Custom signs sell on the name, the date, the family joke, and the maker's pricing problem is that every order is a little different while the price list can't be. The answer is size tiers: recipes that fix the material math per size, leaving personalization as the premium on top.
The cost of a 12-inch sign
- Pine board (1.1 bd-ft): about $3.85
- Paint + sealer: about $0.75
- Hanging hardware: about $0.45
- Protective wrap: about $0.55
$5.60 in materials. $32 retail is an 83% margin before design and paint time. The 24-inch version runs about $11.40 in materials and ships like furniture; its price should scale accordingly (most sign makers ladder $32 / $48 / $68 across three tiers).
Personalization is why they're here
A stock quote-board competes with big-box decor; "The Hendersons, est. 2019" competes with nothing. Custom text is skilled layout and paint time. Price the tier plus a personalization premium, and treat fully bespoke designs as commissions with their own design-time quote.
Shipping is a size tier too
- Oversize boxes and dimensional-weight pricing hit big signs hard; cost the shipping per tier before setting a flat rate
- Local pickup and market sales dodge the problem: many sign makers price big tiers for local and let shipping-included listings carry a visible premium
- Wrap and corner protection are materials: a damaged sign refund erases ten wraps' worth of savings
Sign pricing mistakes to avoid
- One price across sizes: board, paint and postage all scale
- Free personalization: the name is the product
- Flat-rate shipping on the 24-inch tier: dimensional weight will find you
- Quoting bespoke designs at tier prices: new layouts are design work, bill them
Tiered recipes, custom premiums, honest shipping: Keepsel for sign makers keeps a recipe and true cost for each size, so a custom order quotes in minutes. Check your tier ladder in the free pricing calculator.