Now seriously ask yourself that question ... how much are you willing to pay for a reading?

The price for a simple reading (average length in time of 15 to 20 minutes) in my area - on the low end of the scale - averages about $20. These are generally hosted in a store front or in a coffee house atmosphere. This doesn't mean that every reader in my area you contact will charge only $20 though. *chuckle*

Some readers don't charge at all ... they do it for free or merely say you can a leave a "donation" for them. When you are leaving a donation though, don't take advantage of this situation if you would be willing to actually hand over $20 or more for a reading. If the reading was good, then donate what you feel the reading was worth is the drift of the term donation - no set pricing. This doesn't mean if you were encouraged or delighted by the reader's skill that you merely drop 2 dollars or so in the basket if you would have been willing to pay the a reader elsewhere $20 for the same reading. Nor does it mean you are required to drop in a 20 dollar bill either. You judge in your mind what would be an acceptable amount *if* you were the reader along with how much you can afford to give coupled in with the prior thought of my question "how much are you willing to pay for a reading?" and then you put that amount in the donation basket. *smile* Yet, in a coffee house setting I have seen more than one reader state their idea of a donation is a large cup of coffee and a slice of their favorite dessert or something ... *grin*

Some readers claim they read for a donation then state how much of a dollar amount that donation should be ... to me this is NOT a donation at all, but a set reading fee regardless of the reader's claims to the other. If reading out of a coffee house or a store front set up then the word donation is actually being used a legal loophole of sorts to not have to report that money for it to be taxed. *shrug* To me if a reader does this, then I question their reading skills also - if dishonest in one area, they may be in another.

I know of one reader, on the east coast here in the States, that charges $150 for a reading for a first time client and that he stresses to his clients that they cannot return to him for a reading until at least 3 months have passed. I was shocked when I heard this amount, since he wasn't one of those "celebrity readers" you have seen on television shows or authored any books. I asked him why he felt he could and should charge so much and his response astounded me even more! "If I charge the average price in my area of $50 dollars, I would have people consulting on whim and every other chance they could think of ... so I want them to really feel they need to consult with me as a reader and that they have explored as many options on their side as they could before contacting me. Also, I have found that this prevents a person from over-consultation temptations ...." He has a nice list of clientele and gets some new people approaching him for readings, and he enjoys these reading endeavors - not for the money, but because the readings are more productive for both him and his clients in his opinion. (I should also note this same reader doesn't always charge after the initial visit reading ... quirky system he has but it works for him and his clientele.)

So the price for a reading you may expect to pay will be anywhere from $20 on up to $50 (this will be based upon regional pricings so thus the average may vary say from what I would pay in Pittsburgh to what I what I may pay in New York City or Los Angelos). Some readers who are better known but still localized will charge $40 on up to $175, depending upon their reputation and how much they feel comfortable charging. The more "famous" or well-known the reader, generally the more you may pay. Some of the nationally known readers fees don't upswing so much from the well-known localised readers fees - but some will charge more, say from $250 on up to $600 for a single consultation. I know ... that's a lot to pay, but these people are generally time limited on doing readings due to their schedules already in existence and this limits every Tom, Dick, and Harry from calling up for a reading - so much in a way using the thought presented by another reader in the previous paragraph. *smile*

Some readers won't charge and think it is unethical to charge anyone for a reading nor will accept money from someone as thanks for a reading. This doesn't mean they are less talented of a reader but just that they personally don't feel they should receive money for doing a reading - using their "gift". What you may do, in this instance, if you are impressed by their readings is buy them a cup of coffee, a slice of a dessert from the coffeeshop menu, present them with a little gift of sorts - a card with a simple message of thanks on up to a little trinket that you thought they may enjoy, etc.

You get what you pay for sometimes ... and sometimes you walk away with more than what you paid for ... and there have been times that people have walked with far far less than what they paid for. So use the other sections in this area to help you determine how to put the odds more so in your favor on consulting with a psychic. Also recall, if a reader says the reading is free (except for any long distance charges - and only your typical long distance charges) then it IS FREE. If they try to con you into paying ... don't feel you have to pay them anything and instead consider turning them into the local authorities in their area since they are basically operating a scam reading service.

© 1998 Secretive aka Carol