How much to Charge??

[Nicole]

Hello Everyone-
I am bidding on a job and wondering what to charge. The job is to scan 1600 slides, 35mm slide film at 2,000 dpi and put them on cd's. I have researched this online and there are some companies that will do it for 35 cents a slide and the highest i saw was 75 cents a slide. I was going to charge 50 cents a slide for scanning, retouching(removal of dust and scratches) and cropping of scan marks. Let me know what you think! Thanks!

 

[Big Mike]

Can you estimate how long it will take you per slide? Dust and scratch removal could take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes (or longer).

 

[fast1]

why not post the same job at craigslist and see how much people ask for

 

[Nicole]

thanks for your advice! I estimate that it will take about 66 hours, I compromised with the customer for $500 plus materials which comes out to be about .32 cents a slide, so not bad!

 

[Big Mike]

That's a lot of tedious work for only $7.50 per hour.

 

[farmerj]

2weeks work for next to minimum wage? To save someones memories of a lifetime?

No thanks.

 

[Jim Gratiot]

Nicole:

Gotta agree with Big Mike and FarmerJ... assuming that you're a photographer, I would spend those 66 hours instead networking with other photographers and business owners, developing a direct mail campaign, developing a business plan for the next 3 years, perfecting your portfolio, etc.

You might be losing out on $500 in the short term... but in 66 hours you can make productive, proactive strides in your business that will bring in 20 times that much in the next couple of months.