Ok i know prices are out of control but cmon

[H20 Toie]

Went to get a trailer brake controller put in the dually, local trailer shop here, ( yes i know he isn't known to be cheap)
but ive gone there for years,
Anyway controller is couple hundred but labor was $500. i was wtf to hook up 4 wires, yep $500. and how long can it take? an hour at most. jezz

Looks like i'm wiring up a controller

 

[lake p.a.l.]

Yikes

 

[JL95]

YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT TAKES TO PUT A GUY IN A TRUCK -rdp always

 

[Gelcoater]

Went to get a trailer brake controller put in the dually, local trailer shop here, ( yes i know he isn't known to be cheap)
but ive gone there for years,
Anyway controller is couple hundred but labor was $500. i was wtf to hook up 4 wires, yep $500. and how long can it take? an hour at most. jezz

Looks like i'm wiring up a controller

I probably would have gone somewhere else to buy the controller too. On GP

 

[H20 Toie]

I probably would have gone somewhere else to buy the controller too. On GP

i am

 

[Get415]

Went to get a trailer brake controller put in the dually, local trailer shop here, ( yes i know he isn't known to be cheap)
but ive gone there for years,
Anyway controller is couple hundred but labor was $500. i was wtf to hook up 4 wires, yep $500. and how long can it take? an hour at most. jezz

Looks like i'm wiring up a controller

If its the one behind HD, hes got talented workers but hes sooo over priced and never consistent with his pricing. Its like he quotes on a whim and it changes day to day

 

[timstoy]

Cub Scouts were selling popcorn outside of Stater Brothers. We always support the Scouts. One bag was twenty five dollars! I almost didn’t believe it but that was the price! Bidenomics!

 

[Sleek-Jet]

I just signed a change order on a contract to run 4 16ga wires.... $4K in labor.

 

[Not So Fast]

It is out of control, if any one says differently then they have NOT had any repairs done in the last year or so
I just had 2 truck bucket seats recovered after I took them out and brought to the place, nothing really fancy either, $1400 to recover 2 lousy seats.
Things are getting so bad that Im thinking no more old cars even thou I love them but the COST OF EVERYTHING IS OUT OF HAND, SAD

 

[2Driver]

But but but Kamala is going to go after the price gouging grocery stores.

 

[JDKRXW]

Engine oil drain plug had a tiny drip on my daughter's RAV4. I happened to be right next to a Toyota dealership yesterday, so I walked over and picked up a crush washer- $4 fucking dollars!

 

[lbhsbz]

Engine oil drain plug had a tiny drip on my daughter's RAV4. I happened to be right next to a Toyota dealership yesterday, so I walked over and picked up a crush washer- $4 fucking dollars!

I understand that. I won't get off my ass, walk to the shelf, grab something, then walk back, write up an invoice, etc...for $4.

Penny parts are tough. That's why I only sell 'em in 10 packs for $20 or more.

 

[bilz]

I understand that. I won't get off my ass, walk to the shelf, grab something, then walk back, write up an invoice, etc...for $4.

Penny parts are tough. That's why I only sell 'em 10 packs for $20 or more.

Never thought about it like that.

 

[lbhsbz]

Never thought about it like that.

I don't understand how anyone can make money selling a single thing for under $5 or $10, even if they got it for free.

We had a situation at my old company that I became involved in because the customer was unhappy that the part was made in China and called in, so I looked up the sale....was a single tie rod end for some old POS.

Part cost us $1.73. Our price to our distributor (some shitbag online outfit) was $3.15. I think they sold it to the customer for $4 + shipping.

Our profit on this sale, with no other costs involved would be $1.42.

But there are other costs involved.

Man hours were consumed in:

separating and checking in all the parts on the shipment from our supplier
putting the parts where they go in the warehouse (we had 800K sq/ft across about 5 building at the time)

Then after the sale,

Send a runner off walking to go find the location where the parts are stored and bring it back to the shipping desk, often involving finding an order picker if it's not at ground level (at least 10 minutes)

Finding a box, (box costs $0.50 minimum)

packing the box (assume $0.25 worth of packing material/tape)

and then carrying it over the UPS dock.

Assuming a $10/hr warehouse grunt, which likely costs the company close to $20/hr after insurance, SSI, etc...

It cost $3.33 to find the part and get it back to the shipping desk, plus another $0.75 in box/tape/packing stuff, bringing the best case scenario total to $4.08

If we subtract our profit ($1.42) from our cost to sell the part ($4.08), It cost us $2.66 to make this sale.

We did thousands of those per day.

I brought this up to the boss and was told to go back and sit in my corner because I didn't know anything about how business works....so I went back to my corner. 3 years later the company went through a bankruptcy lol.


Folks bitch about the price of worthless little shit, but the fact being, in order for the company selling it to stay in business, they can't work for free or lose money on a sale.

That's why a drain plug washer costs $4....which is a deal, it should cost $8

 

[Singleton]

Labor rates are higher then we would all
Like to pay. Until inflation gets under control, we have 2 choices. Do the work yourself or bend over and pay.

Just had my Renegade in the shop, labor rate is over $200 an hour.

 

[lbhsbz]

Labor rates are higher then we would all
Like to pay. Until inflation gets under control, we have 2 choices. Do the work yourself or bend over and pay.

Just had my Renegade in the shop, labor rate is over $200 an hour.

Auto repair labor rates are high because of the tooling and information costs (mostly subscription) to be able to competently service anything modern. $200/hr is on the low side these days.

 

[Angler]

Went to get a trailer brake controller put in the dually, local trailer shop here, ( yes i know he isn't known to be cheap)
but ive gone there for years,
Anyway controller is couple hundred but labor was $500. i was wtf to hook up 4 wires, yep $500. and how long can it take? an hour at most. jezz

Looks like i'm wiring up a controller

Have you seen the price of zip ties that are used on wiring?

 

[HNL2LHC]

Funny was going to start a thread today about price of things and has it made you think differently. Bought a 12 pack of coke a couple of months ago. Just went for the last 4 cans and one had a leak that I did not know of. I have to go to the store today so I was thinking about going to get a replacement for the one can. hell the cans are almost $1 each with a twelve pack at $10 last week. Now I am thinking I am crazy if I DON’T take the can back for an exchange.

 

[Singleton]

Auto repair labor rates are high because of the tooling and information costs (mostly subscription) to be able to competently service anything modern. $200/hr is on the low side these days.

I only complain online.
My Jeep has been in the shop since Tuesday, so glad that was fixed pricing. Took them 6 hours to figure out the thermostat they just installed was defective

 

[Gramps]

Went to get a trailer brake controller put in the dually, local trailer shop here, ( yes i know he isn't known to be cheap)
but ive gone there for years,
Anyway controller is couple hundred but labor was $500. i was wtf to hook up 4 wires, yep $500. and how long can it take? an hour at most. jezz

Looks like i'm wiring up a controller

Dan if you do it yourself I think Milwaukee has a M-18 tool for that

 

[lbhsbz]

I only complain online.
My Jeep has been in the Jeep since Tuesday, so glad that was fixed pricing. Took them 6 hours to figure out the thermostat they just installed was defective

Its a Jeep thing

 

[Andy B.]

Went to get a trailer brake controller put in the dually, local trailer shop here, ( yes i know he isn't known to be cheap)
but ive gone there for years,
Anyway controller is couple hundred but labor was $500. i was wtf to hook up 4 wires, yep $500. and how long can it take? an hour at most. jezz

Looks like i'm wiring up a controller

VOTE EARLY!!!!

 

[bilz]

Lib line
Vote early, vote often

 

[bilz]

Auto repair labor rates are high because of the tooling and information costs (mostly subscription) to be able to competently service anything modern. $200/hr is on the low side these days.

Looked at an Icon T10 scanner yesterday.$1699 plus the subscription was $299 a year. Average home mechanic won't be buying one.

 

[JDKRXW]

That's why a drain plug washer costs $4....which is a deal, it should cost $8

Or;
They could just be making a 10X markup on something they use hundreds of pcs per month of.
I would .

I sell mobile and ag gearboxes and transmissions to OEM's with yellow paint , green paint and white paint. These guys are getting more and more ruthless every day in looking for, and finding parts they can do exactly this with. And their dealers are no better.
I see what we sell parts for our stuff for - and their markups are c.r.a.z.y. if they think they can get away with it.

 

[lbhsbz]

Or;
They could just be making a 10X markup on something they use hundreds of pcs per month of.
I would .

I sell mobile and ag gearboxes and transmissions to OEM's with yellow paint , green paint and white paint. These guys are getting more and more ruthless every day in looking for, and finding parts they can do exactly this with. And their dealers are no better.
I see what we sell parts for our stuff for - and their markups are c.r.a.z.y. if they think they can get away with it.

If a new customer called and only needed a drain plug washer...how much would you charge them for it?

 

[Paradox]

Went to get a trailer brake controller put in the dually, local trailer shop here, ( yes i know he isn't known to be cheap)
but ive gone there for years,
Anyway controller is couple hundred but labor was $500. i was wtf to hook up 4 wires, yep $500. and how long can it take? an hour at most. jezz

Looks like i'm wiring up a controller

I suspect you’re talking about Jacob who owns the shop behind the big home improvement store. I once paid him $4,200 for an electric over hydraulic conversion. He’s good but expensive. IMO, a better option (if you want to use a shop for anything significant) is Carson Trailers in Palmdale. For work in Havasu, I couldn’t say enough good things about Adrenaline.

 

[JDKRXW]

If a new customer called and only needed a drain plug washer...how much would you charge them for it?

We won't sell to any end users; OEM's and a couple of distributors (to cover some very standard hardware/brgs/seals etc) for any if our customers that may not still be in business. We think we do a good job protecting our OEM's captive business.

 

[pixrthis]

I suspect you’re talking about Jacob who owns the shop behind the big home improvement store. I once paid him $4,200 for an electric over hydraulic conversion. He’s good but expensive. IMO, a better option (if you want to use a shop for anything significant) is Carson Trailers in Palmdale. For work in Havasu, I couldn’t say enough good things about Adrenaline.

I’m guessing Sal at Accurate.

 

[Mr. C]

If a new customer called and only needed a drain plug washer...how much would you charge them for it?

Probably say something like. They come in a 2 pack 6:50.
Knowing they can can go to AZone and get for 4:25.

Hoping they’ll come back for a bigger order in the future.
Unless you’re only looking for high volume accounts to begin with.
Then I could see your position.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Good thread as always Big D.... love the walk away .... we all should be walking away from a lot of things lately... excellente'

 

[PlanB]

The carpenter that is helping me on the remodel I am doing is $600.00 a day, and he kicks ass. I honestly think it's a deal considering the cost of everything these days.

 

[lbhsbz]

We won't sell to any end users; OEM's and a couple of distributors (to cover some very standard hardware/brgs/seals etc) for any if our customers that may not still be in business. We think we do a good job protecting our OEM's captive business.

There are 2 different business models...one is to sell wholesale only, in volume...which is what you're doing. That's what we did at my old company....pallet quantities or better, with exceptions of course for customers that order a pallet or more a day and need a single item every now and again....

We were the manufacturer/importer.

If it costs us $10, we sell it for $20
The distributor that buys it for $20, sells it for $40
The profits increase as you down the supply chain while the volume decreases....as it should be.

What would a CAT dealer charge for a single drain plug washer to a walk-in customer with no history or acct?

Then the sales dept started bringing in all these internet retail drop ship type customers.....and thats when it all went to shit, because they fucked up the chain.

 

[Angler]

The carpenter that is helping me on the remodel I am doing is $600.00 a day, and he kicks ass. I honestly think it's a deal considering the cost of everything these days.

If he knows what he is doing, very good price per day.
When I was running work as a framing foreman, my joist guys were making more than 1k a day and that was back in the 1990s.

 

[Bigbore500r]

Went to get a trailer brake controller put in the dually, local trailer shop here, ( yes i know he isn't known to be cheap)
but ive gone there for years,
Anyway controller is couple hundred but labor was $500. i was wtf to hook up 4 wires, yep $500. and how long can it take? an hour at most. jezz

Looks like i'm wiring up a controller

I’m guessing Accurate Trailer?

 

[lbhsbz]

Probably say something like. They come in a 2 pack 6:50.
Knowing they can can go to AZone and get for 4:25.

Hoping they’ll come back for a bigger order in the future.
Unless you’re only looking for high volume accounts to begin with.
Then I could see your position.

One thing I've learned....if the customer asks for the discount because "they'll be back"...they won't.

If the customer asks for a discount, they're not a customer....and more often than not I'll just hang up or ignore them and they can go figure out where else to get it....and while they're doing that, I'll raise the prices on the parts in question on my website so they can be extra pissed off when they realize I'm the only one that has it.

Customers that deserve discounts get them without asking for them.

Consumers and Customers are not the same.

People that cite a lower price elsewhere get asked why they bothered wasting their time calling me instead of just buying it there.

I'm not a whore and won't put up with cheap consumers. There are plenty of quality customers and clients that my attention is better directed toward.

 

[Mr. C]

One thing I've learned....if the customer asks for the discount because "they'll be back"...they won't.

If the customer asks for a discount, they're not a customer....and more often than not I'll just hang up or ignore them and they can go figure out where else to get it....and while they're doing that, I'll raise the prices on the parts in question on my website so they can be extra pissed off when they realize I'm the only one that has it.

Customers that deserve discounts get them without asking for them.

Consumers and Customers are not the same.

People that cite a lower price elsewhere get asked why they bothered wasting their time calling me instead of just buying it there.

I'm not a whore and won't put up with cheap consumers. There are plenty of quality customers and clients that my attention is better directed toward.

I didn’t mean to imply a customer asked for a discount or cited a lower price elsewhere.
If you charge more because , well you charge more because you have it that’s understandable

But to say things like it’s not worth my time to walk to the back and grab an item off a shelf. That’s seems a little wrong.
Just my very humble opinion

FYI. I can vision you and hear you and I totally get get what you are saying.

 

[JFMFG]

Funny was going to start a thread today about price of things and has it made you think differently. Bought a 12 pack of coke a couple of months ago. Just went for the last 4 cans and one had a leak that I did not know of. I have to go to the store today so I was thinking about going to get a replacement for the one can. hell the cans are almost $1 each with a twelve pack at $10 last week. Now I am thinking I am crazy if I DON’T take the can back for an exchange.

A 12 pack of coke is 12$? Thank god I gave up soda and only drink tea

 

[HNL2LHC]

A 12 pack of coke is 12$? Thank god I gave up soda and only drink tea

I think that it was the other 12 pack of squirt that was $10 each. Coke was a little less. I am with you in that I don’t typically drink soda but gotta have it for those days where I just need the sugar/caffeine. I can only drink soda much water every day.

 

[H20 Toie]

I’m guessing Sal at Accurate.

Yes

I’m guessing Accurate Trailer?

You are correct

 

[NicPaus]

I mentioned it at Parker oil when buying a 5 gallon fuel jug. $56. She replied it must be a Parker thing. She had called out a plumber to fix her shower valve. $1600 he told her thats the national average. Friend of a friend came from out of town and fixed it in under a hour for $150.

My costs are crazy these days. But I get blown away often. Most won't send a Guy with a work truck for less than $12-1500 a day.

 

[Orange Juice]

Went to get a trailer brake controller put in the dually, local trailer shop here, ( yes i know he isn't known to be cheap)
but ive gone there for years,
Anyway controller is couple hundred but labor was $500. i was wtf to hook up 4 wires, yep $500. and how long can it take? an hour at most. jezz

Looks like i'm wiring up a controller

Just the rig taking up space in the shop is $200 an hour. As well as $50 an hour for the space outside as it waits its turn. $500 an hour shop rate is not out of the question in some high rent situations. Maybe Mobile, AL you can find $150-250hr.

The real problem is finding a shop with a qualified employee to do the work, without causing damage.
.

 

[Roosky01]

I put shocks and struts on my F150 on Friday. I found a full set of new factory takeoffs for $150 on Marketplace and took about 3 hours of my slow paced time. I’m sure that’s well over a $grand to do at a shop

I never thought I’d be back to operating like this, but I refuse to pay giraffe pussy prices for everything out of principle…although I have the resources to do so.

 

[Riverbound]

I don't understand how anyone can make money selling a single thing for under $5 or $10, even if they got it for free.

We had a situation at my old company that I became involved in because the customer was unhappy that the part was made in China and called in, so I looked up the sale....was a single tie rod end for some old POS.

Part cost us $1.73. Our price to our distributor (some shitbag online outfit) was $3.15. I think they sold it to the customer for $4 + shipping.

Our profit on this sale, with no other costs involved would be $1.42.

But there are other costs involved.

Man hours were consumed in:

separating and checking in all the parts on the shipment from our supplier
putting the parts where they go in the warehouse (we had 800K sq/ft across about 5 building at the time)

Then after the sale,

Send a runner off walking to go find the location where the parts are stored and bring it back to the shipping desk, often involving finding an order picker if it's not at ground level (at least 10 minutes)

Finding a box, (box costs $0.50 minimum)

packing the box (assume $0.25 worth of packing material/tape)

and then carrying it over the UPS dock.

Assuming a $10/hr warehouse grunt, which likely costs the company close to $20/hr after insurance, SSI, etc...

It cost $3.33 to find the part and get it back to the shipping desk, plus another $0.75 in box/tape/packing stuff, bringing the best case scenario total to $4.08

If we subtract our profit ($1.42) from our cost to sell the part ($4.08), It cost us $2.66 to make this sale.

We did thousands of those per day.

I brought this up to the boss and was told to go back and sit in my corner because I didn't know anything about how business works....so I went back to my corner. 3 years later the company went through a bankruptcy lol.


Folks bitch about the price of worthless little shit, but the fact being, in order for the company selling it to stay in business, they can't work for free or lose money on a sale.

That's why a drain plug washer costs $4....which is a deal, it should cost $8

How dare you want to make money.

You should only be charging for the part the labor involved is not the customers problem.

 

[Riverbound]

One thing I've learned....if the customer asks for the discount because "they'll be back"...they won't.

If the customer asks for a discount, they're not a customer....and more often than not I'll just hang up or ignore them and they can go figure out where else to get it....and while they're doing that, I'll raise the prices on the parts in question on my website so they can be extra pissed off when they realize I'm the only one that has it.

Customers that deserve discounts get them without asking for them.

Consumers and Customers are not the same.

People that cite a lower price elsewhere get asked why they bothered wasting their time calling me instead of just buying it there.

I'm not a whore and won't put up with cheap consumers. There are plenty of quality customers and clients that my attention is better directed toward.

The cheap seats always scream the loudest.

The harder we work to earn a project the more likely that project will be a losing one for us as a company.

 

[Luvnlife]

Cub Scouts were selling popcorn outside of Stater Brothers. We always support the Scouts. One bag was twenty five dollars! I almost didn’t believe it but that was the price! Bidenomics!

It’s called a donation. That popcorn is maybe worth a dollar.

 

[Gelcoater]

Things are getting so bad that Im thinking no more old cars even thou I love them

I’ve been considering just the opposite?

That new carb is in the price window of one of the 6 fuel injectors my truck has.
For the cost of all 6 and paying labor at 4K a guy could replace the entire fuel system tank and all on an older rig.
Hell? Maybe both tanks on some trucks.

 

[LazyLavey]

Yes

You are correct

interesting... I've used him for a few repairsfnd parts... he seemed fair... Maybe he saw your collection of PackOut?

 

[NicPaus]

interesting... I've used him for a few repairsfnd parts... he seemed fair... Maybe he saw your collection of PackOut?

Maybe he showed him a pic of why he needed it?

 

[PlumLoco]

Just paid $24 for a shrimp burrito, asada taco, and a large Coke at Rubio's. It was tasty AF though.