qwltnldy Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Ok. I had a customer today tell me that people are getting their King Size quilts done around here for $75 with much fancier quilting on them than allover meander. I flat don't believe it and if that's happening then somebody is undercutting and I hope they can live with themselves. We are in Southern California. All of our costs have gone up all over the place. I have a machine to pay for and gee whiz, I'd like to have a little "take home" pay, or else I might just as well go out and get a job on the outside. The going rate for most quilting in my area is $.015 to $.025 per square inch for simple meander. Or at least that's what I thought. I gave this woman 1/2 price (running a sale) and she still bitched about charging $81.00 for an 87 x 87 inch quilt. I charged her 1 cent. That number includes tax. Am I overcharging here? I really need to know. Because if so, I need to look at some stuff. The only thing i can think of is the computerized people charge less or something. Is that true? I have no earthly idea what the going rate for that is because I've never had one done myself. I do know that when I check the one place I know that puts pricing online (for computerized stuff) it is much more expensive than that. Is she pulling my leg? When I asked who was doing King size quilts for $75 she says "Oh, I dont know, you know my friends and me we just talk about how much we paid and all...blah blah blah" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraG Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Does her dentist give her a discount? doctor? mechanic? You are better off without her. She probably got $75 worth of work. Sometimes you just have to let it go. I do not do anything for less than that .02 and I live in Louisiana. We are not big in to quilting down here. We have the slowest quilting "growth" compared to the rest of the nation. Sandra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Robin....I would challenger her....find out who is doing it and make a potential customer call and see if its true. I had customers tell me that and they were just trying to get me to come down on my prices. When I challengered them, suddenly they couldn't remember where the lady lived or who she was. Even in Northern Cal/Nevada, you won't find someone that cheap...so don't cave in. Even my prices were cheap at $210 for a king sized quilt totally custom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suezquilts Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Can I send some of my quilt tops that I have done for my BIL? I love to get a great deal... LOL Lucky if I'd get them back... Anyone looking for a good deal should try and have them done.... I'd rather have them to go elsewhere, so they will have a chance to be impressed or disappointed. Otherwise they don't have first hand knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizziesgirl Posted January 13, 2009 Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 You get what you pay for and if there is someone quilting for that price they are not quilting well. Keep your faith in yourself, keep your quilting quality and keep your prices professional. She just wants to get under your skin. I've had them here before and they come back complaining that other quilter ruined her quilt. Sympathize as you measure and price out the one she wants you to do right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwltnldy Posted January 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2009 Well, I just did a little scouting around and found out who it is that is charging the least around here. She charges $22 per square yard for "regular customers" and $25 per square yard for a certain extremely large and famous company that happens to be located right down the street who I'm not going to name. Since I'm not a math whiz, I can't quite figure out what that is per square inch. If someone else can help me with that I'd love it! she is in my guild and I happen to know quite a number of quilters who go to her. She recently told me she is going to stop taking custom work, so maybe I'll get some of that. Anyhoo, I also called around to a couple of other longarmers and asked for a quote and the rest of them were significantly higher and I'm right in the mix of them all. So thanks for all of you guy's encouraging words. I sometimes start second guessing myself. Suezquilts is right, I really would rather them go elsewhere but only so I don't have to go thru all this angst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Robin, Well a square yard is 1296 square inches, 87 x 87 is 7569 square inches or 5.84 square yards so the cost would have been $146 for 25 sq yard or 128.48 at $22 sq yd...that is if I did my math right. No idea where that gal came up with $75. I don't charge any less than 1.75 cents per square inch and I will probably go up to 2 cents soon. Just not worth my time to do it for less. OK so here is more math for you at $25 per sq yd it calculates to .0193 for $22 per sq yd she gets .017 per sq inche so her prices are actually more than yours! Somebody let me know if my calculations are off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Nope you are right on....I came up with just these same figures... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Thanks for the math check Bonnie. I do numbers all day so you never know what I'll come up with at night! LOL today was one of those number blurring days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Yep, I did it too. At $22 a square yard I got 1.636363636, so round it up to 1.7 a square inch ($.017). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Just going to jump in here too..... I don't have a computerized machine either, would like one someday though!... anyhow - I can't imagine that a person would charge less when using more, but yet for an over-all type of quilting maybe??? I would like to think that I could just set it up, let it quilt, and go work on another quilt on a different machine.... True or False? Anyone think a computer-guided quilter would charge less?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KelleyJones Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Speaking to the computerized part of your post. If anything...computerized quilters charge at least the same and usually more than non computerized providers. One reason is... A computerized system doubles the cost of a longarm. And to walk away while the computer is quilting is to be flirting with disaster. Computer systems have abort buttons for a reason. Needles break, open seams and hopping foots, don't mix and thread always seems to break when your not looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sspingler Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 They are out there!! People just trying to make some money regardless of the quality of their work. I also live in SoCal and no way am I, or any of the other ladies here, going to go that cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neher-in-law5 Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I'll bet the lady and friends just did a quick mental figuring and came up with the $75 by thinking of 3 yards--long, and forgot to figure in the 3 yards wide. She must have a funny shaped square yard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyc Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 Ebay offers $40 quilting. You get what you pay for. Never apologize for what you charge. Keeps out the patriotic (waving like a flag) quilters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb2bie Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Here in Central Mich. there is a lady with 4--- yes 4 computerized Gammills. Ahh maybe it's 3 computerized and one with SR. Anyway she is really ch--- inexpensive!!! Her work is fine if you want overall quilting. I could cry when I see a double wedding ring or applique quilt done with her machines. I don't thinnk she is even up to $75 for a king--- haven't heard lately. For Yellow brick road or scrappy quilts or even log cabin the overalls are great. She really has some cool designs and I"m looking forward to APQS Quilt Studio to play with the functions but I wish she'd raise her prices!!! With 4 machines and an assistant, her turn around time is short and she picks up and delivers to all the local shops She doesn't do custom with her computerized machines like put a feathered wreath in a alternating block, sized just perfect or a flower in the center of a block etc. That's the thing I'm looking forward to with Quilt Studio. Jessica B. in Arizona has posted some stuff that she and her DH did. He did the computerized part and then she enhanced it with her wonderful freehand. That's a match made in heaven!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Robin, tell the woman to take a hike. I just raised my prices after 2 years. My E2E freemotion starts at .015, pantos start at .017 and custom starts at .025. There may be others who are cheaper. But sometimes, it is good to NOT be the cheapest quilter around. When I get one of those first time quilts and it has open seams and wavy borders and the backing is never big enough.... I think that I need to raise my prices so these folks will think that my prices are too high and take their quilts to somebody else. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnysnowden Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 What is the deal with these cheap skates? They spend at least a week piecing a quilt spend sometimes a ton of money on fabric, then bring it to you and want you to do it for the fun of it. In my area there is a woman who does her quilting on a computerized domestic machine cheap (no one will tell me how cheap). Next to her I am toast. Thank the good lord my machine is long since paid for. I think there a lot of Long arm Quilters out there now. Some have no consideration for the whole picture. Ginny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg_marsh Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 I think a couple of issues are involved. Knowing that it is not too long ago that I sent my quilts out, I have to say that even though I paid, I didn't really understand the pricing of the quilts. I never even thought of the set up time - I thought it was just a quick pin on and off you go......... I now know better!! Also, the price of fabric really adds up quickly and it would just amaze me how the price of the quilt really jumped when it came time for the quilting. I was among those that wished it were cheaper to have my quilts done. With all that said - I really appreciated Hester (never went anywhere else) and just got used to paying. Now, I am educated and doing my own work with the realization that this is much more than a quick pin........ Education goes a long ways!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreadWaggle Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 When I was visiting my Mom after market I showed her and some friends one of the videos that I had picked up. They were all amazed at how much work it took to just get the quilt on right and then to line things up like pantos for edges and blocks. The also saw SID on a long arm for the first time on the video. They had no idea how complicated it was. After talking with them it became clear to me that they had never asked what it took to get their quilts on and off the frame. And that they just assumed that the rules for quilting with a DSM would work on a long arm. I think that part of the issue is that what we do once we get the quilts is a mystery. There are a couple more people that now understand that SID on a longarm is an art and is not the "easy way out" like it can be on a DSM. I wish that I had had my Kim Brunner DVD at that point because I would have loved to see their expressions when she shows the "friendly border". We all know that we have done borders without measuring them, but I would never have thought that I was causing an issue like that. Maybe next visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merryjo2003 Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Robin, who in their right mind would devalue our work so much? You are right on with your pricing and even with tough economical times, I don't think we should lower them. I'll talk to you next guild meeting (or sooner). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLM Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 There are a number of interesting points in this thread, I would like to address the rhetorical question "who in their right mind would devalue our work so much?" The short answer is everyone who is not a longarm quilter, or 99.9999999% of the population. There are a number of inflexible economic factors that govern any transaction: supply, demand and price. There is certainly demand. In "Quilting in America 2006" (the last year that has data), there was an estimated 27 million quilters who spent 2.89 billion on quilting. However, only 4.7% of these quilters account for 88% of the total spending. This means in the small pool of people who quilt, there is an even smaller pool of people who drive demand. The actual supply of longarm and other quilters is unknown. There used to be a database and in 2004 there were 3729 businesses listed. There are way more than that now. Then we come to price. I often choose to purchase things based on price, and I assume other people do too. If one kind of apples is on sale, that's the one I usually buy. Take a look at the show quilts that are posted on this site and tell me how many are priced comensurate with the work and skill involved. Time and again I see quilters post their work and note that they underbid the job and are making minimum wage or less. They then justify this as advertising. Great, now other people want you to work for low wages too. But, rather than compare ourselves to other quilters I think it is important to understand what our own business needs are. Can you make money at .04/ sq. inch? Are you making a decent hourly wage whatever you have set as your price point? I had a student at MQS tell me (in 2006) that she charged $17/ sq. yard for custom quilting. She felt this was fair to her because she was so fast, she lived in a rural area, and it allowed her to tap into customers from around the country. A person like this is never going to speak up in any quilting forum, but rest assured they are out there. Not everyone who provides inexpensive service is a bad quilter, not everyone who provides expensive quilting is a good quilter. Ultimately is not the how much you want to make that defines price, it is the market. When demand is low and supply is high the price goes down (see gasoline for example). This is an economic reality. I guess my advice is to understand what your own needs are, and if you are not making as much as you desire, perhaps it is time to look at your business model. Do you have demand for your services? (I sometimes think that there is definitely an oversupply of me;-)) Janet Mohler Colorado Springs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Originally posted by JLM .........Ultimately is not the how much you want to make that defines price, it is the market. When demand is low and supply is high the price goes down (see gasoline for example). This is an economic reality. I guess my advice is to understand what your own needs are, and if you are not making as much as you desire, perhaps it is time to look at your business model. Do you have demand for your services? (I sometimes think that there is definitely an oversupply of me;-)) Janet Mohler Colorado Springs Excellent points, Janet. Thanks for sharing. I agree 100%. But here is an example for me. My hair stylist: Her name is Sarah. love her. She does a fantastic job cutting my hair. I think she's a doll. A super sweet heart. I don't want to go to anyone else to get my hair cut. I don't care what she charges. I usually give her a 25-30% tip. She's worth it to me. So, it's not always the cheapest deal in town that a customer wants. Cost (cheapest) are not all the reasons why a customer pays what they pay for a service. But......... As business owners/operators of any type of business, including longarm quilting, if you want to compete in the economic market, you need to always be willing to make adjustments or changes to the current trends. Know who your competitors are so you can stay in line with them. For example, have you noticed that when the price of gas goes up, usually all of the local stations go up to match that price; same with going down in price. So, if you want to stay on track, knowing what your local longarm quilters charge is a must. Knowing what those quilters do to keep their customers is important, too. What is speicial that they do to retain a customer? Supply and demand are drivers, too. Some customers will only shop at the cheapest place and buy the cheap brand items. Some customers would rather pay for quality and the cost is not the issue. Most customers who love and trust their quilter or hair stylist have that safe and happy relationship established won't stray elsewhere. Marketing and developing healthy happy personal relationships (especially with personal things like quilting and cutting hair) and good customer service are important. Business owners need to think outside the box; open minded, willing to be flexible and change with the times. Willing to venture to new ways of doing business. Find a special niche or product or service that attracts and keeps customers. Be creative in your business strategy. Ask your customers what they would like to see in your services and how you can improve to make a happy customer. Maybe you can create a form with pointed questions and include a stamped envelope for anonymous feedback. You might get some valuable input from your customers that they can't or won't share in person. Sometimes adding a heartfelt note, or a little special thoughtful treat with their return quilt will make them remember your kind gesture. A little thought goes a long way if you show your customer that they are important to you; that you value them not only as a customer but as a person. Make it personal; special. I think longarm quilting is a very personal service. They are trusting you with something near and dear to them. With changing times, no one can stay with the "same as usual business" you have to change with the times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 zeke here, I don't know about anyone else out there, but I charge by the hour. I have a timer that I use. The time starts when I put the first pin in and I stop it after the last pin out. I also stop the timer when I have to take a call or when I something else to do. It's a great way to charge for my services. Now don't get me wrong, I used to do it by the square inch too, but it got too complicated. This is just easier to do. You can charge whatever you want per hour, it's up to you. I bill out at $45 an hour and the price gets reduced if the client has ben with me awhile. Try it out sometime and see how you like it. Regards, zeke......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 I should be much better at keeping track of my time spent on a quilt, always forget and start doing the laundry or making meals and such. Would be much easier if I were set-up in a seperate space or room. I did just hear the other day that one lady around here charges by the hour and at $30. How do you all go about finding out others rates? I would have to ask a friend to call, most of these ladies are in my guild. Do you ever ask them straight out?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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