How do you charge for this??

[Treeman123]

We do the odd planting job for regular customers (new flower beds etc) when buying the plants for the customer do you collect the plants in your spare time? do you charge for collecting them? or do you go and buy the plants in the customers time?

 

I have been doing it in my weekends no charge

 

Any advice guys?

 

[Richard 1234]

We do the odd planting job for regular customers (new flower beds etc) when buying the plants for the customer do you collect the plants in your spare time? do you charge for collecting them? or do you go and buy the plants in the customers time?

 

I have been doing it in my weekends no charge

 

Any advice guys?

 

 

You've got to charge for it somewhere, easiest being getting a trade rate at a local nursery and then charging out at just under retail prices. Having said that this way only works if you are getting lots of plants or you won't get a decent price yourself.

Otherwise you have to go in the customers time or charge the appropriate time if your doing it at the weekend.

If your doing it in your own time stop now as people will just expect it and then tell their friends etc. yes you will get busy but not getting paid for it(the time spent fetching) will drive you mad in the end.

The good customers will not mind paying the bad ones won't like it but you don't want people like that anyway do you?

You must value your time because if you don't the customer won't either:thumbdown:

[spudulike]

Just give a price for the job and no real need to break out a cost for picking up the plants, just add a cost to cover it.

 

If the job is on an hourly rate, add the cost on to the price of the plants - either is fair IMO!

[miker]

i always say that if they could do the job themselves then they would, if they are paying someone to do it for them, they cant, charge for every bit of time that you spend doing the job for them

[hamdogg]

I'm starting to say when purchasing trees for domestic customers that they order the plants and have them delivered and I will plant them!!

[Starscream]

Yeah def charge for it. If it takes, say, an hour round trip then add the cost of that hour into the total price. Otherwise you could have been doing another job in that hour earning money. Never sell time to customers though as you are then bound by it. Price to a timescale for what you want to earn, give a price then work as hard and fast as you can. You may find you can fit in another job.

[Treeman123]

nice one guys just what I wanted to hear, Thanks

[bigdave]

I have always priced for planting jobs

I deal with trade nursery's for the plants, trees etc & then charge garden centre prices for them!

It's always worked for me I have had the odd person ask me to do jobs by the hour I just politely explain that I don't charge by the hour but by the job so they know exactly how much they are paying ! ;-)