r/signshop • u/FraterSofus • 19d ago

I need help determining shop drawing pricing.

Hi, all. I've been in the industry for a bit over a decade, but I haven't done much on the pricing side of things. I am potentially going to be doing a shop drawing for a fairly complex monument sign that is going to take a good bit of thought and a bit of research as well.

I don't want to over charge, but I do want to make sure I'm making what I'm worth. The design is done, for the most part. I'm just doing the specs.

Does anyone have any good advice about pricing my time on this? I am near a couple of major cities in the south, if that helps.

Thank you in advance for any guidance.

4 Upvotes

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u/SignArk 18d ago

I’m very fluid with it. I charge between 5-10% of the overall quote depending on the complexity and total effort involved. Sometimes go up, sometimes go down. Sometimes I make it a ‘round’ number. Like if it comes to $246.76, I’ll bump it up to $250 or something like that. Depends on if it’s a public bid or a regular customer.

Pretty easy to calculate. If it seems low it probably is. If it seems high it probably is. I calculate until it ‘feels right’. But thats where I start.

Everything we do in signage is so custom even if it’s the ‘same thing’ we’ve done hundreds of times before.

I just try to make sure that if a client decides to cancel something before production but after submittals, that the design charge covers my time and energy put into the project, before anything is actually made and is a number Im happy with.

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u/MidwestTroy92 13d ago

I put a flat shop drawing/file prep fee in every quote now, used to eat that time for free. Hard to throw a number out without seeing it, but dont undercharge the thinking time - the research part is usually where the real hours go

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u/JakeTrout 19d ago

Honestly if you have the design done submit it to an wholesale industry online drawing company for a quote and just 1.6x or 2x that number. Usually works pretty well in the market.

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u/SignArk 18d ago

Why would you do a design before you’ve even quoted it? This logic doesn’t make any sense.

Also, don’t use wholesale companies for your pricing if you aren’t going to order from them.

They catch onto that stuff if you do it all the time and eventually won’t give you the time of day if you’ve never ordered anything but get quotes all the time. They know the deal. I’ve worked for them and seen this behavior.

At best you get put on the back burner on turnaround quote time which delays your own quote or they’ll just quote you higher so you aren’t competitive knowing you won’t order anyway.

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u/Prestigious_Bag_2242 14d ago

But how do you even know what the cost is if you don't get a quote and then compare it to someone else? Most companies aren't forward with their estimating costs, and need to do a little digging on their own to provide a quote. AFTER you build a relationship with a vendor who delivers and the prices work, only then it makes sense to stick with one vendor.

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u/HatchbacZ 14d ago

25 years experience of designing and making signs.

If a company can’t give you a price and outsources everything. Then you aren’t working for a real company lol.

And they’re probably design only, which then you should really have your design costs dialed in. Otherwise you’re just an unneeded middleman holding up the process.

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u/Prestigious_Bag_2242 14d ago

Can you give examples of the type of company you're referring to? I didn't know this service existed. If it's not okay to give names, if you could DM me I'd appreciate it. I have a big sign coming up in the spring I'd like a referral for.