Address Sign Pricing

[stump]

My son cut out the address sign that comes with Aspire (image is from the Aspire gallery) and took it to school. His teacher asked what one would cost unfinished with her name on it instead of an address. He asked me, and I have no clue. I have never used the shopbot to make or sell a sign.

So I am looking for suggestions, a price range. What would a fair price be for an unfinished sign like this one? Any help would be appreciated.

[bleeth]

Would you like him to get a good grade from this teacher?:D
You alone can judge what you need to do timewise to change the wording, prepare the blank, and you already know how long to cut it.
I charge for engineering time at shop rate (55/hr) and the rest is t & m.
Rates may vary by quantity and client.

[phil_o]

This is a very difficult question to answer. There are so many variables. The time necessary to prepare the cut file, prepare the material, set up the material and make the cut all depend for on the experience of the person doing all of the operations and the equipment used at every step of the process. You can't fairly compare the time of a homemade CNC with a detail router to a Shopbot Alpha with a spindle.
I realize my answer is of no help but I have struggled with this question myself. I'm curious as to what input others will have.

[signtist]

$250 ???
This is a very common question. They would most likely buy one for $50. This teacher or anyone else will only buy if the price is right.
If you have a "Real Customer" come to you about a real job, it may be worth $350 or $100 per square foot.
John www.signgraphics1.com (http://www.signgraphics1.com)

[joewino]

I've found that most folks are expecting something like this to cost what they pay at the county fair for the guy that does it with a router and spray paints the letters. That's not what this is.

Our going price is about $100 a square foot...which normally eliminates the county fair folks.

A few days ago there was a lady that wanted a carved sign for their weekend cabin. When I told her the price she almost fainted. She didn't want to spend over $20.

[myxpykalix]

Tell him to tell her the cost of the sign is an A+ in the class!

The problem with some of these items is people won't pay for the time and material that you have to put into producing something like that.

What you probably could get for that is $50-$75.00, not that it isn't worth more but nowadays what people "think" its worth.

I usually go into detail explaining the work needed to be done on the computer and then the length of time it takes to actually cut it along with any stock prep, finishing, ect and usually end up by explaining that it averages out to about $5.00/hour is what I net and then they feel better about paying.

If i priced something at $75.00 and said i could have it done in an hour people balk, if i say its $75.00 and it is going to take me 10 hours they don't complain as much. I do the job in an hour or 2 and let it sit till the next day, then call them.
What they don't know won't hurt them.

[stump]

Thanks for all the tips and advice. No chance of getting an "A" from his teacher, not even if he did it for free, so he told her $60 and she is good with that. Unfortunately he also said he would finish it for that price.

I just smiled and thought, well, it will be a good learning experience for him.

[michael_schwartz]

My hourly rates are on a need to know basis. I will quote hourly rates if I feel the customer needs to know or has a reason to request, but otherwise that is my personal business.

People either understand and appreciate the work that goes into what you do, or they don't. It is better to have the reputation of making a good product that is pricey than making inexpensive junk.

[joewino]

Our prices are based on the value of the product to the client (we do custom signage). No ever asks what my hourly rate is, other than other sign folks.

A price is given for the completed sign and it's up to the customer to decide if the product is worth that or not. We are not selling letters by the pound or the hour.

Over the past 50 years that I've been doing this, my speed and accuracy has increased. Why should I charge less now that I can do it faster?

[joe]

My complements.

I applaud you son for his interest and accomplishment. Since this isn't a commercial attempt, I'd treat it as a learning expience. However, he needs to charge for the materials. I think you've charged the proper amount.

No matter what commercial signmakers charge, he's not in this league. I hope you get a chance to join in and share the fun.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com (http://www.normansignco.com)