Why is it so expensive? There are a number of factors that can make it expensive.
The film itself cost A LOT. When installing, sometimes a piece must be thrown away because of bad debris or maybe an installation error(which is not uncommon as difficult as it is to work with).
The learning curve is very steep and expensive. To get "good"(not great or better than good) work, takes about 3 years of installing. It's not a quick process and a lot goes into training. With this said, not many people make the cut and beyond that, most do not last to the point of being able to do beautiful work.
It's a numbers thing. The guys that do beautiful work are in demand and do not feel compelled to give it away. The market dictates what the market will pay and it's not any different than any other good sold on the market.
If someone is looking for cheap work, it is totally out there. Installers that are new to the craft or are not good love to give their work away. These same guys will over promise and under deliver. You will likely have cut paint, a lot of debris issues, lifted edges all over and will many times not address issues because you only paid once and they can't afford to repair an issue.
It really is like anything else in that the ones that are good installers that get top dollar and the ones that aren't, get whatever they can hustle. For anyone reading this think of the top people in your craft/industry and what they get paid and then think about the ones that only have a job because they are fooling the right people right now or are newly employed doing it. The range of pay varies in this industry the same way as others. It just so happens that many think clear bra installation is the same no matter where they go and the only real difference is the price. They do not think of it in terms of it not being a commodity. It is difficult, expensive to learn AND practice and not many people do it well and fewer are willing to do it well. A beautiful job is nearly impossible to see and a bad job looks bad and will typically include severe paint damage. The reason it's expensive or it's cheap usually depends on the quality, experience, execution of an installation and the support that comes with it.
It would not be appropriate to discuss the exact cost of doing business anymore than it would be appropriate for someone to discuss their personal finances here. I can't help with disclosing our books. But I will say that I have not seen a single installer making enough money to live an exotic lifestyle. Most are living a lower-middle class life. Most are hard workers that have families to support and expenses that weigh on them to some degree. There is no real fear of car owners supporting lavish lifestyles by having PPF installed.
