I have a vinyl job to do and was wondering what should I charge. THis is a side job, so Im trying to keep costs down. There is 2 colors, but all together I have 44 feet in vinyl on a 30 inch roll............what should I charge per square foot just for material. I was told $7-8/sq. ft. (at least for where I work)....any help would be helpful, thanx.
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Vinyl Pricing?
- Thread starter JMan1
- Start date
CentralSigns
New Member
Half price sale at your shop, or a wholesale shop.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
Is your shop selling you the vinyl or have you bought it on your own ??
There's quite a few methods of pricing and it usually stems from what you have invested material-wise, time-wise and overhead and profit-wise.
If you are operating on your own from your own shop or garage, you should charge the going rate in your area... otherwise, If I'd be your boss, I'd be pretty pissed off if you were lowballing in my backyard.
If it turns out your boss gave you this job because they didn't want it.... I'd be asking myself why he didn't want this particular customer.....
I believe there's more to this story than you're telling us.
There's quite a few methods of pricing and it usually stems from what you have invested material-wise, time-wise and overhead and profit-wise.
If you are operating on your own from your own shop or garage, you should charge the going rate in your area... otherwise, If I'd be your boss, I'd be pretty pissed off if you were lowballing in my backyard.
If it turns out your boss gave you this job because they didn't want it.... I'd be asking myself why he didn't want this particular customer.....
I believe there's more to this story than you're telling us.
No, Im not lowballing my boss...lol....majority of the material are scraps, and I did have the okay to take some from the shop.....but I definitely understand where you are coming from.
tooserious
Premium Subscriber
Ask your boss what he would charge
Bradster941
New Member
Not sure why you posted this in the Vinyl section but has now been Moved to the Pricing Section.
You will find most here do not like to give pricing information in the open area.
For more accurate information, you may want to consider becoming a Premium Member. As one, you will find more direct information to your question as well as a wealth of information on other topics.
http://www.signs101.com/modules/News/showarticle.php?threadid=6021
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Okay, its a long story between me and my boss........but to make a long story short, all the material that Im using has been okay'd by him. Bottomline is, he knows what is going on........maybe "scrap" was a bad choice of words.
And sorry, about putting this in the vinyl section........my bad.
Sorry, I did not know this......
CentralSigns
New Member
Is the vinyl old stuff(ie scrap stuff). Hope your boss will be happy when your special vinyl fails and the customer associates the failure with your bosses shop. If the boss wants to get rid of it it's probably beyond prime. Good guess?
Since everybody is down my throat about all the material im using, Ive helped my boss add on another room to his house, and thats why he was okay letting me take some material.........the material im using is new, or somewhat new, and nothing is wrong with it. I know because I have to sign for shipments coming in.......
I just dont know why everybody is so uptight about this. I dont know what the problem is. I said the material was okayed by my boss, and that it was a long story why I was given the okay to take some material.
All I asked was what someone would charge (because I dont do quotes) per square foot for the vinyl that I have. I already said it was a side job, and Im trying NOT to overcharge so i can make a little money on the side, but I guess VINYL MATERIAL is a SENSITIVE subject on this site......everybody is so sure that there is something shady going on, or that im stealing material, that its impossible for somebody in the sign business to do an even trade for something that benefits them. Similiar to what my boss did. Hell, I think it was more that an even trade.....I helped him do something, he let me have material. Simple as that.
I dont get it, I thought thats what this site was about: asking questions.
JR's
New Member
Okay J. Man, now that is much better we know what is going on now. You did not say that in the first post.
We are a community of all sorts of people mostly sign oriented business owners. when you say you took some scrap vinyl, red flags went up that's all.
So you want to know how much you should charge? But you want to keep it low because it's a side job that I don't understand.
You should charge what the job is worth has no difference if it's a side job or a regular job.
Or do you mean you don't want to charge too much ware you would lose the job because you bid too high.
I think if you figure how much the material cost mock it up plus your labor that will give you a good starting point.
We are a community of all sorts of people mostly sign oriented business owners. when you say you took some scrap vinyl, red flags went up that's all.
So you want to know how much you should charge? But you want to keep it low because it's a side job that I don't understand.
You should charge what the job is worth has no difference if it's a side job or a regular job.
Or do you mean you don't want to charge too much ware you would lose the job because you bid too high.
I think if you figure how much the material cost mock it up plus your labor that will give you a good starting point.
CentralSigns
New Member
I think JR hit on the head. Most of the problem I see is discounting well below market value. Not having a shop of your own you don't realize the pain you could be causing you boss or his competitors. As long as individuals continue to lower the bar so to speak, it sets precedents. Buddy shopping with you sees the cost is way below market value and expects it to be that way always. Then questions the bosses pricing or his competitors pricing.
Look for instance at the market value of business cards, it got that way from ma and pa operations low-balling the market from home locations. These micro operations existed in every small town across the country and they were not in it but for a hobby, to only to make a little extra cash. Say a rainy day funds or a buy a hot-tub fund or Christmas fund. Over time the market was eroded and overall prices fell. In some areas prices fell so low the small to medium businesses couldn't compete. This gave large printing houses following the market and doing high volumes an advantage so they went with the lower prices to compete. Most of the small micro businesses are no longer there, the drop in pricing and stiff competition lowered it to below what they could compete at. This wasn't overnight but more like over 10-15 yrs.
So just think about this. With no overhead you can easily lower your prices way below market value. You can offer products at 50% less than your boss. Will it make a difference now, probably not. As a customer if you can get products at a lower price, can you see yourself paying the higher prices again, I would think that you would shop for the lower prices. Can the customer demand lower prices, ya as we start to go hungrier as sign businesses. What will you do for work in 10 years when there are less shops in operation because only the big high volume shops could compete in a market structured like this. You'll get what's coming to you , that's all. Good luck dude. That's probably all I should say on this.
Look for instance at the market value of business cards, it got that way from ma and pa operations low-balling the market from home locations. These micro operations existed in every small town across the country and they were not in it but for a hobby, to only to make a little extra cash. Say a rainy day funds or a buy a hot-tub fund or Christmas fund. Over time the market was eroded and overall prices fell. In some areas prices fell so low the small to medium businesses couldn't compete. This gave large printing houses following the market and doing high volumes an advantage so they went with the lower prices to compete. Most of the small micro businesses are no longer there, the drop in pricing and stiff competition lowered it to below what they could compete at. This wasn't overnight but more like over 10-15 yrs.
So just think about this. With no overhead you can easily lower your prices way below market value. You can offer products at 50% less than your boss. Will it make a difference now, probably not. As a customer if you can get products at a lower price, can you see yourself paying the higher prices again, I would think that you would shop for the lower prices. Can the customer demand lower prices, ya as we start to go hungrier as sign businesses. What will you do for work in 10 years when there are less shops in operation because only the big high volume shops could compete in a market structured like this. You'll get what's coming to you , that's all. Good luck dude. That's probably all I should say on this.
Obviously this thread has offended some people on here, which I didnt mean to do........and clearly my question isnt going to get answered.
I'll just say this: I rarely do side jobs, or go behind my own company's back in trying to steal clients with lower prices. That would be stupid on my part......I have an opportunity to use the vinyl that was given to me and try to help out somebody that I know. They would give me a discount on something that I need, in exchange for me hooking them up with some vinyl. It was one job. I didnt think I would be putting smaller shops out of business, here or anywhere else, let alone thinking about 10 years from now. Thats a little far fetched, dont you think?.....sorry, but that is ridiculous. I just wanted to know what to charge, so I know what to pay if there is a difference to be paid, or if it would be and even swap.
46 ft. off of a 30 inch roll.....how do I get square footage and what to charge per foot?......I guess I'll never know. I just thought I'd ask on here since I havent done any posts lately.
Again, sorry to anyone who was offended by this question. At least I know what NOT to ask the next time I have a question.
Pro Image
New Member
DAMN.....Just ASK your friggen BOSS what he would CHARGE.......gessh........
44 x 2.5 will give you the sqft...........110 sqft
Dont take no brain surgeon to figger that one out.....
ASK YOUR BOSS what the hell he paid for it ......
AND OH MY GOD you have a PRICE.........Friggen EASY if you ask me.....
NOW you know what the vinyl if WORTH......Now price it out at a markup you can MAKE money on and not look like a 12 year old kid that cant count past 10 without taken his shoes off.......
44 x 2.5 will give you the sqft...........110 sqft
Dont take no brain surgeon to figger that one out.....
ASK YOUR BOSS what the hell he paid for it ......
AND OH MY GOD you have a PRICE.........Friggen EASY if you ask me.....
NOW you know what the vinyl if WORTH......Now price it out at a markup you can MAKE money on and not look like a 12 year old kid that cant count past 10 without taken his shoes off.......
Cross Signs
We Make Them Hot and Fresh Everyday
(DAMN.....Just ASK your friggen BOSS what he would CHARGE.......gessh........)
+1
+1
Techman
New Member
This is not what you are supposed to do
Keeping things low because its a side job means nothing. Never keep any thing low because its a side job.
Charge the value or do not do it at all. Period.
That much cut vinyl ready to apply RTA is worth a lot plus your value to install it. Ask yer boss what he would get. But whatever you do ,, do not sell it low because it's aside job. Doing so just cheapens the value of what you have. And we all know what we call a person who "gives it up"" cheap.