# Pricing Chromaluxe Aluminum Panels



## texasjack49 (Aug 4, 2008)

I want to focus on selling Chromaluxe Photo panels and for me they are harder to price than say a coffee mug or mouse pad. Partially, I think because they have a higher preceived value especially the clear panels with a very old personal photo. I want a retail price that leaves enough room to wholesale to local (50 mile radius)photo studios. Our town has a population of only 45,000 but the 2 towns north and south of us are in the millions so we are not exactly rural.
I know pricing has many factors but does anyone have any advise about pricing based on their own experience selling Chromaluxe panels? We plan to display at events and art shows plus some of the weekend markets in the area. Thanks to an earlier post I have the mural prices nailed down but what is good pricing for 8 X 10, 11 X 14 or 16 X 20
aluminum panels? I'm thinking 3 X my actual total cost including matl, shipping and labor.


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## texasjack49 (Aug 4, 2008)

Come on Guys, not even a tid bit of input?
OK, so maybe you don't currently sell Chromaluxe panels but if you were to sell them, how would you price them? I'm doing a Quarter Auction on Sunday so I need my prices sorted out by tomorrow so I can list my items and print a price list.
Thanks


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

I do not know this market but you are right - there should be the opportunity for high margins as you are not competing with the masses like the over crowded t-shirt market. If wholesale is an importnat aspect to this project there are two key factors you need to know. First, how much do the store owners think they can retail the item for? Second what kind of margin do they need to stock the item. Once you have this you can determine your pricing and if it is even viable to wholesale. You can set pricing all day long but without understanding the retail side it is pointless - you need their input. Some items, ie t-shirts, you can never really wholesale because the retail price is so low there is no room for anyone to make money. Other items provide for much higher margins and make it a viable part of your business.


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## Conde_David (May 29, 2008)

What are you going to put on them?


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## texasjack49 (Aug 4, 2008)

My idea is to basically set up a display and hand out a tri-fold or postcard flyer describing the service. A client can then e mail their photos or mail them and we will scan them in and return their originals with their order. We will display samples of the different Chromaluxe panels with different themes, hunting photos, kids sports, wedding photos etc.
I will also display the various mounting options to up sell.
I'll offer some special to anyone who will place an order at the booth instead of waiting to order later.
(impulse buyers)
We will probably also have a few mouse pads and coffee mugs. Hopefully those sales will cover the booth cost.
While I have plenty of personal photos to use for my display I did talk to a few professional photographers and they are willing to lend me some photos in exchange for leaving their name on the photo. They just wanted to make sure they would be high quality images. I get a great photo to use and they get free advertising. Both are interested in wholesale pricing. I do plan to display at least two murals. We may also print a few royalty free art works or graphics to see if they will sell. 
Primarily I want to focus on old photos, photo restoration and the clear chromaluxe panels. I already have a few orders for those after I showed a few people some that I did of my family. We also plan to display the Slates and Sandstone and ceramic tiles. We have struggled with Sublimation so I think if we concentrate on a niche market we may have more success. Doing it this way we are testing the market at different venues and I see good potential. There are tons of shows around here, Gun, Auto, Motorcycle, Reptile, Dog, Cat, Horse, Craft, High end once a month Art shows, Chili Cookoffs, B-B-Q Cookoffs etc.
Once we get rolling we will add a website. That's the whole plan in a nutshell, I hope it pays off.


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## sid (Oct 6, 2007)

My experience is 5 times cost of goods to retail and give wholesale customers 50% off suggested retail. They will mark it up what their traffic will bear. Selling point to wholesale customers is that it does not cost them anything! Custom products are produced only when ordered. They get paid up front and pay you up front. For custom orders DO NOT carry paper your terms all orders are prepaid.


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## texasjack49 (Aug 4, 2008)

sid said:


> My experience is 5 times cost of goods to retail and give wholesale customers 50% off suggested retail. They will mark it up what their traffic will bear. Selling point to wholesale customers is that it does not cost them anything! Custom products are produced only when ordered. They get paid up front and pay you up front. For custom orders DO NOT carry paper your terms all orders are prepaid.


 Just to clarify, do you mean 5 times the cost of the blank product or also add in the ink, paper and some labor rate. actual total cost of goods really goes up if all these are factored in. I will run the numbers using 5X to see how it looks . My concern was having too low of a wholesale price since I would be doing all the labor to manufacture. I would also absorb any errors or scrap rate while they would stay at 50%. Wholesale does seem to be necessary to increase potential or volume.
Thanks


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## Riderz Ready (Sep 18, 2008)

texasjack49 said:


> Just to clarify, do you mean 5 times the cost of the blank product or also add in the ink, paper and some labor rate. actual total cost of goods really goes up if all these are factored in. I will run the numbers using 5X to see how it looks . My concern was having too low of a wholesale price since I would be doing all the labor to manufacture. I would also absorb any errors or scrap rate while they would stay at 50%. Wholesale does seem to be necessary to increase potential or volume.
> Thanks


Every market and product is different which creates different pricing models. In your case you are basically offering a retailer a stream of revenue that involves zero cost to them thus they should be happy with a lower margin than an item they have to stock and pay inventory. The other plus for the retailer is they will get a return visit from the customer into their store to pick it up. On the flip side you are looking to establish a new product and be able to list references to use on future sales call. If I was starting new I would offer an introductory wholesale price for a specific set of time that is close to cost just to build a base. Nothing, absolutely nothing, helps on a sales call more then being able to drop down a list of satisfied wholesale customers. Good luck - you are on the right track.


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## texasjack49 (Aug 4, 2008)

Those are some good points On -Line. I may be looking at 2 different price structures. The retailers I have talked to are both pro photographers so yes they would get to offer additional products at no risk or expense so they should be willing to work with less than 50% or they can mark up to any percentage they want.
One lady did approach me and wants to set up a display to take orders at different events. she is not a retailer. That might work if the margins are good enough for her to make a profit otherwise there would be no point in doing it. She is looking for part time income, in this case 50% might be workable.


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## JYA (Jun 2, 2008)

texasjack49 said:


> Those are some good points On -Line. I may be looking at 2 different price structures. The retailers I have talked to are both pro photographers so yes they would get to offer additional products at no risk or expense so they should be willing to work with less than 50% or they can mark up to any percentage they want.
> One lady did approach me and wants to set up a display to take orders at different events. she is not a retailer. That might work if the margins are good enough for her to make a profit otherwise there would be no point in doing it. She is looking for part time income, in this case 50% might be workable.


Photo labs across the country are wholesaling Chromaluxe 16x20 at $45 each + shipping. Bay Photo sells both wholesale and direct at the same price, $65 each + shipping.


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