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[Nigel Heffernan]

Hi guys just looking for advice on pricing for boat seating, the customer is supplying the vinyl but the 2 bucket seats and the bench will need new foam so im wondering what I should charge for labour I have attached some photos any advice is appreciated.

[Jayscanvas]

Ok I will start by saying pricing is hard. I will vary by location for sure and you should get as much as your market will allow. For labor only With foam work I would try to get as close to $500 per bucket seat and $300 for the bench seat.

[BigRig]

@Jayscanvas ,

What about the vinyl that is extra cost?

[Nigel Heffernan]

the customer is supplying his own material thanks for the replys guys much appreciated

[Cody]

I agree with @Jayscanvas get the local going rate. In Iowa I feel it’s a bit less than other larger cities. But it’s still okay and I use that. When I first started I would call other shops and see what they would charge. I factored in, if I was green at the time and they have been doing it for years. I charged a bit less. Not to under cut them, but more to charge what I felt was reasoanable for both myself for time and materials, but also for them cause I was just starting and my outcome wasn’t always what I hoped.

[John]

Great advice guys!

Just a quick estimate. I would probably be $600+ per bucket. $300 on the bench. $150 on that other back rest piece in the second picture. Thats not including any wood work. Be aware that those old boats very often need the wood replaced or repaired and you cant always see it until the cover is off. Make sure the customer understands that.

@Jayscanvas Thanks for sharing an estimate as well! A lot of people are really hesitant to give that out. I think it will really help the other members though. I also think that the more open we all are with each other about pricing we can get a better understanding of what we should be charging and hopefully collectively realize our value and be more confident to charge what we deserve. Also I think it will help from being under cut by others when they see what others are charging. Pricing is super hard and figuring it out by your self takes a long time. I had to learn the lesson of under charging the hard way. As Im sure many of us had. Thanks again

[Cody]

It’s. Ice hearing prices. In my area a bucket seat for a car is $250 roughly. $400 for a bench.

[John]

@cody I promise you could charge more than that.

[Cody]

@John I think when I get a bit more experience and clientele built up I’ll looking into raising the prices a bit. Want to build a good name first while charging a reasonable price and then like most businesses do, raise prices to match work and supply price increase.

[John]

@Cody I totally understand man. We all start somewhere. Building your business and reputation takes time. Just dont wait to long to raise your prices. We are often our own worst critic and hold ourselves back more than we think. You do good work man!