Making money selling bodies?

[MikeWz]

How do you guys make profit on selling bodies? I see them selling for like $40-$50, but the body costs $20-$25, and then the paint probably costs another $5-$10. So you're making $10-$15 for all that time and effort? Anyone have any advice on doing this. I've got some ideas for a bunch of nice on-road bodies (though not legit racing bodies) that I'd like to paint up and sell because I don't have an on-road even. I just want to do it to have fun and hopefully learn more.

[davec-nitro-rs4]

Until you can paint like Adrc and get $250 for your work, RC painting is not a lucrative business.

[hijacker]

I usually make sure I get at least $30 besides the cost of the body. It really depends on the complexity of the paint scheme the customer wants. It isn't a way to make a lot of money, I do it basically because I enjoy painting bodies and to recoup a little money for my time and effort. The most I've ever charged for a paintjob is $60 + body and shipping.

[FESTER2004]

i agree with hijacker and dave,its very little recooping your money but think of it as this way, someone will be running one of your bodies soemwhere out in the world and someone can ask "hey who painted that awesome body?"its like getting writing published basically your work would be out there in the r/c world to see!

[Barry_Scott]

I paint the bodies for one of the national uk drivers and i charge £40 or $80 and he suppiles the shell. With all the effort it only works out at $5-$10 an hour if you forget about the paint.

I personnally think if painters did not have the attitude to drop there prices to meet the customers expectation then more people see the value of the work we do. bike crash helmets sell at $250 a job with the helmit supplied and they can be only 3 to 5 hours work.

Enjoy your painting.

[TT-01 Mamba]

yeah adracing has loads of good work check it out http://www.adrcracing.com/

[designt1]

painting *usually* pays for all of my RC related stuff and some other things. My full time job pays the bills. :D

[chicagonative17]

I usually buy the materials I need for the project, and then charge $10 per hour. So the customer who gets my body pays: materials used + 10(hours) = total. Usually thats about $70 for my bodies just because customers usually ask for many colors in the body and complex designs.

Ian
HobbyTownUSA

[rcdaddy]

What do you think about rc bodies at 19.99usd painted? This is what makes people more interested in changing the body?

rcdaddy

[rcdaddy]

"Order any 8th sclae HPI or Pro-Line/protoform True Fire car or truck body. Price is fixed at $185.00 shipping is included"

This is really amazing how much people are willing to pay for the body of a rc car.

What about 19.99usd for such a body like that?

Material costs 0.5usd, paint costs 1usd. What else?

rcdaddy?

[chicagonative17]

If the painted body is 19.99, then that is cheaper than the cost of the body alone. I would suspect something that cheap would be a 1 tone paint job on a body that somebody just wants to get rid of because they arn't making a profit off that body.

An easy body for me to paint is at least 40.00 if its 1 color without a backing, and if the body is marked off retail. A typical body is around 30.00 new.

Ian
HobbyTownUSA

[davec-nitro-rs4]

A $20 painted body is more likely to be a preprinted screen job, like a factory shell, and it would be thin material. We all know that a quality thicker shell will be at least $15-20 even at wholesale levels.

A $20 painted body will be worth exactly $20, I would predict.

Ian, good meeting ya today! dave

[designt1]

"Order any 8th sclae HPI or Pro-Line/protoform True Fire car or truck body. Price is fixed at $185.00 shipping is included"

This is really amazing how much people are willing to pay for the body of a rc car.

What about 19.99usd for such a body like that?

Material costs 0.5usd, paint costs 1usd. What else?

rcdaddy?


huh??? :confused:

[chicagonative17]

Nice to meet you too Dave!

If you had a true fire paint job by ADRCRACING that was selling for 19.99, I bet the previous owner soaked the body in alcohol for a week. Just not possible for such a price, if it is true, you will get ripped off and end up with a crap body that is no where near a "true fire" body.

Ian
HobbyTownUSA

[MAXXTRAX]

Most of the shells I paint up are in the range of 40-90 dollars on top of shipping and the body itself. I have turned down simple bodies (One/Two toners etc) Simply because they are not worth my time. I wouldn't make any money off them. I usually make about 50 bucks a shell. And for the most part my bodies pay for my RCing needs. But honestly I don't paint lexan for the money. I do it because I like to. It lets me be artistic, creative, and its nice knowing that people actually want your work. Plus I want to paint real cars down the road. This is just practice, in reverse...

[Blue_Dawg]

Once you get these down, real cars will be a snap. It was a shock to my system at first. I am still getting used to painting in reverse. It really makes you stop and think before painting. Compared to R/C's, painting helmets is a cake walk. :D

There is no real profit to be made in R/C paint jobs. It just takes sooo much time to get a good paint job, and profits wouldn't be more than $5-$8 per hour..... tops.

[hypnoticlax91]

to much time to little money

[davec-nitro-rs4]

we do it because we are all show-offs!

:D

[hijacker]

Yeah, we like the attention.

[Davey G]

The only other option you have is to open a dealer account with one of the body manufacturers or become buddy buddy with one of the local hobby shops and get the bods and paint at cost. If you paint "FOR" the local hobby store, that is an easy way to get in with them and quite possible get your materials at an extra discount. Other then that its a tough business. I have been painting mini z's quite a bit, its a lot more work then a lexan job but I get more money then a lexan job. Hope this helps.

[davec-nitro-rs4]

Or you can get MiniT bodies at Stormer Hobbies for $3, paint them and sell them on eBay, and get lots of paractice for cheap that way. It pays for your supplies at least.

[adrcracing]

"Order any 8th sclae HPI or Pro-Line/protoform True Fire car or truck body. Price is fixed at $185.00 shipping is included"

This is really amazing how much people are willing to pay for the body of a rc car.

What about 19.99usd for such a body like that?

Material costs 0.5usd, paint costs 1usd. What else?

rcdaddy?


Do you really think I can paint a body for $1.50 USD.?

It cost me $2.00 just to put liquid mask on one body. What else you ask? I just spent $150.00 on mask, $80.00 on boxes, $400.00 for 20 bodies at a discount, $150.00 for Spaz Stix and Faskolor to paint them. Plus, ad in hundreds more for, website, ebay, Paypal, shipping fees. That's not including miscellaneous stuff like, thinners, paper towels, electricity for my compressor, #11 hobby blades, airbrush's, airbrush parts...ect.

[AirBoston]

That's exactly right adrcracing!

While I don't paint a whole lot of bodies, I do paint quite a few shirts and jackets. Some people scoff at my prices but they don't consider what it takes to paint something original. People are just used to off the shelf pre done "art". This is why I always price art seperate from surface. Then you need to factor in skill and what the cost of that should be.

[davec-nitro-rs4]

Do you really think I can paint a body for $1.50 USD.?

It cost me $2.00 just to put liquid mask on one body. What else you ask? I just spent $150.00 on mask, $80.00 on boxes, $400.00 for 20 bodies at a discount, $150.00 for Spaz Stix and Faskolor to paint them. Plus, ad in hundreds more for, website, ebay, Paypal, shipping fees. That's not including miscellaneous stuff like, thinners, paper towels, electricity for my compressor, #11 hobby blades, airbrush's, airbrush parts...ect.


I'll paint your truck for $1.50!!!

Pick your color and brand of latex house paint you want used.

Sorry, you wanted the windows masked off? That's extra.:o

[Lidz]

It cost me $2.00 just to put liquid mask on one body. What else you ask? I just spent $150.00 on mask, $80.00 on boxes, $400.00 for 20 bodies at a discount, $150.00 for Spaz Stix and Faskolor to paint them. Plus, ad in hundreds more for, website, ebay, Paypal, shipping fees. That's not including miscellaneous stuff like, thinners, paper towels, electricity for my compressor, #11 hobby blades, airbrush's, airbrush parts...ect.

What he doesn't tell you is that he made all that in profit from one tru-fire body:D

[adrcracing]

Hush up Lidz! Lol

[awnelson]

C'mon now kids. Everyone has a right to charge what they want for their products. Buyers are the ones making the decision if it is worth it or not. Personally, it takes two hours of my time from when I go to get a body until I have everything cleaned up... if I don't slack off at all. My time is worth $50/hr; if someone wants a body, they can do it themselves or pay me the $100 plus materials. The materials are immaterial, the cost is in the talent and the time. I would most definately pay $185 for a good true fire body if I didn't damage them 20 minutes after I installed them. It's worth it for the shelf queens and people that want others to recognize them for what they have, not their skills.

[adrcracing]

I hope you didn't take my post to Lidz the wrong way. I was just messing with Lidz, Lidz is one cool cat in my book.