How to set stitching charges and a price list that makes a profit
How tailors can price blouse stitching and custom work — costing each garment, add-ons like lining and piping, urgent charges and a clear rate card.
VirtueTailor3 min read
The short answer
Price each garment from what it really costs: the tailor's pay for that piece, any hand work, materials like lining and hooks, a share of rent and power, and the profit you want. Charge add-ons — lining, piping, padding, hand work, urgent delivery — as separate lines, so the base price stays simple and nothing extra is done for free. Then write it all into one rate card the counter always uses.
Busy every day, little left at month end
Prices set by matching the shop next door, extras added for free to keep a customer happy, urgent orders taken at the normal rate. The workroom is full; the margin is not.
A rate card built from real costs
- Cost each garment once
- Add-ons priced as their own lines
- An urgent charge, every time
- The same price at every counter
- Advance taken on every order
- Monthly check on what earns most
Work out what one garment costs you
Take your most common garment — usually a lined blouse — and add up what goes into one piece. The numbers below are only an example; use your own.
| Cost | Example | How to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Tailor's pay for the piece | ₹180 | Piece rate, or monthly salary ÷ pieces made in a month |
| Cutting and finishing | ₹60 | The same way, for the cutter and finisher |
| Materials | ₹50 | Hooks, thread, canvas, any lining the shop gives |
| Shop overheads | ₹90 | Rent + power + other costs ÷ garments in a month |
| Cost of one blouse | ₹380 | |
| Price with margin | ₹550–650 | Cost plus the profit you want, checked against your area |
Charge extras as separate lines
- Lining — when the shop provides it.
- Piping, tassels, latkans, padding.
- Neck designs and patterns beyond the basic cut.
- Hand work — maggam, aari, zardosi — priced by design, not by guess.
- Urgent delivery — a fixed extra for anything sooner than your normal days.
- Alterations on garments you did not stitch.
Separate lines keep the base price easy to say at the counter and show the customer exactly what she chose. They also make it hard to forget an extra on a busy evening.
Make the rate card the only price
A price list on the wall does not help if each person at the counter quotes differently. Put garment prices and extras in the software, so every order is priced the same way. In VirtueTailor each garment can carry several priced lines — the stitching, the lining, the hand work — and an order can be marked urgent. The bill adds them up and shows the advance and balance; GST is added when the shop is registered. See tailor billing software.
Always take an advance
An advance covers the materials and makes a customer much more likely to come back for the garment. Take it on every custom order and record it on the order, so the balance at hand-over is never a guess. More in advance and balance tracking.
Check your prices every few months
Look at which garments bring the most money and which take the most time. If a design takes twice as long and earns the same, raise its price or stop offering it. Reports on sales and profit make that a five-minute check instead of a guess.
Questions
How do I calculate stitching charges?
Add the tailor's pay for the piece, cutting and finishing, materials and a share of rent and power. That is your cost. Add the profit you want and check it against what shops in your area charge.
Should I charge extra for lining and urgent orders?
Yes. Lining, piping, hand work and urgent delivery all cost the shop more. Price them as separate lines so they are never done for free.
How do I keep prices the same across my staff?
Keep the rate card in your software and price every order from it. In VirtueTailor every order is priced line by line, and the bill shows the customer exactly what she is paying for.
Try it in your own shop
Free to start. Our team will help you bring your customers and measurements in.