How To Price Laser Cutting | Pricing A Job On Laser Cutter | Trotec

This week, James will be talking about how to price laser cutting jobs on a Trotec laser machine. He'll give you some tips on how to get market price in your local area, how to set pricing based on material cost, initial setup cost, laser cost, and more!
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Special thanks, videos used from:
Sam Alfano - goo.gl/drkeEd
Craig Dabler - goo.gl/GPu9bz
Vision Engravers - goo.gl/Kt2avm
-- Trotec Canada locations --
| Vancouver | 20381 62 Ave #705, Langley, BC V3A 5E6
| Calgary | 820 28 St NE #2, Calgary, AB T2A 6K1
| Toronto | 1705 Argentia Rd #9, Mississauga, ON L5N 3A9
| Montreal | 8096 Trans Canada Route, Saint-Laurent, QC H4S 1M5

[@sakakiszone8952]

One of the biggest issues for me has been deciding how to price products - I made a couple of decently sized storage boxes (laser cut, assembled, painted, etc) and showed them to some of my friends - thought that I might get maybe NZD$10 at most for them. I was almost floored when they said without a moment of hesitation "Damn that looks good! I'd easily pay $25 for something like that!" - I have gotten to the point where as mentioned in the video I itemise out pretty much everything - how long I will be running the laser for, the cost of materials, markup, etc then I run it by my wife to make sure I'm not selling myself short.

[@Parkhead_workshop]

Never try to be the cheapest around. If cheapness is the only thing your customers expect from you, it'll be impossible to improve services, raise prices and buy yourself a nice house.
You'll be working hard for pennies - better to grow a reputation for service and quality, so that you can put yourself in front of clients who respect your time and can afford your worth.

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Very well said!

[@spencerwilhelm7517]

Great video James. Funny that you just posted this. We have been meeting with potential customers the last couple weeks and struggled a bit with pricing for wholesale. We will use this info in the future!

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Hi Spencer, thanks so much for the kind words! We're very glad it could help even a little. If you have any video ideas or requests please don't hesitate to let us know!

[@MWLaser]

Thanks for the tips, very helpful. Cheers Matt

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Thanks Matt!

[@fredericbauer7417]

Thanks for your advices, that's awesome ! Greetings from France ;-)

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Bonjour Frederic! Merci beaucoup!

[@michaelmummau7686]

Thanks for the video. We (My wife & I) have a new business and pricing is something we are still trying to figure out and come up with a standard procedure / formula. Also, excited for the next episode on acrylic!

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Thanks Michael, we appreciate all the support!

[@vaughanza]

Excellent advice, thanks, Hi from South Africa

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Thanks! :)

[@fullcolorstorecorp]

​Great video guys, prepare more.! We'll support it with a LIKE 👍

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Thanks guys, we really appreciate it! Sneak peak, next "In The Van" will be about acrylic! If you have video ideas and suggestions please don't hesitate to let us know!

[@oanluu2175]

Thanks champ, nice honest tips. Cheers

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Cac Lon Thanks!

[@oooooggmm]

Great information...
thanks for all your time. I think i will traveling to Canada soon

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@heinrichvolschenk8946]

loving the trotec videos! From Greece

[@AndTheCorrectAnswerIs]

I have CNC machines of various types including laser and mechanical engravers. I try to think of the machine as an employee that I want to produce X amount of dollars profit per hour of working time. Modern software makes it easy to estimate the engraving time per item. I also don't do small volume custom work...it usually doesn't make the profit level I want. Let someone else do the less profitable work. In the long term you'll be gaining more than you lose.

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Thanks guys that's a really great point. Another reason why setup charges matter so much. If you're starting out as a new engraving business, perhaps you don't want to refuse the small volume work - especially if you're building your brand through things like positive reviews and word-of-mouth. Many engravers' setup is based on minimum time, for example you can charge for a 1 hour minimum, even if the job will take you 20min you can charge for the full hour to cover your costs, make a decent profit and not refuse the smaller job.

[@rajivmehta4245]

Great initiative, keep up the good work

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Thanks we will!

[@DylansDIYWorkshop]

really looking forward to my first laser

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

we hope it will be an amazing experience!

[@ShiftyPots]

I very much enjoy your videos. I have a question. Can you tell me the mass of the X axis belt for a Speedy 400? I bought an $850 sonic belt tension meter but no one seems to know the mass of that belt.

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Hi Bob, sorry that's a question to your local tech rep, we have no idea :)

[@philmckay9973]

thanks for the engraving book guys....but why no pinup of Mike included?!!?!?!?!?

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

We are saving that for version 2 :)

[@camicri4263]

Thank you for the info James. I am trying to start a business and pricing will be something I need to figure out.. Oh boy, I wish someone will tell me exactly what price to charge. Have a great one!

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Best of luck!

[@camicri4263]

@@TrotecLaserCanada thank you!

[@daveinmontana77]

James... do you use an Osmo gimbal when driving and recording? I notice your videos are relatively smooth when watching with no bumpy looking videos.

[@TrotecLaserCanada]

Hi Dave, no it's just the latest GoPro it has image stabilization and we put it on the suction mount.

[@khierielasteriskid7026]

The big unknown factor in my calculations is how many must I sell to justify the per-item charge. I make art sculpture and 2D Wood wall hangings. Been seeing etsy prices and hand-carved items. I don't have a clue how my enormous investment in this business for the last 2-4 years in preparation "will fit into what i can care per item. I would have to spread out over a quantity to be fair to the buyer since i have no art reputation.

[@Scott300300300]

1 x 3 plate engraved. I charge $11.95 How much do you charge? Maybe we can all help each other out. I would love to charge more.

[@0Turbox]

Lol, I first thought: "Done Quickly" is a guy's name ;)