Image Designer Archive
Thread: Pricing Poll, Post Publish 8
nvoigt
Tue Mar 30, 2004 11:38 am
#14
I charge by amount of time spent. If someone comes to me ( mostly entertainers who know their way around ) and orders hairstyle three from the bottom in blonde, thats about 1K if I charge at all. If someone comes and wants "that hairstyle, you know, a bit shorter than long, but longer than short in a light dark color please"... uh oh, that costs 1K perstyle they test out.
icklegoffgurl
Tue Mar 30, 2004 3:17 pm
#15
If we were to get a secure pay system would you:
a) Use a price list, I already do (most of the time)
b) Use a price list, for the first time
c) Ask for tips, I already do
d) Ask for tips, for the first time
If wewereNOT toget a secure pay system would you:
a) Use a price list, I already do (most of the time)
b) Use a price list, for the first time
c) Ask for tips, I already do
d) Ask for tips, for the first time
Assume you were to adopt a price list. What would be:
a) Your lowest charge?(e.g. 1 creditfor alip colorchange)
b) Your highest charge? (e.g. 2 million creditsforhair glitter)
c) depends on my mood
Comments:
The way I currently do Image Design is mostly based on a price list I keep in my head, 2k for hair styles, 4k for weight and height, 5k for skin colours. But it also depends on how im feeling. If someone is blatantly new and asking for better hair i.e. an entertainer in my group in the cantina wearing starting entertainer clothes with no guild and 1 or 2 badges I will probably do it for free as its only 3 seconds work. Target em pick hair select the last style on the list voila you now have better hair.
If its someone who wants to see all the hair styles 3 times and I feel like my times being wasted when they wont accept anything i offer them then I will increase my prices as I see fit.
Most of the time on a standard job where the player knows what they want I ask for the money up front. For example "Hi I'd like you to get rid of my beard and make my hair black" Id reply "Tip me 3k and we can get started".
I like to be flexable in my pricing.
As for the new stuff im going to be charging a minimum of 10k possibly closer to 15k or even 20k depending on how high demand is. If I log on after publish 8 is up and get bombarded with tells it will be 20k to try put of some customers so i can get through them all lol. I know its high but we need to keep the new stuff special right 
branchero
Tue Mar 30, 2004 3:32 pm
#16
a) use a price list
a) use a price list
I charge 75k for all sessions now. Will probably bump it to 150k on Publish 8 release day and bring it back to 100k in about a week.
I don't know about the servers you guys play on but at those prices I'm still going to be swamped.
a) use a price list
I charge 75k for all sessions now. Will probably bump it to 150k on Publish 8 release day and bring it back to 100k in about a week.
I don't know about the servers you guys play on but at those prices I'm still going to be swamped.
Darkagent101
Tue Mar 30, 2004 7:00 pm
#17
Kwee wrote:
If we were to get a secure pay system would you:
a) Use a price list, I already do
b) Use a price list, for the first time
c) Ask for tips, I already do
d) Ask for tips, for the first time
I would, of course, make them type the tip BEFORE completing the secure trade. After Publish 8, I'm bringing my minimum price up from 2k to 4-8k.
If wewereNOT toget a secure pay system would you:
a) Use a price list, I already do
b) Use a price list, for the first time
c) Ask for tips, I already do
d) Ask for tips, for the first time
Again, Minumum tip at about 4-8k
Assume you were to adopt a price list. What would be:
a) Your lowest charge?(e.g. 1 creditfor alip colorchange)
700cr. for lips and hair
b) Your highest charge? (e.g. 2 million creditsforhair glitter)
50k for skin color... I'll wait till I see mind costs and such for the new effects pricing
Comments:
I'm still toying with a price list, but if I set my prices too high, or refuse to be flexible, I very well will lose customers. Sunrunner seems to have a very lopsided economy, and most of my customers are NOT merchants or fighters. There are also Image Designers that don't care on Sunrunner. Anyone who doesn't like my pricing has a 50-50 chance of finding a master about to go into an AFK dance routine in Coronet.
[Check out -Caitiri-'s Patch Pricing thread ]
Message Edited by Kwee on 03-30-2004 09:04 AM
Good lord Branchero. I don't even have 150k myself!! If I charged 75k I'd never get any cash. Jeez. No wonder the dev's want Money Sinks.
FuschiaD
Wed Mar 31, 2004 1:01 am
#18
If we were to get a secure pay system would you:
b) Use a price list, for the first time
If wewereNOT toget a secure pay system would you:
c) Ask for tips, I already do
Assume you were to adopt a price list. What would be:
a) Your lowest charge?Stuff that novice entertainers can do... lip color, eyeshadow color, haircolor. Things that take the least amount of mind pool.
b) Your highest charge? high-end face changes, skin color... things that take the highest amount of mind pool.
Comments:
Wasn't it already stated that we WERE getting the secure pay system?
branchero
Wed Mar 31, 2004 2:30 am
#19
Darkagent101 wrote:
Good lord Branchero. I don't even have 150k myself!! If I charged 75k I'd never get any cash. Jeez. No wonder the dev's want Money Sinks.
lol 
I cleared 800k ID'ingtwo weekends ago at Groovefest 4 (Intrepid's big player gathering/festival/carnival).
That's not counting the 40+ folks that got it free for being my friends and/or guildies.
People will pay 5Mcr+ for a RIS helmet that is basically overpriced Chitin armor that looks cool. 50-150k to have a proper looking toon is nothing to them. I guess I'm a different beast, I don't want most people to be able to afford me.
Heck, I don't even ID for a living, it's just a side hobby for when I get sick of my main. Which... is often
MonkeyofDoom
Wed Mar 31, 2004 4:25 am
#20
If we were to get a secure pay system would you:
a) Use a price list, I already do
b) Use a price list, for the first time
c) Ask for tips, I already do
d) Ask for tips, for the first time
If wewereNOT toget a secure pay system would you:
a) Use a price list, I already do
b) Use a price list, for the first time
c) Ask for tips, I already do
d) Ask for tips, for the first time
Unfortunately, on Scylla (on Tatooine) you can't expect to work for tips. It doesn't occur to most of the L33T D00DZ who hang around there to actually - gasp! - PAY for Image Design services! So I have to charge a set rate. To keep it simple, I charge a flat rate of 1000c per change they're happy with (i.e. they accept as final.) Even with such a comparitively low pricing plan, I still have people saying, "**edit**? why r u chargin 4 it"
(Disclaimer: I've also encountered some very generous customers, so please don't judge the entire server by my comments.)
theshuuji
Wed Mar 31, 2004 5:04 am
#21
That's a tough call. I've been switching back and forth between set pricing and tips depending on how the tips are. I go through periods where people tip me really well and periods where I'm lucky to get paid if I ask for tips. During the low times I tend to switch to a set pricing scheme. The rest of the time, I'm a walking tip jar. Right now I'm on tips, so we'll go with that and see how it works out 
BillEsquire
Wed Mar 31, 2004 8:47 am
#22
I know this is the business man in me but when publish 8 comes out.... rate hike! rate hike!
rate hike! rate hike! rate hike!
Trlalalalalalalala
branchero
Wed Mar 31, 2004 3:11 pm
#23
BillEsquire wrote:
I know this is the business man in me but when publish 8 comes out.... rate hike! rate hike!rate hike! rate hike! rate hike!Trlalalalalalalala
LOL I can't wait for the "gouging" backlash... so it was ok for MCH's to charge 200-500k for mounts on publish day but not for me to charge 50k to set someone's hair on fire? lalalalalala
Mystyrys
Wed Mar 31, 2004 7:44 pm
#24
branchero wrote:
Darkagent101 wrote:
Good lord Branchero. I don't even have 150k myself!! If I charged 75k I'd never get any cash. Jeez. No wonder the dev's want Money Sinks.
lol
I cleared 800k ID'ingtwo weekends ago at Groovefest 4 (Intrepid's big player gathering/festival/carnival).
That's not counting the 40+ folks that got it free for being my friends and/or guildies.
People will pay 5Mcr+ for a RIS helmet that is basically overpriced Chitin armor that looks cool. 50-150k to have a proper looking toon is nothing to them. I guess I'm a different beast, I don't want most people to be able to afford me.
Heck, I don't even ID for a living, it's just a side hobby for when I get sick of my main. Which... is often
Being Intrepid, I'd say Branchero isn't off kilter. Intrepid has had a long-standing reputation for high prices and huge bankrolls. I don't know why really, but it's been that way almost since launch. When I go play one of my alts, I can't help but to do price comparisons and walk around in shock at how much cheaper things are on other servers than they are on Intrepid. (There are exceptions of course)
Million dollar suits of composite, million dollar pistols, several millions of dollars on quest loot and skill tapes auctions... I don't even blink anymore.
I only recently dropped Master Merchant and Master Artisan to acquire Master ID (which I had planned to get since launch, but got temporarily side-tracked into merchant to assist a partner and for city/guild purposes). With the Bazillionaires a dime a dozen on Intrepid, and a low-profile but healthy Tailor shop as a foundation, I believe I will do just fine asking for tips and not using a price list. I almost always receive tips far above my asking price for tailor items, so I expect tips for ID will be similar. We'll wait and see...
As for my Gorath ID char, she isn't a crafter and doesn't have a steady income yet so I will most likely use a price list there.
If using a price list, I'll probably charge 1kfor small things like a simple color change,to 20k for major changes such as body makeover, with an additional cost for the time spent on the session.
Message Edited by Mystyrys on 03-31-2004 08:51 PM
dontcare18
Thu Apr 01, 2004 2:08 am
#25
2 million credits for hair glitter................if I ever actually meet someone who would charge that much.. eek
Warplex
Thu Apr 01, 2004 4:49 am
#26
As the founder (of the only one on the server i know of) of Bria's Image Design union, we have standardized our prices (to a degree, our members can offer discounts to who ever they want, providing its set). So, its price list all the way. We charge about 3k per hair coloring (not sure of lipstick and eyeshadow), 10k per facial group (i.e. nose, mouth, jaw), 10k for hairstyle (with coloring), 5k for facial hair (w/ coloring), 10k for tan, etc. etc. People are shocked at first that people will pay more than 500 credits for an ID. But, once their choice of how much to pay is eliminated, they either pay at our somewhat high rates, or in many cases, even more. Thats why union works (got a lot of rich ID's running around now)!