Charge for custom blinds by building the price from your cost, not from what the dealer down the road charges. Start with the manufacturer's list price for the exact size, multiply by your dealer factor to get your cost, multiply that by your markup multiplier, then do the same for every upcharge. Add install labor, any trip or haul-away charge, and check the job against your minimum. The rest of this post walks through each piece with example numbers, a full six-window job, and the small-job trap that loses money on one-blind calls.
Step 1: List price times factor is your cost
Custom blinds and shades are priced from the manufacturer's price book. Each product has a grid: width across the top, height down the side, a list price in each cell. You find the cell for the size you measured, and that's the list price. Check how your book handles a size that falls between two columns before you quote it.
Nobody pays list. The manufacturer gives each dealer a factor, sometimes called a discount or multiplier, that turns list into your cost. A factor of 0.40 means you pay 40% of list. Your factor depends on the manufacturer and your account, so it's different for every dealer. Ask your rep or your distributor for yours in writing.
Example: a 2" faux wood blind, 36" wide by 60" high, lists at $420 in the book (example number). At a 0.40 factor, your cost is $168.
Step 2: Cost times your multiplier is the selling price
Now apply your markup. Many dealers use a multiplier on cost. At 2.2, the $168 blind sells for $369.60, a 55% product margin. At 2.5 it sells for $420, a 60% margin.
the free markup and margin calculator does this math for any cost, markup or target margin.
If you aren't sure which number to use, read margin vs markup for blinds dealers first. It has a conversion table from the margin you need to the multiplier you type in. The short version: a 50% markup is only a 33% margin, and that mix-up is an easy way to underprice every job.
Step 3: Price every upcharge the same way
Options cost extra in the price book too: cordless lift, top-down/bottom-up, motorization, valance styles, cloth tapes, special colors, oversize. They have their own list prices, sometimes flat, sometimes by width.
Run every upcharge through the same factor and multiplier as the blind. If cordless lists at $50, your cost at a 0.40 factor is $20, and at 2.2 it sells for $44. Dealers who add upcharges at cost, or forget them, give away margin on every window that has them.
Also check the size limits on each option. Some lift systems, motors and fabrics have a maximum width or height, and some products have a minimum billable size, so a very small blind is charged as if it were bigger. If you quote a size the factory can't build, you'll find out after the customer has signed.
Step 4: Install labor
Installation is where dealers differ most. Some include it in the multiplier, some show it as a line, some charge per window and others per job. Pick one, then make sure it covers what install costs you.
Example, with example numbers: you pay an installer $25 an hour for an 8-hour day ($200) and spend about $60 a day on the van and fuel. That's $260 a day. If an installer averages 12 windows a day, labor costs you about $21.67 a window. Charging $35 a window installed gives about a 38% margin on labor.
Shutters, motorized shades, drapery hardware and high windows take longer. Price them per unit or by the hour instead of using one flat rate for everything.
For context, homeowners often compare you with big-box stores, whose published installation prices change often. Look at what the stores in your area advertise before you set your own labor line, so you know what the customer may have seen before you arrived.
Step 5: Trip charges, haul-away and minimums
These small lines decide whether the small jobs make money.
- Trip charge: for a service call outside warranty, a return visit the customer caused, or a measure outside your normal area. Say it up front, on the quote.
- Removal and haul-away: taking down and disposing of old blinds takes time. A per-window charge is easy to explain.
- Job minimum: the lowest total you'll take a job for. It covers the drive, the measure, the order and the install visit, which cost about the same for one blind as for four.
- Manufacturer freight or handling: if your manufacturer bills shipping or handling per order, decide whether it's in your multiplier or on the quote.
The one-blind trap
Example: a customer wants one 23" × 36" faux wood blind for a bathroom. At list $180, a 0.40 factor and a 2.2 multiplier, it sells for $158.40. Add $35 to install and the job is $193.40. That pays for two trips (measure and install), an order and a blind. If your job minimum is $300, the quote is $300. If you don't have a minimum, you just worked a half day for very little.
A full example: six windows
Example numbers, not a real price list. Factor 0.40, multiplier 2.2, install $35 a window, haul-away $10 a window.
| Line | List | Your cost | Selling price | Qty | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2" faux wood, 36 × 60 | $420 | $168 | $369.60 | 4 | $1,478.40 |
| Cordless upcharge | $50 | $20 | $44.00 | 4 | $176.00 |
| Cellular shade, 48 × 60 | $510 | $204 | $448.80 | 2 | $897.60 |
| Top-down/bottom-up upcharge | $90 | $36 | $79.20 | 2 | $158.40 |
| Installation | $35.00 | 6 | $210.00 | ||
| Remove and haul away old blinds | $10.00 | 6 | $60.00 | ||
| Subtotal before tax | $2,980.40 |
Sales tax goes on top where your state charges it; rules on taxing installation differ by state, so check yours. Then take your deposit, often a percentage of the total.
Notice that the customer never sees the List or Your cost columns. Those are for you. The quote the customer signs shows the product, the size, the options and the selling price. The blinds quote template lays out what goes on it.
Mistakes that make a fair price unprofitable
- Quoting from memory: A rep who "knows" a blind is about $300 is guessing, and guesses drift down.
- Old price books: Manufacturers change list prices. When the book changes and your quote doesn't, the difference comes out of your margin.
- Discounting to close without a limit: Ten percent off at a 55% margin takes almost a fifth of your product profit. Set a cap.
- Forgetting upcharges in the home: If the rep has to remember to add top-down/bottom-up, sometimes they won't.
- No minimum: Small jobs lose money quietly until you add one.
How HeadRail prices from your price books
HeadRail loads your manufacturers' price lists during setup. Graber and Elegant price books and fabrics are built in; for Norman, ask us; for other lines, we'll tell you the setup time on the demo. You enter each manufacturer's factor (for Graber you can pick your tier to fill it in) and your markup as a multiplier or a margin. The owner setup guide shows the screens.
When a rep measures in the home, the price comes up as they type the size: your factor and markup, every upcharge, size limits and billing minimums, applied the same way on every window. A size that can't be made is flagged, never priced at zero. Reps see the selling price; only you see cost and margin. You set sales tax, the largest discount a rep can give, promotions, and your deposit percentage, and every room ends up on one proposal the customer signs before the rep leaves. The rep guide shows a visit from start to signature, and pricing lists the plans.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge to install blinds?
Work it out from what a day of installing costs you: installer pay plus vehicle and fuel, divided by the windows an installer finishes in a day. Then add your margin. In the example above, $260 a day over 12 windows is about $21.67 a window in cost, so $35 a window leaves room for profit. Charge more for shutters, motorized shades and hard-to-reach windows.
Should installation be included in the price of blinds?
Either way works if it covers your cost. Including it makes the quote simpler and avoids haggling over a labor line. Showing it separately makes your product price look closer to online prices and lets you charge more for harder installs. What matters is that the number on the quote pays for the install.
How much should I charge to replace blinds?
Price the new blinds as usual, then add a removal and haul-away charge for the old ones. Taking down old blinds, patching anchor holes and disposing of the product all take time, and a per-window line is easy for a customer to understand.
How much do custom blinds cost per window?
It depends on the product, size, options and the dealer's pricing, so there's no single number. A dealer's price comes from the manufacturer's list price for that size, the dealer's factor and markup, the options chosen, and installation.
What is a dealer factor?
It's the number a manufacturer gives a dealer to turn list price into the dealer's cost. A 0.40 factor means the dealer pays 40% of list. Factors vary by manufacturer and account, and some manufacturers group dealers into tiers with different factors.