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Hi All, I'm just venting a little here, but it seems lately that I have seen some ridiculusly low prices. From some of my competitors, here on this board and some other forums like this, and even in Signcraft magazine. How do these people make a living with some of these prices? I've been at this game for 15 years now,and it seems to get worse every year. I usually don't care what other shops charge, but this is getting crazy $175 for a 4x8 mdo sign? How can you pay for rent, insurance, health ins, vehicle ins, the power & heat bill, taxes, the phone bill, retirement, equipment upgrades & replacement, and everything else i can't remember off the top of my head. I know we have a higher cost of living here in CT, and I know some of you are retired with benifits or have a spouse with a good job with benifits, but you still should charge like you don't, what would happen if your husband/wife you are counting on worked at Enron or Worldcom. Leaving money on the table hurts all of us. Sorry this is so long, but having to do more work for less money is not that appealing to me.
-------------------- Jim Hansen Tri-Star Graphics Bethel, Ct. 800-716-6500 e-mail:tsgracingdecals@aol.com www.tsgracingdecals.com Posts: 51 | From: Bethel, Ct. usa | Registered: Jan 2001
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Jim...I agree wholeheartedly!!! It is absolutely counter-productive to be giving away your work.
In a previous business, I fell victim to my own stupidity (read that "head in the sand attitude"). I would work my butt off all week on a $1000-1200 job, only to find out at the end of the month that The $1000 I made that particular week required $400 worth of materials, $100 to the tax man, and about $250 in utilities, insurance etc. All that stuck to me was about $250!!!!
When I started this sign business I promised myself that I would never do that again. I have stuck to that promise and have never earned as much NET as I do now.
All that said....I just spent most of today doing 30 24"x24" coroplast golf course "hole sponsorship" signs for free. But the tournament is for a friend who has fallen into ill health and the tournament is a fund raiser for him. I DO feel good about doing that work for free!!!
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
It's the same way here. My daughters school got a new sign two weeks before she started there. It was 1/2" MDO with a border and really crappy looking artwork. The border is so crooked some of the white around the edges is showing below it. The edges weren't sealed, heck they weren't even painted. It was supposed to be a hanging sign but had to be mounted to the wall it was so warped. Total cost $125. I wouldn't prime the MDO for $125. I'm with you, don't know how they eat or pay bills. I am sure most of them don't carry insurance. I pretty much quit selling vinyl signs all together, at least I don't sell them cheap so no one buys them!!
Hang in there....
[ June 17, 2003, 06:43 PM: Message edited by: Amy Brown ]
-------------------- Amy Brown Life Skills 101 Private Address Posts: 3502 | From: Lake Helen, FL, USA | Registered: Feb 2001
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Scary part is, I see great looking signs going for moronicly low prices. I don't get it, either. Some shops around here will sub-out a 4 x 8 HDU sign and mark it up $100.00 and think they're making money.
-------------------- Tim Whitcher Adrian, MI Posts: 1546 | From: Adrian, MI | Registered: Mar 1999
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I just bid on a sign package for the local school system. When the bids were opened, the bids spanned 50,000 between low and high bid. I was right down the center which is where I wanted to be. I did not get the job even though I was the only local sign shop to bid. It was my almamater and our shop pays taxes in that district. It took me three days to compose the bid. Go figure! I still don't know how that low bidder is going to make a dime on that project. Oh well, not my problem.
[ June 17, 2003, 10:49 PM: Message edited by: Rick Beisiegel ]
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3503 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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