Help me to understand this!!!!

I appreciate the well-written responses, particularly from Grace and TinMan. I want to be clear that I in no way begrudge a provider from setting her rate, nor a client from paying it. However, I also don't begrudge a guy from asking "why?" whether out of curiosity or frustration. Not everybody on this board has been around for years, and we should expect to see the same questions crop up as new folks--men and women--navigate the hobby.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I interpreted OP's question as targeting the guys rather than the ladies. This thread drifted towards addressing the ladies rates, but I think he was asking instead why the guys pay them. For many, it's hard to wrap his head around the idea of, say, paying $700 to sit on a couch sipping wine with an overweight 54 yo versus paying $400 to see the perky breasts of a 24 yo bounce as she rides him to glory. Guys can pay whatever they want, of course, but I'd like to give OP the benefit of the doubt and say that the question was an innocent one. He just wanted to know, "What am I missing?" Originally Posted by secondHandNews

Regarding “not everyone has been around for years”, I do take that into consideration when I respond to a thread like this. But the OP has been around for 9 years (who knows, perhaps longer on a different board or different handle). That is plenty long enough to have seen this topic cussed and discussed numerous times. That’s why I asked him directly (like I have done in a few other threads on the same subject) what he was hoping to get out of starting another thread on the topic, and did he achieve his goal. He hasn’t responded to that query, or pretty much anything else since the day he started the conversation. Hopefully, that just means he is living his life and not worrying too much about hobby economics at the moment.

I will add that I was mistaken when I said earlier that no one has ever responded to my questions. Sometimes in private forums guys will come back with proposals to try and control the market by getting the hobbyists to come together and put a cap on what they will pay. Of course that never works (or at least not the way they intend), and just demonstrates the need for more courses on basic economics at the secondary and collegiate level.

In the nearly 25 years I’ve been perusing discussion boards like this (going back to ASPD), this exact same topic has been brought up on a regular basis. The only difference now is the number is $400, not $200 (or $250, or $300). The responses are also nearly identical, and I’ve not once seen someone asking the question say, “oh, ok, I get it now…thanks for explaining it to me.” Originally Posted by TinMan

Indeed! I've been checking in from time to time on P4P world commentary, and it seems that -- in at least one regard -- nothing ever changes. (Perhaps the next time someone starts a thread in this vein, we should just provide the OP with a link to this one.)

...Sometimes in private forums guys will come back with proposals to try and control the market by getting the hobbyists to come together and put a cap on what they will pay. Of course that never works (or at least not the way they intend), and just demonstrates the need for more courses on basic economics at the secondary and collegiate level. Originally Posted by TinMan

That reminds me of the occasional efforts on the part of naive consumers to mete out some rough justice to the "big, greedy" oil companies by boycotting gasoline stations on selected days. (Talk about tilting at windmills!)
And speaking of those who appear to have somnambulated their way through an introductory economics class, it seems that someone always comes along and posts the following (or something similar):

"People don't set prices; markets do."

Well, not exactly. People do indeed set prices; what markets do is determine market-equilibrating prices. In many markets, that may seem to come close to being a "distinction without a difference."

But not in the escort-client market, for a couple of fairly obvious reasons.

First, the price discovery process for providers is rather difficult and chaotic, owing to the lack of easily available information relative to the market for most other goods and services, and to women's widely varying preferences regarding how many clients per week they are willing and/or physically able to take on.

Second, providers may have widely varying income goals. Some appear to live perpetually on the precipice of financial ruin, while others are becoming ensconced in established non-P4P careers and are happy just to pick up a couple of thousand or so extra bucks per month. (Over the years, I've seen several who appeared to have transitioned from the former category to the latter as they matured a bit.)

Also, a few people seem to suffer under the delusion that an escort visit is a fungible commodity that should have a well-defined (or at least limited) value.

Really? By that line of reasoning, why should anyone ever go to, for example, Al Biernat's or Pappas Bros., when you can get filled up at someplace like a Saltgrass Steakhouse?

If you feel that a lady's attractiveness and your perception of the quality of the experience that she offers doesn't warrant her quoted fee, just don't contact her. Really pretty simple!

Really? By that line of reasoning, why should anyone ever go to, for example, Al Biernat's or Pappas Bros., when you can get filled up at someplace like a Saltgrass Steakhouse?

If you feel that a lady's attractiveness and your perception of the quality of the experience that she offers doesn't warrant her quoted fee, just don't contact her. Really pretty simple! Originally Posted by Texas Contrarian

To be honest-- the gentlemen who feel the only factor in the rate of a companion is her BCD skill set-- or, to put it more crass-- "what dat mouth do"-- are also not likely to care about the differences between a meal at Outback or a meal at Al Biernat's.

There is nothing wrong with finding and staying at your preferred price point. Some do it because that is their budget that they must stick with. Others because they feel that is what this hobby is "worth" and they simply cannot justify spending one penny more, no matter with whom. Nothing wrong with either scenario-- everyone is in this little space in the universe for their own reasons. Some have to scrimp and save to spend $200. Others can toss $1000 like its a Happy Meal. It is what it is.

What does grind my gears are the ones who will email/PM/text a lady to attempt to negotiate lower rates, then-- when unsuccessful-- spend days, weeks, months, and sometimes even years continually having negative things to say because their attempts were not successful. I've seen it over and over. Best practice if a lady is not within your preferred range is to move on. If you feel you simply MUST attempt to negotiate, do so at your own risk-- but then move on if and when the answer is no. Its not personal, its simply business.

To be honest-- the gentlemen who feel the only factor in the rate of a companion is her BCD skill set-- or, to put it more crass-- "what dat mouth do"-- are also not likely to care about the differences between a meal at Outback or a meal at Al Biernat's.

There is nothing wrong with finding and staying at your preferred price point. Some do it because that is their budget that they must stick with. Others because they feel that is what this hobby is "worth" and they simply cannot justify spending one penny more, no matter with whom. Nothing wrong with either scenario-- everyone is in this little space in the universe for their own reasons. Some have to scrimp and save to spend $200. Others can toss $1000 like its a Happy Meal. It is what it is.

What does grind my gears are the ones who will email/PM/text a lady to attempt to negotiate lower rates, then-- when unsuccessful-- spend days, weeks, months, and sometimes even years continually having negative things to say because their attempts were not successful. I've seen it over and over. Best practice if a lady is not within your preferred range is to move on. If you feel you simply MUST attempt to negotiate, do so at your own risk-- but then move on if and when the answer is no. Its not personal, its simply business. Originally Posted by Grace Preston

FACTS , IT’S JUST BUSINESS,BUSINESS, BUSINESS!!!

This remind me of this time I was at the Rolls Royce dealership with a buddy of mine getting service, and this guy was walking around the show room floor looking at Rolls saying wow, $380k, wow 420k for a car. He said I’m sure Rolls Royce understands the average person doesn’t have no money like that for a car. Me and my buddy laughed our ass off, then I said hey buddy have you ever seen a Rolls Royce commercial? He said no, I said ok, why you think they don’t need to advertise like other car companies have too? He didn’t really have an answer, so I said it’s because their cars is not for average people. There was a salesman listening and when I said that he said exactly Mr. Collins, the best answer right there. Turns out the guy was there with someone else that can afford to be there in the first place.

There are some ladies here, that is also like the Rolls Royce and they are not for the average guy and that is ok. I don’t understand why some guys will complain about how a woman values herself and raise their value over time, but then have a problem with us few checking them on their complaint about it. Most homes go up in value even if the look or neighborhood does not change. My brother has a house on the south side of Dallas and his neighborhood is a dump, but his house is worth $320k, even though you or I many not think it’s worth that, it does no matter the market sets it’s value and it is what it is. My advice to all the ladies in this hobby is, keep your value/rates at whatever you like and want them to be. There will be men come see you at $200 rate and a some will see you at $1,000 rate. You decide what you are worth for your time and service period.

Folks who stiff a provider on a bet, can’t afford a Rolls, js

Folks who stiff a provider on a bet, can’t afford a Rolls, js Originally Posted by mrredcat43

That was your only comment in this entire thread, sound like you are triggered buddy lol. I can assure you though, you was not that guy at the dealership crying about the Rolls prices, it was some other guy.

Now don’t lose focus DA! Try to stay on topic.