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junkmom

posts: 30

Nov 29, 2007 9:05 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Hi there! I am not new to SUN, but have embarked on a new business - mobile gift wrapping! I am having a little bit of trouble setting pricing for the service and was hoping to get some good feedback from y`all. I am really trying to keep this as simple as possible because time is of the essence and I need to be ready to go NOW!

I intend to offer "gifting packages" that will include budget-friendly basic wrapping - paper, box, tissue, bow, tag - all the way up to a high-end option. Here is an example of what I have worked out so far on pricing the "basic wrap":

Shirt-type box

tissue

paper (regular wrapping paper)

bow (stick-on)

tag (sticker)

Small - up to 12 x 12 - $2.00

Medium - up to 18 x 18 - $3.50

Large - up to 24 x 24 - $5.00

add .50 for ea additional 6"

add .50 for Foil Paper and Tag

I`ve done some research and this seems to be in line with what others are charging, but I want to know if anyone can think of another way or you think this seems reasonable. Thanks for your help!

Debbie

abrumms

posts: 28

Nov 29, 2007 11:35 AM ET Quote Report Abuse

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I`m not sure where you`re located... But where I`m from noone pays for gift wrapping... Is there some sort of additional "niche" you`re filling? Is your paper particularly "snappy"?

I`m not doubting your business idea (hope it`s not coming off that way) I`m just looking for some more details ;)

Thanks,

Aaron

KJC

posts: 69

Nov 29, 2007 1:26 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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I would check to see what your local department store is charging. If your prices are higher, it might be a little more difficult sale to customers. The other thing to consider is your costs or the value of your time. If you do not have any employees, then the only costs you have are the items used in wrapping. If you have employees, you will have to consider how much you pay them an hour, what the transportation costs are, and how many gifts they can wrap an hour. An example would be if you only wrap 2 large gifts an hour, your material costs + the value of your time/amount you pay employees should not be more than $10. Personally, for coming to someone`s home to wrap a present and provide all of the materials, I think that is a little inexpensive. If you drive 20 miles to someone`s house, you have $3 in gas expenses alone.

consumertreehouse

posts: 64

Dec 01, 2007 5:09 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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First off, interesting idea. I am sure that you can make this work, but I think the city where you are located is going to be the make it or break it.

I would call department stores and see what they charge, I know that a few place here in Los Angeles offer free gift wrapping for whatever you purchase. Make some calls and see what you can find.

Also if you are traveling you need to take gas into consideration. If you are not paid something for travel then you probably will just break even, or lose money because you are going to lose money by filling your tank up more often.

I am intrigued by this idea for sure. Let us know what you find out. Good Luck

-------------------------

The ConsumerTreehouse.com Team
www.consumertreehouse.com

DoorMat

posts: 289

Dec 26, 2007 12:19 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Here in Connecticut, I have found the mall charges quite a bit. I like your idea but agree, I need more information....

junkmom

posts: 30

Dec 29, 2007 9:12 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Hi all! Thanks for your input. I did get a few clients in the short time that I offered this service. I advertised on Craigslist and went to one office, one home and had 3 people bring their stuff to me! I set my pricing at $3.50 for traditional which included box, tissue, paper, basic ribbon, stick-on bow and tag - $5.00 for modern which included box, tissue, paper, basic ribbon, more elaborate bow w/small embellishment and stick-on tag - $7.50 for premium which included box, tissue, paper, fabric ribbon, hand-tied bow and string tag - and $10.00 for elegant which included box, tissue, paper, fabric ribbon, hand-tied bow w/ large embellishment and hand-made string tag. I used premium, heavy-duty paper for all - it sure was nice not having the paper tear!!

I had one client that had me wrap all 30 of their kid`s gifts and I offered them a 10% discount. I also got a nice tip from the office job. I am located in Katy, TX - which is @ 25 miles west of Houston. We have a lot of very affluent communities here, but I didn`t do much marketing and the calls I got were from folks who just didn`t have the time or the inclination and thought I was sent straight from Santa himself!!

If you search "professional gift wrapper" on Google, you will see that a TON of people are doing this in cities all across the US. It`s a great service and I intend to look into how I might work it all year, but for sure will do it again next Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Debbie

DoorMat

posts: 289

Jan 10, 2008 11:39 PM ET Quote Report Abuse

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Katy, I would use your service for the prices, so if you expand to CT let me know!

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