haggling 101A

[Shannon Shirley]

No It wasnt in a ''wind up''. I started tattooing in 89'. worked in a street shop in Calif for yrs, Now Im workin in the south. Lots of crappy shops. Sometimes I get disheartened, was just looking for a little advice/companionship..''Yeah I hate that....this is how I handle it..'' I got some ,thanx......

[Avery Taylor]

Just yesterday someone came in asking about a cover-up on his neck. I quoted him 200, he stands there for a minute, and says 180, so I told him 250. But wait he says, you just said 200. I did and you said 180, I don't haggle.

While I have no problem working with someone to keep it inside their budget, I refuse to haggle with price shoppers. He did set up an appointment though, for 200.

You gotta love someone that has the balls to haggle over a cover-up on his neck. Sounds like this guy is full of good decisions.

[justcallmematt]

Turned out to be a really nice guy.

[slayer9019]

I think it does come down to the person. A friend of mine brags all the time about how all of his tattoos cost as much as 1 session for me. I say that good work doesn't come cheap and even point on the quality lines in my tattoos compared to the shaky/blown-out lines in his. No matter what he refuses to go to any reputable shop that I mention. People that want a cheap tattoo usually enjoy the idea of having a tattoo more than the image itself and will probably go with the lowest bidder anyway, so I wouldn't bother wasting too much time with them.

[briankelly]

when i lived in ireland, i used to get a lot of hagglers. one of the best things i had heard was to use the question, "how much did those shoes cost? and you're going to wear them for 4 months?" the shoes usually cost more than they were willing to spend on a tattoo for a lifetime.

[irezumi]

What I have done in some instance is explain that the shop take this much we take what is left, we pay for such and such. So we end up making a little more then your friend in the house but offer a better quality tattoo and piece of mind through sterility. Believe it or not sometimes it works.

I see what you are saying, but I don't feel the need to explain myself to a client.

when i lived in ireland, i used to get a lot of hagglers. one of the best things i had heard was to use the question, "how much did those shoes cost? and you're going to wear them for 4 months?" the shoes usually cost more than they were willing to spend on a tattoo for a lifetime.

I've used that one on many occasions but it completely falls on deaf ears. Shit, some of the hair treatments some of these ladies get cost about $200+ every couple of months, but the same customer will still get upset about our minimum price name. I am not going to take my time & energy to try to change someone's opinion or rationalize my prices if they can't pony up the minmum price (believe me its CHEAP) for a simple damn cookie-cutter name at a street shop.

[Shannon Shirley]

that is the problem and the frustration that will never end in a street shop. I feel like by the fact that you are available, your average smart ass, doesnt think much of you. the irony, they ask you to mark them . So,.....maybe I found it. I should have compassion for thier ignorance. they don't think enough of themselves, to give themselves, the patience to do it right. hhhmmmm.

[Shannon Shirley]

damn dude......I looked at your profile.....Rollo banks?...hehehehe...

The only advice I would have for what it's worth is I price all the hand painted flash on the wall when it goes up so people have an idea of what a tattoo might cost when they look around and update old sheets with prices that fit the costs of today periodically. It certainly hasn't eliminated all the price shoppers, but for the most part the people who are serious about getting a fair tattoo at a fair price have a good idea beforehand what price range they are looking at. It also helps me to price custom tattoos, when a person walks in and wants something drawn for them I can reference similar images on the wall to give them an accurate estimate The people looking to get stuff for free or way below value aren't worth dealing with and the price is what the price is for them.

[David Flores]

When my wife was pregnant, I had just gotten a couple Mike Malone Sketchbooks and Bullseyes and Blackeyes. A lot of repainting of Rollo flash at the shop that year and a lot of Rollo flash being tattooed. I forget who threw it out there, but someone suggested Rollo as a baby name, as a joke. I mentioned it to my wife and she really liked it and we never thought of anything better to name him, so I have a little Rollo running around. Funny one of my boss's friends has a son named Corbin after Freddy.

[Shannon Shirley]

Freddy is a friend of mine, a very sweet man.He would be honored. I was introduced to Mike a long time ago.Both good men, rough lives.

When my wife was pregnant, I had just gotten a couple Mike Malone Sketchbooks and Bullseyes and Blackeyes. A lot of repainting of Rollo flash at the shop that year and a lot of Rollo flash being tattooed. I forget who threw it out there, but someone suggested Rollo as a baby name, as a joke. I mentioned it to my wife and she really liked it and we never thought of anything better to name him, so I have a little Rollo running around. Funny one of my boss's friends has a son named Corbin after Freddy.

[David Flores]

Freddy is a friend of mine, a very sweet man.He would be honored. I was introduced to Mike a long time ago.Both good men, rough lives.

I am sure Freddy knows about it, I think the guy still gets tattooed down there, his name is Lex. He was actually on one of the first seasons of Survivor, though I never have watched that show.

Freddy is the guy who encouraged my boss to start tattooing and really helped him out in his early years. Ross used to have a shop in San Jose with Mav Mess called the pinup parlour. Freddy convinced Chris Conn to go work with those guys and later Conn brought Ross up to Portland a few years later. So I guess what I am trying to say is Freddy is highly regarded at our shop. I have never met the guy, but I hope to one day very soon. In fact I am waiting for a call back from him to set up a tattoo appointment to fly down there.

[Shannon Shirley]

I seen him last Xmas..... I worked at Temple shortly when it first opened,,,......seen a blog....Chris Conn in bad health?????...never really knew him...he worked for Henry G right before I worked for Henry...

I am sure Freddy knows about it, I think the guy still gets tattooed down there, his name is Lex. He was actually on one of the first seasons of Survivor, though I never have watched that show.

Freddy is the guy who encouraged my boss to start tattooing and really helped him out in his early years. Ross used to have a shop in San Jose with Mav Mess called the pinup parlour. Freddy convinced Chris Conn to go work with those guys and later Conn brought Ross up to Portland a few years later. So I guess what I am trying to say is Freddy is highly regarded at our shop. I have never met the guy, but I hope to one day very soon. In fact I am waiting for a call back from him to set up a tattoo appointment to fly down there.

[David Flores]

I seen him last Xmas..... I worked at Temple shortly when it first opened,,,......seen a blog....Chris Conn in bad health?????...never really knew him...he worked for Henry G right before I worked for Henry...

I hadn't heard about Conn. I will look it up and pass the info on. Edit: Wow, I hope he gets better that really sucks.

That pretty cool you worked for Henry. I hear that guy is quite a character. Ross tells a good story about getting kicked out of Henry's shop the first couple times he tried to get tattooed there. Sounds like a fun time to be in the bay area in the 80's and 90's.

[Shannon Shirley]

Henry and Inny were nuts.....I dropped by Henry's around Xmas....left him some prints/not exactly flash but tattooable. his kids Lief and Lidia usta run around stabbing everything with pencils.armrests etc....It drove me nuts... and the Capt lived in back.whew....I didnt work there very long.Most of the 90's I worked for GTC.

I hadn't heard about Conn. I will look it up and pass the info on.

That pretty cool you worked for Henry. I hear that guy is quite a character. Ross tells a good story about getting kicked out of Henry's shop the first couple times he tried to get tattooed there. Sounds like a fun time to be in the bay area in the 80's and 90's.

[David Flores]

Henry and Inny were nuts.....I dropped by Henry's around Xmas....left him some prints/not exactly flash but tattooable. his kids Lief and Lidia usta run around stabbing everything with pencils.armrests etc....It drove me nuts... and the Capt lived in back.whew....I didnt work there very long.Most of the 90's I worked for GTC.

i forgot but at some point Inny left and came to work at the Pinup Parlour too. Wow you do have quite the resume.

[Shannon Shirley]

yeah they split.... Pinup Parlour????must be Portlandian....resume.....yeah,''oh,... that guy!!'' hehehe

i forgot but at some point Inny left and came to work at the Pinup Parlour too. Wow you do have quite the resume.

[nmkcle]

i forgot but at some point Inny left and came to work at the Pinup Parlour too. Wow you do have quite the resume.

I love reading about this stuff. Who worked for who, when, and just the whole lineage. I have a small art collection, Chris Conn is on my short list of work I would like to own. Cool

stuff guys thanks for sharing.

[Shannon Shirley]

chris's artwork is beautiful... you're welcome.......where Im at right now im sort of an... anomally? I get lonely.Not a lot of tattoo knowledge down here.''this too shall pass'' hehehe ,,another tattooer did that the other day,I asked the customer if they had gas..Im such a dick.

[Abellve]

I always marvel that people will come in wearing a pair of $150 sneakers and balk at a $50 minimum for a tattoo of all things or the price of a portrait of their late mother. Their values are all out of order I feel no obligation to cater to that. When people ask me why I charge what I do, I tell them, I charge what I'm worth. Sometimes i let them know that iif someone charges a lot less, you have to ask yourself what corners they're cutting and if they feel like they can get the same level of work cleanly for less elsewhere go for it. In fairness, I can be an unwavering bastard, largely because I don't like people telling me what my time and skill is worth. It's not like we have a pile of these tattoos cluttering the back room we have to clear out on the cheap.

[David Flores]

I was talking to a tattooer friend of mine who just bought $2000 worth of motorcycle equipment (Helmet, Jacket, boots etc) from a shop right down the street from where he tattoos. The guy from the bike shop comes in a couple weeks later looking for a quote on a sizeable tattoo. I think my buddy threw a figure of about $500 at him and I guess he was floored at how at tattoo could cost that much. My buddy told him he thought the same thing about the equipment he sells, only difference is I can go online and find some website that sells the same quality of motorcycle stuff for cheaper, but he would rather buy from someone in the neighborhood. The guy didn't get it, maybe one day a light bulb will go off ?

[Hands On]

This thread makes me want to paint the sign, "Tattoos... More precious than jewelry. Can't be lost or stolen."

[Pat O'Donnell]

this is symptomatic of the entitled culture of today. i understand it is much more prevalent in the u.s. than other places. i tattoo steps away from beverly hills and nothing screams disrespectful to me more than a snotty rich bitch in 2500$ shoes and with a 5000$ hand bag trying to chisel me down on a 200$ tattoo

[G.Uristti]

if someone asks you for a price and you know it absolutely fair, this is what you do. ex: 100$ for the tattoo

they say 80 then you say i dont haggle. then they say but cmon hows 80 you say idk about that so hows 120?