The public workshop price that a tourist actually paid and now I'm stuck with it
Years ago, before I had a real website or knew what I was doing with pricing, I ran a little workshop out of my studio. Just a few hours, materials included, you go home with a small piece. I charged €35 because I was scared to ask for more and it covered the tile and the wine.
A tourist from Australia came, loved it, posted about it. Next thing I know it's on some blog. Fine. But then her friend emails me asking if I can do a private session for four people at the same price. I said yes because I'm an idiot who hadn't learned to say "that was a group rate."
Now eight years later I sometimes still get people who found that old blog post and expect the €35 price. I've raised it to €65 and they look at me like I'm trying to sell them a car. I should have changed the name of the workshop or something. Instead I just have to be the bad guy every time someone shows up with a screenshot from 2016.
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Oh I felt this in my bones. The price you set when you didn't know your own worth yet, and it just follows you around like a ghost.
I did a similar thing with a commission once. Charged very little because I was nervous and the person was nice. Years later she came back wanting the same rate and I had to have that awkward conversation where you're basically admitting you undervalued yourself before. The worst part is you feel guilty for charging more even though you absolutely should.
Eight years is mad though. At some point you have to wonder, is she still using that same email chain from 2016? 😅
Hope you've managed to shake it off or at least raised the price significantly since then. The tile and wine days should stay in the past.
YES the guilt is the worst part!! Like you're somehow betraying them by having grown. I had a person find my old price list from like 2016 and email me asking why my paintings cost more now and I literally wrote back an itemized breakdown of my costs like I was defending myself in court. Why did I do that. Just say inflation exists and move on!!
The eight year email chain thing is killing me though. At a certain point that's not even loyalty that's just... she knows she's got a good thing going??
The itemized breakdown in defense mode, I've done that too. Sat there calculating the cost of a single tube of grout like I'm in arbitration with myself. Insane what we'll do to avoid just saying "prices go up."
And yes. Eight years. At some point it's not a sweet ongoing connection, it's her knowing the price is frozen in amber and she's not about to be the one to break it. I almost respect the commitment.
Exactly this. The guilt is the wild part, like you're the one who did something wrong by getting better at your job. I had to talk myself through it like a child. No, Dimitra, you are not a scammer for raising your prices a normal amount over nearly a decade.
The email chain thing, I'm not even joking, I checked. Same thread. She replied to herself from 2016. I wanted to send her a screenshot of inflation rates and just let the numbers speak for themselves.