Submitted by John C on 2/23/1999. ( )
I have been in and out of several shops in the great state of ARKANSAS. Guess what I found, people doing taxidermy at prices, I charged here, 12 years ago.
What gives?
SOme work was ok some was not. But the thing that still sticks and you guys need to wake up, is 250 deerheads at $250.00 equals $62,000.00 not bad for a year. Till you through the but in. BUT YOU ARE WORKING 15 to 18 hour days. Go up to $350.00 a head. still you will make the same money but all you have to do is mount 178 heads, simple math. And yes you can get that much anywhere for a head.
I heard bitching and complaining about work load but. YOU ARE UNDERPRICED.
Going up may not cut the work load back either. I will bet $100.00 it will not hurt you one bit to go up.
JOHN C
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This response submitted by June on 2/24/1999. ( yresim@netwiz.net )
What about lifesize mounts?
This response submitted by Perry on 2/24/1999. ( pgk@ncentral.com )
I used to be afraid to go much higher in price than my competitors. I
also got tired of working long hours and getting paid 3 or 4 dollars
an hour. A number of other taxidermists told me - raise your prices,
you'll be suprise at the increase in volume. To test the theory out,
i picked one item on my list- squirrels. I jumped the price from
$95 to $125. Squirrels were an item i didn't mind doing, but since
I made a little more per hour on deer heads, I'd rather sit in the shop
mounting deer heads that squirrels. If I got one or two at 125, that
would be great, I might even start to enjoy working on them. I used
to average 4 or 5 squirrels at $95. when the price was $125 I took in
8, This year I charged $150 and took in 4. If your worried about loosing
volume, pick a couple of items and raise the price, give it more that
one year, before you consider it a flop. remember--hunter success and
general economy will have some effect on your volume.
This response submitted by Perry on 2/24/1999. ( pgk@ncentral.com )
June,
to be fair with yourself, get one of the business manuals. they
will have tables and worksheets to help you figure out material costs,
time spent on various phase of the mounting process, overhead costs and
labor cost. these worksheets WILL show you what kind of a beating you
are taking on many of your mounts. I like to charge lifesize mammal
mounts by the inch. my price lists shows a range, base on small to large,
but when the customer shows up, the tape measure comes out. Depending
on materials used and how elaborate your base is, and species, your
price should range from $15 to $25 per inch. That is where the work
sheets will help. I like to charge by the inch because if a customer
walks in with a 35" coyote, I know I can't by a 35" mannikin, I'm going
to have to by the next closest size 34" and add 1". Alterations are
built into the pricing. Major alterations like changing head turns,
or leg positions are extra.
This response submitted by Rich on 2/24/1999. ( )
John
250.00 is them magic number for deer heads, it was 20 years ago and it will be 20 years from now . just after reading this i got a call from a friend in Homaosassa , Florida. He told me the price of deer heads there, is 150.00 to 225.00 . Another friend who moved to South Carolina is having his 8 point buck done at a taxidermist (who won awards at shows ) for 210.00 . I wonder what the guy who didn't win any awards is charging ? I have Jonas Bros, Denver, Colorado price list from August i,1985. 14 years ago they were charging 325.00 for deer and 455,00 for open mouth Boar. Now we all know the price of pickup trucks, autos,insurance , taxidermy supplies,homes, airline tickets, sporting goods, food, electric, natural gas, and all the other basics of life haven't gone up in these areas where the taxidermist is charging the "magic price". Well i'd bet good money with a good lawyer we could get a class action suit against one of these national companies thats selling consumer goods cheaper in these magic number areas , and win the case . My son just bought a Ford f150
pick up at a cost of over 25,000.00, i'd bet he could have got that for 12 to 15,000.00 in Arkansas . As you must have heard through the news media over the past year or so, a 20.00 bill was draged through a trailor park in Arkansas and Paula Jones was following it out of the park , well up in these high taxidermy price areas you have
to drag 200.00 or more through to interest a babe like her. so you see
EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE " TO YOUR AREA ". John , i've had to deal with with this question for 30 years , common sense , logic , business 101, none of it makes sense to the Magic number guys so it must be my new conclusion thats correct .
Happy Trails
This response submitted by John C. on 2/25/1999. ( )
The price of Pickups in Ark, is running very close to the same as you mentioned. House, you would not believe the huge $200,000 homes being buily around Little Rock, and Conway, Jacksonville. There are nomore FmHA cracker box housing developments.
The excuse of I won't get the work is, just a excuse for ignorace of pricing and business practices.
If you are a new or old taxidermist you need to get out of the shop and look at whats going on around you, take two days and drive the state, open your eyes and see. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce, look at the population grow predictions, look at the new houseing predictions, go to your local county planning board and look at propossed subdivisions.
Finally compare cost of everything as to 5 or 10 year old prices.
Next get every would be taxidermist involved in your state assoc.
Get the state assoc. to plan there grow pattern over the next 5 years.
Everyone must plan for the future.
Why can't you afford those great work shops? Becuase you are failing to plan. Failing to charge. Failing to inculde the work shops as part of your overhead.
Thanks John C
This response submitted by Perry on 2/25/1999. ( pgk@ncentral.com )
John,
I hear what your saying, I was wrapped up in those excuses myself.
I did start and have raised my prices. There are 3 of us in my area that
are getting 300 + for deer heads. another guy who specialized and was
recently nta certified charged 265 last year, he may be going to 300
this season after he heard about us. there are still two other guys in
the area that are in the 225 and 245 range. they are volume player. one
is full time the other is part-time hoping to go full-time. The full-timer
is well established( 20 + yrs), the part-timer has been at it about 7
or so yrs. with their prices/volume they have got to work more than 40 hrs
a week.
I have talked with them, they seem listen, but will they receive the
message? Don't know and don't care. You can lead a horse to water, but
you can't make him drink. John we need to make this information available
and help other use it, but we can only help those that want it. Some people
have to learn things the "HARD" way. I have the luxury of full-time job. If
my volume decreases because of price, thats fine. I know it will come back up
when people have to start waiting for excessive turn around times, or
shotty work. In the mean time, I sure ain't gonna think about those guys stuck
in their shop while I'm out fishing with my 6yr old boy or huntin' with my
dad or friends, or at a convention with friends. YOXY, you invited me
to NY. I can't make it this year, but i'll take a rain check for next year.
Taxidermy is fun, I intend to keep it that way.
This response submitted by Dean on 2/25/1999. ( MrWhytail )
I attended the World show in 1995, sat in Mike Boyces seminar.You want to talk business....hes got some things to say...Now I know everybody doesnt get the doctors and lawyers and such as customers but there is one thing I did learn in that seminar.In every geographic location in every state ,province there has got to be somebody out there who is the highest priced....SO WHY CANT IT BE ME?? Since that seminar Ive raised my prices and havent looked in the rear view mirror.Work comes in as steady as I can put it out, and I still go fishin when ever I want I hunt EVERYDAY while its in season.But my customers are not the type who will sacrifice quality I give them quality and they pay for it..
This response submitted by Jerry S on 2/26/1999. ( jds@vvm.com )
Ya'll are bringing a tear to my eye . . . sniff! It does my heart good to see that some folks are realizing that working your tail to the bone or working you fingers off (did I say that right? - must be those foam fumes!) is not fun - especially if you aren't getting paid what you deserve. My basic "dead deer on the wall" mounts are $400.00 without a panel. From there, extra is extra. We have the hacksidermists at $225.00 and up in my area but I don't care about them - they steal my brochure layouts - they steal my sales information for their web pages - one even sent letters to some of my clients asking for some of their business. Again, I don't care about them. When you're #2 dog in the team, the view never changes!! Good luck to all of you and don't give up! Jerry
This response submitted by Rich on 2/26/1999. ( )
John,Jerry,Dean+Perry
Good replys guys .
I know it's difficult to raise your price when you know the cadaver on your bench has a higher IQ and a greater appreciation for art than the person that brought it in . But you have to think of your familys lifestyle first . One of the problems with prices is the price of BAD TAXIDERMY IS WAY TO LOW. 25 or 30 years ago i was in Dick Idols studio, Taxidermy International, Rougemount, North Carolina, Dick told me at that time that across the board all taxidermy retail prices in the country should be doubled. Dick had the highest prices in the country at that time i think . That is probably true still today .
John, the pickup thing was tongue in cheek , i know you 4 guys knew that . I like the new terminologys, Hacksadermists, Magic Number Guys , I'm going to have to become politicaly correct like you guys, i have always refered to them as the generic name for rectum vent .
I want to move into the new melininum a better person like you gentlemen.
This response submitted by June on 2/26/1999. ( yresim@netwiz.net )
Rich,
I just wanted to say, I got a real kick out of your last post. It got me laughing so much that I called my dad and got him laughing, too. At this point, I think I've called or emailed everyone I know that might enjoy it at all.
Too bad it's so often true. :/
Later,
June :)
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