Setup charges

[tony mazzone]

Hi All,

I have a customer that has stainless steel thermoses and coffee mugs that he wants a company logo on with earmark. The logo is the same size for both but the product sizes are completely different. Do you normally charge 1 or 2 setup charges? Customer is complaining that it should only be 1. Order is for 50 of each type.

Thanks,
Tony

[Kev Williams]

I rarely do setup charges as to the job itself, I just 'factor it in'. Depending on the complexity of a logo or text setup (all typing by me, etc.) that adds substantial time, I'll charge a fee.

In your case, I would likely charge once for the setup, since (I'm assuming) it's the same logo. And this is just me, but for a 100 part order, I'd forego the setup charge altogether.

It may be the difference between them looking to better deal you next time, or calling your first.

[Keith Winter]

Hi All,

I have a customer that has stainless steel thermoses and coffee mugs that he wants a company logo on with earmark. The logo is the same size for both but the product sizes are completely different. Do you normally charge 1 or 2 setup charges? Customer is complaining that it should only be 1. Order is for 50 of each type.

Thanks,
Tony

1 in this situation. You are simply resizing the logo it sounds like. All the main setup work is done on the 1st. Now if they are two different logos then two setups would apply.

[Greg W Watson]

I too do not charge set up fees, I work it into my price per item. Since most jobs are my time I charge what I think my time is worth from the moment I start working until the moment I am done. That is their price and stops me from having to get into an adversarial conversation with a customer.

[Tim Bateson]

As with the other - no setup fee. Easy enough to factor that into the cost of the service. However... I will in the case of a couple customers I have that continually gives me crappy art I have to work with.

[Ross Moshinsky]

For customer supplied items that aren't stupid easy, I will charge a setup. If I buy almost any item from an ASI type vendor, they hit me with a setup. Why shouldn't I?

I use my discretion when to wave the fee. On an order like this, it depends on the difficulty of the project and the quantity involved. I personally like to test on blue tape any new item that goes in my rotary before running it. For 50 pieces of each, I'd likely wave the setup fees assuming it was a cut and dry "here's my logo. Engrave it" type of job.

If you were talking 10 pieces each, I'd likely lump the setup fee together so they didn't know they were being charged twice.

[Mike Null]

Unless I have to do extensive work on the art I do not charge a set up fee.

[Jeff Body]

I view the setup fee as a way to get their artwork in order. If they supply a good vector formatted file that I only have to resize then I don't charge a setup fee. If I have to vector a raster image or send it out to get vectorized then I'd charge a setup "Art" fee.

As far as preparing the item to be engraved on the laser (Cermark and rotary setup) I view that as just part of the engraved price and I make sure I charge accordingly.

[Joe Pelonio]

Most of the time I don't charge a setup, but like the others, roll it into my price. The exceptions are the large manufacturing jobs where I may have regular runs for them of 100-2,000 items, and they come up with a new design, expecting it at the same price because size, material, and run time are the same.

[tony mazzone]

Thanks everyone for the input