Don't want to charge that much

moon_light

I'm setting up a website to offer readings from. It's all good, except for when it comes to prices. I feel uncomfortable charging half of what other people are doing. I honestly just want to help people and don't care about how much I'll earn past breaking even with my costs. On the other hand, I know it's unfair to all the other readers out there if I do charge really low prices.

So my question is, how can I get over how much readings actually cost? It's not that I feel like my readings are substandard, it's just that I don't want them to cost that much at all! Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 

dancing_moon

I don't do paid readings myself, so I'm going to look at it as a potential paying client.

First of all, your price does set up a certain standard, especially for people who don't know you. A ridiculously low price looks a bit suspicious, even if you put a disclaimer on your site about your motivation behind low prices.

Another thing to consider is that price regulates your demand. It might be a nice idea to do the Celtic Cross for $5, but what if you get 100 or 1,000 orders for a CC in one day?.. It also sifts your potential querents for motivation. If someone really needs help, they'll be ready to invest a bit more, money- and attention-wise, but for $5 per a CC, you might get flooded with people just asking out of curiosity/for fun and not needing any real help.

If you still feel uncomfortable about prices, it might be a good idea to have a wide variety of spreads and prices on your site, from really cheap to moderately expensive. That way, you'll show that you're a serious reader capable of doing really complex and quality spreads, but will also work with people who can't afford higher fees or would like a 'test drive' before asking something really serious/expensive. :)

Good luck with your enterprise!
 

moon_light

dancing_moon said:
I don't do paid readings myself, so I'm going to look at it as a potential paying client.

First of all, your price does set up a certain standard, especially for people who don't know you. A ridiculously low price looks a bit suspicious, even if you put a disclaimer on your site about your motivation behind low prices.

Another thing to consider is that price regulates your demand. It might be a nice idea to do the Celtic Cross for $5, but what if you get 100 or 1,000 orders for a CC in one day?.. It also sifts your potential querents for motivation. If someone really needs help, they'll be ready to invest a bit more, money- and attention-wise, but for $5 per a CC, you might get flooded with people just asking out of curiosity/for fun and not needing any real help.

If you still feel uncomfortable about prices, it might be a good idea to have a wide variety of spreads and prices on your site, from really cheap to moderately expensive. That way, you'll show that you're a serious reader capable of doing really complex and quality spreads, but will also work with people who can't afford higher fees or would like a 'test drive' before asking something really serious/expensive. :)

Good luck with your enterprise!
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know I can't charge too low. I do have a variety of readings available because I like tarot as self-exploration, so there's more than just answering questions. Currently, I have forced myself to set prices between $4 for single-word readings to $99 for a very complicated and time-consuming one. Most are around $30 for approximately 6-7 cards/500 words. I just feel really weird charging that much – and I know lots of people charge more! But, again, it's not fair to everyone to go really low... and, like you pointed out, probably not good for business. Thanks for your feedback!
 

Sulis

moon_light said:
Yeah, I know I can't charge too low. I do have a variety of readings available because I like tarot as self-exploration, so there's more than just answering questions. Currently, I have forced myself to set prices between $4 for single-word readings to $99 for a very complicated and time-consuming one. Most are around $30 for approximately 6-7 cards/500 words. I just feel really weird charging that much – and I know lots of people charge more! But, again, it's not fair to everyone to go really low... and, like you pointed out, probably not good for business. Thanks for your feedback!
Click to expand...

$30 for a 6 - 7 card reading seems about right to me and isn't low at all.. On the other hand $99 seems very high.

You could try selling readings on Etsy, people sell readings quite cheaply there or Ebay (are tarot readings still allowed on Ebay? I'm not sure so you should check that before going ahead).

The problem with having very low prices is that people will not value you if you don't value yourself but as I said before, I don't think your prices are particularly low so I can't see a problem.
 

moon_light

Sulis said:
$30 for a 6 - 7 card reading seems about right to me and isn't low at all.. On the other hand $99 seems very high.

You could try selling readings on Etsy, people sell readings quite cheaply there or Ebay (are tarot readings still allowed on Ebay? I'm not sure so you should check that before going ahead).

The problem with having very low prices is that people will not value you if you don't value yourself but as I said before, I don't think your prices are particularly low so I can't see a problem.
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Yeah, I figured that was reasonable, but had to really force myself there. I would do it for one third of that. The $99 one is uniquely mine and just a pain to read. It's written in the format of a story, so it's extra work. I don't plan on people buying it a lot, but I figured I should have it there to have something be "most expensive." Everything else seems lower in comparison then.

I don't know about eBay, but I do plan on opening up a Storenvy account as well. Etsy charges just to put something up, so I'm going to wait and see how much traffic I get from the other things before investing in that.

Thanks for your thoughts!
 

AJ

put a link to your site in your user CP, I think many members here get people wanting readings that way. Not everyone wants their question on open internet...
 

moon_light

AJ said:
put a link to your site in your user CP, I think many members here get people wanting readings that way. Not everyone wants their question on open internet...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the idea! I just finished building the site, but of course it isn't letting anyone buy anything... I'll put it there when it's working.
 

MissNine

If you're in the US, you might want to check to make sure you don't need a business license to ask for payment. You could also ask for donations..a minimum donation of $10, let's say, to go towards maintaining your reading area?
 

Pam O

I have an idea you might like... :lightbulb :?:

How about you give a percentage of your readings for charity? This way you set a good standard for yourself, as well as other readers who rely on readings to make their living. You don't sell yourself short. You don't mess up the market price. You feel great about giving to charities you care about!

Your feelings?

ETA
If I was choosing between readers I was attracted to, and one gave part of their proceeds to charity, I would really admire this...
 

moon_light

Miss Nine to Five said:
If you're in the US, you might want to check to make sure you don't need a business license to ask for payment. You could also ask for donations..a minimum donation of $10, let's say, to go towards maintaining your reading area?
Click to expand...

Do you know how I'd find out about if I'd need a business license? I really, really hope I don't... At least not if I'm sticking to online for now.

Pam O said:
I have an idea you might like... :lightbulb :?:

How about you give a percentage of your readings for charity? This way you set a good standard for yourself, as well as other readers who rely on readings to make their living. You don't sell yourself short. You don't mess up the market price. You feel great about giving to charities you care about!

Your feelings?

ETA
If I was choosing between readers I was attracted to, and one gave part of their proceeds to charity, I would really admire this...
Click to expand...

That is a great idea! There are some causes that I'm passionate about and work in already, so that would fit what I'm wanting to do. I am excited to add that! Thank you so much for the idea.
 
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