How to Price Window Tinting Jobs in Australia So You Don't Undersell
The exact pricing system Alex Harry teaches 620+ students. Home garage vs shop psychology, real profit margins per job, how to handle cheap quote objections, and exactly when to raise your prices.
There Are Two Completely Different Pricing Models in Australia
Before you put a single price on your listing, you need to understand this. The way a home-based tinter prices their work and the way a shop prices their work are completely different — different psychology, different structure, different upsell logic. If you try to run a home-based business using shop pricing, you will lose customers. If you charge home prices from a shop, you will lose money.
Here is exactly how each model works — and which one applies to you.
Customers coming to a home garage already know they are going to pay less than a shop. That is why they are coming to you. Their mental model is simple: smaller car = less money.
So your pricing reflects that logic. You start with a size-based price, then offer two or three film options — carbon, ceramic, nano ceramic — and let them choose their quality level and budget.
This is clean, simple and easy for the customer to understand. It is also easy for you to explain in a 3-message Facebook conversation.
Shops start at a flat rate — usually $295 regardless of car size — and upsell through film brand. They stock 5-6 different brands at different price points and walk the customer up the ladder.
SunTek carbon at the entry level. XPEL or Avery ceramic in the mid range. Premium nano ceramic at the top. Same car, same size, price goes from $295 to $1,500 depending purely on which film the customer chooses.
This model requires a showroom, film samples and brand relationships. It is not where you start — it is where you end up after years of building.
"Customers coming to your home garage are not comparing you to a shop. They are comparing you to the other home-based tinters on Facebook Marketplace. Your competition is not the shop on the main road — it is the guy two suburbs over with worse photos and lower quality film. Price accordingly."
— Alex Harry · Founder, Window Tint Skool · 14 years · Adelaide, SAThe Complete Home-Based Pricing Table
These are the starting prices Alex Harry teaches all new students running home-based or mobile operations in Adelaide. Prices for other states are covered in the state-by-state section below — Sydney, Brisbane and Perth command significantly higher rates.
| Vehicle Type | Carbon Film | Ceramic Film | Nano Ceramic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchback (Swift, Getz, i20) | $250 | $320 | $350 | 3–4 hrs for new tinters |
| Sedan (Camry, Corolla, Mazda 3) | $300 | $370 | $400 | 4–5 hrs starting out |
| SUV / 4WD (Prado, Pajero, RAV4) | $350 | $420 | $450 | More glass = more time |
| Commercial Van (Transit, Sprinter) | $500 | $600 | — | Allow full day |
| Passenger Van / Taxi (HiAce, Carnival) | $550 | $650 | — | All-round windows, most work |
| Tint Removal — 2 windows | $50–$60 ($30 per window) | Remove + install included | ||
| Tint Removal — Full car | $100 | Before new film install | ||
| Tint Removal — Large Van | $150 | More surface area | ||
| These are Adelaide/Melbourne starting prices. Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Gold Coast prices are 30–50% higher. See state breakdown below. | ||||
How the Upsell Works — The 3-Option Structure
Every job has three options. You present all three, explain the difference simply, and let the customer choose. You never push — you just inform. Most customers choose the middle option. A significant number choose ceramic once you explain the heat difference.
- Carbon Film — The Entry OptionReduces heat by 50%. Lasts up to 10 years with warranty. This is the base price. It is a good product — not a cheap one. Do not apologise for it.
- Ceramic Film — The Popular ChoiceReduces heat by 70%. Lasts 10–15+ years. Most customers choose this once they hear the heat reduction difference. The price jump from carbon to ceramic is $50–$70 — small for the customer, significant for your margin.
- Nano Ceramic — The Premium OptionMaximum heat rejection and clarity. Lasts 15–20+ years. Not every customer goes here — but when they do, your margin on the job is exceptional. Offer it. Let them decide.
The Profit Maths Nobody Else Shows You
Here is the number that changes how people think about pricing. Your film cost on any job should be no more than 10% of what you charge the customer. That is the rule. Here is what that looks like in practice.
A roll of BlackHammer window film — 100cm wide, 30 metres long — costs around $200 wholesale. One set of rolls (35% VLT + 20% VLT) covers 12 to 13 full cars. That works out to roughly $15–30 in film per car depending on size. When you charge $250 for a hatchback, your film cost is $25. You keep $225. That is a 90% profit margin.
Four cars on a Saturday. Two hatchbacks and two sedans. $1,100 in your account before lunch. Film cost: $120. Everything else is yours. That is the actual economics of a correctly priced window tinting business — and it only works if you hold your price.
"The rule is simple. Your film cost should be 10% of what you charge. If you are charging $250, your film cost should be $25. If your film cost is eating 30 or 40% of your revenue, you are either buying the wrong film or pricing too low. Fix one of those two things."
— Alex Harry · Window Tint Skool · From the Business Launch SystemWhen They Say "I Got a Cheaper Quote"
This is the message that makes new tinters panic and drop their price. Here is the truth: if the customer genuinely had a cheaper option, they would have already booked it. They are messaging you because something about your listing — your photos, your reviews, your professionalism — made them want to go with you. They are not telling you the truth. They are negotiating.
Here is exactly what Alex Harry teaches students to say:
"Okay I can do it for $200 then""I don't want to lose the job so I'll match whatever they say. Even if I'm barely making anything from it."
"Look — $250 is what I do. If you have a cheaper option at $180, go with them.""Because cheaper always means Chinese film. That bubbles and fades in six months. Good luck with that. My price is my price."
You are not being rude. You are being honest. And here is what almost always happens — the customer comes back and books at your price. Because they know you are right. The $180 quote is cheap film from someone who does not care about the quality of their work. They came to you for a reason. Hold the price.
"A customer who haggles your price before the job has even started will find something to complain about after the job is done. The customer who pays your price without question is the one who leaves you a five-star review. Protect your pricing and you protect the quality of your customer base."
— Alex Harry · Window Tint Skool · Adelaide, SAWhen to Raise Your Prices — The Summer Rule
New tinters ask this constantly — when do I put my prices up? The answer is not after a certain number of jobs or a certain number of reviews. The answer is simpler than that. You raise your prices when demand exceeds your capacity. In Australia, that happens every summer.
When the heat hits and your Facebook Marketplace listing is generating 10, 20, 50 messages a day — that is your signal. You cannot do all those jobs. So you raise your price and let the price do the filtering for you. The customers who book at the higher price are the right customers. The ones who disappear were never going to be worth the trouble.
The Price Raising Checklist
- You are getting 10+ enquiries per day on FacebookThis is the clearest signal. More enquiries than you can handle means your price is too low for the demand level. Raise it $30–$50 across all vehicle types and see if bookings hold.
- Summer has arrived in your stateNovember through March in most of Australia. This is when every car owner suddenly notices how hot their car is. Demand spikes. This is your window to raise prices without losing volume.
- You have 10+ Google reviewsSocial proof gives you pricing power. A business with 15 five-star reviews can charge more than one with none. Build the reviews first, then raise the price.
- Someone haggles you during busy seasonIn quiet season, consider it. In busy season, do not waste time. If someone tries to negotiate your price when your calendar is full, they are not your customer. Move on.
What the Market Pays In Your State
Pricing is not the same across Australia. Where you are located directly affects what the market will pay — and in some states, you can charge significantly more than the Adelaide baseline for the exact same job. Here is the state-by-state breakdown based on real market rates in 2026.
If you are in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Gold Coast, Canberra or Tasmania — do not price at Adelaide rates. Your market will pay more. Start at $350 for a hatchback minimum and go from there. The demand is there and the competition is thinner than you think.
For detailed city-by-city pricing breakdowns including what shops charge and what customers actually pay, see our Australian Window Tinting Price Guide.
Tint Removal and Mobile Pricing
Tint Removal Pricing
Old tint has to come off before new film goes on. This is additional work and it needs to be charged for. Here is the removal pricing structure:
Always quote removal separately — do not bundle it into your tinting price. It is a distinct service that takes additional time and effort. When a customer books a full tint and removal, they pay both. That is a $350+ job on a hatchback before film type is even discussed.
Mobile Pricing
If you are going to the customer's location rather than them coming to you — charge the same price as your home garage rate. In theory you could add a travel surcharge, but in practice most Australian customers will not pay extra for mobile service when home-based tinters are available at standard prices. The advantage of mobile is volume and convenience for the customer — not a higher rate per job.
The exception is commercial and fleet work, where you are travelling to a dealership or business with multiple cars. That is a different conversation — covered in the wholesale section below.
The Wholesale Model — $200 Per Car, 3–5 Cars Daily
Once you have your skill dialled in and you are comfortable tinting efficiently, there is a second business model worth understanding. It pays less per car — but it eliminates marketing completely and gives you guaranteed volume every single day.
Partner With a Secondhand Car Dealer or Accessories Shop
Secondhand car dealers tint every car on their lot before they sell it. Accessories shops get tinting enquiries every day that they cannot fulfil themselves. Both of these businesses need a reliable tinter they can call on consistently.
The arrangement works like this: they bring you the cars, you bring your film and tools, you use their space, their electricity, their customer base. You tint 3 to 5 cars per day at a wholesale rate of around $200 per car including your film cost.
At $200 per car with roughly $25 in film cost, you keep $175 profit per car. Five cars a day is $875 in your pocket — every single day — without posting a single Facebook ad, managing a single booking, or chasing a single customer.
This model is perfect if marketing is not your strength or you prefer to focus purely on the craft. It is also an excellent way to build volume and speed in your early months — tinting 5 cars a day in someone else's garage makes you a significantly better tinter than doing 2 cars a week from home.
The trade-off: you earn less per car and you are dependent on one client relationship. The smart move is to run both — wholesale contracts for guaranteed daily volume, retail home-based jobs for the higher margin work. We will cover the full dealer partnership strategy in a dedicated article.
Pricing Questions New Tinters Always Ask
Everything Else You Need to Build Your Business
A Skill That Pays $3,000 Every Week.
The pricing system. The Facebook strategy. The full tinting technique. The business launch system. It is all inside Window Tint Skool — one course, lifetime access.
One hatchback job = $225 profit after film cost. You break even on the course after a single car. Every job after that is pure profit from a skill you own forever.