First time bike paint job pricing

Keifer smeaton

Double Actioner
Hey everyone I have just finished this tank it was intended for practice but turned out so good I’ve had some people ask for some work to be done. As you know it’s hard to price your work but I would just like a rough idea of what I should charge for this level of work cleared too. Let’s just say there is no body repairs to be done. This is a high detail tank but if I had a general price range I could use it as a guide to price other work. Also I have no idea how long I spent on it because it was on and off over a long space of time. I don’t want to go into this too cheap and screw myself over.
 

Attachments

  • A0F63DC0-D5F0-4D00-85F3-DF2D24221429.jpeg
    A0F63DC0-D5F0-4D00-85F3-DF2D24221429.jpeg
    301.3 KB · Views: 68
  • 3025FD8B-6263-4852-8C69-DD8624211468.jpeg
    3025FD8B-6263-4852-8C69-DD8624211468.jpeg
    230 KB · Views: 75
  • C2BAD515-F38E-4F43-9658-1EA61C655DEC.jpeg
    C2BAD515-F38E-4F43-9658-1EA61C655DEC.jpeg
    235 KB · Views: 68
  • 7A8A96E6-3E32-403D-BCDE-B2A502B712A9.jpeg
    7A8A96E6-3E32-403D-BCDE-B2A502B712A9.jpeg
    205 KB · Views: 57
I wouldn’t know where to start either really. Maybe do some googling and see if you can find any customer painted tanks for sale? That might give a ball park figure to aim at.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I did a quick Google search, and there is lots of good info out there. Here's one article I found:

https://www.howmuchisit.org/painting-a-motorcycle-cost/

Airbrush work may be available at some shops and can either be charged by the job or by the hour. Most custom graphics will start at $250 and go up from there. True Kustom, the company we mentioned above, for example, said a basic skull on one side of the tank could cost $500.
 
1. NEVER work for "exposure".
2. ALWAYS cover the costs of all materials.
3. ALWAYS cover your time.
4. If they say "it is too expensive" or " I know a guy who can..." politely invite them to follow up with "that guy..."
5. NEVER undersell yourself.
6. ALWAYS have a VERY clear understanding of what you are producing, and the expected time. This way when they ask "Could you just..." you can say "yes, however that will be additional" as you have clearly defined what you are AND are not doing.

Thing is doing custom work you need to gain ALL costs back plus your time plus profit. Remember you aren't just charging for the actual work. You also have your practice getting there, the risk should anything go awry.

I would recommend you work out what the materials and the time is going to cost, that is your base price, add an hourly rate on top of that. The cost of the materials is a suitable deposit. That way if they bunk on you then you haven't lost out on materials.

For me I'm not worried about putting an outrageous price out there and them going "no" as I don't do this for a living. I'd rather paint for fun than money. But if someone asks for custom work I'll certainly talk it through with them.
 
Everyone knows ‘a guy’ or a ‘friend of a friend’
Your work is far from beginner level so figure out what you’d like as an hourly wage,
Then as Mark says, add a consumables fee for paint/power/paper towels etc etc.
on a piece of paper do a skull as you’ve already done, at the speed you did the pictured one but time yourself and work from there. You can even show the client the piece of paper. ‘This size at this level of detail will cost you $xyz. If you want it larger it will cost more, if you want this size but more detail it will cost you more.
Do yourself a favour and take a deposit of at least half the expected costs, and when the client picks it up expect them to argue about the remaining cost
 
... I don’t want to go into this too cheap and screw myself over.

I have news for you. If this is your first one, that is unavoidable. It just is. It takes time and a lot of experience in custom painting to become any good at estimating time and materials. Underestimating the first time is just something that is going to happen. This is not even so much about the painting time and material use, which you probably have a good handle on when working on your own stuff. It's the creative chaos that comes from learning to work a customer, rather than work a brush.

Customers are all over the place, keep trying to change things, commit to stuff, then back out, delay you on reference material (if say they want a you to do their kids, pet or beloved partner ), wiffle waffle on decisions, etc. That is just a normal part of dealing with the hot mess that is a human being. It's not a bad thing, but it takes some getting to grips with and learning how to gently steer them and their decisions toward something that they actually want (not just what they say they do) and that is actually accomplish-able before the sun burns out.

What I will suggest is you take your time and materials price that, then triple it. Trust me, you are gonna eat a whole lotta time on back and forth and redos the first time out. Also, for a first time client, take a minimum 30% non refundable materials/layout deposit. Then if it all goes wrong, at least you aren't blowing through unrecoverable materials such as paint, frisket, wear and tear on equipment, etc. It also acts as a bit of a bozo filter. If they can't come up with 30% up front, they aren't gonna be able to come up with the rest down the road. I had lots of pieces abandoned over the first few years because people walk away from the project. They get an unexpected bill, or delayed pay, or kids need braces, or abducted by aliens... whatever the reason. So you get left with half finished stuff. They can't pay, and then either ghost you, OR come back wanting a piece or a part they left with you, but not wanting to pay.

Make sure you have an abandonment or non-pay provision in your contract that the ownership of the part remains yours until the account it settled, and deadlines for payment after project completion.

Also, your first few times you are gonna go over and above. You won't have the routine in place that makes you fast and accurate, that comes with time. So you'll be unhappy with things, keep reworking them, etc. What the customer thinks is amazing you won't be quite happy with, so you are very, very likely to keep working long after the project would be done by anyone else's standards. Experience tames this instinct, but it will bite you hard when starting out.

Know that you are going to under estimate your first few times, and be OK with that. Just make sure that your materials are covered up front, and then have some fun getting to know your speed and style. By the time you have done 3 or 4 custom works, you will start to have a really good sense of the scope of work, and how long it will take you, and what kinds of work take the most and least time.

It is exciting doing custom work, and you'll love it, just be prepared for a bit of a learning curve dealing with customers and setting their expectations and scope of work.
 
Some absolute stellar advice above! I can totally relate to what @markjthomson and @Kim McCann wrote. I would add a few things based on my own experience.

It's very common for potential clients to have no idea how much to expect to pay for custom paint. I'm not the most expensive, but I'm far from the cheapest in my area. That old adage you get what you pay for rings true in this arena. It's very common, based on my own experience, for potential clients to be in somewhat of a shocked state when they are told what the price will be. They don't understand the amount of time you've spent on the tank you posted above (awesome work by the way!). In this digital age they can have the same thing printed on a vinyl wrap way faster and for about half the price (which is another conversation on its own). They don't understand how expensive materials can be. They don't understand that show winning flawless clear coat finish doesn't come out of the gun like that.

I take a different approach when talking with potential clients. I find out what they want (or what they think they want), as well as a good idea of the size and location of what they want first. The vehicle, regardless of what it is, must be present for this. I need to see it and be able to put my hands on it. Is the existing finish in good condition? If not, that adds time and materials to the overall job. Is any repair work necessary? That also adds time and materials.

This is the point where I slipped up (a lot) early in my career because I blatantly gave an estimated price based on that information and immediately got that shocked look by what was no longer a potential client in most cases. I've refined that portion of the conversation over the years. Rather than giving an estimated cost, I blatantly ask what they are wanting to spend or what their specific budget is. That's some valuable information. That number will immediately tell you if they are realistically a potential client or not. If they are not, I politely explain I can't come close to that figure and wish them a good day.

In my experience, a real potential client has a better understanding of the potential cost. In most cases their number is still to low to cover everything they want, but I haven't scared them off with a higher number than they anticipated. I can also work within their own specified budget from that point forward. I take that opportunity to honestly explain everything (and I mean pretty much everything) that goes into whatever it is they want painted. By the end of that explanation, they have a much better understanding of the amount of time and work required to get what they actually want. At that point you can ask about deleting or even simplifying certain aspects or elements of the job in order to stay within their budget. Most of the time this approach is a win on both sides of the coin - you get the job and the new client gets a killer paint job. Undersell but always over deliver!

Taking a deposit is probably not a bad idea. I never have and I don't plan to change that. I will use the materials on another job in the future if a client backs out. There are protections in my contract in the event I ever have a client refuse to pay (and a few other protections). I've been in this industry for nearly thirty years now and that has never happened. I hope it never does.

There are a lot of factors involved when it comes to figuring out what you should charge for your work. What I charge is based loosely on hourly rates (yes, that is plural). I don't give my clients the hourly rates in the beginning because it causes confusion. I can't justify to myself, let alone the client, charging the same hourly rate for repair or prep work that I charge for airbrush work. All of that information is broken down in detail on the final bill, but initially the client gets one number for the total job. Keep it simple. I've been doing this for a long time and have a pretty good idea of how much time I'll have invested to complete any given job. You'll get there too with experience. In those cases where you screw up and don't charge enough or forget to add materials (and yes, this still happens from time to time even with years of experience), eat that cost. Undersell but always over deliver! Chances are you won't make that mistake again.

There's more I could add, but this has already gotten way longer than I anticipated. Whether you choose to make a living with your airbrush, or you choose to use your talent as a side gig, enjoy it and do your absolute best work every single time! Undersell but always over deliver!
 
Back
Top