What to charge?

[burraboy]

It has always been a problem trying to work out what to charge someone for a job. I have based this sliding chart on my dealings with other people in the community.
For a small job:
.....doctors and dentists...$200
.....medical specialists... as above but $100 more, in cash, up front
.....electricians and plumbers...$50 call out fee + $50 per hour + materials*
.....mechanics...$60 per hour + $15 workshop consumables + $5 EPA levy
.....real estate types...5% total value of job +15% commission + $5 statement fee
.....anybody else...bottle of wine or case of beer, quality depending on the job

*materials at cost. eg,if I had a job that needed 450mm of 3mm fencing wire made into a hoop, then charge would be for a 250m roll.

Is there anybody else (from your own experience) that I should add to my list for a special deal?

[Woodwould]

That seems fairly comprehensive, but don't omit the Annoyance Fee: The more the client annoys you, the higher the additional Annoyance Fee.

[jimbur]

You've forgotten vets. If it doesn't work, put them down

[minus459]

Standard rates
$50.00/hr
If you want to watch $70.00/hr
If you give advice $100.00/hr
If you want to help........go somewhere else.

[rsser]

If the client has tried to solve the problem 200 an hour!

[rrobor]

No no no. I have friend who says you havent charged enough if you dont see the eyebrows going up. My uncle was a chemist in london in WW2. He had a shop. He produced cold cream. a product of liquid paraphin, beeswax and I forget what. And lipstick. The biggest issue was what do you put it in cos the jar etc was the cost. Well Uncle Jack couldnt sell his stuff. Asking his counter staff, they said " no one will put that on their face at that price" He tripled his price. Uncle Jack died owning a large house in London and a 10 acre plot behind it. What is the moral of this true story. Well shucks if you dont know, you dont deserve to know.

[RossM]

Please tell me where I can get a sparky or a plumber for $50 per hour!! last quote I had from a plumber was $110 per hour & $150 call out

Similar rates when I had a circuit breaker fail. Two electricians called with simular stories. Wanted to charge $165 call out plus minimum 2hrs at about $100/hr (but mate, it might take me longer) plus $45 for the part then put GST on top of it all. So stuff it & bugger the regulations - bought a breaker for $6 from the electrical wholesaler & spent all of 10 minutes disconnecting the old one & putting in the new.Add 5 minutes to test the power points were all still working. Add 45 minutes for driving to/from the wholesaler. So - $6 cash plus an hour of my time.

Mechanics seem to be charging at least $90/hr before GST

Also had a quote to redo the bathroom (strip the old one, re-route the plumbing re-tile & put in new PC items). Small company of 2 blokes.When I went through the quote, stripped out any materials & looked at their estimated timeframes, these guys were paying themselves $1,500 a day EACH for labour. Guess what my next project is??

(Sydney prices )

[Rifleman1776]

No no no. I have friend who says you havent charged enough if you dont see the eyebrows going up. My uncle was a chemist in london in WW2. He had a shop. He produced cold cream. a product of liquid paraphin, beeswax and I forget what. And lipstick. The biggest issue was what do you put it in cos the jar etc was the cost. Well Uncle Jack couldnt sell his stuff. Asking his counter staff, they said " no one will put that on their face at that price" He tripled his price. Uncle Jack died owning a large house in London and a 10 acre plot behind it. What is the moral of this true story. Well shucks if you dont know, you dont deserve to know.

I have a signature I use on some forums. It is: "Folks is funny critters."
Yes, we are strange animals.
But, your story is a good one and very real. I have a friend who owns a large furniture store. He put in a ling of fine grandfather clocks but they didn't sell. After a while he put in storage for a few months then brought out again and doubled the prices. He now cannot keep up with the orders and laughs all the way to the bank.
I make and sell some pens, One of my finest I (reluctantly) put a price on way over my normal formula mark up. It sold promptly.

[minus459]

AbsoBLOODYlutely

[danielhobby]

Have we forgotten divorce lawyers at $350 per hour for care and experience,and,then there is their mark up for the barrister they brief on your behalf,$1200 minimum hire,marked up to $2000 for a ten minute appearance

[munruben]

Have we forgotten divorce lawyers at $350 per hour

Some would say "Well worth it."

[rsser]

Having been in the contracting game, one of the things I learned is that the price you set should be the price you think you are worth.

After all, it's your living you are making.

Yes, there are times you want to vary it acc to the client, but these should be exceptions.

[joe greiner]

Having been in the sub-contracting game (precast architectural concrete), we had a general contractor/developer who was such a PITA to deal with, we refused to bid any more of his work regardless of price. He established his own manufacturing subsidiary, and stole a supervisor from us - an imperfect solution. A few years later, he meekly asked for more bids. Sometimes, a big stick is needed.

Cheers,
Joe

[AlexS]

Having been in the contracting game, one of the things I learned is that the price you set should be the price you think you are worth.

After all, it's your living you are making.

I'd add that even if it's not your living, you should charge what you think it's worth, because if you don't, people will expect the same sort of price from people whose living it is.