pumpkinpatchquilter Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Many of you know I've only had my long arm for just over a month...in that time I've quilted a handful of my own quilts, two of a quilting pal's quilts just for the cost of thread, and have now moved up to taking in a limited number of paying quilts for a discounted price to get a little experience under my belt. A local long arm quilting pal really stressed not to undercut local quilters...currently I'm only offering this price through my blog though a few people who follow me on FaceBook who go to my guild know as well. My quilting pal felt I should charge my full prices instead of offering a discount for now. What do you think? I don't want to offend or undercut local quilters but I also really feel uncomfortable charging the same price as an award winning quilter without having my long arm for even two months. Should I be charging more off the bat? Pricing is seriously the HARDEST thing so far about this!!! Thank you all so much for your help!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 When I just started, I charged the prevailing prices of the market where I was comfortable, at the middle. Armed with the price list, I offered very limited time specials only. I always show & tell my personal quilts, always practiced a lot what I learned from custom quilting classes I took, used my own quilts to showcase my new found skills and priced my Longarming like the pros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaC Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Valerie, it is best not to raise your prices; nobody likes price increases even when you don't really feel it is a price increase. I don't quilt for others but I owned a retail quilt shop for 10 years. I would charge the regular price and then offer a discount on that price for "introductory" or whatever. I'm sure others will chime in with some more advice, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltingjoyful51 Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Set the price where it is going to be and give 1st time customer discounts, or panto discounts what ever you choose discounts. It is easier to discontinue a discount than to raise your prices. If an award winning quilter is not charging on her awards then you can't judge yourself against her. Her pricing may be what she is happy getting for her efforts. Just be a professional and go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zora Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 When I started quilting for others, my motivation was the same as yours. I didn't have enough pieced quilts of my own to become proficient, so I needed to quilt for others. My best friend let me practice on some of her beautiful small projects, which was also helpful. I agree...establish your prices based on "usual" in your area. I then gave a "learning curve" discount. Those who gave me quilts knew it was for a limited time only. Most people didn't have more than one quilt ready to take advantage of the discount, so I was not swamped. I have an entirely different customer base now than when I started, because I have a style that not all customers want or that all quilts need.. (heirloom) which is all I am interested in doing. I will do an occasional E to E or light custom for regular customers. I discuss options on intake. If you offer a learning curve discount, make sure your customers know it will expire, and when exactly. I'd give them a handout stapled to the front of their invoice that says "Learning curve discount will end (whenever). Your quilt must be in the shop prior to that date to qualify for the discount. Quilts received after that date will be charged full price." Put this in BIG BOLD LETTERS and point it out when they pick up their quilt. It is quite easy to undervalue our services. As far as undercutting other quilters, well...its a business and is becoming more competetive all the time. You must decide what your time is worth. People make decisions about what longarmer to use based on a number of factors, and price is only one of them. We longarmers quilt for others for a variety of reasons, and it isn't just about the money. Do what YOU think is best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mestuart Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 good info. I agree, base your prices on the "going rate" and give a limited time discount. And if you run into something new to you, ask the client what they would rather you do, practice at a "learning curve rate" or do something different. Remember, if you charge full rate and have issues, the customers will "talk" and it takes a long time (if ever) to overcome a bad review. However, if it is practice and you have let them know they shouldn't "talk" as much. Some people you just can't please. Learn to weed those ones out of your quilting life, be wary of new customers who have had quilts done by other LA'er and moved on. Trust your institncts. Don't get me wrong, most people are wonderful, but there are a few who "set my teeth on edge". Avoid them at all costs. Happy stitching. Marion in BC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merryjo2003 Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I feel the same as the others. It's hard when you're starting out and feel inexperienced and guilty charging full price. Set your prices along with everyone else's in the area and "discount" until you feel comfortable. Write your invoice at full price, then show your discount (whatever you want to call it is fine, new customer, learning curve, panto special, etc.) That way, when your comfortable and not longer offer your discount, people aren't upset. They know they got a great deal the first time and aren't surprised they are paying more the next time. You want it to be prominent on the invoice, or go over the invoice with them so they know. Sometimes it may be a few months until they bring the second quilt. You don't want them complaining that it only cost $X for the same size last time and they don't know why it's more this time. If you belong to a guild, most do a lot of donation or charity quilts. They'll give you the backing, batting and top. You can get a lot of practice for the cost of your thread and time. It's good practice as you really are bumping over seams, etc. and they're not always "perfect" as the piecers have different skill levels, too. Some of them are new at piecing just like you are new at longarming. I really appreciated the "not so perfect" tops when I started because I learned a lot and you will definately get some of those tops from paying customers! Always try your best, even on charity quilts, because the other members do look at them. Don't kill yourself for free, but do a nice job. They'll be amazed you made them look nice (as they know what you started out with) and it may bring you some business! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie H Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Valerie, personally, I think what you are doing is fair to the customer. Everyone needs a jumping off point. As soon as I did about 10 quilts, I felt I could up my rates, and I warned everyone that brought me a quilt that this was just my getting started rate as I didn't know if I was good enough to be charging the same as someone who has been quilting for a while. My problem is knowing what going rate is and are those that are lower than the going rate paying taxes? A few people around here aren't working it as a business and are being paid under the table, which creates even more confusion to customers. Customers think they are getting a great deal on a queen size quilt quilted for $70 and complain that you are at $140, but when one quilter isn't claiming it as income and another is, that's a big difference on what the non-income-claiming quilter is making as compared to what one makes when they have to pay this license fee and that license fee and then pay Uncle Sam his take, etc., etc. While customers may not be satisfied that they got a great deal on their first quilt from you and now the price is higher, they have to realize that a journeyman makes more money than an apprentice for good reason -- education and experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Valerie, What I did when I first started with customer quilts was to provide a discount but their invoice always reflected my full pricing. My motto is if I'm going to quilt for pennies I'll quilt for myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pumpkinpatchquilter Posted February 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I can't thank you all enough!!! You have given me a lot to think about and I truly appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferBernard Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 I am an advocate of keeping track of the time you spend on each quilt. I started out charging the per square inch way. I have always used a kitchen timer it time my work even when I charged by the square inch. So I can figure out how much money I am making by the hour. I don't charge for the intake quilt discussion unless some one insists on having long involved discussions. I usually spend 15 to 20 minutes talking about 1 quilt. When I am ready to work on a quilt I clean my rails and wheels if they need it. Then I turn on my timer and put the quilt on, thread the machine, clean the bobbin, change the needle, and do all the things necessary to quilt the quilt. I do turn off the timer to answer the phone and use the restroom. I add 15 minutes to every quilt to do paper work and call the customer when the quilt is done. My per square inch charge didn't last long when I calculated how much I was earning per hour. As I got faster I was charging $.01 for overalls but by timeI was earning $22 to $24 an hour. On custom jobs if I estimated 3 or 4 cents per square inch I was earning sometimes only $4 an hour. I finally told my customers that I was going to charge $15 an hour for any type of quilting to be fair across the board instead of over charging on my over alls (the largest share of my business) and way under charging for custom work. I also wanted to be between the local quilter who I found out was charging $12.50 per and a national winning quilter who was charging $25 per hour. I had also won some awards for my quilting by then so I wanted to be kind of in the middle. Don't under charge on those custom jobs. they ase stressful. Most quilters in my area want quilts for home use and family so I keep those prices reasonable and the work keeps coming in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdie Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Valerie, Thank you for asking this question. I have done a few quilts and I did them for a discount. My customers know that the price will be going up when I feel more comfortable and they a fine with that. Thank you to everyone else for the great info. Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted February 27, 2013 Report Share Posted February 27, 2013 I'm traveling so I haven't read all the answers. Forgive me if I repeat anything already said. How about taking the quilt in at the going rate and discounting after its quilted if there are any problems? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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