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11 Pricing Tips for Wrap Shops

Give partial wraps a chance, use a kill fee and more advice.

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These tips are based on a the Business Boot Camp for Wrap Professionals by Avery Dennison presentation given by Justin Pate (Amsterdam) and John Duever (Vinyl Images; Fenton, MO) at the 2019 ISA Sign Expo.

  1. Partial wraps can be more profitable than full wraps. Don’t turn up your nose at decals.
  2. Get a 50% deposit before you start printing. You can do 25% upfront and then 25% after design is approved if you like; just get to 50%.
  3. Always have a kill fee, either a percentage of the total or a set non-refundable portion of the initial deposit. You can use these with clients as well as freelance installers.
  4. Offering kill fees to freelance installers will build loyalty and create a reputation of professionalism.
  5. Charge a late fee plus a rush fee for late vehicle drop-offs. You could try $90 late fee plus a 20% mark-up on your standard installation fee. 
  6. Have an installer certification clause in your employment contract if you cover all expenses for an employee s wrap certification. Installers pay back the cost if they leave within 12 months.
  7. If you make improvements to your building and your rent, ask if you can take money off the lease.
  8. If you have an established client and a new designer, consider cutting the design time in half. (The first two years for any designer are growth.) 
  9. If you’re a freelance installer, check that the graphics are adequate first before doing any inspections. Charge a set fee if the job needs to be rescheduled (Pate has charged $350). 
  10. Window tint work can be lucrative. Don’t dismiss it – it can be a charge of $200-250 for $40 of material. 
  11. A rate of $120 per hour is a fair go-to for travel time, design time or vehicle cleaning time in many markets.

For a full recap of the 2019 ISA Sign Expo, click here.

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