Like the title says, I am starting to sell some rods. I know of the FET that I should take into consideration. I also know there is alot of discussion around how much you should charge. Since Im new, Im thinking like $15 an hour for the labor. Do you guys start with a standard 'build fee' or 'materials fee' on top of the hourly and the necessary components for the build? I got taken advantage of before, so Im trying to be a little smarter this time around.

I think I answered my own question by searching more in the archives

Hello Ken.

You are right pricing has been worked over the coals over the years, here are a few articles to read if you wish.

Volume/Issue...Article.......................Author..................Page.
8/5 Pricing Custom Rods (Part 3). By Tom Kirkman. 22
8/3 Pricing Custom Rods Part 1 of 3. By Tom Kirkman. 16
8/4 Pricing Custom Rods Part 2 of 3. By Tom Kirkman. 22
10/5 Pricing for Rod Repairs. 22
26/3 Pricing Repair Work By Warren Heartford. 24
18/4 Pricing Repair Work. By Warren Hartford. 12
2/3 Pricing Rods, A Starting Point For. 38
2/5 Pricing Rods, Image Just As Important As The Product?. By Tom Kirkman. 38
2/4 Pricing Rods, What Is Service Really Worth? By Tom Kirkman. 38
8/4 Pricing Sample Charts. 24
18/6 Pricing, Saltwater Repairs and New Builds. Chuck Bretz. 26


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Basing your selling price by the hour will only penalize you in the long run. As you get better and more efficient at the various tasks, you'll make less and less money. Think about charging by the task. So much for wrapping a guide. So much for installing a grip or seat. So much for finishing, etc.

I don't know what you want or need to make but if you're doing it to make money I can't see making less than about $150 per rod beyond your actual cost. On some rods, such as fly rods, surf and trolling rods, I wouldn't bother unless I could turn at least $350 above my cost. But I don't know what your goal is.

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Thanks for your input Tom. Making money would be great, but its not a short-term goal. At this point, Im just glad that someone wants me to build them a rod. For now, Im just sticking with cost of materials and a flat fee based on complexity of the rod. I definitely got better over the past year or so, but not to the point where I can crank out a complex wrap in a couple hours. Once I get more confident, then I can start charging an hourly rate.

Again, I'd charge by the task, not by the hour. Give it some thought.

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I agree with Tom, charge by the task. If you add up the actual hours involved in building a rod, not counting drying time for various epoxies and wrap finish, there isn't a lot of actual time spent building the rod. For me wrapping guides would be the most time consuming, and even at that, if it's a basic single color wrap, with no trim bands or inlays, you're talking maybe 5 - 7 minutes per guide. Say you have a rod with 10 guides on it, you only have maybe an hour and 10 minutes involved in wrapping the guides. Applying finish to the wraps, maybe a 1/2 an hour.

Personally, I've had a few inquiries about building a rod or two for people I fish with. I give them a flat rate based on what they want done. For me, minimum would be $100 above total cost of materials. If they want trim bands on the wraps. $150. If they want inlays, it goes up.

I had my own contracting business for a few years. The biggest obstacle to making money was the customers idea of how much something should cost. Some realized they were getting a good deal, others would balk at the prices I quoted. So I cut the prices to get the business and get a word of mouth thing going. The only problem with that is, word of mouth was the price they paid for the quality of workmanship they received. Everyone wanted that same price, even if their project was more involved. It just wasn't worth it.