Is there a Graduating scale in pricing

[midage56 0]

laugh at me later please....I have read many of the pricing post's and this question may/may not be realtive but gotta ask any how...

Is there a "climbing" price set such as (example) 1" lettering equals $1.00 and 10 cent for every letter used in whatever format placement and it "graduates from 1" to 2", 3", and so on till you reach your limit in size.  Is there or could there be a letter cost, a size cost or should it be based on a project cost versus man-hr's. Like mechanics use a set time/job to base on repair cost versus quotes. The following is for vinyl product ONLY, the design cost may/may not come into play and the substrate cost as well as I ASSUME size,job spec's and material all play into a fair quote or cost....Oh, what dictates the design cost, I mean what is a begin figure and what should be the "switch" that increases that figure.

Thank you for reading this as I am reading and learning from the many of you and your post's...

[mars 45]

Pricing can be figured in many different ways.

You can use the longest dimension and charge so much per inch - one competitor I have uses $1 per inch.

You can measure the size width and height and figure square inches (or square feet) and charge so much per inch or foot.

Doing letters usually they are based on height of letters and you just count up the letters and multiply by the cost for that size letter.

There are commercial pricing programs available - I use one called Estimate.  And some cutting programs have pricing modules - I use VinylMaster Pro and it does basic pricing - I think Flexi also has pricing capability - probably more that the very basic one that I have in VMP.  There are some spreadsheet pricing apps done by forum members you can download.

Look at this topic.

http://forum.uscutter.com/index.php/topic,23205.0.html

Design charges should be based on time - you will get a feel for how much time it will take after you have done a few designs.  Probably the simplest way to charge is just to have a one time setup charge to cover simple designs and a different charge for more complex designs.

In the end it is up to you.

One thing to remember - if you aren't sure what to charge - your customer is clueless (usually) about what the price should be.

-mike

[john! 1]

I would never charge by the inch. a 1" x 8" decal would take up more than just 1" of vinyl so you better charge for it (waste)

I'd get some pricing software as many of us have, http://graphixcalc.com

[boosted 2]

I just spent the last couple of hours setting up an excel workbook for my pricing. I am now working on the inventory side of it. I set it up so I just enter the color(s), size, and estimate of how much time it will take me to produce each one, and my pricing comes up. On another sheet it tracks and shows my profit.

[mars 45]

Yeah, a 1" x 8" decal would be $8.00 in this guys pricing scheme.  He charges for the longest dimension.  I don't do it that way, but to each his own.

Whatever method you choose they all work to varying degrees - the more thought and attention you pay details the more accurately they reflect the time and materials involved in producing a job and the closer you can track your profits.

Spreadsheets can do a good job - I don't have the skill to make a very complicated one to take into account all the variables - more power to you boosted!  - so I just use a commercial pricing program.

-mike

[BCDPrints 0]

Hello, I use Excel as well. It's a great way to keep track of the costs of each item you purchase. I go by cost of goods and add all supplies for the job together. For the main material, say the vinyl I use a cost per square inch. Add up all components and X's it by a percentage of margin I want to make on the projects. In Excel you can then take the calculation and X's it by the number of units ordered. If you know Excel it's a wonderful time saver. You can play around with your margin dollars to feel comfortable with your offering. This way when someone does request a quote or offer up a dollar amount you have a place to go to review the offer. If you want to make more or make less at least you know where your costs are so your not loosing money. You need to track your inventory and material costs per job otherwise your shooting in the wind.