aquaoren
Contributor
No offence but this is a poor comparisation.jonnythan:Hm. I think charging a reasonable amount for your services is reasonable. Trying to tack on extra profit by charging *un*reasonable amounts for drugs or parts is not cool.
I do computer work, including occasional jobs where I will, say, build a system for a small company or individual. I will charge an appropriate amount of money for my time and expertise.. but if I'm building a computer or installing a new video card, I won't mark up the prices for parts an unreasonable amount. I'm already getting paid for my services.
Let me ask you how much do you have to spent to get your business started? What equipment do you need and how cost intensive is it? Lets not forget that you do mark up the parts as well
Let me tell you about my cost before I'm able to open the door at all and earn a cent.
I need an x-ray machine and machines to develope those x-rays, chemicals for developement and discarding those chemicals as hazardous waste(!!!). It would be roughly $50000. I need an Operation room that is equiped with a surgical table, lights, anaesthesia machine and of course instruments to perform the surgery (~$50000-100000)...... Should I continue or would it be enough saying that before I can earn a cent I have to put in around $500000-1000000 to open the doors of my business.
So, after knowing all this lets go back to the expression:"reasonable mark up" and discuss whether what you consider a reasonable mark up in your profession would still be reasonable in mine Would I be able to sustain a business and continue employing people with the mark up you'd consider reasonable, when you don't have the same daily cost as I would?