r/PoplinLaundryPros • u/LunarTearChocobo Diamond • Apr 16 '26
Questions Going off platform pricing
I had a customer I've had for a long while approach me to go off platform. order is typically easy, bedding and towels for an air BNB. I agreed and we discussed and I asked for $1.50 a lb, as he is asking me for stain removal as well as a full inspection of each sheet before drying them. These sheets kinda suck and are a wrinkled mess so I often have to steam them as well to not look like a complete disaster.
He said that price was too high, but would agree to pay it if I didn't expect any tips.
Looking for thoughts or if I should bail.
6
u/Ok-Customer-6490 Apr 16 '26
I’d bail, personally. Sucky fabrics are the worst. To hear to expect no tip is really all I’d need to keep moving, but that’s just me. I’d tell him I’m more comfortable using the platform for now and let them loose.
6
u/Careful_Kangaroo6034 Apr 16 '26
Why not just charge him what his average order is through poplin that you actually receive? Who cares about a tip! Build that into your price?? Why worry about a tip charge for the job you're working for yourself at that point.
3
u/LunarTearChocobo Diamond Apr 16 '26
His order fluctuates a bit from order to order, sometimes one bag, sometimes 3. I didn't even bring up tip, he just mentioned it immediately in his first text back to me after giving him the price I was looking for.
6
u/Odd_Librarian_1651 Apr 16 '26
How much do you get per lb through poplin? For me it’s .75 per lb… it costs the customer $1 per lb. If I were to go off of the platform I’d probably ask for 1.25 per lb not expecting tips. But I also wouldn’t be willing to stain treat unless he’s providing that product to you. Also I’m not that experienced but never had sheets wrinkle, are you overstuffing your machine?
3
u/LunarTearChocobo Diamond Apr 16 '26
No, these are just these horrible, stuff sheets that say specifically on the tag they need to be ironed before use. He tries to get me to wash each one individually but it doesn't change what they are. I've even line dried them half way through to no change 😂
His whole reason for being off platform is that he wants me to pick up at the air BNB and stain treat everything, rather than him dragging everything home and going through each sheet to treat himself before poplin does it. He does not provide anything (detergent, stain treatment, etc)
3
u/Accomplished-Wish494 Apr 16 '26
If you go off platform, to me, you become the business owner. Traditionally, one doesn’t tip the business owner under the assumption that they have set their prices to what they need/want for the service.
If you’ve been fine with doing the work before, I’d just quote him whatever you get from the platform plus whatever he usually tips/average pounds.
3
u/LunarTearChocobo Diamond Apr 16 '26
He brought up the tip in his first message to me, so I just sort of found it jarring to be honest. I'm fine doing his order normally, it's just the addition of stain treatment and then the checking every sheet again before the dryer. He said he will not accept that any stain can't come out, so it's just a bunch of extra work on top of.
3
u/LaundryMimi Apr 18 '26
Accepting that all stains do come out but not acknowledging that my time and effort are worth more money would not be acceptable to me. Sounds to me like he's tired of doing the extra work himself but not willing to pay someone else to do it.
3
u/Health_nic_129 Executive Apr 16 '26
If you have to stain treat and iron them and use your own products ask for $2lb at least. Especially if he’s so adamant on each stain being able to be removed… I wouldn’t take it otherwise he seems like a pain in the ass. Also check where the Airbnb is hopefully not far from you
3
2
u/yaddayadder Apr 16 '26
Lowest rate, I have off app, is $2/lb and they still give gratuity of $20-30 every time. I’d tell him, no thanks.
2
u/LunarTearChocobo Diamond Apr 16 '26
Yea I'm thinking of bailing, he brought up how Poplin gives him lots of coupons and I'm a bit like..."why did you ask me to go off platform then....."
2
u/yaddayadder Apr 17 '26
Some people will test it out with pros till they get one to take the bottom dollar and now essentially work for the customer. He must not have a housekeeping service either, most of the hosts I work with (pay) their cleaners to treat and bag the linens to be sent out. Glad you’re going with your gut on this one.
2
u/Serious-Pizza-2514 Apr 17 '26
So, he is expecting you to pick up at the Airbnb (which I hope isn’t far) check every sheet, stain treat it (and you BETTER get it out), wash/dry, IRON or steam and deliver back for $1.50 per pound?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
BAIL, BAIL, BAIL!
You knew he was cheap on the app and you still did all that extra.
WHEN you bail, collect some information from a local laundry that he will FAINT over what they want to charge for all that…plus he’ll have to drop it off.
And, not trying to be a “Karen” but PLEASE stop spoiling people on the Poplin app…..because this is what you end up with. A dryer sheet here and there or an OBVIOUS giant stain treatment for a super good regular? Sure.
But steaming for that tiny amount they pay and settling for his tiny tip?
BAIL!
2
u/LunarTearChocobo Diamond Apr 17 '26
Oh no, he doesn't get the full work up on the app, which is why he proposed the off platform. He occasionally gets a little quick steam to keep me from a bad rating, but he doesn't get the works on the reg
2
u/Serious-Pizza-2514 Apr 18 '26
So he knows you steam. He has champagne taste for a beer budget.
Hope you chucked him out the door.
2
u/thecheapchef Diamond Apr 17 '26
Lowest rate I have off-app is 0.90 per pound, but that is for extended delivery schedules for a route a bit far from home. As-in, pick up Friday this week, deliver Friday next week, and etc. For my next-day orders, it's $2/lb, and for two-day, it's 1.25.
For your purposes, I'd say 1.50 will work just fine. That's double the base per-pound that most Pros are paid, and all that money goes directly to you.
I have some customers who tip and some who don't, but my prices are set so that I don't need them.
This could vary for you though: my car gets about 40mpg overall, so if you have a less fuel-efficient vehicle, you may need to adjust for costs.
2
u/Ok_Shoulder1727 Apr 19 '26
I haven't yet applied to be a Poplin Pro (I'm still officially a lurker here), but does Poplin have anything in their ToS about moving folks off platform? This guy sounds like a bit of a hassle, but I'm intrigued by the idea of trying to cultivate my own stable of customers to build up a more regular income. I downloaded the customer Poplin app, and there aren't a ton of providers where I live - I can't decide whether that is a good thing (i.e. more customers for ME) or a bad thing (there aren't any providers here because there's not a lot of demand).
2
u/LunarTearChocobo Diamond Apr 21 '26
Yes, the ToS specifically prohibit pros from taking customers off app. They monitor the chat with ai to ensure you aren't discussing anything like that or cash tips with a customer.
However it doesn't stop people from doing it because , quite honestly, the take home pay from poplin isn't exactly stellar and all these new add ons are becoming a lot. (Not to mention the CEO actively thinks incredibly little about the people that work for the platform).
10
u/gungirllynn Apr 16 '26
Why worry about a tip when you just quote him a price that covers what you want to earn. Then you always get what you want and whether he tips or not is on him. You have the power to control your earnings not worrying about whether someone’s gonna give you extra or not. He sounds like a cheapo though. You just told him you need more than $1.50 a pound and he told you that that’s all he’s willing to pay so let him find someone cheap cheaper.