Pricing Questions PPF

Hello I am in a large city and doing my first PPF event and need pricing help. I'd like to do three price levels, but just not sure really how to do it. Its a swap meet kind of market, very big, and popular. Anyone have any suggestions?

Enter "pricing" into the search bar of this forum, and there will be a huge list of helpful threads. Good luck!

Or better yet try a google search for "pricing site:www.facepaintforum.com"

Or someone could just tell you.
I usually price depending upon what concessions are going for. If beer is around $5, I start with that number.
I have three to five price tiers. $3, $5, $8, $10, $12 at my last festival. It gives patrons a wide range, so if they can't afford it, they go cheap. Most people don't want to be perceived as cheap and go for the mid to mid-high price range. But then families who have multiple kids don't have to miss out. My lowest price designs can be done in 1-2 minutes, so they don't choke up my line. These are mostly one-stroke designs with minimal linework. And they are ALL eye designs in that price range.
Half faces and simple masks are in the mid range, and full face Hulk is in the high range. You can extrapolate from that info.

I'd do $5, $10, $15...no change to make, and hopefully few takers for the $15 face (but wooo-hooo!!!!! if they do!)

I don't do cheek art-if and when I do, I expand it with spider webs or swirls.
If I see a family with more than 2 kids, I offer them a special price.

5, 10, 15 sounds good, but only problem with that nikkili26, is if you don't make change, often times, the parent won't have any one's for your tip jar, lol!

I've been doing $5 and $10, but I have horrible luck with PPF. Fesspenter and I worked the Georgetown Soccer Club on May 25 and we both walked away with around $40. It sucked.

We used her boards because it turns out I was giving way too much for $5 lol

Apparently $5 for a kitty mask is too much so I had to tone them down a bit

Jessica is too good!
She had SUCH funny stories.
I came away from that event wealthy with mirth from listening to Jessica's funny stories complete with her deadpan delivery.
I did not care that it cost me moreover to attend the event, if you count buying dinner for Holland, my line manager daughter & gas. I had a funny, fantastic day with Jessica.
Get Jessica to tell you the story of being asked how much she charges. Oh. My. God. Tears ran down my legs.

I've had good luck at ppf so far, even though I'm not an expert I'd base it on the crowd. "Swap meet" sounds like bargain hunters, but "large city"could allow for higher pricing. I either do $5, 10, 15 or $10, 15, 20.

I like to make it so I at least give some change, my cheapest is 4, 6, 8, 12, and 15. Easier for them to give me tips.

Ah yes, I remember it like it were yesterday....

I was hired to paint at a corporate Christmas event and this lovely drunk woman clambers over to my chair and sits down. She wants a logo of some sort and, even though I hate painting logos, I cheerfully did so.

She then asked me with vodka breath how much it would be for a party. I told her my rate is $100 per hour. She about spit her drink on me as she exclaimed, "YOU'RE MORE THAN A HOOKER!". I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything.

I take each event or place into account. If I know I am working with a small budget type I keep my designs simple and flat rate at 3$. If I know I can push it I do 3,5,7 CHEEK/HALF/FULL. I have a ton of ppl say I could charge more but this seems to work well for me and ppl are glad to tip if they do not feel over charged. I have a play place that I go to regularly and I flat rate at 3$ but I use this time to practice new designs and of course quick old favs...

BTW I would have not been able to keep from asking how she knew the going rate for hookers lol.

It just depends on the demand. I have had terrible luck with the PPF events until this weekend. I charged $5 Flat and should have upped it. For once people seemed to think $5 was nothing. I should of had about $7-8. I think because it was a family/child centered event the people were prepared to spend more money on their kids. I stear clear of any type of sporting events/tournaments, walk/run 5k type events, and type of craft fairs. They have consistently been fails for me.

The nice thing about $5 faces is you have to make minimal change.

I worked with a woman who had a booth at a large local event. She set the prices at $10, 15, and 20...I was very surprised to find we always had a line and I painted over 75 faces and grossed $900.  I was so busy, and felt bad that I couldn't always do my best work for the $10 minimum... but all the people seemed happy.

I regularly do swap meets and simply have a $5 dollar board of designs that are pretty fast half or quarter masks. I do pretty well when parents know there is only one price. Plus on occasion there are other face painters there and they all charge $5 a face, I'm in dallas so it seems like similar demographics.

A New Face wrote:BTW I would have not been able to keep from asking how she knew the going rate for hookers lol.

Lol...that was the first thing that went through my mind:P 

Jessica...just laughed my arse off lol....not sure what I would have said to drunk lady...but it would have been something snarky and fun:)

Lol, I was honestly appalled!

I was just so glad there wasn't a line up of young, impressionable children behind her haha!