If you have a part-time stringing business (stringing for others), What is your labor rate, and who are your current customers and what would be your optimal customer(desired customer) ? or are they the same.

I am excited for this community, 20 members strong after 1 week in action! We have just 5 days left in February. The person on the top of the leaderboard on March 1 wins the giveaway for February. -Patrick

Part-time stringers sometimes have to rely on retailers to purchase strings. I would ask each about wholesale pricing and discounts for part-time stringers. Here is the top 7 that I know of in the USA. Let me know if you have other favorites in the US. I also know that Solinco, Alpha, Unique and Gamma also cater to stringers and offer discounts to stringers. If you are a member of the USRSA that also can get you some discounts. - Tennis Warehouse – A premier online tennis retailer known for its massive selection of strings, ranging from natural gut to polyester, from all the top brands. Tennis Warehouse offers free 2-day shipping on orders over $50 in the contiguous U.S.​ - Tennis Express – Another top online store with a huge assortment of tennis strings (Babolat, Wilson, Luxilon, Yonex, and more) for every style of play. Tennis Express provides free shipping on orders over $50​ - Midwest Sports (Tennis-Point USA) – A long-standing tennis retailer (recently rebranded under the Tennis-Point umbrella) with a wide variety of strings for power, control, and durability from top brands like Babolat, Wilson, and Yonex​ - Holabird Sports – A family-owned sporting goods store (founded in 1981) that has a strong tennis focus. Holabird carries an extensive selection of strings (over 350 string products listed) from the biggest brands in tennis​ - Tennis Plaza – A full-service tennis specialty retailer based in Florida (serving players since 1990). Tennis Plaza offers a world-class selection of strings and equipment and provides value-added services both online and in-store. Notably, they offer same-day racquet stringing, custom racquet tuning, and a demo program for trying out gear​ - Do It Tennis – A smaller, family-owned tennis shop (est. 1990) that has grown into a reputable online store. Do It Tennis carries a wide array of strings and gear – racquets, strings, grips, bags and more – from popular brands like Babolat and Gamma​ - Fromuth Tennis – Fromuth is a go-to retailer especially famed for its huge selection of tennis strings. Originally a distributor for pro shops and stringers, Fromuth now sells directly to the public, offering strings not just for tennis but also for racquetball, squash, etc.​

You may have heard that Solinco just released Mach 10. with lots of hype! Solinco's "Big Three" co-polyester strings—Confidential, Hyper-G, and Tour Bite—have been pivotal in establishing the brand's strong reputation across all levels of tennis, from amateur club players to professionals. Leveraging the best attributes and insights gained from these popular strings, Solinco developed the Mach-10 after four years of extensive research and numerous prototypes. This new string features an innovative composition that enhances ball speed and offers a more rewarding, forgiving feel with deeper pocketing upon impact. The Mach-10 incorporates CloudForm technology, a unique chemical formula that: 1. significantly improves tension maintenance 2. providing a consistent play experience 3. reducing the need for frequent restringing. This technology addresses the common issue of tension loss in polyester strings, promising enhanced control and prolonged playability while still being easier on the arm. comes in light blue 16/1.30mm | 16L/ 1.25mm | 17mm/1.20 | 18 / 1.15mm

Like the saying goes, "you don't know what you don't know" and if you already have a machine and know what features you might want in your next machine than that is a good starting point. If on the other hand you are looking for your first stringing machine or don't know all the features that are actually available and what benefit they might have than I have a simple starting place for you. I created a simple google doc with many of the features that machines have and this might be a good place for you to start. It's a designed to get you thinking about the features that are available and do some research from there.