Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

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Not your average framer
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Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Not your average framer »

Our Frinton mouldings rep (Paula) came in a few days ago and presented me with the Wessex guide to specialist glass. One thing I noticed in their pricing examples was that they have shown a much smaller percentage mark-up on standard diffused reflection glass (Matobel, etc), than than of normal float glass.

I can understand this on expensive coated glasses, but had never even considered doing this with non-specialist glass. The result of this practice being that the mark-up in terms of £'s is about the same of both types of glass, even though the cost price of the diffused reflection glass is about 2.5 times greater than the normal float glass.

So I was wondering what everyone else is doing when pricing un-coated diffed reflection glass.
Mark Lacey

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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Jonny2morsos »

I mark up diffused glass at the same as normal clear float. This makes proper non-reflective (AR) not as expensive in comparision which is what I would rather sell.

I don't mark up AR glass to the same % but it is a lot better in terms of £'s.

We are having a sales drive on AR glass and it will put a healthy amount on our bottom line but you do have to keep track of your odd pieces and take care of them. Even the small off cuts can be offered to customers with small photos, A4 certificates etc.

If you want to try Arqadia Claryl they have a promotion of two 20 x 16 pieces for £14.99 +VAT but there will only be 200 at this price. Enter CLS406508 into the search box on the website. Alternatively they have a promotional box of two 8 x 10 pieces FOC Cat. No. CLARYL010.

We leave the tester panels on the counter and often thay are picked up while we are at the computer calculating a price. At the point of entering glass type it is the easy to say "I notice you are looking at AR glass would you like a price for that?"

There are various framed pieces on the wall as well to demonstrate the difference which are placed at eye level.
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Not your average framer »

Hi Jonny,

I also mark-up normal float glass and diffused glass by the same percentage. Personally, I'm inclined to think that marking down the diffused glass to make it cheaper, would probably be detremental to the sales of A/R glass, so I don't understand the logic in the reduced mark-up.

I don't sell very much diffused glass. I don't push, I don't like it and I think that if customers want something to reduce reflections, then they should buy an A/R coated glass product, because it looks so good.
Mark Lacey

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stcstc

Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by stcstc »

I recently made a sample with half normal float, and half claryl glass

having only shown it to less than a dozen clients and have sold a box of the claryl

for my customers, who are nearly all photographers, the claryl glass works really well. and becomes quite an easy sell with the right image in the sample frame.
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Not your average framer »

stcstc wrote:becomes quite an easy sell with the right image in the sample frame.
I have not seen a sample of Claryl, but assuming that it is an A/R coated glass, then the difference is very dramatic! Full spec museum glass is less easy to sell, because the price really makes peoples jaws drop when you first tell them.
Mark Lacey

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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Graysalchemy »

I always mark up with the sane % regardless of unit cost pruce. You still have to cost account for breakage etc regardless of how much profit £ you make on a unit. If you only made the same profit in £ on a more expensive cost price why bother just so you can increase wessex's profit's. They do that so their product doesn't look so expensive to your customer. No insentive ti sell it on tour part,
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Not your average framer »

Hi Allistair,

Looking at your last post, I would guess that you might still be in the beer tent. :giggle:
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Vince442 »

I was thinking the same thing!! :D
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Gesso&Bole »

Couple of things to consider here.

1. How you sell AR Glass. Firstly not only do you need the '3 part sample' but also some other framed examples on the wall. As the final part of the framing design process, we say, 'now you need to decide which glass you like . . . . this one (AR) is obviously the better product, but it is significantly more expensive"
Our pricing soft ware defaults to AR glass (so the first total the customer sees includes AR) and then I emphasise how much cheaper ordinary glass would be, by changing the glass selection on screen. This reverse process is non-pressurising for the customers, and we currently get more than half of bespoke customers go for AR.

2. Pricing. If you apply your normal 300-400% markup on AR, then you wont sell any. I work on the basis that I want my risk factor covered (in case I break some AR glass, or cut it wrong etc) and I want to earn some more money than I would selling Float. So I work out a generous cost price to include waste, and then make sure that at every glass size I make an extra cash margin of £10 - £40 on each picture I frame over what I would have earnt with float. That way, every time I order another 4 sheets of AR Glass, I know there is going to be another £350/£400 in my pocket by the time I have sold them, as opposed to selling 4 sheets of float.

Oh, and one further consideration - if you are a bespoke framer, this is an area where you can differentiate yourself from IKEA and the like. We get far more referrals from AR glass customers
Jeremy (Jim) Anderson
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Graysalchemy

Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Graysalchemy »

Not your average framer wrote:Hi Allistair,

Looking at your last post, I would guess that you might still be in the beer tent. :giggle:
No Just using my Blackberry. Not a beer had touched my lips by that point but I made up for it latter with a Grays Alchemy Stout or two.
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Not your average framer »

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your helpful and informative post.

I'm pricing all types of glass so that even if I have a breakage or make a mistake, I will always remain in profit even after covering the cost of replacement and re-delivery should that be required.
Mark Lacey

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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by strokebloke »

I have some (very small :giggle: ) experience of A/R glass.
Can someone please tell me what Claryl is?
Also, do you really mark up float glass at 300-400%?
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by strokebloke »

Also, what is diffused glass? Is it the same a UV glass?
It's a bit moronic, I appreciate, but glass is something I know nothing about (as you can tell :lol: :lol: )
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Jonny2morsos »

Claryl is the trade name of the Anti Reflective (coated) glass that Arqadia sell.

Diffused glass has one face (or sometimes both) chemically etched which scatters light falling on it hence giving it non reflective properties.

UV glass has a coating that prevents UV light passing through.

Wessex/Glass & Mirror produce a good guide to glass types and I am sure they will send you one if you give them a call.
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by strokebloke »

Thank you John. I'll do that :)
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Not your average framer »

strokebloke wrote:do you really mark up float glass at 300-400%?
I mark up float glass more than that and my framing price list results in a higher mark up as the glass size gets smaller.
Mark Lacey

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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by Jonny2morsos »

My pricing programme marks up standard glass by 770%

However, this takes into account the time taken to cut, clean both faces, fit in frame, wastage and disposal of waste pieces.
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Re: Pricing glass...% profit vs £ profit

Post by strokebloke »

Thanks Mark & John.
I've been in education for far to long.
It is a fairly encapsulated world, where much goes on around, without one being particularly aware of it, or its effect. Or how 'in' or 'out' of touch one is with reality. One of the problems for any government funded, heavily subsidized institution.
I'm finding it difficult to acclimatize to the real world. :lol: :lol: :sweating: :Slap:
this takes into account the time taken to cut, clean both faces, fit in frame, wastage and disposal of waste pieces
In consideration of all of these factors, I can appreciate that 400-700% mark-up sounds much more reasonable & good business sense.

BTW John, rather than telephone, I thought I'd go and see where and what Wessex Picture is, in Leamington Spa (less than 30 miles from home) I met Mike (sales). Had an hour there. An immensely helpful person.
I was provided with a profusion of brochures and price lists + your recommended guide to glass. Very helpful and informative.

I have also spoken to Keencut on the phone and they will get back to me with regard to 'no-longer-req'd' demo mat cutters

Jack
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