Pricing your quilt

[djohns]

I have my first client. She wants me to quilt a 90 X90 quilt using a panto. How much should I charge her? I live in PA. I have brochures for a couple of quilt shops but I am unsure how much to charge her. I am excited and nervous at the same time. Help.

Thanks, Denise

[ffq-lar]

Standard of the industry, but definitely not "law" is to charge by the square inch or square yard.

90X90=8100 square inches.

For a dense or intricate panto charge 2 cents per square inch which equals $162.

For a simpler, less dense panto charge 1 1/2 cents which equals $121.50.

As a new quilter, you may offer a small discount (or not!). That is up to you.

None of this is "law" either--it's your business and you get to charge as you decide.

How exciting that you have your first customer! It's a wonderful feeling.

[Corey]

I agree with Linda, I have same guideline here. Have fun with your first.

Corey

[PattyJo]

I agree with Linda as well. I would use the 1.5 cents per sq. inch as a starting point and go up from there depending on what your customer wants.

[Sandra Darlington]

I live in Philadelphia, but most of my customers live in Montgomery County. I charge $.02 for most pantographs, but some are as low as $.015. I have a few I would charge more for.

I would suggest you charge what you want your price to be for the next year (approximately). Everyone told me it is hard to raise your prices, so it is better to start with what you want to make, but offer a discount to lower the price. This might be a percentage off, or a dollar amount off of, for example, their first quilt that you do. Or whatever reason you choose to offer the discount. But, it is easier to give them something off now, than to raise your prices later.

It sounds sort of the same, but in ones mind, I think it is easier for the customer to adjust to getting a discount now and paying "regular" price later.

When I started my business in April 2010, I offered a 2" to 3" puzzle meander for $.01 a square inch from April to the end of June. (Everything else was regular price.) I got 6 or 7 people who jumped at that. I next ran a special to take 15% off of any of my Holiday (Christmas or general winter designs for my Jewish friends) pantographs if brought to me (or scheduled an appointment with me) between July 30th and September 30th. I bought 8 pantographs to have ready to show people when they "beat down my door" for this special...and nobody took me up on this offer. Go figure!

I also bought birthday cards with my business information on them and mail them to my customers. They offer a 15% discount on any quilting (one quilt only). So far, only one person has taken me up on that offer, although, I did not put any expiration date on it, so I may have them come in at some point.

I have a minimum charge of $50 for an edge to edge and $75 for a custom quilt. That has really saved me on the discounted meander of baby quilts that would have been around $35 or so, but becuase of the minimum, I charged them $50. They fully understood that. I also then offered them a pantograph that would come out to about the same price, rather than a puzzle meander. Funny thing, they went with the meander over the panto. Go figure. That certainly surprised me.

I bought bags from Virginia Longarm and embroidered my business name on them (lime green bags with purple lettering). I planned to give them out to my first 24 customers (I kept one for myself), but it seems that everyone likes them so much, I may order another 25. These would only be for first time customers....unless they carry it so much and it wears out, I would probably give them another one. IT is great advertising for me when they carry their sew & tell to guild.

I also have a frequent buyers club. The information is printed on the back of my business cards. There is a business card pocket on the Virginia Longarm bags, so I slip them in the pocket so the customers have them handy. I also keep track of them in case the customers loose them.

All this is cutting into my profits...but, I think it is great PR and will pay off in the end.

[djohns]

Thank you everyone for all your advice. I will follow what you said. You all are a great help.

Denise

[Starla]

Sandra, What do you offer for the frequent buyers club?

Thanks Starla

[Sandra Darlington]

Starla,

I use the back of my business card (I have a separate box of these) where I have printed:

Darlington Quilts

Special Quilting offer....

Add the cost of your 5 quilts together, divide by 5 to get the average, then deduct 50% of that amount from your next quilt.

Under that are 5 blank boxes that I write the quilting cost & the date. I also keep track in my records, but that is for the customers to have on hand.

I have the fonts nice, so it looks professional and interesting. So far, everyone has been very pleased. When I return their quilt, I give them the bag, then add this card, and they feel like it's Christmas as they hand me my check.

I also bought some pens with my business name and number that I put in the invoice pocket on a future quilt...like maybe the 3rd one or so. I had about a dozen magnetic business cards made, too, that I throw in on another occasion. (I think I will order some more for 2011).