07/10/2025
A customer asked me how much it would cost to do this job, and I told him it was $1500. He responded, "Isn't that a bit pricey for this job?" So I asked him, "What do you think it should cost?" He said, "I think $800 at most... It's a pretty simple job, right?"
I told him, "For $800, why don’t you try doing it yourself?" He replied, "But I don’t know how to do it." I said, "For $800, I can teach you how. You'll save $700 and learn something for next time." He thought that sounded good and agreed.
But I reminded him, "To get started, you’ll need some tools: a welder, grinder, chop saw, drill press, welding hood, gloves, and more." He replied, "I don’t have all that equipment, and I can’t buy it just for one job." I offered, "For another $300, I can rent my tools to you so you can do it."
He agreed, and I said, "Great! I’ll be waiting for you on Tuesday to start the work." He said, "I can't do Tuesday; I only have time today." I explained, "I’m only available on Tuesday to teach you and lend you my tools. I’m busy with other customers on other days."
He sighed, "Okay! So I guess I’ll have to give up my Tuesday and skip my tasks." I reminded him, "Don’t forget, when you do the job yourself, you also have to pay for the nonproductive factors." He asked, "What’s that?" I explained, "Bureaucratic stuff, taxes, VAT, security, insurance, fuel, and so on."
He reacted, "Oh no! That means I’ll spend more money and waste a lot of time!" I asked, "Do you have time to do it before?" He said, "Sure!"
I told him, "I'll prepare all the materials you need. We can load the truck Monday evening or Tuesday morning, but you’ll need to come by at 6. Don’t be late to avoid traffic!" He complained, "6? That’s too early for me! I’m used to waking up later."
Then he thought for a moment and said, "You know what? I’d rather just pay you the $1500. If I tried to do it myself, it wouldn’t turn out right and would end up costing me more." I explained, "When you pay for a job, especially a handcrafted one, you’re covering not just the materials but also:
- Knowledge
- Experience
- Study
- Tools
- Services
- Time
- Punctuality
- Accountability
- Professionalism
- Accuracy
- Guarantees
- Patents
- Sacrifices
- Safety and security
- Taxes
Critiquing others’ work based on pricing isn’t fair. My fees for a similar task would be much higher, but the point is more about the principle than the exact amount. Only when you understand all the elements involved in producing a job can you really estimate the actual cost."
Credit goes to respective owner✍️
