Home movies to VCD or DVD, what to charge for the service?

[overloaded_ide]

First, I am getting into this for myself as a hobbie and to convert my stuff to DVD's, NOT as a business.

However, I don't even have the new wore off my DVD burner yet and I got people wanting disks made. Kids school ball games, weddings, vacations, reunions ect... Mostly camcorder stuff, 8mm, vhs and vhs C.

Is any one doing movies for other people and charging for the service? If so, what seems a fair price? I don't know of anyone in my area doing this, so there is no market price to compare to.

There is a ton of time involved for the computer, but most of it is setup and walk off or do other stuff. Not like I have to sit there the whole time!
I figure my actual time when I get a little better will be about 30 minutes to an hour for the whole proccess, the rest of the time is just having the system turned on.

So for making a master DVD would something like $25 per hour of content sound reasononable, too high or too low? Then say extra $5 or so for additional copies. That's strictly for capturing, converting, burning. All stuff that takes a few minutes to set up and forget till done. Editing, fancy menus, titles ect.. would be extra.

So would that sound about right, $25 for a 1 hr DVD and $50 for 2 hr?

Now they are asking what I would charge to do this or that for them, but will they pay when I tell em? This will be my hobbie, but the extra cash would be nice too.
I don't want to do it for free or cost of the disk because I know they will pop up with every little thing wanting it done. Just like when I did some free or cost of the parts auto repairs to help people out in a bind, get thier car running because they were broke and had no way to get to work,
next thing you know they come by wanting to get spark plugs and oil changed, and tire rotations free of charge. And I wasn't in the auto repair business either, just a hobbie like now!

Course I don't want to try and rip em off either.

I looked for an area to post this, and didn't see anything, so since I'm a newbie figured this was ok.

[housepig]

If you aren't trying to do this as a business, then you have no need to be competitive in your pricing.

Come up with a price that you feel compensates you for your time and effort.

Now add at least 50%. (the base charge compensates you for your time, ie brings you back to equalibrium. The extra 50% or whatever makes it worthwhile to upset the equalibrium in the first place).

there's your charge.

[overloaded_ide]

That's kinda what I do with other stuff I do, like windshield stone chips, gold plating, computer repairs. I do lots of things, but non are really a business in itself, all hobbies like leather working.

I also like to see what others think about pricing though, cause I don't want to try and ripp off friends and others but also I don't want to be so cheap it becomes a real business
Takes the fun out of hobbies when you start doing it for a living

So would $25 for the first hour (minimum) and $50 for a 2hr disk sound fair? Maybe toss in $40 for a 90 minute disk?
I figure that would pay for my time and equipment use, and help cover cost of software to do the job.
I would like to do a few for some extra cash for some of the people that been asking already, so I don't want to chase them away either.

[jor]

Making DVD, fixing cars,...

That's kinda what I do with other stuff I do, like windshield stone chips, gold plating, computer repairs. I do lots of things, but non are really a business in itself, all hobbies like leather working

...

Would you marry me?

...


OK, My point of view:

if you get paid, the problem will be when you like give it up, change the price, compensate claims, ... your friends will behave like customers(I would not like that).

[NightWing]

I think at most Target and Albersons are doing the process for 20 for a strait convert. But if you offer simple menues and maybe some artwork on a case for 25~35 would be worth it.

You can always drive the compititon nuts by offering a few quality features in for the price.

[overloaded_ide]

if you get paid, the problem will be when you like give it up, change the price, compensate claims, ... your friends will behave like customers(I would not like that).

I thought about that too, but I am more likely to do free stuff for strangers than friends now adays. I don't think they mean to take advantage, they just aren't smart enough to know they are
Not nice to say about friends, but it's true.

Heck they do that now for free, stuff like when I fix thier old pentium 133 systems
I fix the old stuff for them cause they can't afford a new one, then they go buy some garbage system like E-machine, wall mart Hp's, but they don't buy a good one from me I would custom build for them.
So then they get ticked when I won't fix the junk they bought new, or if I charge them to do it they whine about it.
Heck if they act like paying customers anyway and buy stuff else where like that, why should I waist my time making them free disks??
I do sometimes anyways though (vcds).

One of them even asked me to install a DVD burner for them in the e-machine they bought at wall mart. I had to laugh at them on that one and just walk away
They are facinated what I can do with my system, so I show them the capture set up and how stuff works. How I record cassettes and 8 track tapes to mp3s and cds. Then they want to do it on the e-machine with 64or 128mb pc 133 ram.

We have lots of fun and do lots together, but like all my hobbies, they'll have me do it free, or pay someone else for lower quality at higher prices.

Even food is the same way! I buy salvage groceries by the skid! 50 large boxes per skid and sometimes several skids at a time. What am I gonna do with 125 pie crusts, or 75 cans of spagettie sauce, 40 boxes of cereal? So I offer to sell my extras like 2 cans for a buck. They go to the same place I buy wholesale and buy the same things for $1 each retail. Exact same stuff just different prices!
I do have my ways though. I sell the extras I don't want or need to a business and get most of my money back, then they donate the food to a local food pantry and get a nice tax deduction out of it.
It's another fun hobbie! I get lots of food cheap, never know what I'm gonna get so it's like a grab bag deal, and I get lots of stuff I never tried before so I am always trying new things, sort of free samples in bulk

Would you marry me?

Well I might consder it, you are a female right
And of course you understand I have so many hobbies I don't have time for a job