seems like donations are rising

[Sue Nami]

not to state the obvious but seems like we are experiencing a shift to higher donation rates. Do you shop/search by rate? what is your upper limit? do you feel the well established local providers who do not follow the rest of the girls and raise rates are smart savvy business women or are they missing out on an industry wide rate adjustment? I am guessing maybe a higher rate works in bigger markets like vegas? I noticed one traveling girl adverting is 800 an hour. of course everyone sets their own rates, no question there. just wondering what the fellas think about it. Guys, what do u feel is fair, going local rates for FBSM and GFE and fetish? does anyone think that girl asking 800 an hour will get even one client in austin? she is super hot and beautiful but just amazed at that donation and wanted to see what the guys feel about creeping donation rates. of course anyone living in our town knows is very expensive and rents and cost of living are thru the roof. how many providers locally are having to raise donations due to cost of living? I know my incall apartment rent has doubled in 5 years and I have not raised donations at all. this is a sensitive topic but let's try to discus donations and the local market. I think we are experiencing a market adjustment. what do you think?

[3daygetaway]

A risky topic to discuss out loud: providers historically HATE when guys opine on this topic.

That being said, I understand the cost-of-living-in-Austin struggles. I cannot afford to hobby as often as I used to, both from rate increases and my own operating costs.

Thanks for not raising your rates. I appreciate your approach to the hobby: you’ve always seemed stable, knowledgeable, and dependable. I wish more providers had your level head and pride in your service, instead of pride/validation based on how high their rates can be.

[Daniel Larusso]

A risky topic to discuss out loud: providers historically HATE when guys opine on this topic.

That being said, I understand the cost-of-living-in-Austin struggles. I cannot afford to hobby as often as I used to, both from rate increases and my own operating costs.

Thanks for not raising your rates. I appreciate your approach to the hobby: you’ve always seemed stable, knowledgeable, and dependable. I wish more providers had your level head and pride in your service, instead of pride/validation based on how high their rates can be.

Very well said 3day. I too do not hobby as much as I used to due to current rates. I certainly feel the ladies can charge whatever they want and feel comfortable with. You'll get no argument from me on that front. I however just have to search for the quality ladies that are within my budget although I certainly wish there were more of them.

[Luvdatpuddy]

At the risk of throwing gasoline on a spark, I'll go ahead and give my 2 cents on this topic, although I'm a very infrequent hobbyist at best (mostly, I come on here to read up on some interesting topics/opinions, and take comfort in the knowledge that others are having fun, even if I'm not).

It's a balancing act for me. I would take into account a lady's reviews, reputation (tcb and bcd), appearance, and price point when making a decision. To comment on the specifics, $800 an hour would be a hard stop for me - if I saw that, I wouldn't read any further, as I just can't see what added value I'd get on that over someone at a more reasonable price point. I tend to scrutinize more heavily once the price goes over $300 an hour...above that, there would need to be something special not commonly found to draw me in. That's not a statement about any given lady's "value", but more of the value that I put on an hour of fun, regardless of who it is with...

[phast11ss]

Personally, I see some of the rates being published and either laugh or shake my head. I have the means but not the interest in dropping such high amounts. Ladies with whom I have previously engaged over the years are advertising double in some cases...it’s just a no value play for me. I shop in the ranges that work for me, but end up passing on a lot of ladies.

[dodger]

"Water seeks its own level". Some ladies have higher prices (imo) to reduce volume of contacts ... that's fine ... even smart. But most retailers know what people want and what the local traffic will bear.

I imagine most guys check multiple sites, OH2, eccie, P411, etc ... they go into this knowing what type of lady works for them, duration, and menu. Doesn't take too long to figure out what the "going rate" would be for their 'dream date'. It's a little odd to see the same provider listing different rates on different sites. Always figured that they know their business ... must have a reason ... or maybe not. I dunno.

When I see a lady who gets checks in all the boxes, I start reading the reviews to see how much fun she was during the session, communication, reliability, TCB, etc. I have tried to sacrifice this or that to save $$$ ... and it doesn't work well ... so if I really must indulge ... I may have to get another paper route. If someone really wants to know what I enjoy, for how long and how much ... they can look at my reviews.

I have to say what almost without exception ... the ladies delight me. I love the up front part of the transactional relationship. Spoils me for the complications of dealing with "earth people".

[Zena99]

I think this Is a great topic...
Increasing housing costs where I live, make me think about it, although I havent made a decision yet.
But I found relatively- sweet spot range of donations that works for me.
So, it is something to consider & mull over, I guess. :)

[Lovinglifeinaustin]

Once prices exceed what I’m willing to pay, then I will quit this hobby.

[Loxly]

We all have our limits, regardless of income level, and will plan accordingly.

I won't attempt to understand how Providers arrive at their prices but only they know what their expenses are. If they appear to be "pushing the envelope" I hope they have good reasons.

[fast_20t]

This is a free market society - ladies can charge all they want. I am surprised when a newcomer without a reputation or established client base wants to charge top dollar but hey - I am not going to tell anyone how to run their business :-). Or when a provider in a really shitty motel with no clean towels available asks for 200 /hhr. That's the same with anything - if you're paying top dollar, the experience needs to be at the top too.
As for someone with a stellar reputation and a client base - a small increase should be OK after a few years to keep up with inflation. The prices really jumped recently especially for hhr. It used to be 150/hhr was the norm - now it's 200/hhr. That's a 30% increase .... makes it more difficult to hobby often.

[mathguy]

Honestly I think it's all a bit silly b/c my personal opinion is the exact opposite of many arguments being put forth about prices increasing or being too high.

I've stated why I think that. Go read the thread on legalization of prostitution which was not terribly long ago and you will get an idea of why I have this postulation.

Overall risk is lower today for many reasons. Information age/sharing, Google phenomenon, communities like these, verification, reviews, etc.... I hope I don't have to spell out what that [typically] means from an economic perspective.

Rates are fine anyway. Girls charge what they want. Rates are fine just as they are for right now.

As for the $800? Well, you can try it. You might even get some guys with thicker wallets who bite. You really should be looking for an SB arrangement though at that point. It would be sort of like being a gas station who charged $7/gallon. You "might" get some buyers on occasion if you are out in the sticks, or near a place where there are no other stations at all and someone is on fumes and desperate. However, is that going to be enough to sustain your business? Versus the other stations who have lines of cars all day long buying $2-$2.5/gallon gas?

Yes, your margin is way higher but you simply don't have enough customers buying gas. Most people will even risk riding on fumes a bit further to find a realistic price down the road a bit. So, in the long run, from a purely monetary point of view (not how much selling your body is worth) the cheaper price point, the more reasonable one, brings you more money overall. Economic models don't care about how we feel about selling things. Whether it's gas, candy, cell phones, beer, or our body. From an unbiased monetary and economic point of view they are all just "products" existing in a competitive market which are bound by that competition, associated demand, and the governing economic laws.

I think what people should realize, and trust me I do not have a dog in this fight, I don't care one way or the other, it's not about what is the worth of selling one's body. You see, the only reason that seems so bad is the societal & taboo nature such that you can't make it public, you have to hide everything, and it's not considered legitimate work. And, yes, you have to deal with some serious a-holes on occasion that make you feel gross or disgusted. These are all partly reasons why it's a high rate/good income yet no advanced skills/degree/technical knowledge required. That's not at all a dig to anyone. Please. It's just that anyone can have sex. Just like anyone can work a register at McDonalds. Why don't those people make $50 or $100 per hour? Because the market demands it. Too many people can do it and are willing to do it in which no advanced skill is involved (no skill beyond what virtually every average IQ person possesses). So no employer need pay $50/hr for that because there is a line a million miles long of people who will do it for $8/hr. Get my point? It's not a jab. It's just a truism.

The problem is that sex is not a special skill. A woman does not get $200, $300, or $500 for an hour or for 2 hours b/c it's a skilled job. It's not. They don't even need to be pretty, or have a great body, particularly if their services are great. The reason is bc of the risks, whether legal risks or the risk of becoming a social pariah along with the things I said in the preceding paragraph. This is all the exact same in the gay man community. There's no reason it wouldn't be. There are sites that cater to gigolos and gay men. It's the same for them too. Doesn't matter if you're male or female. You start taking risks away, with legalization for example, or even simply communities like this one, the information age phenomenon, etc... and you end up with many more girls (and even men) willing to entertain the idea. What do we think that influx of providers will do to the hobby in the absence of a demand increase that is proportional to the provider increase?

Costs are completely fine as they are right now.

[Stewie griffen]

All reasonable replies so far.

For me, i have other concerns, child support and such. So being that im ballin on a budget if rates go much higher ill be priced completely out of the fun. Im already playing less than i wish i could. Every time rates go up my next appointment gets further out.

[3daygetaway]

There may be too many career sex workers in our market, and not enough part-timers, who need a majority of their income to come from the hobby. This could cause a rate spike too. I wonder for how many this is a hobby vs career

[WiskerBilly]

As others have said, ladies can charge what they want for their own reasons. But I get a chuckle inside when I meet a lady at a social or seeing a regular and they complain about how slow it is in Austin lately when they charge over $300/hr. I know plenty of fellow hobbyists that refuse to go over $250. If this was a non-optional expense like gasoline, food, or air to breath we'd have no choice but to pony up and try to recoup funds elsewhere. But since nobody is forcing us to hobby, if they price themselves out of what the market will bear they shouldn't be surprised when the phone doesn't ring.

[Vanessaamour]

I firmly believe that 1) area and ur demographic has a significant effect on rates 2) reputation etc 3)current competition/ providers
When I started I was 100 hhr200hr. After steady all yes reviews and building my positive rep it went up to 125 /225 then 150 /250
When I travel to certain areas easily demand 200hhr350 hr with no lack of clients. When BP shut down initial panic set in causing a lot of girls to become desperate.. I've found that when I'm in austin it's easier and more consistent money if I have my current rates I'm not get at all which some people can't handle which makes me feel no type of way .. Anyone who sees me knows that they will be safe in a clean comfy environment with no drama as well as have a great time ... If someone can't afford my rates then honestly pussy isn't what they should be buying , job placement assistance might make more sense. Imho