5 ms·

How much of a cut do they take? I have used three Rover sitters and they all wanted to cut out the middleman after a few times. In general my fear is that the

How much of a cut do they take? I have used three Rover sitters and they all wanted to cut out the middleman after a few times. In general my fear is that the gig economy will lead to high margin middlemen instead of super efficient facilitators.

josefresco 5y ago
I believe it's 15% however my beef isn't with the fee but rather "the market" pricing. The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. The dog lives in our home, is showered with love, we take and send photos throughout the day to the owner and typically the dog sleeps in our bed (not to mention we usually buy the dog a toy). The rate we charge, based on what others are charging should mean your dog is locked is small room, akin to a kennel and fed/walked regularly. We've not had enough repeat business to develop "outside" relationships, but I'm sure that's coming down the road as we've made plenty of dog owners (and dogs) super happy.
- spaetzleesser 5y ago
  "The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. " In principle this may be true but for most dog owners this would be prohibitively expensive. I bet if you figure out how to market to the super wealthy you may get away with these rates.
- tyingq 5y ago
  Sounds like they need a sort of "Uber Black" section in the app to serve that market.
- horsawlarway 5y ago
  Isn't this an unrelated issue to your original point? (not being able to make a living) It sounds like you've just mis-matched the quality of your service vs the quality the market (that you're advertising in) is seeking. I know when I leave town for a few days, I'm ok with my dogs just getting a clean crate, food, and a walk every day. They don't love it, but as long as they're clean, safe, and fed - I don't really have any problems with them being bored. They certainly don't need to sleep in your bed. There might well be a market for the level of service you're providing (there is - I have family who do 2 week board and trains, and the price starts around 2.5k per dog) but it's not Rover.
  - josefresco 5y ago
    "you've just mis-matched the quality of your service vs the quality the market (that you're advertising in) is seeking." I would sort of agree, however the dog-owners clearly expect a very high level of service but curiously don't question the super low price being charged. We have dog kennels in the area, I know and they know what the going rate is. They choose us because kennels can be rough. But at the same time, they pay us LESS than the kennel. Also we didn't decide our prices in a vacuum. We looked at the market, and set our rate based on that. "The market" in this case is nuts and unsustainable for providers (IMH0). I've had two people give us tips who clearly recognized the ridiculous pricing model, but sadly most are more than happy to pay just the low fee. All that being said because this is a hobby I'm merely looking at it with slight amusement and concern for those trying to make a living.
- cgriswald 5y ago
  > The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. You'll find that while owners like the things that you're offering, they're not generally willing to pay for those things. At a certain price point, they'll just turn around and find someone else or even use a boarding facility. The ones who are willing to pay the rates you seem to be talking about are going to want you to stay in their home. If you add training and grooming, you can start seeing higher rates; but only because you're selling more services directly. For just boarding, even with lots of out-kennel time and photos? Almost certainly not. You may not realize it, but outside of Rover, those are pretty typical. Source: Even with lots of past trust built up, our clients have a cap they're willing to pay that is less than "several hundred dollars per day."
- antisthenes 5y ago
  > The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. Yes, but the joy of sitting my wonderful dog is worth at least several hundred dollars a day as well, so it all evens out.

josefresco 5y ago

I believe it's 15% however my beef isn't with the fee but rather "the market" pricing. The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. The dog lives in our home, is showered with love, we take and send photos throughout the day to the owner and typically the dog sleeps in our bed (not to mention we usually buy the dog a toy). The rate we charge, based on what others are charging should mean your dog is locked is small room, akin to a kennel and fed/walked regularly. We've not had enough repeat business to develop "outside" relationships, but I'm sure that's coming down the road as we've made plenty of dog owners (and dogs) super happy.

spaetzleesser 5y ago
"The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. " In principle this may be true but for most dog owners this would be prohibitively expensive. I bet if you figure out how to market to the super wealthy you may get away with these rates.
tyingq 5y ago
Sounds like they need a sort of "Uber Black" section in the app to serve that market.
horsawlarway 5y ago
Isn't this an unrelated issue to your original point? (not being able to make a living) It sounds like you've just mis-matched the quality of your service vs the quality the market (that you're advertising in) is seeking. I know when I leave town for a few days, I'm ok with my dogs just getting a clean crate, food, and a walk every day. They don't love it, but as long as they're clean, safe, and fed - I don't really have any problems with them being bored. They certainly don't need to sleep in your bed. There might well be a market for the level of service you're providing (there is - I have family who do 2 week board and trains, and the price starts around 2.5k per dog) but it's not Rover.
- josefresco 5y ago
  "you've just mis-matched the quality of your service vs the quality the market (that you're advertising in) is seeking." I would sort of agree, however the dog-owners clearly expect a very high level of service but curiously don't question the super low price being charged. We have dog kennels in the area, I know and they know what the going rate is. They choose us because kennels can be rough. But at the same time, they pay us LESS than the kennel. Also we didn't decide our prices in a vacuum. We looked at the market, and set our rate based on that. "The market" in this case is nuts and unsustainable for providers (IMH0). I've had two people give us tips who clearly recognized the ridiculous pricing model, but sadly most are more than happy to pay just the low fee. All that being said because this is a hobby I'm merely looking at it with slight amusement and concern for those trying to make a living.
cgriswald 5y ago
> The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. You'll find that while owners like the things that you're offering, they're not generally willing to pay for those things. At a certain price point, they'll just turn around and find someone else or even use a boarding facility. The ones who are willing to pay the rates you seem to be talking about are going to want you to stay in their home. If you add training and grooming, you can start seeing higher rates; but only because you're selling more services directly. For just boarding, even with lots of out-kennel time and photos? Almost certainly not. You may not realize it, but outside of Rover, those are pretty typical. Source: Even with lots of past trust built up, our clients have a cap they're willing to pay that is less than "several hundred dollars per day."
antisthenes 5y ago
> The value I deliver as a passionate dogsitter is probably worth several hundred dollars a day. Yes, but the joy of sitting my wonderful dog is worth at least several hundred dollars a day as well, so it all evens out.