Making $

[FMXhellraiser]

Ok well I have been thinking, reading, and learning about all this PC stuff and I have had a question on my mind the whole time but never got around to asking it.... How should I do the pricing? I am not too sure on that like how much I should charge and what to charge for because every part will be different and bigger or smaller and might need more prep work than others. Also if I do do this for money then do I charge for the work before or after the product is done?
Thanks again!

[skiddz]

While I can't give your "suggested" pricing for PCing, I can offer a bit of the knowledge I gained when I 1st started my biz.

The most important thing is to determine your costs. If you know your costs, you can set pricing so you meet those costs AND generate a profit. If you don't make a profit, you can't stay in business. Things like equipment maintenance/repair, gas & electricity, insurance, payroll, materials etc will all add up. Even the small things will add up to significant dollars over the course of a month or year. (My yearly expenditures for zipties and drywall screws alone is nearly $500!!)

Document your procedures. Once you find an efficient method, if it's documented, it can be repeated by anyone you might end up hiring to help. In addition, it will allow you to "know" how long a certain project will take which will help you with your pricing. When I first started out, estimating was the hardest part because of so many unknowns. Now when I provide an estimate or bid to a customer, when the proverbial smoke clears and the job is done, I find I'm pretty darn close to that number.

If you give a firm price to do a job, honor that price even if it costs you 3 times more that that to complete it. Again, you may take it in the shorts on that one, but it's a sure bet you won't make the same mistake twice.

Bottom line is this. You've got to know your business, the pricing your area will support and what you need to make to continue in business. It is by no means easy and you'll probably not make a lot of money (if any) when you 1st start out, but once you're established and can turn a decent profit, the rewards are great.

Oh, and to answer your question regarding payment. Would you pay up front for work to be performed? I sure wouldn't and in some states, that policy is in violation of trade law. :)

[FMXhellraiser]

Thanks a lot man, that helped me quite a bit. Ok well say that I have a dirt bike rim to powder coat red or blue... what would you price on it if you didn't have to do much prep work only fill in all the threaded holes from the spokes?

[skiddz]

I have no idea. I don't PC, I just polish. :) I only participate in here 'cuz I want to get in to PCing (Hobby-wise, not to make money necessarily) eventually.

You'd have to guess how much time it would take you to prep the surface, clean it, plug holes, coat it then cure it. Figure a few more bucks for electricity and materials and go from there.

[bzer1]

Some shops are charging somewhere around $50 for a single color and around $75 for Two stage like candies and also for adding clear coat. Those prices include blasting in some cases but don't include disassembly or stripping. for a part time Non-pro shop or up start I would think the price would be considerably less. After all what sense does it make to go to the guy with less experience for the same price? The up side to that is that you'll probably be doing the hubs as well. As previously mentioned in this post this can lead to more work as people see the things you can do. Good luck! It's nice to see a young man with that kind of ambition.

[FMXhellraiser]

Thanks a lot for the help you guy's. I am going to try and hurry and get this kit and start doing small things, then start powder coating some things on one of my dirt bikes and then when I get to the point where I am really confident then I will start doing it for other people and maybe make a little money here and there. Of course if I do it I will not do it half ass, I will take my time to prep everything and clean the part really well (and think of it as my own part since I am picky about things being perfect) and if I mess up somewhere or there's little imperfections then I won't just leave it like I know most people would, I will strip it all down and do it again and again.
Thanks again.

[skiddz]

bzer1 is right. Do good work and more work will come your way. It amazing what word of mouth will do.

Ever since I polished all the little goodies on my 4 wheeler, I've receieved a lot of inquiries from people asking what I'd charge to do up bits and pieces of their machines. I've done a few things and made a few bucks, but don't have time (or the inclination) to do it to generate any additional income. I even had one guy ask me what it'd cost to rebuild his ATV like mine. When I told him what it cost me - not including my labor - he quickly disappeared.. ehehhe

[FMXhellraiser]

Thanks a lot for the help you guy's, I really appreciate it. If it wasn't for all your guys' help then I would be screwed and not able to do this PC stuff.