Ridiculous Pricing

Some folks work for "beer money"......And real "cheap beer" in this case.....

if they use really cheap shirts it makes sense

red514 said:

if they use really cheap shirts it makes sense

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Or being in business is just an excuse to get away from the "Honey Do" list......

Tell him to get it in writing that the $99 includes all setup fees and shipping ...and if they'll do that, tell him to go for it.

He'll call you back in 15 minutes.

I wouldn't waste another second with him. Just tell him that you're busy with scheduled jobs, and running overtime is costly and risky and you hope he'll consider you in the future.

Tell him your special rush price is only good for 24 hours. Then it goes up. And, I'm not kidding you're not losing anything by losing this guy.

And somewhere out there is a guy who will do it for $89. Stay the course and price according to your expertise.

Pft. I tell tire kickers like that to tell me who it is so I can get all my printing done there and I pick up my phone to confirm ... Sometimes I'm serious ... never once have they told me where they get their shirts, signs, banners, etc for less than actual material cost and overhead.

NOW I have on the other hand seen graphics shops do jobs they don't make an actual profit on to keep their employees working since they pay them anyways whether they work or don't .. but that is one thing ... selling 24 shirts for basically a $30 profit range (maybe) to cover the man hours on making/cleaning/setting up 2-3 screens then to produce the image on the 20 shirts ... you basically have to have an automatic with laser registration so you can set them up in 15 minutes, and sling ink within another 5-10 minutes. Possible, but the smallest price I've seen for something like that is still around 7-9 a shirt if there are no screen fees in some heavy production shops.

treefox2118 said:

and running overtime is costly

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Really???....It is my understanding that in most production related industries, overtime is actually more profitable than regular hours.....Fixed costs (building, depreciation, benefits, etc.) are already covered off by regular hours so the only extra expense is OT labour which in most cases is offset by no overhead....

Forget him. There are fair number of people out there who devalue what you do and will always look for something cheaper. You don't want or need those customers. They will never be loyal. Screen printing is tough because a lot of people think they can do it and print as a hobby or for some beer money. They will steal a few jobs from you, but never ones that matter. And when they go out of business, you buy their equipment

royster13 said:

Really???....It is my understanding that in most production related industries, overtime is actually more profitable than regular hours.....Fixed costs (building, depreciation, benefits, etc.) are already covered off by regular hours so the only extra expense is OT labour which in most cases is offset by no overhead....

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I'm not so sure about this. My pricing is set up around 50 hours of operation. When we run extra and work overtime, and have not figured that into my original price list. Should I be figuring for more? Not so sure...

Here's another one. It's only a single front and back, but it's colored shirts with free shipping, and then factor in that ebay takes 10% of the final cost and paypal takes 5% it just doesn't make any sense to me. It does make one consider just farming everything out but I like having control over the quality and I like the work itself.

24 2 Location Custom Screen Printed Shirts Business Event Birthday Fund Raiser | eBay I

$4 a shirt for 24 pieces, sounds like the good ole craigslist bait and switch..


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Most customers (at least the kind you want) are willing to pay a fair and reasonable price for a good print job and good service. If I'm looking to buy something on Ebay of course I want a good deal, but if something is ridiculously cheap it makes it seem like you could be getting a lousy product. (I bought a CD burner for $6 once and I couldn't believe how cheap it was. It worked for a week before it broke.)

I've been in business long enough to know that my pricing is very competitive, most often a little lower than most printers in my area. I also am confident about my quality, so when I price a job, I know the customer is getting a good deal. On the rare occasion that someone calls me back and says they got a much lower quote, I tell them to get it in writing and go for it. Almost every time it turns out that they really don't want to go to another printer, they just want you to lower your price.

I'm not about to start wheeling and dealing like a used car salesman.

I agree with Neil. Bring doing retail for decades. Customers are always saying that they were quoted about 50% of my price. I generally tell them, with NO sarcasm, that I cannot meet that price and that they should hurry back to that vendor before that vendor changes their mind. Frequently the customer will step outside for a few minutes and complete the purchase at my price, or they will move on to the next person to see if they will buy their line. Generally these people are just trying to get you to lower your price. If you feel your pricing structure is fair and reasonable, stick with it. Don't devalue your efforts trying to please every last person that walks through your door. It cannot be done. If you give in on this they will try to constantly lower your prices.

Just my $0.02.

Dane

Yeah, the dude that is selling that ebay auction has an automatic and it looks like he's just waving his screen fees (which are tiny anyways ... $10 yikes) so 24 shirts would only take like 5 minutes to print. he would just have to batch out his e-bay auctions ... he's probably doing it to make sure he keeps his payments on his auto going out the door on time.

Either way, forget that original customer ... sell at the price you can make money and not be busting hump just to keep your equipment paid selling shirts with minimal profit.

royster13 said:

Or being in business is just an excuse to get away from the "Honey Do" list......

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. . . and drink that cheap beer.