# Price list...How did you do yours?



## ckelly617 (Mar 28, 2006)

For those of you who use sign cutter/ heat transfer process to make your shirts. How much do you charge? What does your price list look like? Trying to make my own price list and don't want to undercharge - that's for sure. I figured I'd double the cost of the shirt itself, but what do I charge for design that I put on it? Help? 


-Court-Court-


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## John S (Sep 9, 2006)

I'm working on my list right now. I'm using my embroidery (main gig) and screen printing (second gig) to position the cut vinyl.
I'm setting my prices so when you hit 6 shirts (vinyl), it is the same price as 12 screen printed shirts. A line of lettering up to 14" would be $10, a full front of lettering would be $14. (w/out shirt) 
Youth sport teams with name over numbers would be less, about $10 per side. 

The hard part about pricing is guessing the time to set up the file to cut and the amount of weeding. Big, smooth letters are easy, lots of small, detailed letters covering the same amount of space will eat up the clock and your profit. 

Using clipart that is not ready to cut will also eat up some time.

What is your pricing so far?


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## ckelly617 (Mar 28, 2006)

I figured so far that the shirt would start off around $7, I'd add in $3 for the weeding to make the price begin at $10 (i would just tell the client that the price started at $10 - I wouldn't mention that I charged for the weeding), and for oneside/one color $5. But see I don't really know if that is a good price, that's why I'm asking for advice. It's hard to figure it all out. Like the more shirts that are ordered the more the cost per item should go down. And the art fee. It's just differant from screen printing -which I have done a few times. You don't have that big pain in the butt part of making the screen. I thought maybe $20 for the art fee. What do you think?


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## John S (Sep 9, 2006)

ckelly617 said:


> ....What do you think?


In retail, pricing is cost x 2 (called keystone) In vinyl, that scheme doesn't work. You can't do the job for $2 and stay in business. It is all about the labor vs. what the customer is willing to pay. Why would they buy it from you when they can get it at Wal-Mart for $1.99??? Because it is custom. Just the way they want it. 

Focus on delivering a product that they want but can't get anywhere else. Then they are willing to pay for your time. If you find yourself spending a lot of time and no money to show for it, raise your prices on that item. Then you will make a little money for your effort, or you will have the free time you need to produce something else that will make money.

One way to lower your cost is to build a few designs and sell them at a special rate. You still have to cut and press, but the time to devlop the design is spread across many customers. 

I charge $40 an hour for custom art. $25 if it is just simple lettering. (One hour min. for both) 

Figure out how much an hour you need to make, then do some typical projects from start to finish against the clock. If a job takes an hour, then you need to get your hourly rate after expenses. If that price is to high for the customers, then you shouldn't be wasting your time on that product. Find something that will pay the bills. 

Keep your pricing simple. It is better to say "This is $14.99" than to add up all the little details. "$3 plus $10, plus $1 and if you want abc...." Build all the little things into the base price. I would charge for 'upgrades' to the base price. But keep it simple. Some times you will win, some time you may lose, but the customer won't buy what they can't understand. 

BTW: You will always find cheap customers. They complain about the price being to high. If you gave them a $5 bill, they would wine about not getting a $10. Most people are willing to pay a little extra to get what they want, when they want it.


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

All my prices end in http://www.t-shirtforums.com/general-t-shirt-selling-discussion/t9972.html 

Just kidding.


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## cottagecraftsmen (Oct 28, 2006)

As a long time vinyl sign guy, who has moved some business to heat applied T-shirts, pricing is very hard. 
Some things, like banners, I make nearly nothing on them. A 2x6 blank is $8 and the material I apply costs about $6, making my material costs $14. I struggle to get $32 for the 2x6 banner.
Now something sweet, like truck lettering, I use the same vinyl and get $30 for a 2x6 decal, plus installation, which is another $24. So lettering a truck makes me a *lot* more money than making a banner, even though my costs are less.
I could never stop offering banners, that's part of my business. I do make a greater effort to find truck lettering work over vinyl banners however.
Same with shirts, some things are just not going to make as much money. It is important to find out what makes you the most money and then put the most effort into that without ignoring other parts.
I did a $48 banner and a few $10 coroplast lawn signs for a landscape company. They spent about $100 and I probably made less than $50 after figuring in overhead. It's not good to make $8 per hour, but it happens. Then they bought a new truck, trailer, several mowers and tractors. They really expanded their business. They spent about $500 with me and I made about $350, which worked out to about $17.50 per hour after overhead. 
I casually pitched t shirts and made a fairly nice amount from that, and it was probably the easiest sale I've ever made. A year before that, I would have never guessed that was coming from them and I saw their first order as a "make work" job.


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## John S (Sep 9, 2006)

cottagecraftsmen said:


> It is important to find out what makes you the most money and then put the most effort into that without ignoring other parts.


Bang dead on! 

I should put that on a shirt and wear it every day.

Great post Peter!


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## ckelly617 (Mar 28, 2006)

So, maybe I should just charge the art fee and just say that the t-shirt with the design on it starts at $15. The shirts that I buy start at $3.50 for up to 12, 12-24 are like 50 cents cheaper, and then the 24+ are 50 cents cheaper than the 12-24 range. So, I should reduce my price the same way. Although, I told one client, who wanted 76 shirts, $15 a piece and he was fine with that. I can see how telling my client the shirt is $10 plus $5 for the design, he'd just go buy some of his own shirts and ask me to put the design on his for $5. So, I should keep the cost of the shirt low, but raise the price of the design. That really makes alot of sense. I guess I have to put myself in the clients shoes and see what they see. Okay, this does point me in the right direction.


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## ckelly617 (Mar 28, 2006)

> In retail, pricing is cost x 2 (called keystone) In vinyl, that scheme doesn't work. You can't do the job for $2 and stay in business. It is all about the labor vs. what the customer is willing to pay. Why would they buy it from you when they can get it at Wal-Mart for $1.99??? Because it is custom. Just the way they want it.


I get it. The customer would get a lot better price if they had the shirts screenprinted also. Unless they are getting a small quantity, considering that with screenprinting you are usually charged for the screen. Darn, I gotta rethink my pricing. See, I don't really want to do my own "retail designs". I prefer to do advertising for businesses. Hmmmm, I'll be back later. Gotta put my thinking cap on and figure out the pricing.


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## deanh (Feb 17, 2007)

We do alot of jersey lettering and charge $38 a jersey. we take that same design on a hooded sweatshirt and we charge the same except that includes the shirt. some things you can get more for. you just have to find the right nitch......


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