How much to charge?

[Major Tom]

i am just speaking of my experience and explaning why I think they do genuine readers a disservice.

You are describing behaviour that has nothing to do with the price charged but rather the ethics of the reading. This type of behaviour will never prosper although will probably always happen.

It's one of the reasons we are responsible for education!

 

[FaeryGodmother]

Major Tom I see undercutting the average price as being in competition with others.

I don't think we need to compete. There is plenty of work for everyone.

Maybe it's different in my city to yours. Most places charge in the same price range and some have days where they offer discounted readings for those who are unwaged. I don't have a problem with that.

I don't understand why a competent, experienced reader would charge say half the going rate in their area.

One of my clients went to such a cut rate reader and was told that she would be raped and murdered in the car park on her way home but she could buy a particular thing from the reader to protect her. I have heard this scenario a number of times. The readers aren't making a living from the reading, but by preying on people's fears and profiting from that.

Another gent I read for had gotten caught up with another such cut rate reader and she and her partner conned him out of thousands of dollars and had him guarantee a car loan which they subsequently defaulted on.

My own experience with cut rate readers is that they have an ulterior motive. I realise that this won't be true for all those who offer cheap readings. i am just speaking of my experience and explaning why I think they do genuine readers a disservice.

I am a reader in the same state as you who charges a lot less then you, but I would never do any of those things you describe "cut price readers" doing.

I am a little offended at your generalisation of readers who charge less, though I understand you formed your opinion based on your own personal expereinces.

I charge less for several reasons. Firstly, I have always had issues with charging at all. I have a problem with the idea of turning a spiritual experience into a commodity, so I have had to compromise my own feelings about charging. Secondly, reading is not my main form of income, so I don't feel the need to make enough to live on. Thirdly, I don't advertise except by word of mouth so I definetly don't feel in competition with those readers in my area whose sole income is through tarot reading. Lastly, my prices have only gone up as my confidence levels have- I now charge $40 an hour for new clients. I do consider myself a competent and experienced reader but I am in no direct competition with the readers who make it their sole income.



p.s In my expereinces as a sitter I have found that paying more doesn't necessarily get you a good reader or reading.

 

[Grizabella]

Let's face it. Readers who charge high dollars don't like readers who "undercut" the price because it gives them a lot of competition. Who wouldn't want to get a reading at a lower price when the high price so many readers think they should charge is really not affordable for so many people? Trying to make sure that everyone charges the high dollars provides the overpriced with less competition. Now, I'm sure I'm going to get someone upset in saying that, but it's true.

I think it's very unethical to spread stories of lower priced readers being scam artists when they aren't all scam artists by any means. I don't charge a dollar a minute because I think that's gouging. I'm a very good, very reputable reader and I'd never scam anyone. I'm just as offended by the inference that because I charge less, I'm a scam artist as anyone reading my post may be who charges top dollar will be by my saying they're afraid of the competition.

I'm not saying this in anger. I don't want anyone to think I'm being insulting or flaming because that's not the spirit of this post at all.

Let's just agree to disagree here about what people "should" charge for "quality" readings. I've had better readings for free than I've observed people getting from some of the high-priced readers, to be perfectly honest. By trying to drive prices up and keep them there, I think there's the risk of all readers getting the reputation of being rip-off artists because there are many people who hop on the band wagon seeing an opportunity to make some quick big bucks for just any old reading.

If a reader has been at it a long time and has a big clientele and because of supply and demand sees the need to raise prices to high levels, then more power to them. But to try to make sure all readers keep their prices high is just wrong and rather selfishly motivated, in my opinion. Worse yet is to insinuate that readers who charge less are inferior and out to scam clients. I think this might be done to try to warn clients away from trying lower priced readers.

Incidentally, even though I don't charge top dollar, you can believe that I'm a "genuine" reader.

 

[Brigantia]

Faery Godmother,

I have worked at the same centre for 13 years. We have had two price increases in that time. There are 3 other centres in the same area, and they charge the same prices as we do. I have run another centre for 2 years and all the other places that provided tarot readings in the same suburb all charged the same amount.

I work at 3 different centres as a fill in reader and they also charge the same price as the main centre I work in. My own experience is that places work together, rather than compete.

These are all places in the centre of Sydney.

When I travel outside of Sydney, I see that prices differ.

I'm truly sorry if my comments offended you. I should have made myself clearer.

Although I have to say that if you charge significantly less than other readers in your area, you are probably doing YOURSELF a disservice. Your skills, expertise and experience is valuable. If you choose to charge a lower amount because you WANT to, then that's fine. If you charge a lower amount because you feel you can't charge more, or feel guilty about it, then that's a different story.

I understand what you say about reading being a spiritual service but there still has to be a fair exchange of energy. As long as you feel the exchange is fair, that's all that matters.

 

[Brigantia]

Lyric,

I understand what you are saying about some readers wanting to keep prices high, but I think we all have different ideas about what a high, or expensive price is.

I think $40-50 for a half hour reading is perfectly reasonable and I am happy to pay that myself when I have a reading. When I first started charging my teacher advised charging the same amount as one would pay for a hair cut. Well I have very long hair which I don't cut, but it costs me $50 to have it washed and blow dried at the salon.

I know readers who charge $80-$150 for a half an hour. I think that is expensive and over priced. I wouldn't pay it.

Remember though, that I work through centres not from home, so typically I only take home half of the charge - that's about $25 per half hour.

 

[Tansey Ella]

edited

 

[Tansey Ella]

edited

 

[Brigantia]

I think you are taking my post of out context at no time did I say that all readers who charge less are scam artists.

Also I don't think that charging $40-50 for a reading is 'keeping prices high'. I think it's a reasonable amount to charge for a professional reading by an experienced reader.

My business background is marketing. Price cutting is the least effective means of competing with business who offer the same product or services.

So my centre drops it's prices to $30 for a half hour, while everyone else charges $50. Firstly, people will be suspicious - why are we so much cheaper? the quality musn't be as good. Secondly, we couldn't afford to keep our doors open for very long. We would have to shift from providing a quality service to getting people through the door and out again as fast as possible. The whole purpose of our existence as a healing centre would be defeated and we wouldn't stay in business very long once the focus was off healing and onto getting enough people through the door to pay the rent.

 

[Grizabella]

The fact that you work through a service makes a difference. I know they take a hefty piece of what you charge. I tried working for an online service once and they took around 40% or more so in order to make anything, those reading through them have to charge a dollar a minute to make it even worthwhile. The fact that the clients were getting charged so much and then I was losing half that just didn't sit right with me, so I soon stopped doing it.

To me, there's just something wrong with expecting someone to pay a dollar a minute for a reading. I understand the "going prices" and all that, but it just still doesn't sit right with me. I read as a service to others and I do believe I should receive a fair amount for it, but to say I deserve to make the same per hour as a doctor or lawyer is just stretching it too far. I'm sorry.

I've owned a couple of businesses and I've found that if I offer a good value for the money and a truly reasonable price, I'm going to make a lot more money than the guy down the street who is offering the same goods at an inflated price. I'm going to get more customers, more business by word-of-mouth, and an excellent reputation for doing it my way, and I don't care if Joe down the street is sour grapes about it.

So I'd rather keep my price down where it's reasonable, give good readings and good service, and have a larger clientele as a result of it plus being able to look myself in the eye in the mirror in the mornings instead of raking in bigger bucks and knowing it's not ethical. I went from being a high school dropout mom on welfare to high five figure (close to six figures) a year income in one year because of my work ethic and I really believe in it.

 

[Brigantia]

I wonder if the issue here is we all have different opinions on what a high price is. $50 Australian is about $40 US. I don't think that's a lot of money. I think it's reasonable. If I thought it wasn't, I'd work somewhere else.

I like working through the centre. It's my second home. I've been there for 13 years. I like the room I work in, I like the location. It suits me down to the ground. We have a good community of healers and readers working there and I feel privileged to still be part of it after all these years.

I don't begrudge the percentage the centre takes. I feel adequately rewarded for what I do, plus I do a lot of corporate functions and parties which are booked through the centre but the management doesn't take a percentage of that.