Raising Prices this year, what do you think?

Hey all,

I feel that I need to raise my prices at fairs and festivals this year. I have kept the same prices for about 6 years now and I am doing more fairs and festivals and the prices for everything is going up.

This is what I charged:

Cheek Art: $2
Bracelets: $2 (I painted around the wrist)
Masks: $4
Half faces: $4
Full faces: $5

I kept my prices low because I stayed close to home and we are in a low income area. Last summer I started to go out of my area and it got expensive. Go figure. I got comments like: "that's all?" "I'd pay more for your work" "I paid $10 or $16 for a face painting like that...."

I can't afford to charge what I did and travel like I did and plan to this next year.

Here is what I'd like to charge:

Cheek Art: $2 (simple things)
Bracelets: $2 (simple)
Deluxe Cheek Art: $4
Half faces & masks: $6
Full Faces: $6 (simple faces)
Deluxe Full Faces: $8

I was thinking about doing a discount for customers with 3 or more in their group or they get 3 or more designs per person (I also do airbrush tattoos and sometimes people get one or more of each) - $1 per design for designs over $4. I was thinking I might get more customers if they think they are getting a deal. Also there is something for everyone's budget.

What do you think?

Okay... here's my opinion: You should be charging more and so taking home more at the end of the day.... think of it this way: an extra $1 on all of your prices won't mean a great deal to your clients, but may make a big difference to you.

Like you, I have come to learn that having a range of designs and prices is a good thing. I work on the principal of the time it takes, rather than the size of the art. Time is money, afterall

So my very quickies/basics start at $3 each - these will all take less than 3 minutes, then $5 - still quick but a little more detailed, $7 for butterflies, masks, & $9 for full face or detailed design. Essentially it works out at $1-$1.50 per minute, more or less.

The way I see it, my clients can CHOOSE what they are willing to pay. No-one HAS to pick the $9 design, but the option is there. Some people will, and some people won't. They have the option of something cheap ($3 isn't much) so I don't feel guilty if they choose something that they will pay a little more for. And besides, if I'm going to spend the time painting it, then I'm going to make it worth my while. Plus painting full/detailed faces means everyone else in line waits a little longer.

One day, as my skill improves, I'd love to offer a $15 option - but that would have to be pretty awesome. Even if no-one buys it, at least it's there to showcase what I can do (someday, right?). Actually, I made the mistake early on to offer EVERYTHING I could do (in a flip book) and the most people paid was $6. While it may have been appropriate for my skill level at the time, some of those designs were taking me too long and people were waiting too long. So once I created a banner, I had to think about what was not only going to be in demand, but also what was quick to create.

Upselling is great! And discounts are always at your discretion - afterall, you;re the boss!! I usually offer a discount for 3 or more kids. But, I love it when I have a line manager who doesn't worry about that sort of thing

I'd keep it to two or maybe three pricing options at the most. Too many can get confusing, imo.

Maybe:
Simple design (cheek/hand/wrist) $_3_____
Half face $_6_____ (or whatever amount)
Full face $_8_____

Or something like that?

I agree with Helena. I have $5 designs and $8 designs.
I also do mustaches for $1 (finger or face)

I started a the beginning of this year with $3 small art..and $5 full face..Now I have $3,$4,$6,$9 and $12 designs,,, I am going to change it again and have $3,$4,$6,$9, $12 and $15 designs..that way everyone can afford it and for those who really want a bit of a treat can get something fancy, My $6 designs are the most popular and I make sure that I can do those within 5 minutes. I probably make the most money on three and four dollar designs because I can whip em out fast now. I also sell a few of the dearer ones every time also and it is really good advertising to get some good full faces ans bling masks out in the crowd. Go for it...you cant go wrong if you have a good variety of prices..People normally already have in mind what they are willing to spend...

I have a menu board / banner that takes any confusion out of pricing: My pics are grouped by price AND each pic has a sticker with the price on it. As i said before, I have 4 pricing levels. No-one seems confused.

While I'm getting used to the prices I make sure I position the board so I can see it. Alternatively you could have a second identical board but smaller maybe for reference.

I started out with only 2 prices, but since changing the structure of my pricing, I have increased my profit at the end of the day. That's what it's all about

Good to hear. I'm always up for learning new things - if more pricing options lead to more sales, I'm all for it

Still not sure for myself though... but that might be more me getting confused rather than the customer, from what you've said

The prices will be in front of my tent with examples of each. Since I work with airbrushing too, I am used to different prices being charged. The prices are also on my displays. I have display panels (2' x 5') and the prices are on those as well. You would be amazed that people still ask how much something is, even when the prices are on Yellow paper in front of their face and are 6" in size. lol. I also have the same designs in a folder that I use as a cheat sheet as I have so many designs. It also allows the customer to show me what they wanted when they come to me to be painted (each design is coded). I like my wall displays because they draw customers in. I have two sets. One for face and one for airbrush. I like to have alot of designs for people to choose from, and I also do requests. I am revamping them and making them better for 2012. It's alot of work and money, but it's worth it. The different prices aren't a big deal for me. I wanted to have designs that everyone could afford, and like freedspirit said, they get to see what I do, and people love lots of choices. I learned that over time. The more designs you have, the more people seem to be impressed with your booth. I also began thinking to myself, some of my designs should be more because more time and effort go into them. I am going to try it and see how it works for me this year. People come in for a $2 face painting and see the $4-8 ones and many will get the more expensive ones. The people who only want to pay $2 will only pay $2. I was wondering how others did with higher prices than mine, that's why I was asking. I figured I'd try the discount as a draw as well.

Fun2play - I started that way too. I had a folder that people looked through and one for me so they could show me what they wanted so the book could stay at the front. I had designs that I painted on small wooden tiles velcroed to a piece of foam board - all cheek art. I wanted them to be removable so I could change them out. I didn't do anything larger when I first started. All of my designs were $2. I was local and only did a fair for the first two years. I started doing it as a fund raiser for my husband's Vietnam Veterans group. I got more into it and added half faces and masks and full faces. I had $2, $3, $4, and $5. I kept improving my designs and my tent and went out on my own. I found that I could get more people in my tent with the wall displays. (thanks to lurking around the airbrush tattoo forums for display ideas.) The prices didn't change much however. Then I added airbrush face painting and my profits improved greatly this last summer. Pretty much doubled. I am always trying to improve my business so that I attract customers. That's why I am redoing my displays (need more anyway), my prices, and I got two fatmaxes to help with better set up and speed. Now I want to get some really cool lights to make my booth bling..... My tent has been in a constant state of change over the last few years, getting better with each one. This year's ought to be great! If I could figure out how to insert a photo, I'd post my tent evolutions.

Would love to see your tent and how it has evolved! Can you post a link to the photos maybe? I know how frustrating and time consuming it is to figure out how to post a pic here. I always seem to spend ages, but if you have them on another site, like picasa or whatever, then a link is easier.

I would love to have a tent, but I work mostly solo and don't want the hassle of trying to put up a tent/marquee on my own.

We price everything in multiples of 5 so we don't have to carry change in anything but 5's and 10's.

We charge: $5 for glitter tattoos and simple face painting, $10 for more complicated designs, $15 for full face and $20 for blinged-out masks with glued on gems and glitter gel. I hesitated at first putting the more expensive things on the list but people are very willing to pay! I have yet to do a festival here in northwest Arkansas since the move, but plan on charging the same prices. If people in south Mississippi, with one of the lowest income averages in the nation could afford the prices, the people here with more income can definitely afford it.

Here is a link to my website page where I have put my succession of booths and displays. http://razmatattz.jimdo.com/about-me/booth-pictures/?logout=1

Have fun looking. I hope it gives people ideas as to what they can do to their tents.

We live in a pretty low income area too. I started out charging a flat $5 for everything. I raised it this Summer since the quality of my designs is better and my speed is better than the year before. At open events, I charge $5, $8 and $10. I sell more $10 at these events than anything else, to my surprise! Then of course if they want jewels it is $2 more. No one even batted an eye at the raise in price.

Now I am happy with the take home at the end of the day and have a better sense of value than before.

I live in a kind of po-dunk area where face art is just becoming available, Im 2 hours from the nearest big city and I wonder what you guys think about pricing in this situation?

I really think anything less than $5 is really, really low. I can't even get a cup of coffee for $2 - and you're going to do hand-painted artisinal work for that? I admit I do only charge $1 for those glitter tattoo mustasches that come as place-holders from FakeToos. Even at that price, I can't seem to get rid of them, lol!!

Where I live, the cost of living is extremely high. WHen I began, I had a full face menu of twelve faces, and I charged a flat ten dollars for each of them. I didn't add extra for "bling" application, etc. That was last summer, right out of the gate (I was slower, but the art was good, since I've done art forever and worked with kids forever.). Now (and looking back at the old photos both proves it, and makes me feel a little nauseous! ), the art is much improved, and the speed is up as well. I've modified the menu to $8, $10 and $12 designs, and I always have lines. I'll do cheek art if specifically asked, but I don't put it on display. It does often take just as long or longer, and I'd rather have the better art on display because it gets birthday parties booked.

It's really okay to do a booth and face art business however you want, though. If you love doing the smaller cheek designs, then go for it and price accordingly. That's often a very popular feature at fairs.

I am going to add a $15 and $20 price menu to my boards this summer, because lots of the work I'm doing for $10 and $12 now could easily be transferred to a higher priced board. And people are willing to pay. I learned early on from this forum to price yourself in the right range for the quality you're giving. Lots of people walk away from my booth saying they've never had face painting so detailed, and they were willing to wait for it. (I'm not trying to come off as Leonardo da Vinci here ). Far FAR FAAAAAAAR from it!!). I'm just trying to bolster up some painters here who are probably charging far less for what they offer than they should be, and to let you know that if you truly feel that you're delivering a wonderful treat for people, then you could/should raise your prices and test it out at a few venues and see what happens. Smile at people, believe in yourself, and deliver a beautiful experience, and ... make money at it. Artists have value, and, we have to value ourselves!

)

JJJJJ, I would love to see some of your work!

Jody Rife wrote:We live in a pretty low income area too. I started out charging a flat $5 for everything. I raised it this Summer since the quality of my designs is better and my speed is better than the year before. At open events, I charge $5, $8 and $10. I sell more $10 at these events than anything else, to my surprise! Then of course if they want jewels it is $2 more. No one even batted an eye at the raise in price.

Now I am happy with the take home at the end of the day and have a better sense of value than before.

Me too! I did a festival last year and charged $3 (cheek) and $5 (half face). This year, I charged $5 for cheek, $8 for simple masks/half face/fancy eye and $10 for detailed masks/full faces. I did almost ALL $8 and $10 designs that day! No one hesitated to whip out the "big" bucks for the elaborate designs. Honestly, it takes me as long to paint some of my cheek art designs as it does to do a butterfly mask (which is WAY more impressive). I found that by raising the price of my cheek art from $3 to $5, I am asked to paint a lot less cheek art!

Another tip- a girl likes the unicorn cheek art design- I can often upsell it and offer a unicorn/butterfly mask and double my $ (plus it's more fun for me to paint!)

So far raising my prices hasn't been a bad decision. I find that I am selling more masks and half faces and $2 simple cheek arts, but people are still getting full faces. The amounts that I have made this year have doubled from last year. Some people are still saying that my prices are low considering what they paid at Disney World or Cedar Point, so I figure that I did the right thing for me in raising them.

My posted prices are $5 and $10. As with everything else, I don't haggle with people who are fishing for discounts. However.... if I get a little kid who will barely let me put one little butterfly on her hand or something, I will tell the parents that $2 is fine for something so small. I don't advertise it and won't usually let people talk me down to something like that... I prefer to give discounts to people who are really nice and appreciative of how I work with their child. As soon as I say that I'll do this or that for $2, they'll say, "I'll be right back" and bring their 7 other children over for the same thing :S