CPFilms, Screwing the pooch?

[Guest Retro Tint]

I swear 60% of my customers say:

"I tried tinting my own windows once way back when..................Now I know better."

Like I said, Gila has been selling precut for years. Ebay has it all over the place. Best Buy project failed.

We have NOTHING to worry about.

[TINTZEUS]

I agree.

[pierce8468]

I swear 60% of my customers say:

"I tried tinting my own windows once way back when..................Now I know better."

Like I said, Gila has been selling precut for years. Ebay has it all over the place. Best Buy project failed.

We have NOTHING to worry about.

It is not so much the pre cut kits are going to seriously hurt us! It is like vclimber said, you add this with all the other aspects costing us money, and it adds up!

This is just another great example of how whored out the indusrty is getting. I think some of you guys in the smaller town's may not see it yet, but you will soon enough! Here is an example for you to ponder on. You have a shop in a town with only, one other tintshop in town, as your competition. You both charge x amount of $'s for a tint job. You have some young kid who does not want to pay you that amount, and finds the precut tint kits. He figures hey it is already cut I can do it myself. So he then comes on here and gets even more instuction on how to do it properly. He actualy does a halfway descent job on it! Not as good as you could have done, but not bad at all for a diyer. Then his buddy wants him to do his car, then another buddy, then another buddy, then another buddy, then another buddy. Well 3 out of those five, would have probably come to you. So you just lost three jobs over a matter of months. Then he just keeps doing friend after friends cars. All the while getting his help from this forum. Before you know it he is now doing a pretty good job tinting his friends cars. Then before you know it he is opening a shop, and is direct competition to you.

And it all started over one car, a precut kit and some advice given on tint dude. Now is it going to happen to everyone? I doubt that very much, but it can and probably will happen, to any one of us!

Now you also have to think what all of this will mean to our pricing. It is just common knowledge that supply and demand, set the prices on anything. So the more the supply the less the demand! The lower the prices! A good example of that is cali. I can get more per car then you can get per car here in pa, then you can get out in cali. Because the market is even more whored out, out there then it is here.

You have to look at the whole picture! $20 lost a week does not seem like alot, Untill you add it up over a years time. Then you see it is $1040 a year you lost. That is half a yearly insurance premium! now picture it bieng one entire job lost each week, then times that by 52. It all adds up to be more then your realizing!

So dont think about how many guys said I tried it before and never again. You need to think about how many have tried and succeded! How many of you on here started off doing your own car, then your friends cars. I am sure a handfull of you have!

My old boss is a perfect example of this. He started out 19 yrs ago doing his own car's then friends cars. Then he opened a shop, the only one around at the time, and made great money for a very long time. Now his tint business is falling off, because he has alot of competition. He has been on both sides of the fence, the diyer turned pro, now the pro losing money from competition!

[TintWizard]

A very insightful read pierce .. a hard argument to any disputers .

Hmmm... a catch 22.

I like sharing tips and techniques here ..learning as well as giving. What's a member to do

[TintWizard]

If we all become members that take when we need and not give , the site would be no longer. I guess I feel I personally don't feel the burden of competition for what my needs are and being established..perhaps because of this my judgement on how serious it is might be clouded

[Guest vclimber]

My old boss is a perfect example of this. He started out 19 yrs ago doing his own car's then friends cars.

That is pretty much how I started. Hey Pierce, did you ever work for me?

The only way you can get a DIY'er to go to a pro is to limit the quality of material he can get his or her hands on. If someone goes out and buys a 30-60K car, they are not likely to put Gila on it themselves. If there is a film on the market that is a must have but only pros can get it, then some of that Gila effect will go away. I know not all vehicles are 30-60k... But again, why just depend on your customer coming to you for an auto tint? What about getting the PPF job? Doing his or her house? Their business if they have one? The list goes on and on...

If you are mad enough about the PR on page 1 and you are worried about the future of your livelyhood then here is a list of actions you could do to change things that would include:

-Writing CP & Gila

-Writing CP Dealers

-Writing your suppliers

-Write the IWFA (Can't hurt! Probably won't help though )

-Not helping DIY'ers on chat boards or any other medium

-Educating your market through targeted marketing

-Aligning with companies that are dedicated to helping you grow your business

-Proving yourself as a whorthwhile investment to the abovementioned companies

-Diversifying your services

-Look for ways to changing with the changing marketplace

These are just a few things I could think of. There is probably a lot more. Point is, if your are going to complain about the problem then you'd better check and see if you are part of it and change some things if you don't want to be a casualty. Someone once told me that if you don't change what you are doing, then nothing will change for you.

[Guest darkdan]

This is just another great example of how whored out the indusrty is getting. I think some of you guys in the smaller town's may not see it yet, but you will soon enough! Here is an example for you to ponder on. You have a shop in a town with only, one other tintshop in town, as your competition. You both charge x amount of $'s for a tint job. You have some young kid who does not want to pay you that amount, and finds the precut tint kits. He figures hey it is already cut I can do it myself. So he then comes on here and gets even more instuction on how to do it properly. He actualy does a halfway descent job on it! Not as good as you could have done, but not bad at all for a diyer. Then his buddy wants him to do his car, then another buddy, then another buddy, then another buddy, then another buddy. Well 3 out of those five, would have probably come to you. So you just lost three jobs over a matter of months. Then he just keeps doing friend after friends cars. All the while getting his help from this forum. Before you know it he is now doing a pretty good job tinting his friends cars. Then before you know it he is opening a shop, and is direct competition to you.

That's how I got started!

OMG! I ruined the industry!

[pierce8468]

Tw it is a huge catch 22! The thing is though, this site is here for the tinters to learn not the diyer's. Now of course we cant keep them from reading and learning, from old post's, but we can, refrain from answering direct questions from them. When a post start's off with I am new to tinting, but I need to know blah blah blah. We can simply ignore them, and go onto to another post.

Vclimber I dont think writing to cp will change anything. It is thier business to sell film, and that is what they are going to do. Dont blame them business is business! I compltley agree that you must diverify your busniess, by doing ppf or what ever else. I dont care where you are located. If you stick with only auto tint, you will get hurt someday. There is too much competition coming into the indutry, these days to keep afloat. If you are only going to do auto tinting forever. You may be doing great now, but If one more shops opens up. You could find yourself in serious trouble.

Darkdan I am not saying you have ruined the industry by becoming a tinter, but be realistic. If you started out that way, what makes you think, nobody else near you will? How would you feel in a few years, ifyou found out that you have personaly help, your future competition learn?

Bottom line is the industry is getting whored out! It is not soley the fault of any one particular aspect. Such as pre cut kits, manu's selling to whom ever, diyers going full time. It is a combination of numerous things, that have caused it. Hell maybe we should all just drive pinto's to keep, people from seeing the money that can be made, tinting windows

I can honestly say I am very impressed with this thread! This has been a very touchy subject, and has not turned into a p1ss1ng match! I am honestly impressed with all the members wh have responded, on either side of the argument

[TintWizard]

I can honestly say I am very impressed with this thread! This has been a very touchy subject, and has not turned into a p1ss1ng match! I am honestly impressed with all the members wh have responded, on either side of the argument

Yeah I'll that

[Guest dan-mark]

dan-mark "dont think you can compare tintin to other trades."

As for your prior post, I was just trying to expand on the thought.

hey dude . I think your right...I contradicted my earlier point:thumb