Glenn Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 When you do a project for a client, when do you get your money, before the project leaves YOUR shop, upon completion of installation, 30 days or .....? How do you handle the business end of blacksmithing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 You get money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Either cash up front or cash on delivery. Finnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 50% down, balance on delivery. Knock on wood, I have never been stiffed so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 djhammerd :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentin Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Ho ho any way i do it it's not good but the best way to do it in my opinion is like this 30% when ordering day 1...65% when all assembled and ready to install inside the shop and 5% after the instalation/delivery ! I have 4 customers that i wait for the money for about a year long still hoping :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I have only had a couple paying jobs, but they paid on delivery. I understand, however that it is completely proper to ask for materials cost up front and I would do that if it was a customer that I didn't know and know fairly well. On the other hand, with some prospective customers, I would ask for material cost up front BECAUSE I knew them well. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitebear Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 this is probably wrong and immoral, to some. but i get all the money up front. that way they are 100% bound to getting it. that's jsut me. Son daughtry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_sandy_creek_forge Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Cost of materials and design fees up front. Everything else upon delivery/installation (unless it's someone I know well, then I can set up 2 or 3 payments if need be) -Aaron @ the SCF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrous Beuler Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Cost of materials and design fees up front. Everything else upon delivery/installation (unless it's someone I know well, then I can set up 2 or 3 payments if need be) -Aaron @ the SCF "design fees"... Could you elaborate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Stegmeier Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 If you work up a design for the client, that takes your time, and your skill, and your ideas, you should get paid for that, and never let a design out of your hands without the client paying you for the design, they will take it to another shop and get it done for half the money and you will be left holding the bag. Especially if you do a full technical drawing with measurements... This is a weak area for me I sketch in iron much better than I do on paper, and both processes take time I don't have a lot of... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-hr Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 It depends on the client. I do a lot of sub-work for contractor friends, if they tell me to do the best I can for $2000, that's what i do, and get a check upon completion/inspection. Homeowners/New-in-town contractors, I get 50% up front, and the rest upon completion. I charge a lot more for new house construction work, I'd rather not play in that sandbox. There's incredible stress to get done on time, to heck with quality, You have to fight with all the other tradesmen for parking, etc. My tools and product weigh a whole lot more than the alarm guy who's just doing programming today, but he'd rather not move his van, in case he needs another phillips screwdriver. I really enjoy working for young couples who bought a 100 yr old house on the hill and want to do something classy with the new front steps they just had redone. I try to get them involved with design and end up charging less for more work, because it's challenging and fun. There's a couple big contractors in town that are notorius for slow paying.. I bid the jobs at 200%, half up front, half upon completion. I haven't scored anything yet using this method, and that's just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrforge Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 50% labor all material on placing the order. remainder upon completion in my shop. Installation is never quoted per job but hourly, due upon completion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_sandy_creek_forge Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 Design Fees: I charge anywhere from $0 (like for a sketch of some free form fireplace tools) up to around $60 (for the railing project where the client changes his/her mind and opinion no less than ten times before I can even get one decent sketch off the drawing board). I retain ALL copyright of my designs. And then, if you wanna get technical (or if you have a client of somewhat sketchy character) at the very bottom of the design sketches write "COPYRIGHT (your name here) (date)." As far as I understand (and I am NOT a lawyer) as soon as you put the idea/design in a tangible form (a sketch) it is protected as a copyrighted work of art. To be doubly sure, I would take the original up to city hall and have it notarized by the city clerk (who in my small town is always happy to have an excuse to notarize something, anything, really!). Now it's your design. You have a witness that it is your design. And if anyone wants to argue, hopefully they'll realize that a notarized original is much more legally binding than the xeroxed copy they have pinned to the wall A custom watermark on your drafting paper would probably be cool also, but that's just pipe-dreams for me I haven't had to take anything to that extreme yet, and hope I never do. But all the same, it's good to cover my backside, just in case. Whilst on the subject. I just picked up a railing job. Prefabbed components, free-form design, all artsy fartsy and stuff. Just the way I like it. And the prefabbed components will save me a lot of time I don't have, and I can still keep up a reputation for delivering as promised. Now as long as the client agrees with my labor rates.... -Aaron @ the SCF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian C. Posted October 31, 2007 Share Posted October 31, 2007 I am not in business, but I do have the occasional request for a paying job. So far they have all been people I knew well and they all paid on delivery. The last one did'nt even ask for a price up front, just said "do it, I know you won't rob me". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dief Posted November 1, 2007 Share Posted November 1, 2007 I collect the full price upon delivery/installation. Since material cost are a relative small portion of the total cost I don't bother to collect any money up front. I also tell the client if they don't like the product they don't pay. I've never had a problem with this arrangement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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