Competition

[Glitterfly Faces]

I am going crazy.
I just checked my local kijiji and there are 2 other face painters charging $50 an hour with a discounted 2nd hour.  What?
Those prices are crazy. 

How do I compete with this?  I had to lower mine to $60/hour face painting and $60 for glitter tattoo.
I was asking $70/hour.
Do you think I should lower to the $50 she is asking?
I would hate to undervalue my services and skill.

What should I do?

Also, have any of you ever collabertated with larger bookings that wanted/needed more then one face painter?
How did you go about asking a competitor to share a gig with you?

Thanks ladies,
Kim

[Sherry]

I wouldn't worry and lower my prices, unless you'd just like to get some experience under your belt.

You'll have to charge enough to cover your time and expenses.  I doubt the face painters charging that will continue without raising their prices.  Once they've been in business for a while and see how much things cost, I think they'll need to raise their prices to make it worth their while.

My first year, I started out low and then I slowly raised it throughout my first year to $60 an hour.  Then in my second year I raised it to $70 an hour and I will most likely raise my prices a little bit more this coming new year.

I haven't yet collaborated with other independent artists.  I've had them call me and I just charge my regular hourly rate.

[Party Picassos Facepainting]

Don't let it get you down. Look at the competition's work. They may be using inferior products and have less artistic ability or creativity. I agree with Sherry. Our supplies are costly. You can only go so low.

[Alison]

Stay strong.  It's not a matter of price-competition.
Is that 2 face-painters you're talking about?  2 face-painters who are advertising on a free site?

There are more than 2 parties going on each day in this world.  And I'm sure that those 2 face-painters aren't found by every person who is looking to book a party.

When you talk to your clients, what the other artists are doing
has nothing to do with your conversation.  Your clients want to know what YOU charge.
They want to know if YOU"RE available.  They want to see YOUR samples. 

Tell them what you can do.  If they want it, they'll buy it.

(If I had that attitude when I was younger, only the most popular and the prettiest girl would have gotten married to only the richest and most handsome boy.  But the rest of them also had full lives - many married, and the success of those marriages had little to do with those attributes.  DON'T COMPARE.  Just do your thing.)