selling to "do it yourselfers"

jp

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I was wondering how to handle the "home framer" when they come in and want to buy matboard and length moulding, and pricing if you do sell. I know it cuts into my business by me not getting the framing job, but if I sell them supplies I would still be making something, but i am still not comfortable with selling them the goods. Any comments??
 
Sell at full retail for the moulding and matboard. If you can sell a 10' length of moulding that retails for $11/ft. for $110 and not have to make any cuts or measurements, that seems like an easy bit of change to me.

I don't simply sell to anyone that comes through the door but, after a few questions about what they are looking for and what the use will be, I usually tell them that the retail price is such and such and they go away. If they still want to buy a stick of moulding for retail price or a matboard for retail price, yeah, I'll sell the merchandise. That is money in my pocket and they aren't going to put a serious dent in my business by ruining a couple of matboards or a length of moulding trying to save a few bucks over having me do the job correctly.

And, in the end, they may well come back to have it done in my shop when they find out that it isn't as easy as it looks.

Framerguy
 
I sell length moulding at 20% off retail (straight cuts–no miters); chopped (mitered–not joined) at 10% off retail.

Mat board (full sheets only) sells for 2.25x wholesale.

I cut ‘em a break knowing that they will probably be back when they want it done right.
 
I've never had anyone ask to buy length moulding but my customers use mat board and foam core for all sorts of things besides framing: shelf lining; displays and presentations; architectural models. And I always order in an extra case or two of foam core when it's science fair time.

I sell it for twice my cost rounded up to the nearest dollar.

Kit
 
We went to a very nice restaurant (by Appleton standards)on New years Eve. I was a little startled by the price of the steak dinners, so I ask the waiter if I could just buy the raw steak and take it home and slap it on the George Foreman grill.

Seems like a reasonable request, right?
 
Punch into the POS 22"x22" and you have a 8' stick price. If you want me to chop and join the frame, it's the same price. If you want me to putty the joint if need be, it's the same price.

If you are NOT one of my framing customers, a 32x40 mat (or smaller) and a sheet of mat board are the same price. Whould you like me to cut that window for you while I'm at it? Same price.

I have one customer who has me make his frame and cut his mat; I have no idea what he does for glass. If his customers are that dumb, I don't want to know them.

We have had a few customers that wanted to buy moulding so they could "Play" around with it. But we still keep doing their framing, and it isn't cheap stuff.

One guy keeps buying the same 40' of moulding. I finally asked him what he was doing with it. He makes little boards with hooks for hanging your keys by the door. He trims it out with this Studio moulding, which cost more than he sells the whole thing for. "I know, but don't tell my wife." Retired oral surgeon doing a little nice thing for other retired people. Thats nice.
 
15% off for materials-only orders.
On occasion I've invited customers I've liked into my back room and let them fit their own pictures or watch me frame their heirloom.
I've given 30% discounts on matboard to a realtor who buys it for colored signage, not framing.
I gave 30% once to a guy who purchased many feet of length to use as crown moulding in his house.
Artists get a 25% discount only when framing their own artwork because they in turn have to sell their framed product.
We used to charge "per cut" if someone brought in their own materials. ex.. 25 cents per corner of a mat. Then someone came in and purchased a pack of 25 matboards and brought back the same pack in 2 days with diagrams on how to cut each piece and use each fallout all the way down to 2 x 3s and told us how much we would charge. We said, "Ummmm, no." Then we came to an arrangement on price and performed the work. Then they simply picked up and stopped payment on the check because we were ripping them off. That's when we knew we couldn't really discount product that was sold uncut and changed our philosophy. Ultimately it was my fault. Charge a lower price for a product you don't cut or work on. Charge a lower price for doing some work without having a cost of supplying the product. Don't charge enough bewteen the two to equal a full price, well, you're just asking for someone to play games with you.
 
We sell full sheets of matboard at 2.5x wholesale. We don't sell wood length because of the issues of flaws and warpage that are inherent in the sticks. We will sell metal length, however (2.5x wholesale) We sell chops at full retail less $10. (we charge $10 to rejoin an old frame) We sell joined frames at the retail cost of the frame (let them save the assembly fee).
It's all money in the till. Every shop should know what each step of framing construction costs, so that we don't give anything away. PS: if someone brings in matboard to cut, it costs the same as if we provided the materials (even if they bought the matboard from us earlier). But they get to keep those fallouts.
 
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