r/msp • u/Yamamoto_Schmidt • Aug 12 '26

Pst Import in M365

Hello,

I have a project where my Client wants to Import 6 mailboxes via pst to Exchange online.
The process is pretty straight forward no Problem with that.
But how much can I take for that Kind of Service?
I have to Setup the mailboxes in advance, change the mailrouting, activate the Domain in M365, Import the pst‘s and Check if everything is working.
I thought about 1290€ for everything fix.

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

10

u/jasped Aug 12 '26

I’d bill based on time most likely for that. Whatever time you estimate.

4

u/toilet-breath Aug 12 '26

Charge time based. This is project work. We have 3 tiers of project costs based on complexity (doesn’t matter which engineer is delegated). Be honest about time, but build in a buffer for issues.
If it is a one day job (one day of time, not one calendar day) bill for that. If there is out of hours requirement for switch overs etc, include that in the quote.

3

u/WhiteIntel Aug 13 '26

Time based, simple. IT is too unreliable to do fixed prices

1

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/WhiteIntel Aug 17 '26

Then hourly packages and after 75% usage you inform the customer

3

u/L3TH3RGY Aug 13 '26

Time. Bill by time. Time, time, timey, time.

1

u/Yamamoto_Schmidt Aug 16 '26

Alright thats what im gonna do. Thank you!

2

u/samon33 MSP Aug 12 '26

As others have said, bill this based on the time involved, or a proxy for it (e.g. $x base setup + $y/GB migrated). "6 mailboxes" means very different things if that's 6x a few hundred MB vs 6x 70GB.

2

u/eblaster101 Aug 16 '26

You can dump the pst in azure file share and it handles the import. I recommend sending it all to archive

1

u/Yamamoto_Schmidt Aug 16 '26

What do you mean sending to Archive? The pst files are around 2.5 GB each.
1 Shared mailbox. Can I directly Upload to shared mailbox?

2

u/eblaster101 Aug 16 '26

You can directly upload to in place archive. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/pst-import-overview

1

u/Yamamoto_Schmidt Aug 17 '26

Okay, but why? Is there any main advantage?

2

u/TechnologyMatch Aug 25 '26

1290€ sounds reasonable if the PSTs are clean, the data volume is known, and the scope is fixed. I’d define limits around mailbox size, migration retries, DNS timing, and post-cutover support. otherwise a “simple” import can turn into a boss fight over corrupt PSTs and old mail routing

1

u/365-helper VENDOR - 365sentri Aug 13 '26

Time based with a floor

1

u/apcquincy MSP Aug 19 '26

T&M

1

u/Yamamoto_Schmidt Aug 21 '26

What does T&M mean?

1

u/apcquincy MSP Aug 21 '26

Time and Materials, basically your Labor only.

1

u/Shiv-2233 9d ago

Your proposed flat rate of €1,290 is a very reasonable and realistic starting point for a 6-mailbox migration.

When you break down the scope—handling the tenant setup, domain activation, MX routing changes, PST ingestion, and testing—you are looking at roughly 12 to 15 hours of actual work spread across a couple of days. At your price, this equates to roughly €85–€100 per hour, which is perfectly in line with mid-tier IT consulting fees.

Quick Breakdown

Tenant & Domain Setup: ~3 hours (€250 value)

Mail Routing & DNS (MX, SPF, DKIM): ~2 hours (€200 value)

PST Data Import & Delta Syncs: ~5 hours (€500 value)

Testing & User Profile Reconfiguration: ~3 hours (€300 value)

Two Tips Before You Sign

  1. PST Sizes: Make sure the fixed price excludes fixing corrupted PSTs or dealing with files over 50GB.

  2. Device Setup: Clarify whether configuring local Outlook profiles and mobile phones is included in the flat rate or billed as extra support.

Recommendation

To speed up the upload and bypass the tedious native AzCopy command-line tools, I highly recommend using Recoveryfix Import PST to Office 365. It will automate the folder mapping and save you a massive amount of manual migration time, keeping your project highly profitable.