What would you charge for this job?

[JustinB]

I've got a customer who is asking me for a job that I've never done before, though technically have the ability to do. As I've never done a job like this before, I have no idea how my prices compare to the rest of the market, so I'm hoping to hear what others would charge for a similar job.

Here are the specs:
13,000 Full color, full bleed #10 envelopes (Print and convert)
13,000 6 3/4 remittance Envelopes ( 4 color outside, black inside, again, print and convert)
13,000 2-sided letters (Full color, but not full bleed on 70lb offset text)
Stuff the letter and remit into the #10
Seal
Address
Sort for bulk mail
Send non-profit (Customer is already approved non-profit with USPS and I calculated the postage around $.16 each)

What would you guys charge for this?

Thanks!
Justin

 

[Alith7]

Justin~
while we're usually pretty helpful on here...
I'm not sure that anyone will do your estimating for you...

 

[JustinB]

Oh I've done all my estimating but I have very little context to know how the price I calculated relates to the rest of the market.

 

[Alith7]

then if you think that's the best price you're comfortable with, that's what I would go with.
aside from "market pricing" being different from region to region, not to mention country to country, since this is a world wide board, even within my Metro area, all printers are very different depending on their equipment and specialties. A job that is very low-priced and easy for one printer, may not be the same for a different printer with a different set-up.
the best way to gauge is to quote the job, and if you don't get it, ask your customer is they would be willing to share the price from the winning bid. some will, some won't.

Good luck!

 

[JustinB]

Good thing I already did all of that.

 

[discountprinting]

First, that postage sounds low even at non profit automated barcode rate, 2nd price this job with some trusted trade vendors and mark it up 30% (take the wholesale price and divide it by .3), this would be the absolute minimum for a starting point. Then consider the turnaround, the quality, is this repeat business or additional work from an existing client, etc. All this should be considered in determining your price. Also keep in mind the price for XYZ job can vary a lot from one printing company to another, depending on what part of the country, what kind of equipment, paper costs, etc., etc. As a general rule we markup everything 30% minimum above our total cost (including labor) and some items we may go 40% or even 50% but no more than that. Some people say "as much as the market will bear" but I am not sure I agree with this one...Hope this helps!

 

[Keith]

First, that postage sounds low even at non profit automated barcode rate,...

Actually, that sounds about right. Here is a screen shot of a postage statement for a nonprofit mailer I mailed yesterday.

 

[Keith]

One more thing. After you send the quote and if the customer balks at the price, please don't hack away at the margin to reduce the price. I'm sure you already know this but you should change the specs to get the price down. Do they really need full bleed envelopes? Tell them they could save money by going with a no bleed 2 color envelope.

 

[davarino]

We are a trade shop and price this stuff all the time. For a fast check, for example, go to a site like 4over's and that can give you an idea of what your cost "oughta" be. Cost,not price.

Member discountprinting gives you a good rule of thumb on retail pricing, of course bearing in mind that market conditions vary considerably.

Generally, you should raise your markup percentage on the smaller jobs to help cover your fixed costs and overhead... and lower it on the larger jobs, but bear in mind (and price) that there are greater risks and sludge factors with bigger jobs.

Using fixed-percentage markups can be dangerous: because you'll get all the dirt jobs and none of the fat ones if you aren't careful. And of course your smarter competitors will figure you out.