 banner and a $220 banner?

 

[Gino]

Why is my business model so scary to you Gino?? Are you telling me your rent, electric, internet, health insurance and gas prices all didn't get raised over the last 3 years. I adjust my prices to keep up with those increases.

If my bills get lower well, I will lower my prices. In a downsizing economy though, with fewer people purchasing I need to adjust prices to keep up with the current demand. So my business sees a steady 5% profit growth every year. I am not going to downsize my business to the point where its not worth being in business. I live pretty frugal, I refuse to subject myself to living at a minimum wage lifestyle.

Scary isn't the word that comes to mind, Addie. Stupid talk is... and it's on your end.

• Where did I say NOT to raise prices ??
• Where did I say operating costs DON'T go up ??
• Where did I say I double my prices in less than 3 years time like YOU did ??

In fact, since negotiating certain overhead, we were able to get lower prices on many services we get at our shop and in our personal life at home. We didn't cut back, we just negotiated harder than usual and got our way.

As for your business model... I was only kidding that it was a business model, while it's in fact another pack of lies on your part. No where would anyone say they raise their prices by 100% in three years and then two sentences later say they will lower the prices if prices fluctuate. Are you for frickin' real ??

Pricing is just like many said here already.... they tend to bounce a little, but your pricing should already reflect price increases, insurance, electric, health workman's comp, trash, bad jobs, trouble customers and so many other hidden costs. It does not reflect a sudden disaster or totally unforeseen problem. That's when you re-negotiate your project.

Anyone that has to raise their pricing as soon as something goes up or down 2% or 3% is bullchitting you. There is no need to do that even in a downsizing economy as you put it.

We have a customer that because of this recent Nor'easter has closed about 9 stores. They lost tons of product, had to hire a vast amount of extra workers and will not turn this into the insurance, but yet their prices will remain exactly the same as they were before losing 100's of thousands if not into the millions of dollars worth of product and labor.
​

Take away all of the commas and we have Addie. So, if you take a hit and things start costing you more out-of-pocket.... you start charging more ?? Why, nothing has changed.

• Weren't you prepared ??
• Are you charging excessive amounts to make up for bad or poor decisions ??
• Do you know the story of the grasshopper and the ant ??
• Which one are you ??

This all boils down to one thing and this is not intended to go political, and if we stay on track, it won't.... so here goes......

You wanna be in the game of being in business and playing a broker. When things go south because of lack of business, lack of know-how or lack of funds.... you want to raise your prices on unsuspecting people/customers for your shortcomings, thus creating a bad taste in many end-users' mouths due to your inept foolish ability to conduct a successful professional business. Then you wanna tell people to raise their prices twice a year and you can't even pay off the people you owe here their $50 bucks or so. How many people do you own money to on this site in which you said you'd pay them for their services and then probably made some kind of pity-me story up to get out of it ??

• How many copyright infringements are still on your website after a year ??
• Will you ever become a good contributor to anything or anyone ??
• Have you ever changed any of your erroneous ways ??

​

 

[FireSprint.com]

Ouch....

In some ways, we're a little bit of a commodity broker selling coro yard signs. When our materials, labor etc go up, we have to raise our prices. We try to keep it to every 6 months to a year though to keep our prices as stable as possible for our resellers. Just like in the price of gas, slimmer margins means more movement when the materials change price.

That being said, with improvements in efficiency, better negotiating and material costs going down, we'll lower them as well. We have to, or the market would eat a company like ours alive.

Back when we did retail, we adjusted our prices all the time, but it had alot more to do with what we were promoting, or the seasons.

The fact of the matter is that your prices should raise about 3% a year to keep up with inflation, whether you do it annually, or once every 5 years after you restructure your company, it still needs to be done to maintain the same profit.

 

[Locals Find!]

Scary isn't the word that comes to mind, Addie. Stupid talk is... and it's on your end.

• Where did I say NOT to raise prices ??
• Where did I say operating costs DON'T go up ??
• Where did I say I double my prices in less than 3 years time like YOU did ??

In fact, since negotiating certain overhead, we were able to get lower prices on many services we get at our shop and in our personal life at home. We didn't cut back, we just negotiated harder than usual and got our way.

As for your business model... I was only kidding that it was a business model, while it's in fact another pack of lies on your part. No where would anyone say they raise their prices by 100% in three years and then two sentences later say they will lower the prices if prices fluctuate. Are you for frickin' real ??

Pricing is just like many said here already.... they tend to bounce a little, but your pricing should already reflect price increases, insurance, electric, health workman's comp, trash, bad jobs, trouble customers and so many other hidden costs. It does not reflect a sudden disaster or totally unforeseen problem. That's when you re-negotiate your project.

Anyone that has to raise their pricing as soon as something goes up or down 2% or 3% is bullchitting you. There is no need to do that even in a downsizing economy as you put it.

We have a customer that because of this recent Nor'easter has closed about 9 stores. They lost tons of product, had to hire a vast amount of extra workers and will not turn this into the insurance, but yet their prices will remain exactly the same as they were before losing 100's of thousands if not into the millions of dollars worth of product and labor.
​

Take away all of the commas and we have Addie. So, if you take a hit and things start costing you more out-of-pocket.... you start charging more ?? Why, nothing has changed.

• Weren't you prepared ??
• Are you charging excessive amounts to make up for bad or poor decisions ??
• Do you know the story of the grasshopper and the ant ??
• Which one are you ??

This all boils down to one thing and this is not intended to go political, and if we stay on track, it won't.... so here goes......

You wanna be in the game of being in business and playing a broker. When things go south because of lack of business, lack of know-how or lack of funds.... you want to raise your prices on unsuspecting people/customers for your shortcomings, thus creating a bad taste in many end-users' mouths due to your inept foolish ability to conduct a successful professional business. Then you wanna tell people to raise their prices twice a year and you can't even pay off the people you owe here their $50 bucks or so. How many people do you own money to on this site in which you said you'd pay them for their services and then probably made some kind of pity-me story up to get out of it ??

• How many copyright infringements are still on your website after a year ??
• Will you ever become a good contributor to anything or anyone ??
• Have you ever changed any of your erroneous ways ??

​

Gino, First off I didn't tell anyone to raise their prices. I commented on what I do. Second, I call BS on you saying your expenses went down. Gas has gone up, food costs have risen drastically and are continuing to increase. So, I don't see any reason to lower prices when day to day expense have risen.

Prices go up for expenses and I raise my prices accordingly. Now if my costs change downward I would adjust prices accordingly. I am not a greedy man. As long as I show a steady ROI with moderate increase year on year I am fine.

I am not going to sit their and eat a 3% increase in costs though that is just plain idiocy your spewing. GO find any Major company that produces any product that sits there and absorbs increased costs. I challenge you to find me one!

I know for a fact your local dairy isn't doing it and I know UPS sure as hell isn't doing it when gas prices rise. So, why would you try to convince anyone that its good business to allow yourself to lose money.

As for my website you know the address go check it out for yourself and quit spewing garbage. So, instead of spewing BS garbage go take care of those chipmunks they aren't going to drown by themselves. Your really should go put out your death buckets.

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

Weird...I know some vinyl prices go up maybe 1% every year or so...but most Technology and Hardware (Printers, Laminators, Computers etc) all go DOWN every year as the competition jockeys for more clients. Look at the prices for Large Format printers and Computers over the last decade. Yeah, Rent goes up a little each year on average, and gas does too for deliveries. But there is also a HECK of a lot more shops out there that are offering large format because they can afford the machines to do it..which usually tends to drive prices down from competing. So I would say, if you are raising your prices 10% a year...you will lose more jobs to your surrounding competition who are still reasonably priced. It's hard to say though...it's different for every area...Metropolitan and non.

 

[Mosh]

I raised my truck lettering price from $50 to $60 in 1997...been the same ever since.

 

[HulkSmash]

I raised my truck lettering price from $50 to $60 in 1997...been the same ever since.

So..

$60 for a phone number

and $60 for a phone number, website, bullets of stuff you do, tail gate and both sides of the vehicle?

Same price?

 

[signswi]

No one should ever listen to mosh on pricing. The forums should filter out his posts on the topic automatically. Unless the topic is about pricing beans.