going rate

[fyoung]

Dan, Are you aware we have another Dan? It's a little confusing and will be more confusing when you become a senior..You think you should add something to yours such as a 2 or anything to make you a little bit different? just a suggestion..not trying to be bossing or rude.
Have a great day, Farris

[Danny]

Anything else about me you dont like ? - just Kidding !
I agree it will be a good idea, I will change it soon, really didnt have any idea there was two of us, no wonder I couldnt remember writing some of my posts.

[Frank865]

I looked in the members list & only found one Dan.

[fyoung]

The Dan senior (Join Date: 05-31-2003 )may not belong to this forum but I thought he did..he's on Hobart's http://www.hobartwelders.com/mboard/ and Andy's Millersmotorsports http://www.millermotorsports.com/mbo...isplay.php?f=3
I guess I was wrong..I'm sorry... I apologize!
Do you go to the other forums i mentioned? If you don't you should try them..they are pretty good..I think you'd like them.
Have a great day, Farris

[JD in Socal]

I looked in the members list & only found one Dan.

Yeah, but what about the other Frank865?


Seriously, Dan is a long-time member of both of the other boards. I found it a little confusing, myself.



JD

[MAC702]

I noticed it, too. That's the price of picking names with no numbers, and joining a newly created board.

We'll have to just get used to it, I guess.

Now if he starts posting pictures of awesome MIG welds and specific voltage settings for MM210s, we'll have a bigger problem.

[fyoung]

Mac, You're right about that!
Farris

[HMW]

I didn't notice anyone marking up material. i mark up material 40% and shop supplies too. I also buy whole lenghts and the customer almost always pays for the whole piece. I also have to charge 5% sales tax {Maryland**. I have noticed on billing that customers dont complain over material costs but will complain over labor. Sometimes I make as much or more on material than labor. However its billed its money in your pocket. On billing i never itemize. I have labor cost, material cost, shop cost, tax and then total. I just write a description of the work performed. Whatever work you do, do it right and get fairly compensated for it. Otherwise I'll just sit on the porch. I already have a full time job. I learned the material charge thing from working on trucks/equipment all my life. Parts are often marked up 150% on equipment. I have enjoyed everyones thoughts on this issue. Its a big issue with all the trades. FAIR COMPENSATION. A doctor has no trouble billing you. Bet he can't weld his trailer back together. Why should we have an issue billing someone.

[MAC702]

For non-friend customers I double material if I have to go get it, sometimes more depending on how much I have to go get and if it required that special trip.

[DDA52]

Jack up prices on materials like that here and you won't be getting any work at all. Folks around here won't pay for it. If you bid something and raise it or double it, somehow they know. I won't do it. I make some to haul and handle, but I won't jack them up. I don't like it when it is done that way to me and I won't do it to anyone else. Just the way I am and it isn't likely to change anytime soon. Now I will charge more per hour or in general for troublesome and problematic jobs, but not as a matter of principle or regularly. The market is just too tight here.

And it isn't that I don't handle a lot of materials either. On a good year, I can move around 275,000-300,000 bucks in just materials. If I double that, I would be sitting pretty......in another tax bracket!