I am curious to know what you guys charge to build a custom rod for a customer. I currently charge cost of materials plus $12.50 per foot. Is that too much? Too little? I would really like to know what you guys think.

Thanks in advance.
Jonathan

Jonathan,

I would venture to say that most builders that do this for a business will not want to discuss in great lengths as to how they derive on a final price. I believe there are tooooooo many varibles to consider; do they want a weave, extra thread work etc. Maybe I'm wrong though...

paul

G'day John,

I try to barter as much as I can with a few of my regulars. Got the bathroom renovations done as well as new fridge, plasma tv, stereo and dishwasher recently and the best one is a regular supply of meat from my butcher. As to how much to charge, I agree with Paul, it comes down to the components used and the time to build the rod. As long as I make more per hour than my day job, and I know I am getting a good deal/price, then I am happy. If a customer doesn't want to pay the extra money for a custom built rod, then send them to a tackle store for an off the shelf rod they wont be 100% happy with.


Cheers, Jan.

Jonathan,

It all depends on what your goals are in building these rods. To have fun and recover your cost plus a few bucks? Or to operate a small business and perhaps make enough money to justify the expense and effort of operating such a business.

At cost plus $12.50 a foot, you're making very little money for your time, and more importantly, for your knowledge. I can't imagine ever making less than $100 profit (gross) on a custom rod and that would be the absolute minimum. And we'd talking about a pretty plain jane rod, too.

Everybody has their own way of figuring things. I believe it was Dale Clemens who once told me that he arrived at his final selling price by tripling the cost of his components and adding that figure as his labor charge.

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I start with selling the parts at retail, so I make the difference between wholesale and retail without even applying any glue to the rod. Next I add a labor fee depending on the complexity of the wraps, handle materials and decorative wrap. For instance, composite handles take me longer to do than simple cork so they cost more. Some guys I will discount their rods if I feel that they will yield good word of mouth or are well known fisherman in my area. That has really paid in spades. One guy saw one of my rods in Cabo and ordered 6 when he got home.

Thank you whoever you are

WWW.WeSeekHerRods.com

While I'll build rods for close friends for cost plus a little bit, I'm with Tom and won't build a rod for a customer if I don't make at least $100. I build bass rods that my customers and I believe are better than Loomis GLXs and St. Croix Legends and are priced accordingly.

I wont fully discuss how I derive my prices, but I do agree with Tom that making a gross profit of $100 is the absolute minimum. My customers typically want a butt wrap, so a very simple "dealers choice" style wrap is simply included in my pricing structure rather than adding it on every time. I do remove it for the very few that do not want one as well as additional charge if more complex wraps are requested.

The only time I charge parts plus by the foot is for rebuilds and restoration and there can be a major difference there depending on exactly what the customer wants. The main reason for this is the time to strip it down and clean up everything before ever starting on actually doing anything to the rod.

Too many variables really and each person has their own way of doing things that works for them.

RodMaker magazine Volume 8 has 2 or 3 issues with some intersting points about custom rod pricing. Geographic location has a lot to do with what builders are able to charge.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Pricing varies greatly depending on where you live, teh type of rod you are building, your skill level, reputation, and your salesman skills. What is your goal? TO sell a ton of rods with a price competitive with middle of teh road factory rods? A few rods to pay for your own tackle? THere really is a lot that goes into pricing a rod, the article Ray mentioned above is excellent and gives you a greater understanding of the things I just mentioned.

Pricing is funny - I can build a rod on a FW blank and sell it as an INshore SW rod for ie $300, but if I built it the same and sold it as a FW topwater rod, it will only fetch $200. FWIW, same exact blank sold in the FW section will be $75, in teh SW section it will be $95, happens all the time, from several Manufacturers.

I forgot about that series of articles - we spec'd out a bunch of rods and then had builders in various areas of the U.S. price them according to their own methods. Another one in the series included various enhancements from decorative wraps to feather inlays and asked the same builders what they normally charged for those things. It's an eye opener.

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I won't fully disclose my complex equation because it varies from rod to rod, and it also fluctuates with the type beer you bring to the bargaining table. A nice IPA will score you points........Pabst Blue Ribbon will require you to take a second mortgage........LOL

Seiously though......there are too many variables

Famous Artist = $5,000+ for a painting. Sidewalk artist = $200 for a painting. BOTH are paintings of the same scene.
Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S = $93,000+. Honda S2000 = $35,000+. BOTH are performance sports cars.

In both of the above examples, the owners of the less expensive purchase may be just as happy OR happier than the owners of the more expensive item.

Value is relevant ONLY to the resale price. Owner satisfaction is a whole different animal ... it is completely subjective.

Personally, my profit is a minimum of $175 on even the most basic build. As the components increase in retail pricing AND the complexity of the build increases, so does my gross profit. Anything less than that amount, I consider it a "charity build" ... whether it is for a friend at a discounted price OR truly a giveaway rod.

Only you can judge the value of your time and experience. Regardless of what you decide on sales prices, make sure you are fully compliant with Federal, State and Local business laws.

I alway at least get triple for my components. When it come a simple name weave, 7 threads (Bob) I charge 30 bucks,I also charge around 80 bucks for a 8 inch thread art, (3 colors). as for o labor 150. Depending on how fast a wrapper / assembler you are, this there is where you make the money. Most manufactures pay somewhere around 10 t015 cents a guide wrap. Fast wrappers make money, slow wrappers make coffee change. Notice I said coffee change, the do not make enough to afford a latte Lol

Good Wraps Bob

I try to make at least $100 per rod but if someone wants a weave or an intricate crosswrap I charge more, usually $75 more but if it is extrmely difficult I will charge even more. I have learned that most true fishermen expect to pay a lot where non-fishermen that are buying a gift for someone else can't believe how much it cost. I used to work cheap but now I get paid. It seems the more I charge the more work I get.
Pat

Stealth, black thread only, no thread art, no trim bands, preformed grips and client demand for five a day can easily alter a business plan. There are many business goals - establish a goal, Do What You Gotta Do, Charge What You Wish & Have A Ball! What ever it ends up being it probably will not be the Golden Rule that applies to another rodbuilder.

i think its pretty much been covered that its very individual.

at one time, I didn't feel comfortable charging a certain amount for a rod.

now I can charge twice that and know that they customer is getting his money's worth, and maybe a little extra

WOW!! I really had no idea! I guess for what I am capable of doing, I am on the right track. I do not consider myself a beginner, nor am I a professional (I have built nearly 25 rods and sold 10ish), but I have been complimented many times on the rods I have built. I would really like to learn how to do decorative wraps and weaves. I am only capable of doing the simple 7 thread letters now. I can handle simple wraps, forhan, and two color wraps, but that is about it. Thanks for all the information!!