Showerthought: charging $65 for a basic fade vs $85 for a skin fade

I was looking through my books last night and realized I've done 40 skin fades this month but only 12 basic fades at the lower price. Found a barber forum post saying skin fades take 15 minutes less time but people pay more because it looks cleaner. Do you guys think we're overcharging for the simpler cut or just pricing based on what the market will bear?

2 comments

2 Comments

david_hayes1mo ago

Well shoot, you're basically proving the point that people will pay more for what they think looks better. My old shop had guys getting skin fades every two weeks like clockwork willing to drop that extra cash, meanwhile the basic fade clients would haggle over a five dollar difference. It's funny how we justify it too - yeah the skin fade might take less time with the machine, but you gotta factor in the blade work and the pressure to make it perfect since any mistake sticks out like a sore thumb on that bare scalp. I say keep charging what you're charging, because if people are paying it and coming back for more, that's your answer right there.

derek991mo ago

Blade work and the pressure to make it perfect" - you really think that pressure alone justifies the price difference when the actual time spent is less? I mean, a basic fade can look just as bad if you mess up the blend lines too lol. Seems like we're mostly banking on the "looks cleaner" hype more than the actual difficulty.