Pricing Challenges

[Annette Plamondon]

I have never had any formal training with engraving and I use both a rotary and laser engraver and Gravostyle 6. My boss is challenging me to come up with pricing for engraving name tags, brass plates, and trophies. I know this is a sticky area and everyone does it their own way. I was curious what formulas or systems my fellow forum buddies out there use? I think it should be kept simple and not charge per letter but honestly I am not sure what proper protocol is. I would love to hear suggestions to help me with this. This is definitely a challenge for me! Thanks Everyone

[Dan Hintz]

It can vary based upon your business model. What is your location, and can it support higher prices? Small tags might be done for a fixed rate, say $3/tag with a minimum of 10 tags, or $20 for a single tag. Larger tags might be done on a per-square inch basis, and here 2.5-3x materials cost often works well. Discounts can be applied based on size of order (100 tags, 500, 1k).

[Mike Null]

Take a thorough look on the internet to get a general idea of market pricing. There are a lot of variations in name tags and each has it's own price.

Consider: size, lines, logos, bevels, materials, multi colors, frames and fasteners.

Prices on the coasts seem to run higher than in the Midwest.