Web design: What should I charge

[Blake]

Need some insite.

Im going to be doing a website for Genaral Contractor that a buddy of mine sub-contracts from.

The site will be nothing crazy, probally 5 or so pages: contact, pictures, yada yada.

I also will need to setup the domain. So basically everything from start to finish.

I have NO CLUE on what to charge or what the going rates are.


Any imput would be great.

thanks guy

[DIGITALgimpus]

As much as the market will bare.

Giving any more advice than that would mean price fixing, and other anti-competitive behavior. Illegal in the US.

[Blake]

As much as the market will bare.

Giving any more advice than that would mean price fixing, and other anti-competitive behavior. Illegal in the US.

i have no idea what to charge. Im far from a pro. Its more of a " i want a small website", and my buddy said he knew someone (ie me!).

Im the computer guy with my group of friends and i do the repairs and what not.

i just have no idea what to charge someone.

[tfflivemb2]

As much as the market will bare.

Giving any more advice than that would mean price fixing, and other anti-competitive behavior. Illegal in the US.

Giving someone an idea as to what others charge is not illegal, and has nothing to do with price fixing.

Price Fixing
n.A method in which businesses who are in competition with each other set up a strategy to fix up prices of particular commodities to avoid price competition.It is a criminal act according to federal laws as it encourages unfair competition and the public is deprived of reasonbale prices..This arrangement can also be made between suppliers and manufactures or distributors.

Having said that, you do have the option of charging either a flat rate or an hourly rate that you and the "client" are comfortable with. You can always call around and see what others charge locally.

[GomJabbar]

Giving someone an idea as to what others charge is not illegal, and has nothing to do with price fixing.

I agree. Price fixing is when two or more parties agree not to sell something (a product or service) for less than a certain price. Giving advice does not fall into this catagory.

I'm sorry I don't have any prices to help you out with. You might look in your local shopping flyers that everyone seems to get these days. Especially look in marketplace type news rags, and in the classifieds of your local newspaper. Prices probably vary around the country. The northeast and the west coast (in the US) probably command the highest prices. Another place to check is the posting bulletin boards at some supermarkets and coffee houses.

Of course, the complexity of the web site should figure into the price. As such, it would be hard to recommend a set price, unless you charge by the hour.

[DIGITALgimpus]

http://www.hwg.org/resources/faqs/priceFAQ.html

[tfflivemb2]

http://www.hwg.org/resources/faqs/priceFAQ.html

From your citation:

2. Is it illegal to discuss pricing?
The short answer: YES (at least in the U.S. where many of our members are).

The U.S. law specifically makes discussion of pricing between competitors (all or some) a federal offense. According to either Marshall Kragen or Lewis Rose (both practicing lawyers), several brokers in DC were successfully prosecuted for simply discussing an increase of fees at a dinner meeting.

When, where, or how doesn't matter. Any discussion of pricing by a group of people within the same industry is illegal in the U.S. The feds call it price fixing. (emphasis added)

Please note that it says "SHORT ANSWER". The OP isn't competition, he is doing the work to help someone and can most certainly research what the going rate it. If the OP had a business doing said work, and then met with or discussed pricing with his competitors, then YES, it would be illegal.

[DIGITALgimpus]

If the OP gets the information from anyone else who provides a similar service, the action becomes illegal.

This is pretty basic law. Anyone who has ever been employed in the US, from garbage man to CEO has been briefed on this before they started working. I don't think there's a company out there who doesn't inform their employees about discussing prices.

That said... if a competitor sends you pricing, or makes it available on their website, in most cases you can legally look at it.

It's when a dialog starts that the legality goes from grey area to very black.

The difference is generally research vs. dialog. The OP seems to want dialog "Any imput would be great" hence my concern.

[dsvochak]

The earlier reference ( http://www.hwg.org/resources/faqs/priceFAQ.html ) contains a link to the US DOJ - Antitrust Division site. A search there turns up this:

Price fixing is an agreement among competitors to raise, fix, or otherwise maintain the price at which their goods or services are sold. It is not necessary that the competitors agree to charge exactly the same price, or that every competitor in a given industry join the conspiracy. Price fixing can take many forms, and any agreement that restricts price competition violates the law.

( http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/guidelines/211578.htm )

The statement in the HWG Price Fixing FAQ is somewhat misleading. "Price Fixing" requires something more than a "discussion of pricing" to violate the law. "... several brokers in DC were successfully prosecuted for simply discussing an increase of fees at a dinner meeting." may go beyond a "discussion of pricing" to verging on "an agreement among competitors to raise" prices.

That being said, to get back to the original question, what others may charge for a similar service is irrelevant. The only question is what you're willing to accept. If you and the client are happy with the financial arrangement, don't worry about what the "going rate" may be.

[Blake]

slightly off topic

can anyone answer my question?

[tfflivemb2]

I think that we are trying to clarify whether or not someone can legally give you an answer.

Aside from the legal question, I would still recommend that you call around and ask questions locally to get a feel for pricing.

P.S.
You might want to update your signature to remove the DVD/CDRW that you sold over a year ago.

[Blake]

I think that we are trying to clarify whether or not someone can legally give you an answer.

Aside from the legal question, I would still recommend that you call around and ask questions locally to get a feel for pricing.

P.S.
You might want to update your signature to remove the DVD/CDRW that you sold over a year ago.

i didnt know it was such a legal issue. Im doing a "side job".

i guess ill just see what i can get out of the guy. Hes a book cooker anyway

dvd fixed

[techflavor]

To be honest, no one will be able to give you an idea on how much to charge because we have no idea how much effort will be put into it.

Got any other websites that are online that we could check out or do you have a portfolio anywhere?

Most places these days charge by the hour (~$50-$75/hr) so that might be the better route to go instead of a flat rate.

People also charge more when other code is involved (besides HTML/graphics) like PHP, ASP, XML, CSS, etc., so it all depends on what you are doing.

The domain name should only cost $9/yr from GoDaddy and hosting these days shouldn't run anymore than $5/month. We are hosting our corporate website, FTP, and offshore email accounts with WestNic.net -- they have been extremely reliable, the best support I've come across, and their prices are extremely cheap (and I've gone through tons of hosting providers, including running my own hosting company for 1.5 years).