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Self-service, drop-off, full service or delivery: pricing each fairly
By the Labahan team · October 18, 2026 · 4 min read
“Magkano po ang laba?” sounds like one question, but the answer depends on which service the customer wants. Self-service, drop-off, full service and pickup and delivery each cost you differently, so each needs its own price.
The four main service types
| What it includes | Who it suits | Price should cover | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-service | Customer uses the washer and dryer; you supply the machine, maybe detergent | Students, boarders, people who want it cheap and fast | Machine time, power, water, rent share |
| Drop-off (wash-dry-fold) | You wash, dry, fold and bag; detergent and fabcon included | Busy workers and families | Supplies, staff time for handling and folding, rent share |
| Full service (add-ons) | Soaking, hand wash, stain removal, pressing, on top of wash-dry-fold | Uniforms, office wear, delicate or stained items | Extra staff minutes and extra supplies per item |
| Pickup and delivery | Any of the above, collected and returned by a rider | Customers with no time or no car, offices, small businesses | Rider pay, fuel, time per trip |
A shop can offer all four. The mistake is charging all four the same way.
Self-service
The customer does the work, so your cost is mostly the machine: power, water, wear and tear, and your share of rent. Price per cycle (wash only, dry only), and sell detergent and fabcon separately. Self-service is a good way to use machines during quiet hours, but watch that it doesn’t block machines you need for drop-off loads at busy times. See how many loads your shop can do a day.
Drop-off: wash, dry, fold
This is the main service for most Philippine laundry shops. You take on the work and the responsibility: every item comes back clean, dry, folded and in the right bag. Price per load with a weight limit (for example, “up to 8 kg”) and a clear charge per extra kilo. The basis is your cost per load, plus a profit. Weigh every load so the limit means something.
Full service and add-ons
Soaking, hand washing, stain removal and pressing take staff time that a machine can’t do. Price each add-on from the minutes it takes and the supplies it uses:
Example: pressing takes 15 minutes, a staff hour costs you ₱80 (use your own figure, including contributions), so ₱20 of labour + ₱5 of power and starch = ₱25 cost. A price of ₱40 leaves ₱15 profit.
Charge per piece for pressing and hand washing, and quote stain removal before you start, with a clear note that some stains won’t come out. Write the add-on on the stub so there is no argument at release.
Pickup and delivery
Delivery is a real service with real costs: a rider’s time, fuel and the trip itself, often two trips per order (pick up, then return). Customers who want delivery usually value their time more than a few pesos, so you can charge for it fairly.
An example price build
Here is how one 8 kg wash-dry-fold load with pickup and delivery might be priced, using the figures from our cost per load example and an example rider cost of ₱40 per trip.
You can show this as ₱180 + ₱80 delivery, or as one delivered price. Either way, the ₱80 has to be paid by someone.
Why “free” pickup must be built into the price
“Free pickup and delivery” is a popular promise, but the rider is never free. Using the same example figures:
| Example month | Amount |
|---|---|
| Delivery orders | 300 |
| Profit from those loads (300 × ₱53) | ₱15,900 |
| Rider cost if delivery is “free” (300 × ₱80) | ₱24,000 |
| Result on delivery orders | −₱8,100 |
In this example, every delivered load loses money. If you want to advertise “free delivery”, build it into a higher load price, set a minimum order (for example, two loads or more), or limit it to a small area close to the shop. Otherwise, charge a clear delivery fee by distance.
Tips for offering more than one service
- Keep each service on its own line of your price list, with what’s included.
- Train staff to offer add-ons at drop-off, not after the work is done.
- Review prices when costs change: power, detergent or fuel.
- Don’t add services you can’t deliver well. One service done reliably is worth more than four done badly. See questions to ask before opening.
How Labahan helps
In Labahan Manager, you set each service and add-on with its price once (per kilo or per piece), plus express, so every staff member charges the same. Washer and dryer timers help you keep machines moving for self-service and drop-off alike. Customers can book through your booking link on every plan, and on Pro, pickup and delivery orders get map pins and directions you can send to your rider.
