Question Just wondering for customers that buy moulding only

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Puppiesonacid

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
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Mar 10, 2008
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I just had a customer come in and ask to buy the moulding and he would cut and join and put it around the picture.

1. have any of you had someone ask for moulding only?
2. if so do you use the standard mark up?

Im kind of stumped as to sell this kind of thing. I just told them for 20 bucks more then standard price i could frame it for them. and they went with it.
 
Puppiesonacid said:
I just had a customer come in and ask to buy the moulding and he would cut and join and put it around the picture.

1. have any of you had someone ask for moulding only?
2. if so do you use the standard mark up?

Im kind of stumped as to sell this kind of thing. I just told them for 20 bucks more then standard price i could frame it for them. and they went with it.
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Man you are giving it away. For 20 bucks, really?
Customers have reached a new low in trying the discount bit.
I've sold it to interior designers who just want to put it around existing large wall mirrors. I priced it out at 40% above my cost, but only to those guys who bought other framed peices for the job. Never to someone who just asks to do the job themselves. I just say no.
I suppose they could take it a DIY place and get it done there.
For 20 bucks, really?
PF
 
I do get this kind of request somewhat often. If they are taking an entire stick that I have to order I double my cost. If they want a specific length I'll usually take a 2.5X mark. If they want it chopped I'll charge a small additional fee... maybe 5-10 bucks depending on customer attitude.

If they want the moulding sitting in my back area left over from the '60's that my grandfather bought for practically nothing it goes cheap cheap. Some of these mouldings have a cost code on them of 6.5 cents a foot.
 
I had a customer that needed 25 ft for trim under her cabinets. I doubled the price of length and her contractor picked it up. Could do that all day long. Easy money.
 
i guess i worry to much. like say they came back and then wanted something framed and thought the price of the moulding was what they paid for it. so now they are looking for a deal... guess thats why i kept the price normal price. they have had things framed before so its an awkard situation in a way.
 
Haven't had the request yet. But I think I would sell it to them and mark it up. Let them find out by themselves that framing is not that easy.

I would try to find out though what they would have in mind and ask them questions (lots of them) to see if they had thought about this and that and such and so. I think by the end of my question list and helpful suggestions....they might be more than willing to hand over the full job to me....

So, it just depends on the situation.
 
When a customer asks to buy the length we say yes....BUT, you will buy the entire stick at my normal price. So if you need 12 feet and the sticks come in at 20 feet, that is what you will buy, this usually discourages them. If you need 6 feet and it comes in at 9 feet, same scenario.

We find that when a customer is buying length it is usually for a wall mirror that has been glued to the wall and their carpenter will be cutting and installing the frame.

When a normal customer thinks he is saving money and realizes what he has to buy, he will 100% of the time have us do the job since we guarantee perfect corners with no side pinning and he is only being charged for what size his frame is and I am eating the extra (we make readymades out of leftover).

We can always tell the home built frame, it is dead on 16 x 20 and they come to us and are complaining because nothing fits and then we (with a nice smile) explain about allowances!
 
I have several regular customers buy length from me. They bought it in the past from one of your suppliers and then had to have it cut in half and add the UPS charge. I add at least a dollar a foot and as much as $3 per foot and they take the full length. I have converted many home framers to buying supplies from me rather than our vendors.
 
I deal with it the same way Lynn (Frame Lady) does.

And as luck would have it.....somebody came in today and wanted to replace just one side of her own frame (scratched....)!!!.
 
Frame Lady said:
When a customer asks to buy the length we say yes....BUT, you will buy the entire stick at my normal price. So if you need 12 feet and the sticks come in at 20 feet, that is what you will buy, this usually discourages them. If you need 6 feet and it comes in at 9 feet, same scenario.
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You don't mark up? What do you mean by your normal price?
 
I do it like Frame Lady too... but it depends.

If it's a moulding that I STOCK, then they pay for however many feet they wish to buy at my normal price (i.e. with whatever my normal markup is for that moulding).

If it's a moulding that I have to order, then I will usually add the normal markup that I use for most "inventory" items in my store, like furniture and lamps, BUT based off the length price instead of the chop price. Since you specified length, they must buy complete full lengths, AND they will also pay for the shipping, which is generally going to be $65 for an 18-wheeler to deliver it (or free from one of my 3 local distributors).

I don't want to devalue my stock moulding by discounting it more than I already do (and it's all discounted!). Nor do I want to overcharge someone for ordering length through me when it's heading out my door as soon as it arrives and I'm basically just a transit point.
 
I put a block on this lark many years ago.

The next thing they want is a piece of glass - oh and a backing board.
"Can you cut me a mat?". "How do you join the corners?". "What tape do you use? - Will you sell me a roll?".:rolleyes:

Two hours later they have had a free crash course in picture framing and are still done the wiser.

I give them the address of the nearest wholesaler and let them pick the bones out of that. :mad:
 
this is when I just love a POS.

I type in the SKU, and any random number like 16x20..... ignore the price.... but in the coding, it gives me the foot price at retail. ($16.23/ft)

I then explain that moulding in stick form comes 20' at a time (bundle) or just the size they want... their choice. At $16.23/OD ft with 6' minumum.... "how good is your ability to chop a perfect 45 degree eight time?".

Either way, I have made them happy. Made the till happy.. and didn't have to chop or join.

Sometimes you get the box of tiny little sticks back with them saying.... can I order a frame please?

Sure... it runs $16.23 a ft. Did you need glass and matting with that as well as backing, framing points, screweyes, wire, sealing tape, ATG, Tyvek sealing back and 20' of Frame space with that?

:eek:

Oh yah, LOVE the old four sticks routine.
 
We price everything at chop retail, whether we're
ordering in length or not. If someone asks about
buying length and doing it themselves, we tell
them that it will cost the same per foot as if we
did it, and that our 'shipping and joining' fee is
only five dollars. Which it is. When faced with
doing it themselves, or having us do it for five
dollars, they usually just have us do it. But
we only get one of these requests in every couple
years. Most people around here who want to do
it on their own either already guy from wholesalers
who'll sell to anyone, they buy online, or they make
their own out of things like barnboard.
 
Puppiesonacid said:
i guess i worry to much. like say they came back and then wanted something framed and thought the price of the moulding was what they paid for it. so now they are looking for a deal... guess thats why i kept the price normal price. they have had things framed before so its an awkard situation in a way.
Click to expand...

This is why we sell length moulding at our normal charge. Because we also do DIY framing at our shop, we separate labor, so in this case they are just charged the materials charge for any "to go" orders.
 
prospero said:
I put a block on this lark many years ago.

The next thing they want is a piece of glass - oh and a backing board.
"Can you cut me a mat?". "How do you join the corners?". "What tape do you use? - Will you sell me a roll?".:rolleyes:

Two hours later they have had a free crash course in picture framing and are still done the wiser.

I give them the address of the nearest wholesaler and let them pick the bones out of that. :mad:
Click to expand...

This reminds me of not one, but TWO stories!

I had someone come in with a LARGE print. They wanted it framed and glass put on it. They had already called a local glass company for a price on just the glass part. When I gave them the framing quote, they asked me to break down the price by item, and then told me that my glass price was higher than this local glass company. (I actually use TV Premium Clear as my regular glass, so the glass I'm selling should be a better quality.) So they were going to go order the cheap glass from the glass company. But they were elderly and could not get the glass, could I go pick it up? I said SURE... and my pickup charge is the difference in their price and mine, since I would spend 40 minutes doing it and I would be responsible for breakage during transport. :) They bought the glass from me.

I also had a local adult activity center approach me saying that it'd be a wonderful idea if I could come teach all of their members how to frame! Then they could take care of the mats, frame and glass all by themselves instead of having to go to a frame shop. For some unknown reason... I politely declined. :)
 
Ylva - We buy all our moulding by length. If we sell said moulding at $10.00 a foot. then if the customer wants that particular moulding, he buys it at $10.00 a foot. I will sell to him full sticks. I never know if the stick will come in 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 foot lengths which is why he will buy what comes in the door. If my supplier sends a 10 ft and 6 ft stick, so be it, that is what he buys. I will not sit on the left over of his selected style of moulding. I am the one who has to pay the supplier, the business license, the B & O tax, the insurance, etc. to be in business.

I agree with JWB, if I have the moulding in stock as an every day item, that is a different story, but as of today, nobody wants the in house moulding, they always pick the one coming from far away!

Some day I want to go to the Ford dealership and ask how much each part cost and could I assemble the car myself. Maybe I could do surgery on myself and save the doctor's fee.

Oh me, I am a grump today, I am so tired of people nickle and diming us to death, and if I hear one more time that picture framing is expensive, I am going to pu........... Heck, framing lasts longer than a car ($30,000), a good dinner with expensive wine, that diet you were on, the exercise equipment you just put on E-Bay, the $250 pair of Nike's and last but not least, the cell phone that needs changing every year because it became obsolete the day you bought it!

I feel better now.
 
I have no problem selling the lenght. I dont get many requests for it however. I use the same mark up that I would on a custom order. The two most recent to buy lenght both came back to have me fix the job they screwed up. Go for it, its easy money and may result in additional work and supplies.
 
Frame Lady said:
If my supplier sends a 10 ft and 6 ft stick, so be it, that is what he buys. I will not sit on the left over of his selected style of moulding.

Some day I want to go to the Ford dealership and ask how much each part cost and could I assemble the car myself. Maybe I could do surgery on myself and save the doctor's fee.

Oh me, I am a grump today, I am so tired of people nickle and diming us to death, and if I hear one more time that picture framing is expensive, I am going to pu........... Heck, framing lasts longer than a car ($30,000), a good dinner with expensive wine, that diet you were on, the exercise equipment you just put on E-Bay, the $250 pair of Nike's and last but not least, the cell phone that needs changing every year because it became obsolete the day you bought it!

I feel better now.
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I like your policy. Since I haven't had the request yet, I feel better prepared now! Thanks.

Yes, it gets to me too sometimes, all the whining about how expensive framing is. It especially puts me in a bad mood if I happen to pay my insurance bills that same day... or have been struggling with a frame job for hours and still don't get it right.
 
Paul N, you are such a sweetie pie, and yes I do remember the Chinese dinner, we had so much fun. Sadly, as of today, we will not be in Vegas this year, I am scheduled for dental surgery that week.

But my thoughts are always with everyone at 8 pm on that Tuesday cause I just know how much fun you all are having. And Baer should give up his shot gun in the limo and join the ranks!
 
We sell length like you described, maybe, a half dozen times a year. However, we sell it at 20% off the chop price which is listed on the back of our moulding corner samples. I cannot remember anyone balking at the price.

Most of the people who buy it are amateur woodworkers who are more interested in chopping and joining it themselves rather than simply trying to save a few bucks.
 
I never sold it in length before we moved out here. We have alot of artists and woodworkers here and have ordered the length in for them. They have to take how ever the sticks come and I normally 2.5x plus the freight.
 
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