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New guy in the block in Col. OH seeking advice

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TintMania

TintMania

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Hello fellas,

 

New guy in Tinters block reaching out from Columbus OH.  Have done some research, looked around, called around.   But looks like this circle is pretty tightly cherished... and might be for good reasons.  I've been seriously contemplating doing window tinting, I actually work on cars in my garage (no business, no advertising, just word of mouth) and have often been asked if I can do window tinting, to which I had to say no.  Finally the curiosity got to me and thought it might be worth the shot and by the looks of it it might be a good decision.   Not looking to dive into it as a business yet, but I don't see why it wouldn't be a long term goal.  At this moment my goal is to practice on my own cars and grab some friends' as guinea pigs.

 

However, I have struggled quite A LOT when it came to sourcing film!  I'm sure you've heard this before LOL.   I've given up (just for now!) on the big boys 3M and Llumar, then I started looking into the other brands, and the options are like the tree that keeps on giving.  So my questions are here, please help:

 

- Would you consider e.bays window tint sales a reliable source to buy film? As tightly as the supply chain is, I had a hard time figuring out if ebay tints are legit.

- Other brands that I had just recently been researching (here at T.D. and online) are Suntek Ceramic series, Solar CarbonFX and UltraFX series.   Haven't yet found out whether having a business license is necessary to buy these films, would someone know?  Are these recommended films to start with while being able to offer a good customer experience?

- I've read a couple of posts regarding pricing window tint services and I completely agree that "coming low just to get started" is not a good idea.  Like I said I work on cars on the side, nothing heavy at all, but I'm not that far from what mom-n-pop shop's labor charge is (ironically I can't quite mark up parts since I don't have commercial accounts but again I don't that for a living).    Does it justify charging somewhat close to my area's tinting market amid my lack of experience?   How would you approach this?

 

I honestly don't know that I want to go through the trouble of setting up a business entity right at this moment since I don't even have the hands-on experience , much less know how my tinting experience will turn out.  Nonetheless, I am putting in some serious research time and for some reason I can't seem to want to look back.  Your thoughts on the above will be greatly appreciated!!

 

May the Tint be with you!

Thank you.

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quality tintz

quality tintz

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Posted
20 hours ago, TintMania said:

Hello fellas,

 

New guy in Tinters block reaching out from Columbus OH.  Have done some research, looked around, called around.   But looks like this circle is pretty tightly cherished... and might be for good reasons.  I've been seriously contemplating doing window tinting, I actually work on cars in my garage (no business, no advertising, just word of mouth) and have often been asked if I can do window tinting, to which I had to say no.  Finally the curiosity got to me and thought it might be worth the shot and by the looks of it it might be a good decision.   Not looking to dive into it as a business yet, but I don't see why it wouldn't be a long term goal.  At this moment my goal is to practice on my own cars and grab some friends' as guinea pigs.

 

However, I have struggled quite A LOT when it came to sourcing film!  I'm sure you've heard this before LOL.   I've given up (just for now!) on the big boys 3M and Llumar, then I started looking into the other brands, and the options are like the tree that keeps on giving.  So my questions are here, please help:

 

- Would you consider e.bays window tint sales a reliable source to buy film? As tightly as the supply chain is, I had a hard time figuring out if ebay tints are legit.

- Other brands that I had just recently been researching (here at T.D. and online) are Suntek Ceramic series, Solar CarbonFX and UltraFX series.   Haven't yet found out whether having a business license is necessary to buy these films, would someone know?  Are these recommended films to start with while being able to offer a good customer experience?

- I've read a couple of posts regarding pricing window tint services and I completely agree that "coming low just to get started" is not a good idea.  Like I said I work on cars on the side, nothing heavy at all, but I'm not that far from what mom-n-pop shop's labor charge is (ironically I can't quite mark up parts since I don't have commercial accounts but again I don't that for a living).    Does it justify charging somewhat close to my area's tinting market amid my lack of experience?   How would you approach this?

 

I honestly don't know that I want to go through the trouble of setting up a business entity right at this moment since I don't even have the hands-on experience , much less know how my tinting experience will turn out.  Nonetheless, I am putting in some serious research time and for some reason I can't seem to want to look back.  Your thoughts on the above will be greatly appreciated!!

 

May the Tint be with you!

Thank you.

Practice practice practice good films are easier to work with....thats the first step is good film and master tint skills before anything it's not easy but if you work hard in practice you will get it solar fx for sure good films 

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TintMania

TintMania

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4 hours ago, quality tintz said:

Practice practice practice good films are easier to work with....thats the first step is good film and master tint skills before anything it's not easy but if you work hard in practice you will get it solar fx for sure good films 

Thank you!  Any thoughts on Suntek?  

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Sunbreakers

Sunbreakers

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You can do some research on Suntek here on the site and get mixed opinions. From what I understand the Carbon series is about 4 years before a guaranteed failure. There are many other horror stories. I would look at Solar Fx as others have mentioned.. You can message @whitehog and he can take care of you for that. Another option is one of the sponsors, Express Window Films, which you can access by clicking on banner at the top of the page or in the window film section. Solar Fx is a great film from what I have seen and Express has a great variety and price point. Hope this helps. 

 

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