How much would you charge?

I have been fortunate enough to be able to market a few of my builds through contract, and I generally estimate charges based on $5/hour, and try to reach a middle ground on the amount of detail wanted vs the amount of money available, BEFORE construction begins. This keeps the door open for more people, while at the same time, making the sky the limit to others!

I also do artwork, and for those who've asked me to "go all out" on their project, I included an Original painting of whatever subject it is I'm building. It would be the sole example of this art in existence, displayed alongside his custom built model. In one case, I was even able to secure a piece of the sheet metal from the aircraft the model represented, which was inside the display case itself, in shadow-box style. Things like this help add a touch of authenticity (a genuine value for thier money) to their display and they showed their appreciation well.

Advertise in the big (whatever subject) magazines (and websites), on real (and cyber) bulletin boards at special events, and other places where (whatever subject) owners will see them. I happen to be a firm believer in the printed media as still an effective means of marketing! Maybe a decked-out example of your work and a stack of business cards on a table (or the hood of your car) at larger Airshows/Open House/Dedication, etc.... it would be a more direct approach at getting contract jobs. With experience, you'll learn what method of charge works best for you and your style, and your customers.

Word of mouth goes a loooong way in most circles of interest/enthusiast, as I'm sure you know, and you may soon have to curtail orders just to have a few minutes with your family each day!

Take care and best of luck!
Frank

Glueboy, in reading your post, it sounds to me that you have started orf finished the build without setting a price. Hopefully you and your customer will reach an agreement as to the cost. I myself don't have a clue as to what to charge. I hope that you end up to the good!

I have no experience in doing models for a fee but I do prepare structural design for buildings for a fee. I guess the MINIMUM amount you should charge would be a total of (but not limited to) the following

1. Kit Price (including shipping or transportation expenses incurred by getting the kit)
2. Cost of tools (or a fraction thereof) you intentionally bought for working on the kit as well as some minimal maintenance cost of the existing tools you already have which you will use.
3. Material costs - paints, glue, putty, etc.
4. Price for your time (example - number of hours x say basic hourly wage)
5. Some cost to cover any electricity consumed specifically for the project (example - number of hours x per kilowatt hour charge)
6. Other incidental costs that you may have incurred durign the execution of the work.
7. Profit (if any)

Note that I use this computation to make sure that I cover all the expenses I incurred but I am not sure how applicable it will be to doing models for a fee.

It really boils down to the question you asked, "How much should my time be worth?"

If you were doing roofing work in Florida right now, it's worth about $15.00 an hour. If you were repairing television sets, maybe $35.00 per hour. And of course, if you were a lawyer, you'd be rich!

Personally, if you add up the cost of all your supplies, double it, then add anywhere between $2.00 to $5.00 for each hour you worked on the model, that should get you in the ballpark. A $50.00 kit that you spent 40 hours to build would be $180.00 to $300.00. The variance will involve how difficult the build was and how well your build ended up.

Just my .02...