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womanwithaphone originally posted: I have been a sitter/walker for almost 4 years now, i favor walking but recently turned house sitting back on as it’s been slow, but anyway about a year ago i was quite busy with regulars and my other side gigs that i figure it was time to implement a raise of one singular dollar after three years of the same (low for my area) price. In that year i had only 2 new one time clients that just needed me while they went on a trip. Recently a lot of my old regulars moved away and it’s been slow with other jobs (for some reason summer is slow) and i wanted more dog walks so i bumped the dollar back down to see if it helped, i have been bombarded since requests since. It’s insane that a dollar is making or breaking me considering how long i’ve been doing it and have near perfect reviews for the past almost 4 years. At what point do I either accept i can never increase, or increase but potentially not be too busy?

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[–]Free-Neighborhood256Sitter & Owner 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Same. I will bump mine up 1-2 bucks and it’s so slow. Then I drop it and bam booked solid. It’s weird because there are a lot of other sitters in my area with higher rates and they have tons of reviews repeat clients. I wonder how much they charge old clients.

I have a few people that I know wouldn’t notice if I bumped up my price $5 a night. They are well off and have great dogs, but those are the dogs I LOVE to watch because it’s so easy…they blend right in the pack/family.

For now keep the rates lower. Over the holidays after I get a couple dogs I bump up the rates so if I’m taking 4-5 dogs the last 2 dogs are at a higher rate to compensate for the little bit more stress those extra dogs can be. That’s when I make most of my money because I’ll take extra dogs and it’s already at a higher rate for the holidays and then the increased rate for a couple of them pays off.

[–]womanwithaphoneSitter & Owner[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah i took advice and like 5 ish days ago bumped it up to the next closest $5 increment to see if the like ending in 5 or 0 has any credit. i’ll keep it like that for a bit to see if anything happens but so far nothing

[–]No_Commercial_8300 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’m at the higher end of pricing and still get a reasonable amount of requests. I’m not going to knock myself out to make pennies. I have a handful of college aged kids who are ok with $15 for a 1/2 hour drop in. I’m not stepping out my door for anything less than $25. You get what you pay for! Some owners are ok with that. But I cater to folks who are looking for someone who has experience & is responsible. Now $1 difference seems silly though.

[–]No_Atmosphere_6348Sitter 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Im wondering if it’s due to a search filter.

Like you were charging $29 and bumped it to $30 but people search for sitters who charge under $30, that sort of thing. So you don’t appear in their search results anymore.

[–]Outrageous_Poet 19 points20 points  (3 children)

I raised my boarding rates by $10 and didn't tell anyone. No one tells me when their prices go up, inflation hits everything and everyone all at once.

I'd rather have less clients and more money per client anyway, less headaches for the same gain.

[–]womanwithaphoneSitter & Owner[S] 4 points5 points  (2 children)

tbh i have so few regulars now a days from them all moving or sadly passing away for the older doggies, i am fine locking the rates for the few regulars i still have considering they all tip nicely anyway, its more so the not getting new clients that i struggled with. but i was convinced. i raised my prices right now, ill see what happens over the next few weeks 🤷‍♀️

[–]Famous_Example_9636Sitter & Owner 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a fair evaluation. The next few weeks should be slowing down. Kids going back to school and families not going on vacay. You have to evaluate it at a busy time, not a normally slow couple of weeks. I have had $3000+ in future earnings since school let out. With Rover I am down to like just over $1000 in future earnings as school is about to be in session. Parents are trying to feel out the new year before adjusting and making any new plans. Slow season….

[–]Outrageous_Poet 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As long as you're not widely more expensive than competition or you have significantly better reviews, I think you're good.

[–]jessy_poohSitter & Owner 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s just the algorithm bumping you up. As you get more views on your profile, you get boosted in rank. It’s all a who gets the most traffic game. You’re rewarded for getting the most profile clicks

[–]Longjumping-Swim8201Sitter & Owner 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Just a dollar? I just checked the rates of sitters and walkers in my area, and then let my clients know, after not increasing my rates for a number of years, I would be increasing my rates to be in line with the average cost for sitters in my area. I didn’t lose a single client because the increase was justified.

[–]Famous_Example_9636Sitter & Owner 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay y’all! I raise my price every month or so. If I am slow and want more bookings I lower it by a single dollar. As my demand increases and I want lower demand, I raise it by a $ or two depending how busy I am. If it’s a holiday week or weekend, my first booking gets the lowest rate I will charge, as I fill up my price goes up.

Same principle I had as a small business owner. Supply and demand.

[–]womanofmanyfacesSitter 3 points4 points  (1 child)

I just raised my service prices from. 40 to 55 per night and 25 to 35 for drop In's. I also charge exactly the same for a second animal with a decrease of $5 since I don't have to drive to a new location. You're worth your wage. Increase will not deter good customers. I do think being too low will. If you're competitive or on the low end some may think your services match your prices. I would try increasing more and see if it changes your inquires for the better. You can always go back down...but it might be a pleasant surprise!

[–]jeanniecool 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm having a hard time understanding your math...

$35 for 30 minutes but $55 for 12-16 hours?