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Am I pricing wrong?
Just got a text form a guy thanking me for the time we spent at the computer designing his van but that he has had other quotes that are up to 200 cheaper.
We sat for about 2 hours.
I asked for 350 with 10% off for a lump sum.
What do you think?
To dear/cheap, about right?
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24 Replies
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Hi James
I feel your pain! There is a lot of work there, even if it is mainly black. I think, from looking that you are maybe about £50 more than I would have quoted, but then again, I may have bunged that on in extra fitting time.
£150? Bedroom boys at work again, I suspect.
Also the other quotes haven’t spent 2 hours with him… 👿
Good luck
lorraine -
tks Lorraine
He has offered to pay me something for that time at the computer but before I ask him for something I have asked him to see the other quotes.
Update:
Just texted me saying they were only verbal quotes with some minor changes, mmmm.
150 quid.
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It’s hard to say as your area will have different prices to others but my price would have been around £200 – £250 (off the top of my head)
And I may be beaten on that price around here as well!Steve
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I feel your pain buddy…
I had a guy come in the other day who has 6 little suzuki vans….
We wanted cut vinyl in two different colours and a 1.5m x 1.5m digial vinyl on each side.
When I asked him how much he was currently paying he said £175.00 per van….I nearly laughed in his face.
I told him I would get back to him, I really dont think he is paying 175 more like 375 which is what i would charge as a favour to him.
Some people really aint worth the hassle….will post a picture of van later if i can.
Many Thanks
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I wouldn’t touch that for under $750 bucks, not sure how that relates in £s.
And secondly, I won’t even turn on my computer without a deposit.
I just quote them verbally (usually high-ish to cover my hiney)
Then if they want to use my services I will make a sketch or two.
I just hope you didn’t let him take that sketch with him.
I know there is lots of talk about the recession and economy but I refuse to lower my prices to get a job.
You don’t see the price of gasoline or food going down, do you?
Love….Jill -
I would have gone in at around £280 – £300 but again probably would not have got it for that around here either 🙁 Hence I don’t do a lot of vans!!
Would be interesting to see what their ‘small alterations’ are??
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750 dollars is 483.77 quid today Jill.
My last offer was 270 quid upfront which is 418.58 dollars, which he isn’t taking because he can get it done for 150 quid/232.55 dollars.
Ah well, I did give him the sketch, it will be interesting to see how it turns out as he is local.
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Ohh James, I hope you warned him not to use your design (or charge him design time-an extra ££££/hour would make your price more attractive, anyway!).
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quote James Martin:750 dollars is 483.77 quid today Jill.My last offer was 270 quid upfront which is 418.58 dollars, which he isn’t taking because he can get it done for 150 quid/232.55 dollars.
Ah well, I did give him the sketch, it will be interesting to see how it turns out as he is local.
James, I would have gone a bit cheaper, But rule No.1
never give your design away without a deposit!
Not sure what you mean by a lump sum though, were you offering
HP facilities?I sometimes ask a few questions first and give them a ball park figure, based on the coverage, number of colours etc before starting to design,
and point out that first 20 minutes is free, all time after that is added to the total.Price it book says £196- £277 (excluding design) so you were in the right area
Peter
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No way would I do that for £150 😮 pain in the arse doing the bit above the windscreen too.
I’d be more along the lines of £275
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I took a quick look at that one james and thought £320, before I even read the rest……
Wouldn’t lose any sleep over some eejit doing it for £150.
If you find out who’s doing it for that, send him to Bristol, and he can do the vans we charge £320 for !! (for £150 to him obviously)😀
Cheers
Joe -
£150? if any customer ever says to me they can get stuff for a ridiculous price like that I usually laugh and tell them bite their hand off and walk away saying sorry we cant match that. Most folk are at it you can see buy the reaction when you say this. At £150 no one is going to make any money so they wont be around for long.
I usually tell customers what the cost is before we begin so once they say ok that’s them at least agreed to the price before work commences so anything you do is then chargable as it has been agreed.
If the customer haggles and i d drop the price ill drop a bonnet or try and make a saving somewhere. I tend never really to drop a price more give some added value like a free vinyl name for their car saying this is worth £30 that way in their head they see this as a saving but in reality it cost you pennies if you are cutting a van anyway.
Id charge around £300 for that much Vinyl – if he has offered you cash for your design take it quick – he is obviously going to use your design.
Nigel
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I agree 350, you’ll probably find that they will drop much of the text etc as well as using a monomeric. Not worth turning the machine on for 150 even if you specialise in van livery. If he’s willing to risk his livelihood on a poor representation of his business let him go ahead. Don’t forget you own the copyright of this design so I would charge him for the right to use it.
P.S I think you could have lost quite a bit of the text as it is unreadable.
Good luck
Jason
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quote Nigel Hindley:I tend never really to drop a price more give some added value like a free vinyl name for their car saying this is worth £30 that way in their head they see this as a saving but in reality it cost you pennies if you are cutting a van anyway.Nigel
£300 sounds about right for me anyway. £150 is what i would take for the same design on a smaller van. Connet, Caddy eg.
Nice idea Nigel all have to try it. I hate dropping my price as am trying to give the customer valve for his money only to be ask can you drop £30 :angry:
Martin
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I tend to agree with the above i would have quoted around £300,if the customer believes its too expensive there aint a great deal you can do about it,you can build value to your product by explaining you only use high quality vinyl etc but i would say in the majority of cases the customer has already decided to go for the cheaper option.What i prefer to do is design the proof to match the customers budget,however this can be awkward asking how much would you like to spend sir?.or even alter the design to match the budget by removing shadowing and large areas of vinyl.There is a saying in life "you only get what you pay for" 😉
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quote Peter Normington:quote James Martin:750 dollars is 483.77 quid today Jill.
My last offer was 270 quid upfront which is 418.58 dollars, which he isn’t taking because he can get it done for 150 quid/232.55 dollars.
Ah well, I did give him the sketch, it will be interesting to see how it turns out as he is local.
James, I would have gone a bit cheaper, But rule No.1
never give your design away without a deposit!I sometimes ask a few questions first and give them a ball park figure, based on the coverage, number of colours etc before starting to design,
and point out that first 20 minutes is free, all time after that is added to the total.Peter
quote Nigel Hindley:usually tell customers what the cost is before we begin so once they say OK that’s them at least agreed to the price before work commences so anything you do is then chargeable as it has been agreed.Nigel
That’s what a should have done usually one of the first things a customer asks is how much, to which I reply depends how much were putting on it.
But this guy had been sent down by an existing customer who’s Iveco I just did recently which was:……….. guess……..350………..
Should have been clear about price before spending my time.
Well see if he coughs up the 40 quid I’ve asked for designing.
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£40 is very reasonable James for 2 hours of design but is a tough one we do get bumped frequently despite agreements in principal but when you live in a small town its tough to get tough!
The thing is with someone who will undercut to £150 he wont be any good and your design will no doubt change beyond recognition.
Be interesting to see what happens –
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We never let them take artwork away without a deposit. we normally say £25 if you want to take the drawing away and if you come back then it will be deducted from the cost. I Told a customer the other day that if he wanted to get prices from other firms then thats no problem and I fully understand thats how business is done but if he goes to someone else then let that person do some artwork for him not expect me to pay for it. He was quite understanding and came back two days later to pay the deposit and said he had been to other places but no one bothered to sit down and show him some artwork so he came back to us.
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There you go.
Chap came round with my 40 pound artwork fee and to show me the van he got cut and fitted for 150
Looks ok from a distance but its a bit chopped up and popping badly already after a day or so.
For another 80 quid I’d have done it with gold cast.
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Ah well I’m sure that makes you feel better – you got something and he ended up with a poor job. – He did use your design then? – you should have charged him more – he paid for your time not the copyright to your design – but its not worth the bother eh.
Did you point out the quality of the job to him? or how long it took the other guy to do it? Madness £150 for that.
Ill bet he is back to you within 6 months asking you to do it again for him.
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That’s terrible, however what actually turns your stomach is the fact that somebody has invested all that time into the production and application of the sign.
A very poor advert for vinyl signs, how many potential customers will look at that and think that all vinyl behaves that way.
I still can’t believe that somebody would waste their time for £150!!!!!
I need to go and sit down.
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Nigel
We both had a walk round it and believe me the other side was worse, at the recess it had obviously popped before he had even finished the van so he just cut a slice out. Butchered it.
I know the guy that did this and I cant understand why he bothered, I,m not naming his company but he has a well established business.
The customer said that him and an employee fitted it all in under two hours. 😮
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James –
take it he now knows the difference between a £350 job and a £190 job (including your cut)? over just a couple of years he will be paying more for the job than you quoted. He has probably wasted a couple of hours too which means he has lost money too instead of getting on with his work!
£150 to fit – this guy must have lost money – 2 hours per man to fit? say 2 hours to layout cut, weed and tape? that’s 6 hours – at what £8 an hour that’s £48 vinyl, tape, rent electricity – he has lost or at best done this at cost.
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Newbie here, I am just dipping my toe into the idea of this business. If I do it I will be getting the ‘proper’gear, solvent printers etc. It seems that this is similar to my other business (photography) anyone can buy a DSLR and call themselves a photographer, but do they really know how to produce decent images? No, so its the same thing. I NEVER hand over copyright and this is made clear before any quotes or estimates are agreed upon. If they want to use a cheaper person I let them get on with it, and they get similar results as above. Stick to your guns re. pricing (unless you have built in some negotiating discount on top)
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