The problem with quoting smaller jobs
Just quoted a small bronze casting, maybe 10 pounds of metal. The foundry's minimum charge is $1500. That's before any finishing work. I had to tell the client it's going to cost more than the actual metal. It’s hard to make a living on these small pieces when the overhead is the same as a much larger job. You end up losing money or scaring people off with the price. Anyone else struggle with this on smaller commissions?
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Ugh, YES. It's brutal. I feel this so hard with my casting work too. That minimum charge is a killer, right? It feels like you're trying to explain nuclear physics when you're just trying to charge for your time and materials on something small. Had to turn down a tiny head study last month for exactly this reason. Felt awful but what else can you do? The overhead doesn't disappear just because the piece is small.
Exactly. "Nuclear physics" is about right. Glad I'm not the only one hitting this wall. What do you do when you have to turn them down? Just a simple 'can't do it,' or do you try to explain the overhead like I did?