I do agree with most of what you're saying. (1) I've always had about $15 in mind for my labor. Using reels, the cost of string is between $3.50 and $8 most of the time, so that's where the $20 comes from.
(2) More than that, I just believe my labor is worth $15, especially when I'm getting rackets back the same day or at the tournament the next morning. It's not worth it for me to do a one-time string job for $10 using two packages of string for a hybrid.
I've gladly told people about other stringers which will be a few dollars cheaper than I, guys that want nothing but the(3) cheapest string job possible. I'm ok with this right now. Maybe I'm an idiot, but (3a)I'd prefer to string for those looking for a stringer as careful and knowledgeable as I am and are willing to shell out a few extra dollars for that piece of mind. Of course, I need to find a better way to prove to complete strangers that I'm not a goof-ball. Currently working on this.
(4) I want to be distinguished by the quality and consistency of my string jobs and the time and care given to each. I don't intend on being the cheapest around, but I do intend on putting out the highest quality string job for less than every pro shop, club, and big box store. And I am still significantly less than such places. (5) A quality polyester string job for $20 is a good deal, I am sure of it. And of course, the free rubber band dampener with each string job...
I may drop down to $17 or $18 for the synthetic gut. I'm also considering a business card with some time rows of rackets to initial or something... Free string job with every 5 or with every 10. I've always been a big fan of those types of things...
There's a good chance I will make some changes and be very clear about my baseline labor price, probably $15, even though I recall being called all kinds of names for this much earlier in this thread. I'll have to go back and check.
For what's it worth, and it's possible I've never stated this in this thread, but I also don't intend on turning this into a large business, though I've kept the option open. It's just something I want to do, this website thing. It's been a fantastic learning experience. I have no intentions of making a living off of this. If it pays for my own strings, shoes, and a portion of my physical therapy sessions so I can play again, I'm happy.
Understood, and believe me, I'm not trying to convince you to change how you're currently doing things--I just figured I'd throw in my thoughts since it appeared as though you were still trying to figure things out. I'm not saying my way is right either; it's just what works for me. You'll undoubtedly figure out what works for you as you proceed.
A few comments, however...
(1) That's a very common and reasonable rate for labor. Some places charge as much as $20, which, of course, has a lot to do with your location.
(2) I hear ya. I absolutely know my labor is worth more than $10. I settled on $10 because I string for a number of high school/college kids, and most are paying for their own strings. That rationale, coupled with not marking up strings gives them a really affordable string job, and the money I earn has paid for my Apex 2, more strings than I possibly know what to do with, and a variety of other little non-necessities. I also educate people about the frequency at which they should restring. More often than not, players leave their strings in far too long (both syn and poly), and with my prices they're more than willing to string more frequently because of the low cost. Could I make more money? Definitely, but for me it was never about that.
(3/3a) Probably not intentional, but what those two statements say to me is that the guy/girl whose rates are cheaper is not going to be as good as you are, so if your customers pay a few bucks more, they'll get better workmanship for their money. Using that rationale, the same can be said about you compared to big box stores and pro shops, correct? Just playing devil's advocate. The point is inexpensive is not necessarily synonymous with poor workmanship/quality, as I'm sure you know.
(4) This statement pretty much emphasizes the previous point. How much you charge is immaterial to your quality of work and customer service. I'm not sure of your age, but if you've been around for any length of time, you've undoubtedly encountered a situation or two where you've paid less for an item/service and were more satisfied than the supposed higher priced item/service.
(5) Vague and subjective - one man's quality polyester is another man's garbage. In the string section you'll see guys talking about Gosen Polylon--how they love it, feels great, has decent tension maintenance, etc. To them it's an inexpensive, "quality" poly. It's about $1.88 per string job, yet if you strung it up for a customer who did the math, what do you tell them when they ask why they're paying $20 when according to their calculations they should pay $17? I'm the kind of guy who always wants to know exactly what I'm paying for. Some people aren't like that, I know, but some are. If you say, "hey, I simply charge a flat rate of $5 regardless of string type", and they're ok with that, cool. Obviously that's been the case thus far since I get the impression you have repeat customers.
On the other hand, if you're stringing up Lux M2 Plus and you're charging $20, then you'll probably have people lined up in front of your door lol. But what about the guy that says, "um, ok...how about if I just bring you a reel of Polylon and have you string it up for me, that way it's cheaper for me?" If you agree to it, you're setting a precedent to do it for others, then you end up managing other people's string. I've had people wanting me to do that as well, thinking they'd come out cheaper.
Anyway, again, I'm not trying to convince you to do anything differently than what you're doing, partner. I just figured I'd throw a few thoughts at ya, and you can take some (or none) of the input and use it as you see fit. ;-)
