Price for shearing small flocks

[MickyMook]

Does anyone who does this fancy sharing an honest price that they charge?
I sheared a small flock of 8 ewes and 2 rams for a neighbour last year. I asked for £20 and they handed me £80.
It was clear that they thought I was cheap, and I suppose I was.
Anyway, I have a notion of advertising my services for smallholders etc, as I wouldn't have the speed for bigger flocks, or quite frankly, the time.
I don't want to be unreasonable, but I was intending to charge a set up fee, which would have to increase if it was far from home.
Would a fiver a ewe plus set up be too much?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Estate fencing.]

£100 minimum, upto 30 sheep then normal price after that.

 

[Fendt516profi]

@LukeMcCullagh is the expert

 

[LukeMcCullagh]

Does anyone who does this fancy sharing an honest price that they charge?
I sheared a small flock of 8 ewes and 2 rams for a neighbour last year. I asked for £20 and they handed me £80.
It was clear that they thought I was cheap, and I suppose I was.
Anyway, I have a notion of advertising my services for smallholders etc, as I wouldn't have the speed for bigger flocks, or quite frankly, the time.
I don't want to be unreasonable, but I was intending to charge a set up fee, which would have to increase if it was far from home.
Would a fiver a ewe plus set up be too much?

Thanks in advance!

I have based the pricing on £15 per hour of travel to each job. I then base the price per head on £15 up to 5 and then after that I charge £10 per head up to 10.

To be honest after that I scale down again and then start on my standard rate from 20 up. Not really sure what I would do in the middle not had any jobs falling in the middle.

I mean I'm not sure it is right but no one has argued with me on a price yet. Only question I get is when can I fit them in.

@LukeMcCullagh is the expert

Cheers

 

[MickyMook]

spot on, thanks very much

 

[LukeMcCullagh]

spot on, thanks very much

No problem,

 

[Estate fencing.]

No problem,

Might have been talking to me.

 

[LukeMcCullagh]

Might have been talking to me.

Oh yes didn't see your post above mine. Oh well all helps.

 

[AJR75]

Similar to @Estate fencing. but our min charge is £80, more often than not we get given £100 as the owners are pleased to get the job done.

Only been knocked back once on that and the potential customer was a multi millionaire

 

[tepapa]

Don't be scared to charge more than you think. They have a choice to use your services or not, no ones holding a gun to their head. You will find some that won't pay you £20 and others that will happy pay £100. I've always been too cheap on the smaller lots as time is valuable, travel time, travel costs on top of the shearing gear and missed opportunity shearing bigger lots all come into play.

£10-15 per sheep on top of £30-50 setup fee isn't unreasonable

 

[MickyMook]

Might have been talking to me.

Oh yes didn't see your post above mine. Oh well all helps.

Any and all feedback welcome

 

[MickyMook]

Similar to @Estate fencing. but our min charge is £80, more often than not we get given £100 as the owners are pleased to get the job done.

Only been knocked back once on that and the potential customer was a multi millionaire

He didn't get that way by taking the first price XD

 

[MickyMook]

Don't be sacred to charge more than you think. They have a choice to use your services or not, no ones holding a gun to their head. You will find some that won't pay you £20 and others that will happy pay £100. I've always been too cheap on the smaller lots as time is valuable, travel time, travel costs on top of the shearing gear and missed opportunity shearing bigger lots all come into play.

£10-15 per sheep on top of £30-50 setup fee isn't unreasonable

For the two jobs I've quoted, I've gone for £50 set up and £5/ewe with double for a tup. Then if it's far away I'd put a little extra on top for mileage. Maybe for my first year "working the country" that's plenty, but it seems roughly in line with what's been said on here.

 

[AJR75]

He didn't get that way by taking the first price XD

100% he didn't but with jobs like that it's never worth chasing as even if you did manage to twist their arm to a higher figure there would be problems guaranteed- not a tidy enough job, a small nick would become "sheep were cut to ribbons" you get the general idea. Better off out of it completely

 

[tepapa]

It's difficult to know where to draw the line between a small flock and pet holders.

You may say you want £20 each for shearing 6, = £120. Everyone's happy, sheep don't get strike or stuck on their backs

Then you get someone with 40, who doesn't mind paying slightly more per head then a flock of 600 but still bases the cost on a per head basis.
So say you charge £3/head for 40 it's still only £120.

Ones taken quarter of an hour (actual shearing time) the others taken and hour and a quarter. You've returned the same money and you've worked a damn sight harder for it.

You should be charging the guy with 40 more but he thinks you're ripping him off as his mate only pays £1.40.

 

[Estate fencing.]

Our contactors always do a small group on the way home for every full days shearing, will do 1000 a day between the 2 of them then earn £100 driving home. Said you just got to keep doing them to keep them off your back. Those small flocks pester like hell.

 

[LukeMcCullagh]

It's difficult to know where to draw the line between a small flock and pet holders.

You may say you want £20 each for shearing 6, = £120. Everyone's happy, sheep don't get strike or stuck on their backs

Then you get someone with 40, who doesn't mind paying slightly more per head then a flock of 600 but still bases the cost on a per head basis.
So say you charge £3/head for 40 it's still only £120.

Ones taken quarter of an hour (actual shearing time) the others taken and hour and a quarter. You've returned the same money and you've worked a damn sight harder for it.

You should be charging the guy with 40 more but he thinks you're ripping him off as his mate only pays £1.40.

That's the bit I have had trouble with where the cut off is for that.

 

[AJR75]

It's difficult to know where to draw the line between a small flock and pet holders.

You may say you want £20 each for shearing 6, = £120. Everyone's happy, sheep don't get strike or stuck on their backs

Then you get someone with 40, who doesn't mind paying slightly more per head then a flock of 600 but still bases the cost on a per head basis.
So say you charge £3/head for 40 it's still only £120.

Ones taken quarter of an hour (actual shearing time) the others taken and hour and a quarter. You've returned the same money and you've worked a damn sight harder for it.

You should be charging the guy with 40 more but he thinks you're ripping him off as his mate only pays £1.40.

Then you have the ones that have say 6 and their neighbours have 8 and want a big discount if they put them together.

 

[tepapa]

That's the bit I have had trouble with where the cut off is for that.

I'm still struggling after 25 years so I'm not help to you . I think that's where set up charge come into it so you can cover fixed costs in travel and time to travel set up, some return on buying machines and handpiece etc separately to the cost per head

 

[tepapa]

Then you have the ones that have say 6 and their neighbours have 8 and want a big discount if they put them together.

I think the cut off needs to be 400. Then it's enough sheep in place for one man for one days shearing without a move