How to Price Boutique Stitching Without Losing Money

Many boutiques set their stitching charges by looking at the shop next door. That is how a busy month can still end with no money left. This article gives you a simple method to work out a price that covers your real costs, so every order earns something.

Why copying the next shop does not work

The shop next door may pay less rent, have family members working for free, or be losing money without knowing it. Its price tells you what customers in your area are used to paying. It does not tell you what your work costs. Use it as a check at the end, not as the starting point.

The four parts of a stitching price

• Material. Lining, thread, hooks, zips, piping, lace, padding and anything else you supply. Customers often forget these exist.
• Time. Cutting, stitching, finishing, ironing and the trial fitting. Time it once with a clock instead of guessing.
• Shop costs. Rent, electricity, machine repairs, staff salary, phone and internet, spread across the pieces you make in a month.
• Profit. What is left for you and for growing the business. If this part is zero, you are working for free.

Step 1: Find your cost per hour

Add up everything the shop spends in a month, including your own salary, the amount you need to take home. Then divide by the hours your team actually stitches in that month, not the hours the shop is open.

Step 2: Time each item once

Pick your most common items and time each one from cutting to final ironing, including the trial fitting. Write the minutes down. A simple blouse and a princess-cut blouse with lining and hooks are very different jobs, so price them separately.

Step 3: Put it together

Price = material + (hours × cost per hour) + profit.

These are example numbers to show the method, not a rate card. Your rent, wages and time will give different prices.

Step 4: Check against your area

Now compare with what nearby shops charge. If your price is much higher, look at where the time goes: maybe cutting can be faster, or one fitting can be enough. If your price is much lower, you have room to raise it. Do not drop below your own cost to match someone else.

Charges you should add on top

• Urgent delivery. Orders needed in one or two days push other work back. Charge extra for that, many shops add 30 to 50 percent.
• Extra work. Embroidery, aari work, piping, tassels, padding and designer necks take time. List them separately so the customer sees why.
• Alterations on clothes from elsewhere. Price them by time like any other job.
• Advance. Take an advance with every order. It covers your material if the customer never comes back.

Show a clear price list

Put the main prices on a board in the shop and on your WhatsApp catalogue. Customers trust a shop that shows its rates, and your staff stop giving different prices to different people. Review the list every six months, or whenever rent or wages go up.

A note on GST

Stitching is a service. A business usually has to register for GST once its yearly turnover crosses ₹20 lakh (₹10 lakh in some states), and then add GST to the bill. The rules change, so check with your accountant or the GST portal before you print a new price list.

Once your prices are steady, the next step is getting more orders at those prices. Our guide to Instagram and WhatsApp marketing for boutiques shows a simple weekly plan.