Question Price check?

[alaskanframer]

Why price check with other frame shops from different area?
Do they have the same overhead?
Do they have the same logistics issues?
What do they have that is common to you same materials?
I understand looking at a general picture and I agree but I hope no one is actually using it to price out their framing in their store.
It's kind of like using L&J price list just a bad idea.

 

[Dave]

I concur.

Ditto.

You've got it right.

Well said.

Can't agree more.

Point well taken...

 

[Mike Labbe]

I agree 101%

Every city and town is different, and everyone has different overhead and profit goals. There is no set price that fits all conditions, and there are price changes every week. (not all vendors raise prices weekly, but there are so many vendors that there are updates released twice weekly by most of the POS vendors)

I also feel this way about using default prices (markup multipliers) in a POS system. Default prices are just an average starting point, and have to be reviewed and tweaked for your market/goals.

Paper charts from vendors won't be appropriate for most markets.

Both methods require some research and "elbow grease", IMO.

Mike

 

[PaulSF]

I see some general trends. I've found I'm generally more expensive than stores from the mid-Atlantic and southern states. I've found I'm generally comparable to stores in the Northeast and upper Midwest.

 

[FramerDave]

I think anyone would be foolish to use what others are doing to set their prices.

However...

Don't you think it's helpful to know where in the range you fall? Low, mid, high? It would be nice to be able to address that honestly when price becomes an issue with customers.

It can also point out things that might be wrong. If I were selling moulding X at $5.00/ft and everyone else was selling it for $15, that tells me there's something I need to address.

 

[JFeig]

I have one more general comment to this area of discussion.

We are supposed to be professional framers; however, all to many times we do not express our requests in the same language (terminology).

All to many of us use the term "acid free mat". Is that a buffered standard board, alpha cellulose mat, or a rag mat? Actual part numbers are more definitive.

"A hinge mount" --- is that wheat paste and hand torn paper on a rag, alpha board or Art Care Foam board? - does it include a equally conservation grade filler board? --- is that a commercial tape hinge on some other board? --- etc......

We also are micro managing the individual unit costs of a specific job ( frame moulding, mats, glazing, mounting, fitting)...... the real test is, what is the total selling price of the TOTAL PACKAGE. Some people are higher for one component and lower in another component. The customer wants to know the total price. Many of this community have said that they only give a total price and not an itemized prices. So why worry about it.

I am stating this as a general observation to this area of discussion and not in any way attacking anyone's request for comparisons. I actually find all of this information interesting.

 

[PaulSF]

Jerry, that's a good point about focusing on individual component prices. I regularly get calls asking me how much I charge for glass in X size. I used to give them a price based on glass AND fitting, because 99 times out of 100 I'll be putting that glass in the frame for the customer. Of course, maybe 1 in 10 callers actually comes in. Then someone came in with a printed-out quote from a competitor for a job, and I noticed that their glass price was a little bit lower than mine, and their fitting charge was about 30% higher than mine. So now when someone calls and asks "how much is a 16x20 piece of glass," I tell them how much the glass itself costs. They didn't ask about fitting, and so I don't tell them fitting.

 

[JFeig]

I do the same thing Paul, by quoting only the glass. You never know that a phone quote will turn into.

However, my thinking was about a total frame job. Should we worry about the component prices or the total price. I have one more thought ( question). Are the prices we quote our "out the door prices" or list prices before and discounts? I just do not see that information being conveyed all the time.

Paul, in your example - we usually do not know if it is a metal frame, wood frame, antique frame or a back fill frame.

 

[alaskanframer]

I like the discussions but

I like the discussions of price do not get me wrong. I really like to see the different components used and of course the level of professionalism displayed. I just find comments typically from the people just starting out what are your prices even if we are location or quality wise worlds apart. We are not selling the same brand and model number of TV's we are selling knowledge materials and our overhead. All of these can be so very different.