If you hired a professional organizer - did they upcharge

amother

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 8:05 am

The containers they used? I wasn’t expecting it, maybe I should’ve asked before but I feel dumb to ask her now after the fact.
She gave a break down of cost per item and it’s about 20 percent more than Amazon - where I know she got them from since she left me all the empty boxes to recycle with my recycling garbage. It added up to about $75 more - I would’ve liked if she would tell me that before!

amother

Rose

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 8:17 am

She should've really given you the option to get them yourself, or it'll be extra if she sources them for you.
Did she give you an overall price and say containers were included? If thats the case then it seems ok for her to charge more for her time, and laying out her money for them.

amother

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 8:22 am

amother Rose wrote:

No she gave a separate containers price

amother

Eggplant

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 8:22 am

Yeah it makes sense to charge you for the time to figure out the sizes and order. I know many give you the option to get the stuff yourself.

amother

Currant

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 8:31 am

sounds strange to make a profit off the containers. Is she selling containers or an organizer? She's already charging for her time to organize. Buying the right size containers is part of her job.

amother

Vanilla

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 8:51 am

it depends how much she charges for her service.
the person that quoted me $750 for consult + $250 an hour, doesnt uncharge the containers. lol

amother

Yarrow

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 8:59 am

Of course they charge on everything. They are out to make money. They will make money in their time and also on the containers. Usually they own all the sizes and then just take from their Car the size you
Need. The same way party planners charge you
Full price for items they get a discount on they don’t pass the savings on to you

amother

Mint

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:14 am

My organizer charged me exact price for bins but she told me she charges for the time she spends searching online for the right bins etc..

amother

Currant

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:28 am

amother Mint wrote:

My organizer charged me exact price for bins but she told me she charges for the time she spends searching online for the right bins etc..

I can hear that however, someone in the field shouldn't 'spend time' searching for bins. If they know their field and have experience then they should know what they need. In a few minutes they should 'find' all the bins needed.

amother

Currant

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:30 am

amother Yarrow wrote:

that's ok. they don't have to sell it to customer for the wholesale price. But charging more than the retail price seems unfair to me.

amother

Eggplant

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:33 am

amother Currant wrote:

Firstly it’s still time and they have an hourly rate in their head. And figuring out the best situation for each person does take time. Regardless of how many times you do it. Unless you mean you don’t want a custom experience and would prefer the same exact bins dumped on everyone.

amother

Purple

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:33 am

Mine sent me links to purchase and charged me per hour finding the items to use (the first half hour or hour she didn't charge for). I thought that was very fair!
It sounds like you didn't pay more than I did based on research per hour.
While I enjoyed buying/returning, you didn't have the headache of items coming to the house and boxes piling up!

amother

Purple

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:34 am

amother Currant wrote:

Disagree. I don't want an always used container that hangs out just an inch too much for my specific closet.

amother

Diamond

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:37 am

Am I the only one that thinks there is nothing wrong with what she did and it’s expected
She only added 20% for the convenience of knowing exactly what you need and which system would work best for you
Totally reasonable and expected
A dr foes charge you for his expertise
If he needs to put in a pace maker do you think they give you cost price. And that’s something that is a necessity

amother

Eggplant

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:39 am

amother Diamond wrote:

You can see from responses you aren’t the only one

amother

Mint

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:40 am

amother Currant wrote:

Wow you’re so right! She’s doing it for many years, but I’ve been feeling unsure about how she “knows” her stuff.

amother

Currant

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:41 am

amother Eggplant wrote:

amother Purple wrote:

Disagree. I don't want an always used container that hangs out just an inch too much for my specific closet.

Someone with experience doesn't have just 1 bin that she purchased in the past.

I work in a similar field. Experience cuts the time to search for items.
An experienced organizer sees a closet and knows what to look for or what to re-order. It is still time, that I agree on. But how much time?

mikayla18

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:42 am

If you use a party planner, they charge you an upcharge on staff, equipment etc. A makeup person charges for her makeup. A plumber upcharges for every tool and bolt. Why should an organizer be different? Just cuz you don't KNOW? If you want it cheapest, do it yourself. Or do research beforehand

amother

Currant

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:44 am

amother Mint wrote:

Wow you’re so right! She’s doing it for many years, but I’ve been feeling unsure about how she “knows” her stuff.

Is the end result satisfying? does it look right on the shelf AND functional?

amother

Mintcream

Mon, Jan 30 2023, 9:44 am

They charge for time shopping not only containers

When I used organizer I asked for ideas of what to get and ran some things by her and ordered myself. So she wasn’t looking and looking for exactly what I wanted but was able to just say “this one” on WhatsApp when I gave her 3 choices.