Another method to use is called the grid system pricing guide. This is where a grid is made up on a piece of paper or acetate in one inch square increments. The idea here is to cover the tattoo with the grid and see how many square inches it encompasses. You would charge by the square inch of tattoo space. You will have to determine what you want to charge per square inch. This can save you time, and if you decide on different prices, all you have to do is charge more or less per square inch instead of changing all the flash sheets.

These are just a few examples of pricing and it is probable that the tattooist will find a way of pricing that is both fair to the customer and profitable to himself. Always remember though, don’t be greedy.

Selling Work
Another aspect of tattooing which is linked to pricing is the possibility of drumming up more business. This is self-promotion, and there are endless ways to go about doing it. One way is, as soon as you open up a shop, call the local newspaper and try to get them to do a local story on you. A lot of people will read this that otherwise would not have any other way of knowing about your shop. Advertising yourself always helps and to place an advertisement for tattooing, promoting yourself, will really get you some business. An advertisement in any related type magazine is also good. Business cards are a must to hand out to people and it is a tradition to design them with clever drawings and original ideas. T-shirts, buttons and bandanas with your shop name log silk-screened on them are another way to go. They are like walking billboards, and the price to have them printed up is marginal compared to the business that you will get. Many tattooists photograph all the tattoos that they have done (while on the customer). When a collection of them starts to pile up, arrange them in books or on the walls and they become a great portfolio, showing what you are capable of doing. Proof of your work really puts the odds in your favor when a customer is undecided about actually getting a tattoo. Following these guidelines, it shouldn’t be hard to get more work, and a little imagination in promoting yourself, really adds up to more business. Tattooing advertises itself by word of mouth, and aside from the cost of business cards and some advertising in the yellow pages, they advertise themselves. You can sell the same tattoo over and over again, but to the customers, they’re always new.

Posted on September 2nd, 2008 by admin
Tags: butterfly tattoos, girl tattoos, star tattoos

Filed under: Prices and Selling