What's your time worth?

[kmehrtens]

I've been asked if I would make a kilt for someone I sort of know. It would be a simple knife pleated solid color kilt like my olive color kilt.
http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/k...lt%20Pictures/

What would you charge (excluding the material)? It takes me about 12-15 hours to complete. It would be machine sewn.

Thanks in Advance.

[Big Mikey]

I am not a maker but a buyer. My kilts have run around double the cost of the material. Some prices I have seen are about $300 for labour with the customer supplying the material.

[hospitaller]

In addition to my full time job, I also do website development, DB design and management, ColdFusion applications and some 3D Renderings.

My rule of thumb for 'moonlighting' gigs is charge at least 1.5 times per hour the amount you get paid hourly in your real world full time job, and to that figure, add a 25% hourly for the 'consulting'.

[MarkReaves]

I'm not sure what to charge. All I can say is look around at other kilt prices and what others are charging for similar service.

I too would be interested to know the going rate for kilt making as it would be interesting to know. If you come to an amount, let us know too. :-)

[The Wizard of BC]

This may be the most important question a new kiltmaker asks themselves. Charge too little for your labor and you are essentially working for free and will go broke. Charge too much and your product will be too expensive and you will not get orders and you will go broke.

The answer to the question is mostly one of personal need. How much do you need to pay your bills, feed and house your family, and buy materials for the next job.

One kiltmaker cannot advise another how much to charge. And it is very hard to use another person's product as a guide. Your examples would seem to me to be similar to, or enough alike to some other kilts to not be especially unique or exceptional enough to charge a different price but you probably do not know what those other makers overhead really is or you would not be asking the question.

Now I'm going to be blunt here. Please understand that I am not trying to insult you, hurt you, or belittle you in any way.
If you want to do this kiltmaking thing and you want to charge someone for your work you are going to have to do your homework and make up your own mind how much to charge. Each of us who does this has had to go through the same process and make our own decisions. It's sink or swim time.
That's really the best advice I can give you. It's probably not the answer you were looking for but it is the most honest one I have.

[Donnie]

Believe me, I am struggling with that right now! Charge too little and then figure out your losing money and then try to raise prices to keep afloat! That causes more troubles. Think long and hard from every angle and don't be afraid to charge what your time is worth.

[attworth]

If it's for a friend, I wouldn't charge anything, personally. I do things that I like to do for friends for free because obviously, I like to do them. Just ask the friend to pick up the cost of the material and call it even.

The good thing is, if he really likes it, he'll talk. The bad things is, if he doesn't like it, he'll also talk. If you're trying to make something of it........

My personal opinion anyway.

for someone I sort of know.

Sorry... didn't see that. The other's advice is sound. Just gotta make a decision based on fair market value, how you value your own time and whether or not you're trying to make money or just make up for the time.

As busy as my life is right now, I'd charge about 50$ an hour which would put the kilt at very much more expensive than a hand sewn tank.

[DWFII]

The real question in all of this is how much are you worth? In other words, what are your skill levels?

If your skill levels are low or you are just beginning, then the question becomes what is the practice and the experience and the honing of skills worth to you? At some point when you are just getting into a Trade or a field it is wise to price your work low just for the opportunity to gain competence.

If your skill are high and you feel able to take on the challenge...without hesitation and without uncertainty...then your prices ought to be at market level or above for something comparable.

And if you are trying to make a living at this work or even present yourself as a professional, it is even more important that you don't undercut yourself.

There is an old and very wise saying..."if you price your work low, others will value it low."

Add to that the obvious rule of thumb that if you price your work below what is required to compensate you for your time, you won't be doing it long. In other words if you get 10 hours into a project and don't charge enough to make a living...don't charge as much as you might get paid bagging groceries, for instance...it will be hard to quit your bagging job the next time someone asks you to make a kilt.

Finally, let me share another old sentiment..."Americans know the cost of everything and the value of nothing." Once you take on a project like this, you quickly learn why top shelf and/or hand made goods (esp. if done by a professional) cost more than mass manufactured goods.

It's a mixed blessing though...you'll never walk into Walmart with the same sense of wonder and anticipation again.

[Barb T]

If you need to have some numbers to put this into perspective, the people whom I know who make hand sewn trad tartan kilts charge $220-350 in labor for a kilt. The low end is for a 4 yard box pleated kilt; high end is for an 8 yard knife pleated kilt. It takes in the neighborhood of 20 hours to make a trad knife-pleated kilt, a few hours less for a box pleated kilt. These are people who are professional kiltmakers and make first rate kilts.

BTW - I also just talked to a woman who has made a couple hundred kilts over the past few years on a contract basis for sale by a kilt shop/kiltmaker (who will remain nameless). The kilt shop has been paying her only _$100_ to make a full 8 yard trad knife pleated kilt, and they balked when she asked if she could be paid $115.... She was politely asking me how kiltmakers could make a living.

Hope that helps.

[gu3]

If you really aren't planning to go into business for yourself, but you don't want to give your work away, you might consider bartering. One kilt for 12-15 hours of yard work, or something like that.