What do you think of cheap readings?

[chongjasmine]

I come across tarot readers that offer readings for a mere US$1. How could they justify the time and energy they put behind the readings?

What do you think of such readers?

[gregory]

Readers here do it for nothing. We are all free to charge whatever we like. I don't think what someone chooses to charge reflects at all on their abilities. Why do they have to justify anything ? If it's a good reading, that's fine by me; if they charged $75 and itt was a dud, that would worry me more. I don't judge readers by their prices.

[katrinka]

I have to disagree, gregs. The "free" readings here are for feedback, at the very least. Sometimes exchanges as well. That's not nothing - and they're generally done by people trying to gain experience before going pro, or just to pass the time and get some practice in.

There is a price range that experienced readers generally stick to. We're always checking each other's prices. 😁 It's only fair that we should be compensated for our work.
Some people have this idea that it "isn't really work" - artists and musicians are often treated the same way. But we're taking time out of our lives to do it and it's an acquired skill. A competent reader has been studying at least as many years as a doctor or lawyer.

Yes, everyone is free to charge what they like. But if you explore blogs, youtube, etc., the really BAD ones always seem to be the ones offering cheap readings. And the public isn't educated. If they knew cards well enough to recognize when a blog is bad, they'd be reading for themselves. So their reasoning is why should they pay $120 an hour when they can get a "reading" for twenty bucks? Or five? These know-nothing "readers" flood the market and force the rest of us to look for additional (and sometimes backbreaking) sources of income.

And then, of course, clients get poorly done readings and decide that card reading is just a bunch of hooey. 

 

From a business standpoint, cheap readings are toxic for all of us.

Edited December 4, 2021 by katrinka

[Decan]

7 hours ago, chongjasmine said:

I come across tarot readers that offer readings for a mere US$1. How could they justify the time and energy they put behind the readings?

What do you think of such readers?

To ask $1 is ridiculous and gives the impression that a card reading is worth nothing and has no value. It’s not like giving an opinion on a spread for free on forums of course.

 

On the other side there is a Grand Tableau with Rana George, Oh My God such an experience it must be!! A distant goal I dream about, and possibly a life goal (who knows), but well 😁

 

[katrinka]

8 minutes ago, Decan said:

On the other side there is a Grand Tableau with Rana George, Oh My God such an experience it must be!! A distant goal I dream about, and possibly a life goal (who knows), but well 

 

 When people set prices like that, it's because they don't want to be bothered. 🤣

[Decan]

30 minutes ago, katrinka said:

 

 When people set prices like that, it's because they don't want to be bothered. 🤣

There is a galloping inflation these days but I checked (since I forgot exactly how much it is) and there is just one option for $533 (of course for 1 hour in depth!!). Oh boy!

 

Yeah she doesn’t want to be bothered, it must be that! 😁

[katrinka]

She's a bit of a celeb in the niche market since her book was published. I'm sure a lot of people were bugging her.

[Eric13]

I've seen these Dollar offerings around the web, on social media. What I think is really going on is a paltry reading of some kind then they try to pull your for the whopper. Also I believe someone once posted on here how its actually an actual business thats pulling this nonsense. I just wouldn't trust it. Even if I were walking on the Venice Boardwalk. Those dollars could add up for someone. 

[katrinka]

I agree that $1 is bait.
There used to be a lady here in town who had a big sign in her yard offering $10 Tarot readings. It was that old scam where she told everybody they were cursed and offered to lift the curse for hundreds of dollars. She acquired a horrible reputation, everybody knew she was a ripoff. Eventually she went away.

[Raggydoll]

Maybe their 1 dollar readings is part of a bigger scheme, and they want to be able to boast on social media that they’ve had 400+ clients since starting their career (which was only two months earlier… but they’ll leave that detail out) 😁 

 

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

All in the presentation, and we can't know that without links. I've done one minute readings @ one dollar and made $30.00 an hour a couple of times. Takes time to listen to the question 🙂

 

Right now I wouldn't walk across the room for a dollar, but there have been times when a dollars worth of change found in the couch cushions meant I could get gas for work. 

 

JudgyMuch is a state of mind I try to avoid. 

[Rose Lalonde]

This came up on another forum, and I speculated that some people might just be copy-pasting the same "reading" into every email, keeping the answer vague enough to apply to most anything. So it would take about 30 seconds of work for the dollar. Someone else replied that you can automate that process, so you don't really spend any time.  That's my cynical take on it, but I'm not saying everyone does that. 

[katrinka]

6 minutes ago, AJ-ish/Sharyn said:

All in the presentation, and we can't know that without links. I've done one minute readings @ one dollar and made $30.00 an hour a couple of times. Takes time to listen to the question

 

By the minute is different. When I was on Keen, my rate was $7.99 a minute, but what I actually got after Keen took their cut was about $2.50 per minute, so it worked out to about the same as my regular rate.
But I didn't set out to do one minute readings. You just never knew how long people were going to stay on - hopefully much longer than a minute. $2.50 isn't even worth picking up the phone. And yes, sometimes we're broke and it's the difference between a bag of pinto beans and no food. But we have to think in terms of rent and bills, not pinto beans.

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

don't include me in your we. I'm just reading the initial post and going from there. 

[katrinka]

3 minutes ago, AJ-ish/Sharyn said:

don't include me in your we. I'm just reading the initial post and going from there. 

You're not a reader? OK.

 

[katrinka]

1 minute ago, Wildcard said:

Also, there is a huge difference between a 1 Dollar reading (excluding the copy/paste version), and a reading done at 1 Dollar per minute, no?

Exactly. A person could barely get the question out in a minute.

 

11 minutes ago, Rose Lalonde said:

This came up on another forum, and I speculated that some people might just be copy-pasting the same "reading" into every email, keeping the answer vague enough to apply to most anything. So it would take about 30 seconds of work for the dollar. Someone else replied that you can automate that process, so you don't really spend any time.  That's my cynical take on it, but I'm not saying everyone does that. 

The bigger sites might automate it. They've been doing it with birth charts forever.

The other schmucks probably copypaste from scripts like this:

https://www.free-tarot-reading.net/free

 

[Ziev]

I know someone who charged by donation or $1 as she was learning how to read the cards. Everyone who she read for knew she was still learning and that she was looking to practice reading cards for others.  Most people were generous and were still happy to get a reading. This was many years ago and they were face to face reading. Maybe that makes  a difference. 

[katrinka]

On 12/4/2021 at 1:44 PM, Wildcard said:

Darn it.

Their majors stood the test of time. Millions of users. Now, that must be one amazing program!

But - yeah, they said it. "do not be discouraged by the (over-)simplicity of the answer".

Am I part of the marginal few who can not be read by that program now?

Aaargh! I feel outsiderish!

🤣

Some of what I got:

"If you are considering leaving your job, home or relationship, at some point you will."

Yes, most people do leave one of those things "at some point"!

 

 

[Wyrdkiss]

On 12/4/2021 at 5:47 AM, katrinka said:

 But we're taking time out of our lives to do it and it's an acquired skill. A competent reader has been studying at least as many years as a doctor or lawyer.

Yes, everyone is free to charge what they like. But if you explore blogs, youtube, etc., the really BAD ones always seem to be the ones offering cheap readings. And the public isn't educated. If they knew cards well enough to recognize when a blog is bad, they'd be reading for themselves. So their reasoning is why should they pay $120 an hour when they can get a "reading" for twenty bucks? Or five? These know-nothing "readers" flood the market and force the rest of us to look for additional (and sometimes backbreaking) sources of income.

And then, of course, clients get poorly done readings and decide that card reading is just a bunch of hooey. 

 

From a business standpoint, cheap readings are toxic for all of us.

all of the above. 

[Decan]

A possible reason behind a $1 reading could be to collect the email and a few personal data which will be used later by other people. 
They can send a small text computer-generated and at the end could offer other services for more too.

These are just ideas, actually I don’t know, but when something looks suspicious I imagine a manipulation of some kind, so a scam.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Decan

[Cynthylee]

1 dollar is meaningless. If they are kind and generous enough, they will divine for you for free as a means of gaining experience;

either follow the rules of the market and ask for the right price for the valuable service they provide.

[Guest]

Being cynical the cheap reading may just be a computer and the same response given to everyone. A way of making quick money or as decan said to collect data. 

[Little Fang]

This translates into the online artist realm as well. 

There are folks out there offering such cheap artwork commissions that it hurts us other artists who charge significantly more. Many do it since they don't value themselves, don't know how to price, are young or inexperienced, or desperate. 

Any of those things can also relate to cheap tarot readings. 

When I was a new professional reader, I also charged cheaply, but I put my all into it since this was experience and feedback time for me. It helped me grow and I later charged my worth. 🙂