Wrap Pricing Getting Ridiculously Low Pricing in Canada

[zzhjohn]

Wanted to post that for a while, we have been printing shop for 10 years now in Toronto, Started Vehicle Wraps 3 years ago, was doing both Printed and Colour change, was going good with good costumers and great cars, now there are a lot of start ups that doing they crapy colour change wraps in their garage, for $1300-1700, what is worn with them, I had a couple of cars in the shop to fix mistakes after this king of guys, they won't even take door handle and mirrors off, done like ****.

for example, I was redoing (wasn't mine job the first time) stripes on mustang, took them off, it was all cut by knife and most of the hood was scratch pretty deep

My point is I want to make "union" like at least around my area in Toronto, and keep the pricing as they should be, same as quality, would be awesome to do that everywhere.

it's just an Idea but I really want to push incompetent idiots our of the business.

 

[s.hack]

I'm in Scarborough and I've been selling vehicle wrap for about 2+ years now. I used to sub out the labor to nearby wrap shops when people would come to me with projects, but I had to stop because of the shotty work. It seems like nowadays everyone is cutting corners to save time and put more money in their pockets. The quality of work from some shops are ridiculous. One of them even approached me about buying fake 3M wrap! I don't think there's any way to cut the idiots out, customers will always go for the cheaper price.

 

[MichaelAlmand]

i'm in Orangeville, Lets start a union... I agree things are getting cheap and poorly installs

 

[heyskull]

Your never gonna win cheapness always wins.
Most of the time the ones doing the cheap crappy wraps will have no come backs as the customer thinks "it was cheap anyway"!!
If you sat your customer down in front of their vehicle whilst you wrapped it, they would understand the costs of a quality job.
Sadly your fighting a battle you cannot win.
Charge your price and enjoy the redo work from the other shops as this will cost more to remove and repair than it would in the first place, making you a bigger profit.

SC

 

[player]

I am wondering when your union to set prices becomes illegal price fixing?

 

[visual800]

what if Bubba in his backyard wrapping vehicles doesnt want to be in your union? The only thing you can do about cheap wrqappers is let them wrqap themselves out of biz! Just wait it out. People will always go with cheap. THAT is what matters quality doesnt anymore

 

[Z SIGNS]

Stay away from the customer who is looking for cheap.

You can't earn a living working for them.

Refer them to the hacks.

If your designs and execution are better than those
around you the good customer will see the difference
and go with you.

This is the kind of customer you want.

Ask people like Grandpa Dan or Antonelli if they are worried
about some hack in his garage with a printer or router.

 

[ddubia]

"There is hardly anything in this world that someone can't make a little worse and sell a little cheaper - and people who consider price alone are this man's lawful prey."

John Ruskin 1819-1900

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

"...and keep the pricing as they should be, same as quality, would be awesome to do that everywhere."

LOL

I'd like to know what the price should be everywhere please. (what is it based on?)
Seriously though...can you answer that?

• Printers are more affordable and prevalent now.
• Installers are growing in numbers and getting better.
Do you think these elements will drive prices up or down?

Starting to understand why you can't get what you used to for a wrap?
•If a large chunk of the price is based on a labor skill set (ex: graphic designers, computer technicians, code programmers, web developers, etc)...as more installers jockey for position around metropolitan areas, even the "high quality" installers will need to compete for jobs and lower their labor rates.
•If a large chunk of the price is based on materials and the means to produce them (like computers, printers)...as that changes
more shops will open & have to compete. We know that means customers are now choosing between 5 local shops rather than 1 or 2.

 

[Rick]

 

[heyskull]

Over the last year and a half we have had a competitor move in our area and under cut all our work to the point were their prices were cheaper than what I could buy the materials!
I have stuck to my prices and lost quiet a few so called "loyal customers" who have been given a lot of freebies and stuff over the years. All to jump ship for a cheaper price.
Well it has took nearly 12 months but as we are going at the moment I haven't budged on price and we are getting between 2-3 customers a month returning with their tales between their legs.

Last year was the busiest I have been in my 30 years (30 years in signmaking this year!!!) in this business and January has been stupid busy and that is normally our quietest month.

So my advise is stick it out, their will always be vinyl monkeys popping up and their will always someone to undercut your price, yes even when you try to put a price in that is so low that you are loosing money.

Chin Up!

SC