Question Price for Mating

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Jeanette

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
Jul 20, 2009
Posts
122
I am trying to figure out price for matting. I think to base it on expense and profit. Can anyone tell me what is “normal” profit on matting.
Can it be like this: price is 1.5 time (or something else) all expenses (my time not included), for simple mat opening, and factor is 1.8 for cutting complicated cornes.

Thanks a lot to everyone
 
Jeanette... Welcome to the Grumble!

You might want to fill out more of your profile and tell us a little about yourself. Most participants on this forum prefer to know who they are talking to and can give better advice if they know your locale and particular situation.
 
All right Jeanette. Sounds like you are starting out from scratch. Yesterday I thought you had a shop and were having your husband join your existing shop. Since you are opening a new shop I would recommend getting a POS (point of sale) software program. It can do the pricing for you. It would be really good to get the program up and running from day one. It really mkes finding a customers "records" really easy,especially when they come in to get one done like "the last one"!

Mike Labbe has a link on his signature line of his posting that can bring you to a comparison page of the software available for framers to use. I use and like LifeSaver software, but FrameReady is very good as well and it's from Canada.

If nothing else get the demo versions of the programs and learn how to use them.

I hope you know how to frame and cut mats. If not then look in to taking a framing class. There are many available to choose from. Just ask, we're more than willing to say which ones we like!
 
I never paid for mating, it was always free....:)......but for matting, yes definitely.

Lots of considerations have to go into you pricing schemes - from your location (rent, labor, utilities, taxes etc) to your buying power (buying 1 at a time or a box of mats, for a example). A 16x20 mat in the NY area for example will cost more than same mat in Apalachicola.

Also, many people are happy breaking even, others want to make real money. So their pricing differs greatly.

A Point of Sale system will help you price and markup anything to achieve what you're looking for.

Welcome to the Grumble!
 
Welcome to the G, Jeanette!

Your major suppliers might have a suggested price list to get started, so be sure to check with them. Customers get surprised at the price of mats, but remember to include the time for labor, and storing the waste. Its costs more than a few bucks.

And do take the advice of getting a POS software. This will help all aspects of shop, and running a business. My two cents says to be sure to check out SpecialtySoft. Their customer service is top-notch and immediate. Since you will have problems with computers and software, be sure to think about who's gonna back you up when a customer wonders why you can't pull up their order.
 
We're fortunate in this industry to have so many very affordable choices for POS software. In other industries, similar software can be 10-15k. In our industry it's from free to $1,500, due to healthy competition.

ALL of the top 5 products have excellent customer service, from what people always say. The forum has collected statistics for 6 years, to see what our members use. The results are at http://www.custompictureframing.com/poll_results.htm#tech

Here's a neutral comparison list, to get started, which includes contact info for each company. http://www.getthepictureframing.com/gfaq/software.htm These products all contain industry average markups, as a starting point.

Please note that pricing is a very personal thing that will vary depending on your buying power, profit goals, expenses, and local market. This is not a "set it and forget it" type thing to be taken lightly, and requires careful review. The settings that come with pre-made products are meant just as a starting point, to be tweaked/adjusted by the framer.

The professional point of sale and pricing systems will help keep you organized with records of everything framed, a mailing list that builds automatically, automatic due date scheduling, legible paperwork that doesn't show "part #s", consistent pricing with fewer errors, "pick lists" of what materials need to be ordered to fill your orders, twice weekly automatic price updates, and I could go on. It's a lot quicker than doing it on paper, especially when your customer wants to compare several options. It takes about 2 seconds to swap out a mat or moulding, to calculate the new estimate.

I suggest narrowing it down to a few, grabbing the free demos, and giving them a leisurely "test drive". Most products offer a 30 day demo, with no obligation.

Best regards
Mike
 
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Wonderful guys, it all is more than I expected. Thank you so much so useful advices.

Dave: the fist chance and will update my profile. Thanks for the point.

Bob: yes I am starting from scratch, and we (my husband and me) still work hard and long to set up the business the way we wish. My husband is in another business right now and will join me per full-time in one year when we work out this business. My husband is very good and fast in making frames and cutting mats with our new Fletcher mat cutter.

W.C. Framer: I just contacted some mat suppliers and they say the same as you. They will provide us with retail suggested price list.

Prospero: thanks a lot for your time.

Mike Labbe: even my husband can make computer programs, I will take a look into your programs. It can take very long to make the program and it will be less expensive to buy it, and I am set right now.

Again, thanks to anyone for your valuable time

Jeanette
 
Jeanette said:
Mike Labbe: even my husband can make computer programs, I will take a look into your programs. It can take very long to make the program and it will be less expensive to buy it, and I am set right now.
Jeanette
Click to expand...


Jeanette,
Take note that it is really not about being able to write a program. It is about all of the different vendors providing prices to these commercial programs on a regular update basis. Once your percentage factors are in the program, every time a vendor changes prices your retail is automatically recalculated. That would not happen with a program that your husband would write. You would have to wait until you had the new wholesale prices and then input them into your own system. You would most likely short yourself on some sales until that happened.

A POS system won't cost you money, it will make you money from day 1.
 
Jeanette said:
Mike Labbe: .... I will take a look into your programs.
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, these are not Mike's programs, and he doesn't even receive any monetary benefit from their sales. He's just a guy that wants to help people figure out computer stuff.
 
The biggest limit on what you can charge for mats is what your nearby competitors charge. If they charge $20 for a 16x20 cotton rag mat, then you will have a difficult time charging $25 for the same thing, and you wouldn't want to charge less than $19. Customers will call around and compare mat prices, so you have to be competitive.

My advice is to call your competitors and get some prices for mats. Give them some basic frame sizes, and ask for their pricing for a rag mat. Don't feel bad about doing this; once you open, your competitors will be doing the same thing to you once or twice a year.
 
At the same time Paul if your neighbors are charging $25 a mat and you charge $8 for the mat and $5 to cut the opening (or $13) then while you may sell more mats and frames than your neighbor you WILL go out of business fast and you neighbor will still be there.

Don't undersell your work. The prices are high because the volume can be low and you have to stay in business. Get a POS that is up and running and spend your time making frames not chasing bugs in software. The existing programs all get regular updates from the moulding companies and the mat companies. Really, don't reinvent the wheel. That won't make you nearly as much money as using the existing "tools" will.

If after a year of using the other peoples programs your husband thinks he can do better then, with that knowledge behind him he should go for it! ;)
 
Bob, they will need to be within a dollar of their competitors' pricing, unless they have a radically lower cost structure. I'm not talking about $13 vs. $25. I'm talking about $24.50 vs. $25. If they still can't make a profit at that level, then the problem isn't pricing, it's more fundamental than that. If they can get away with charging significantly more than their competitors, power to them, but I suspect the customers won't let them. And no POS will tell them what the market will bear in their location.
 
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