Image Designer Archive
Thread: What Do Image Designers Charge Now adays
I found most players think we should stand there doing and undoing their requests over and over for free. SO, I go into a city and have hotkeyed "CHANGE YOUR APPEARANCE: (then I list what I can do) 500 credits per change".
Usually, players will tip more than what I requested. Seems that the cheapskates will not pay even 500 credits and I do not have to deal with them, and I get good clients who give above and beyond.
Wow, I am reeling from that extraordinarily nasty response.Not only did you not address the comments I made, to accuse me of bragging? I am simply trying to discuss the issue. One thing I mentioned in my post is that I have not had any issues with other image designers. In fact, every ID I have discussed it with on my server has told me they either take tips or they have a fairly arbitrary, changeable pricing system. So perhaps our situations are not even worth comparing. My thought at mentioning the cash I have brought in is not at all to make anyone envious, it didn't even cross my mind that it could or would. I was just trying to bring some hard cash numbers to the table, as I think the cash is without a doubt the heart of people's concern over this issue.
My thought was to present the situation as I have observed it, on my server. If it became a major issue with my fellow ID's, I would certainly work with them, as I am not, and have never been, out to screw anyone.
-Gretchen
Okay, I'm a newbie and trying to get a handle on this pricing thing. It seems the ones that are against a tip system are talking at a master level? Is this accurate? What should someone that isn't even a noice ID yet charge? Do you still have a problem with us using a tips only system?
Min'Tora Ehi
This quote from the smuggler board :-
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Like Master Image Designers, we put our time into this and the end result is something we cannot sell on a vendor. Treat us with respect and we will be more likely to stop what we are doing and slice your gear.
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Some people do get where we're coming from. I don't have a price list set up....when I get tipped it's usually above what I would charge anyway. I do see the need for a price list....but just like any trade...some folks will undercut your price.
There isn't a simple solution to this...I have heard of ID unions, this could work...but once again there will always be someone who won't adhere to the 'unofficial' prices.
As more and more Master IDs appear competition will increase....I don't think it will be possible to make your sole income from it. Just my opinion...I could be wrong and hope I am.
Alter - Master Image Designer - Starsider
we have to have a set of prices people, we are doing people a big favor for spending time on their characters and giving them the look they want.
in my case i'm a doctor and master image desginer while im giving someone a make-up and spending more than an hour on them, someone needs healing. so you better believe im charging for my services.
you could take into consideration the amount of time you used on the person, and that could add up to the fee.
if you go to a hairstylist irl you have to pay them.
i have also encountered people who expected me to work for them, for free. i had someone once who made me spend on him like 2 hours, working on his whole body and face, hair. then he was just thanking me and leaving without paying. i asked him to come back a sec to let me fix his hair real quick , so he did ! then i gave him the really most ugly and freaky look. first i tricked him into accepting the changes real quick. lol he was mad and was begging me to change his look. i told him that's what people like him would get when they don't pay for services.
i usually charge 1k for small changes. i give a discount to entertainers half price reduced. 6k for master changes such skin color.
i get tipped more that i charge for most of the time, and sometimes you find people willing to tip you like 100 c . people like that, i never give my serivices again, so if they ever ask you again, you just ignore them or tell them you are busy.
if you are cheap charging, then everyone thinks you have to help them for free, affecting the whole community. so think about it. we need to set up an standard fee for each galaxy, so that we all know exactly what to charge and so the clients.
I alsowork on a tip-basis. I tried set prices and attracted less customers with that strategy. Now I can easily make 50k in half an hour during a busy afternoon in a cantina or around the bazaar. It's all coming down to a matter of attitude towards the customer and their needs. I have a couple of regulars who change makeup and hairstyles when it suits them to do so. Even the few that sit for hours with me while I grind out my experience (150k to go!) tip me without my asking. Definately pays my Muon Gold bill.
Maybe I can chime in here are a player whose main character is not an ID. First off, maybe it's just me, but fixed prices actually make me as customer feel more comfortable, because it saves me the headache of considering how much might be an appropriate payment. Most customers do not know how image designing works, what skill level it takes to be able to make certain changes, that it drains your mind pool, that it's a pain to work up, that it's one of the professions where it's easy to get ripped off by customers since you cannot work with secure trade, and that the current UI is a total pain to work with. As such, I do think a lot of people who want an image design simply have no idea how much they should pay.
I also do not think that having an image design is a necessity. It's luxury, and as such I as a customer am totally comfortable with paying 10 - 20k for a couple of changes. That being said, all4 image designers I have dealt with just told me to /tip whatever I felt appropriate. I can only speak for myself, but I ended up tipping them depending on a) their personality and behaviour(were they nice and helpful, responded to tells quickly, or did they appear condescending and in a hurry to get the job done, pressuring me into making decisions fast), and b) their honesty and aesthetic sense. That may sound silly, but you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find an image designer who understands *exactly* what you want, and is honest enough to tell you that something else might actually look better.
Of the 4 image designers I worked with, 1 was absolutely horrible and seemed to bein such a hurry I had to decide fast what I wanted and what not (I don't like that at all - even though I usually have a fixed image in mind when meeting an IDer, it still may look totally different in game, or may not work out at all etc). I ended up being left with a color combination I was so unhappy with that I looked for another IDer again the next day. 2 other IDers were absolutely great and didn't only understand what I wanted, but also managed to get my character set up exactly the way I wanted it (Neme and Harih - I can only recommend them to anyone on Radiant). And if I meet such an IDer, I am more than happy to pay up to 20k. After all, I can throw away clothes I no longer like, but I have to run around with the same appearance day after day. And I'm paying 15k for a weapon and 50k for a pet, why wouldn't I be willing to pay a similar amount for good looks?
I have been treated with the utmost respect (with only a couple of exceptions) and have been tipped very generously. My average is 1k to 15k for an ID session. Most sessions end up with me netting about 5k. I would say that 30% of my business is repeat customers and at least 50% of my business is by word of mouth from satisfied customers.
I do not have a set price schedule and feel that I make at least twice as much as I would have if I'd had one. I am certainly not undercutting anyone with what I get paid.
Only 20% of the people who play this game bother reading these boards, so I think it will be very difficult to get a 'union' of Image Designers to agree to a price scale.