Price for On-line Tarot Readings

[Barleywine]

I was just on Etsy and was surprised to see how many people are offering tarot readings for around $5 or less. I wouldn't even take my cards out of the box for $5 since I think my experience and insight are worth more than that, especially if there is a written narrative involved. Is this typical for on-line readings? If so, I think I'll bow out before I ever get started.

[spider]

Hello

I have just had a quick scout round online and was surprised at how many free reading are on offer.  Admittedly they are computer generated, but some of them lead on to the choice to have a reading with a real person!!  I shall continue to look around and see if I can find anyone offering readings and how much they are aking.

[zedekiel]

23 minutes ago, Barleywine said:

I was just on Etsy and was surprised to see how many people are offering tarot readings for around $5 or less. I wouldn't even take my cards out of the box for $5 since I think my experience and insight are worth more than that, especially if there is a written narrative involved. Is this typical for on-line readings? If so, I think I'll bow out before I ever get started.

Are these intermediate level readers doing it as practice maybe? Or are they 3 card spreads usually? Because I too find it odd. I don't think, even for person-to-person online that it would (or should) go this low if you are advanced or have years and years of pro experience. For the same reason Fiverr is such a bad system, when you drop your prices that low and it becomes the standard, you screw over everyone else trying to earn more than just pocket change for their services, so I'd hope these people had some fairly legitimately stated reasons for charging that.. 😞

[Annabelle]

I agree that $5 seems way under-priced. 

 

Personally, I would buy a reading for $50 before I'd buy one for $5. I'd be afraid that the cheap reading wouldn't be worth much, or that the reader doesn't have any confidence in their ability.

[Barleywine]

10 minutes ago, zedekiel said:

Are these intermediate level readers doing it as practice maybe? Or are they 3 card spreads usually? Because I too find it odd. I don't think, even for person-to-person online that it would (or should) go this low if you are advanced or have years and years of pro experience. For the same reason Fiverr is such a bad system, when you drop your prices that low and it becomes the standard, you screw over everyone else trying to earn more than just pocket change for their services, so I'd hope these people had some fairly legitimately stated reasons for charging that.. 😞

It's impossible to say from the Etsy offers. I think some may be Skype readings since they're offering them by the minute (for example, 10 minutes for $20) which seems more in the ballpark. I'm not interested in making a lot of money at it, just getting a fair exchange for services rendered. Where I am in New England, the starting point is around $1/minute for a face-to-face reading with 15-20 minutes costing around $30 (some of which I had to give the shop owner).

Edited August 20, 2019 by Barleywine

[Barleywine]

3 minutes ago, Annabelle said:

I agree that $5 seems way under-priced. 

 

Personally, I would buy a reading for $50 before I'd buy one for $5. I'd be afraid that the cheap reading wouldn't be worth much, or that the reader doesn't have any confidence in their ability.

I'm not sure but it wouldn't surprise me if these are computer-generated readings sent by electronic media.

[zedekiel]

1 minute ago, Barleywine said:

Where I am in New England, the starting point is around $1/minute for a face-to-face reading with a 15-20 minutes costing around $30 (some of which I had to give the shop owner).

This seems fair! I don't think everyone has to read for the sake of "fame and fortune" (😉) it's just when anyone of any craft severely undercharges for their services, it can spiral into really screwing up the economy of said craft for those just trying to make a living.

 

If it's computer generated.... Well, that wouldn't surprise me either. In which case, buyer beware, you can just use a generating app for free 😅

[Saturn Celeste]

24 minutes ago, zedekiel said:

Are these intermediate level readers doing it as practice maybe?

I have to do it to get clients!  I'm pretty new over there.  I just had a 70% off all my readings.  I did get busy, yes but I was doing past life readings for 12.00 but I did get a few of them.  I got a ton of erotic readings!  The competition is intense over there.  All I can do is keep having sales and getting the bodies to come to my store.  Right now I will be doing huge updates to both my Wix site and my Etsy site to get ready for my Halloween sale!  I hate giving my readings away but hell, I had a nice steady flow for a few weeks!

[Barleywine]

4 minutes ago, Saturn Celeste said:

I have to do it to get clients!  I'm pretty new over there.  I just had a 70% off all my readings.  I did get busy, yes but I was doing past life readings for 12.00 but I did get a few of them.  I got a ton of erotic readings!  The competition is intense over there.  All I can do is keep having sales and getting the bodies to come to my store.  Right now I will be doing huge updates to both my Wix site and my Etsy site to get ready for my Halloween sale!  I hate giving my readings away but hell, I had a nice steady flow for a few weeks!

Did you have to give them much in the way of written output? When I write something up, I try to keep it to one paragraph of no more that 3 or 4 sentences per card (OK, I do sneak in a lot of semicolons and such). This wouldn't be too onerous for a three-card reading in terms of time and effort. I usually do a brief summary statement as well. I once tried to give away three free Celtic Cross readings on my blog site as a way to advertise myself but only got one taker.

[Saturn Celeste]

13 minutes ago, Barleywine said:

Did you have to give them much in the way of written output?

Nope, I gave them a full price reading write up.  Like I said, I want customers.  The erotic readings are fairly short though.  One is 4 cards the other is 6 cards.  For my past life readings, they got the full reading.  I'm also still in a development stage of my past life readings so everyone that I did was better for me.  I guarantee I won't do a 70% off sale again though!  It was too much off.

[katrinka]

If Etsy is allowing Skype readings, either the rules have changed or people are breaking them. When I was selling readings there (about 2013, I think?), we had to offer something "tangible", i.e., type out a PDF and email it to them. I remember charging $100 for a Lenormand GT there and it wasn't even worth doing with all the typing and formatting, so I closed the shop.

Now I just do phone readings and charge by time: $120 for an hour, $60 for 30 minutes. I don't charge by the card anymore. Some people want a large spread and they don't even keep me on the phone very long. Others say they just want a few cards, but they're full of questions and they'll keep you on the phone all afternoon if you let them. Charging by time solves all of that.

Running occasional sales is OK, I've done it. Absurdly low standard pricing is not OK. And there are a lot more people selling readings than there used to be. The sheer volume buries our listings. I agree that a lot of these people are new/intermediate. And I suspect some of them don't really read at all, they're just making easy money copying and pasting something or other.

As far as how much you should write, the general rule is that they're paying for information, not writing, so you don't have to write a dissertation. Still, it's best to include a photo of the spread and an explanation of how you got what you did. That makes it plain that yes, you are actually reading the cards. You should at least get a few regulars out of that - if anybody sees your listing to begin with.

Edited August 20, 2019 by katrinka

[Barleywine]

51 minutes ago, katrinka said:

If Etsy is allowing Skype readings, either the rules have changed or people are breaking them. When I was selling readings there (about 2013, I think?), we had to offer something "tangible", i.e., type out a PDF and email it to them. I remember charging $100 for a Lenormand GT there and it wasn't even worth doing with all the typing and formatting, so I closed the shop.

Now I just do phone readings and charge by time: $120 for an hour, $60 for 30 minutes. I don't charge by the card anymore. Some people want a large spread and they don't even keep me on the phone very long. Others say they just want a few cards, but they're full of questions and they'll keep you on the phone all afternoon if you let them. Charging by time solves all of that.

Running occasional sales is OK, I've done it. Absurdly low standard pricing is not OK. And there are a lot more people selling readings than there used to be. The sheer volume buries our listings. I agree that a lot of these people are new/intermediate. And I suspect some of them don't really read at all, they're just making easy money copying and pasting something or other.

As far as how much you should write, the general rule is that they're paying for information, not writing, so you don't have to write a dissertation. Still, it's best to include a photo of the spread and an explanation of how you got what you did. That makes it plain that yes, you are actually reading the cards. You should at least get a few regulars out of that - if anybody sees your listing to begin with.

I don't know that they are allowing Skype, but I don't see how else you could offer a "10-minute reading" to someone unless it's being timed.

[Saturn Celeste]

15 hours ago, katrinka said:

You should at least get a few regulars out of that - if anybody sees your listing to begin with.

That's the challenge!  But the sale feature is the surest way to get discovered and in my case the use of the erotic keyword.  Sex sells and it does in tarot also.  I got that keyword erotic out there and thankfully I was found.  So what's better than a sale?  An erotic sale!  What is really funny about the erotic readings is most of them were actually just relationship queries with naughty pictures!  I had only one person that wanted an actual erotic reading out of several.

[devin]

I've seen lots of people offering readings on social media for $5-$10. To be fair, I do also come across higher pricing fairly often, but there are a MILLION bargain basement readers out there. I've seen pricing structures based on number of cards, number of paragraphs, time taken, type of answer (yes/no, advice), etc. And, as far as I know, Etsy's rules haven't changed. So those timed prices must be based on how long a reading takes to perform. Well, that's my guess anyway.

 

The whole discussion reminds me of listening to a farmer's market guy complain about hobbyists severely undercutting those who rely on markets for their full income. 

 

Hmmm, I recently did some free readings on social media for fun and almost all of them went very well.... it got me thinking that I might try and put out for some pay tarot work. What do you guys think the cheapest a small online reading should be? Where's the floor? Not that I'd necessarily want to price myself at the bottom, mind.... just curious.

 

@Saturn Celeste Excuse my naivety, but, um, what exactly is an 'erotic' reading when it's at home?

 

P.S. If anyone's interested, here are my social media accounts:

https://twitter.com/redsagereadings

https://www.instagram.com/redsagetarot/ (I'm currently blocked for unfollowing too many people in one go 😞 )

 

Edited August 21, 2019 by devin

[Saturn Celeste]

2 minutes ago, devin said:

@Saturn Celeste Excuse my naivety, but, um, what exactly is an 'erotic' reading when it's at home?

Not sure what you mean by 'at home'?  But my erotic readings are using erotic decks.  I will take into account the author's interpretation of the cards (especially important in the Sexual Magic deck), my interpretation of the cards, the images of the cards and if I use a spread or not.  The majority of questions I get is "what does my partner like the most?"  So, if the cards show blow jobs or light S&M that is what I convey to them.  I did a relationship reading (the classic spread of side by side) using an erotic deck and wow did that ever come out awesome!

[Guest]

Charging less than £40 has never made sense. You have to value your time and expertise before anyone else would. Plus, you need to cover costs and tax. 

 

Over time I’ve settled on a small (£40), medium (£60), and large system (£80).  These based on an hourly rate of £80. In addition to that, I charge £200 for a grand tableaus but these are Skype and in-person only.  Horary and birth charts are £80 and £200 (£300 with 12 month forecast).  None of my readings are verbose - I did time on psychic lines as a student, so you learn to be succinct and quick. It’s good practice. 

 

The only time I’ve been told I was expensive was a client asking for a natal chart reading - but as she didn’t even know the time she was born, I took no notice. 

[katrinka]

2 hours ago, leroidetrèfle said:

Charging less than £40 has never made sense. You have to value your time and expertise before anyone else would. Plus, you need to cover costs and tax.

That works out to a little under $50 USD, and I concur that should be rock bottom, and that's for a small spread.
We spend at least as much time learning to read cards as a person would going to law or medical school. There's no reason to be shy about putting value on that.

[Barleywine]

37 minutes ago, katrinka said:

That works out to a little under $50 USD, and I concur that should be rock bottom, and that's for a small spread.
We spend at least as much time learning to read cards as a person would going to law or medical school. There's no reason to be shy about putting value on that.

You're both inspiring me! Central New England must be a metaphysically-depressed area if most of the shops are charging so little for face-to-face readings. I did some research a couple of years ago on AT and found that the average price at the time in Australia was around $70 and in NYC it was roughly $200 for a comprehensive sit-down reading.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, katrinka said:

That works out to a little under $50 USD, and I concur that should be rock bottom, and that's for a small spread.
We spend at least as much time learning to read cards as a person would going to law or medical school. There's no reason to be shy about putting value on that.

This. Over time the idea of ‘study’ and ‘learning’ has become somewhat disregarded. However, I’ve devoted more time to this art than the years one spent at university.

 

The $50 is for one or two cards; a short snappy sentence or two. I would never read for less. When clients ask, I explain that the size refers to the additional details in addition to your answer. Large is a total overview which most people just don’t need. 

[Wanderer]

Really interesting discussion. I've never done any paid readings, and quite possibly never will, but I also saw these $5-10 readings offered (sometimes including quite extensive spreads with a write-up that would take me hours to do) and felt the same as you, Barleywine. It's a skill, and a talent, that should be appreciated and respected; when you think how much a plumber charges, let alone a solicitor, then that should give us a fair reckoning of what a good reader's time should be worth. 

 

I guess, though, that to many people Tarot readings are something you have done on a whim when you see the tent at a fun fair, and never think about again... and for that audience, perhaps they regard it is light entertainment, just as you would throw some coins to a street performer. For those who seek out a reader in order to receive some clarity... they probably do respect the skills involved, and are willing to pay more because  they value it. I'm not sure which audience the readers on Etsy are reaching, but I worry it's the mindset that itches for quantity over quality. Obviously it's an over-generalisation, but this is the sort of price that risks attracting those who want readings to tell  them what they want to know. Personally, I think a reading has most value when it is something that we turn over in our minds until we learn from it; getting lots of them cheaply means we avoid looking at the difficult bits, which is another form of disrespect of the reader. 

 

What would I pay for a good reading, personally? Hard to say, since I can read for myself anyway, and don't have a lot of money! 😊 I would certainly consider £30 for a half-hour to be reasonable, though, so I'm in the same ballpark as the rest of you here. If I found someone offering readings for under minimum wage, I'd be either skeptical or sympathetic!

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

when I was in hairdressing I ran an ad for $5.00 haircuts. I didn't get any returnees, it was all people looking for $5.00 haircuts and I ran myself ragged doing them. 

Being the cynic I am, if someone was selling me a $5.00 reading I would believe they were running over to one of the many free reading sites and copying off what came up there. And you'd be hard pressed to convince me they were doing otherwise. Buyer Beware, in many things in life you get what you pay for. 

[Saturn Celeste]

I am feeling very inadequate!   For a few years I did hundreds of free writer readings to develop my style and learn.  Then when I had the confidence to start charging, I got no takers on either my wix site or etsy.  Honestly, the only time I get sales from my Wix site is when I slash my prices a lot lower except for the few members here that did choose to pay me the full amount instead of the sale price.  Times are tough, people don't have $50 for a 2 card reading.  I feel I am in a service industry and I want to give my service to others and I have faith in myself and my clients that yes, they pay for sale prices now but after I continue to prove myself, I can get higher prices.  Back when I was doing free readings I dreamed of the time I would get even 5 bucks for a reading.  Now that I do, I dream of $50 but it takes a long time to build a strong clientele.  I am on disability and unable to hold down a regular job so this is important to me.  If slashing my prices gets me in the system then that's what needs to be done.  Who knows in 20 years (if I even live that long, I'm pretty old) I too can get $50 for a 2 card reading. 😉  The tarot industry is saturated!  Like the beginning of this thread pointed out, look at Etsy! 

 

And @AJ-ish/Sharyn I was a haircutter and once in awhile we did have $5 haircuts, I'd be up to my knees in hair but most of them came back to me.  I had staunch customers that didn't want any of the other girls doing their hair.  I also specialized in men's cuts.  I believe in doing the very best I can whether it's for free or $5 or $50.  That's just the way I am.  But I want to make some money to at least pay for all the cat food and litter 13 cats use!

 

This is an interesting conversation but I am here as a quiet voice to remind everyone that not everyone is a lousy reader if they charge $5 for a reading.  And I do have other readings that I charge more for but some people just want a cheap tarot reading and I'll be happy to give it to them.  You can find my prices on the Packages page of my website.  I was a biker while I was married and you'll see bikers with FTW tattoos.  Now the hardened biker will say it means Fuck The World but to a biker just starting out without a group to connect to, FTW means Forever Two Wheels.  I always preferred the latter. 😉 

 

I do want to add, that doing face to face readings can and should generate more money than an online reading.  I don't leave my house so I don't read face to face. 😉

 

 

[Barleywine]

Before I moved, I had reasonably good success as an on-call reader for a local Pagan/New Age shop.  The readings were set up a few days in advance, and I just showed up and got paid by the shop owner. I also did a couple of psychic fairs each year on the major pagan holidays where I had quite a few walk-ins. The only catch was the owner took so much of the fee, but I didn't begrudge it because I wanted her to succeed. Then I moved and so far (8 months later) I'm mostly dead in the water again.

[DanielJUK]

About a year ago there was someone on this forum who was starting out pro reading on there and really underpriced themselves. I mean they were doing a celtic cross spread for about $15. I know that a lot of people starting out need to get good reviews on there but it's sad when people sell themselves short. When you are established, think of the time and effort you put into a reading and charge for that. I wonder if it is very competitive with so many readings on offer.

 

A lot of folk from the forum offer readings on there and give great readings but do becareful on etsy. Before this forum started I got a reading from an awful intuitive reader who promised these amazing things with pseudo links to eastern cultures, eg she was giving "messages from the bodhi tree", the one where Buddha was supposed to be born under. The readings were not expensive but I found out afterwards the tree she wrote about in the listing wasn't actually in the place in the world she said (it's really in Nepal). The worst thing of all is that if you buy something on etsy, they get to see your email address! she signed me on her mailing list and I cannot get off it 😠 However she was the one bad experience in many amazing people on there!

 

If a reader has at least intermediate experience I think $10 to $20 for a small reading (1 to 3 cards) is fair, $30 to $50 for a larger spread and a spread with a lot of work $60 to $100. I think charging over $50 is fair for a celtic cross, it takes work!

[Barleywine]

2 minutes ago, DanielJUK said:

I think charging over $50 is fair for a celtic cross, it takes work!

I think the level of detail deserves that amount. As far as work, I hardly notice that. They're almost as natural as breathing for me now after working with them for over four decades. They started my love affair with the tarot way back when.