I Love Tattooing Episode 6: Minimum Charge

Minimum Charge

Quote: “The only thing worse than a cheapskate customer is a cheapskate tattooer” - Bill Waverly

In most tattoo shops there is an agreed upon minimum charge that is the base price for all tattoos.  This charge is intended to be the basic starting point for the cost to the clients. What is the right number?  Is this a good idea?  How do tattooers use this to decide the price for their customers?  Do customers price shop using the minimum? When a client asks for the minimum before discussing the design they want, how should an artist respond? Should you work with other artists and shops in your area to establish a local base price for tattoos? How should you feel about the guy down the street who charges less? These are some of the questions we will explore in this episode.  

Tattooing has a value, it is subjective, but the skills required to be a good tattooer are unique and that makes it valuable.  Charging the proper amount for your work is not an exact science, and understanding the way to determine the price of a tattoo is difficult. Often we quote a price and the client is delighted that it isn't more expensive, other times we are met with disdain and a question like: “Why is it so much?”  Clients know what they want to spend but every tattoo is unique so agreeing on a price isn't always easy. How do you know when a tattoo is the minimum or when you should charge more? Is your minimum charge fair to you and your clientele? 

Some folks have said there should be no minimum, others believe there should be a consensus among artists for minimum in a specific geographic area. Some people claim that the minimum is actually zero.  Tattoos are sometimes priced by the hour, and other times they are priced by the piece. Clients and artists are not always on the same page when it comes to the price of a tattoo and the minimum charge is no exception.  Artists get insulted at low ball price suggestions and requests for a “good deal” from someone who they have never tattooed, and clients can be offended by the price of something when they don't understand what it takes to perform the tattoo in question. 

There are a lot of issues surrounding the minimum charge when it comes to tattooing.  The opinions on this vary as much as the kinds of people who get tattoos.  I doubt there is one correct answer to any of these questions. This will certainly be a controversial episode and we are looking forward to your opinion about the topic.