If providing sex for money were legal would you providers charge as much. Since it is legal you would reduce the risks condsiderably I would think. Hobbyists, would you continue to pay as much? Would supply and demand apply in this case?

From what I've heard, the legal ranches there tend to charge more? If it were legally regulated, potential expenses would decrease, in terms of legal costs of a bust, but regular/required expenses would increase, such as taxes and licensing fees. I doubt that many more women would line up to become sex workers simply because it was legalized.. the stigma would still be there, and some of the risks as well- health risks, risk of violence, social stigma.. so the supply would remain limited and the demand high, keeping providers' services a much sought after commodity, and keeping prices about where they're at. I don't think rates would overall go down at all. Just my .02

XoXo
Marea

-- Modified on 11/4/2007 4:42:34 AM

A more interesting comparison would be with the various countries where its legal. Or the cost of liquor during and following prohibition. Another extrapolation would be the massive influx of women into the porn industry and its gradual impact on earnings there and the slow decline in rates for "porn stars" who escort.


  Meaning no insult to any provider market forces tend to commoditize anything. Inevitably this would happen in the provider market. We all recognize that some providers offer a premium level of service. We all recognize that some providers "special" services and that there is a market segment that will pay extra for that service.

  With legalization the "social stigma" would decrease. Doubtless the risk of violence would decrease as well. While the impact would be gradual there is little doubt that over time the number of providers would increase and the MEDIAN price would decline.

 Specialist and premium quality providers would probably not decline as much if at all and might well be able to increase rates.

-J

and the rates, from what I've seen on websites from around the world, are comparable to what we see in the US.

Given all the overhead costs of being a good escort, and the amount of time involved to screen, market, keep oneself up, etc., I doubt that anyone charge less than they do now.

The legal prohibition seems to be a small factor in restricting either supply or demand.

I don't know why the subject of prostitution comes up so often here, as anyone can read the disclaimers on TER or any provider website.  

However, I have engaged in prostitution on 2 occassions, both of them legal.  That one Nevada county and Amsterdam - I didn't actually read the laws that allow it, but it is generally accepted that it is legal there.

It is way over priced and government involvement makes it worse as an overall experience.

I prefer the charity route of the hobby and giving donations.  Even though tute'n and the hobby are worlds apart, I guess I can understand the confusion sometimes, because I am so openminded and understanding.

limiting supply & soaking the market as much as anything - legalization vs. decriminalization  again.

Not sure what websites you are referencing but being a traveler of sorts, my experience has been that rates vary widely across the globe both in countries where services are legal/semi-legal and not. Even where it's illegal like most of the US, one only has to look at alternative websites like CL( same city comparisons) to find prices much lower than the average girl on TER.

I find ecomnomic conditions of the locale, the prominence of the provider and the impact of tourists(or lack therof) are significant contributing factors when it comes to price on the upper end of the scale. There are always Cl type girls or their equivalent to be had at Wal-Mart pricing.

As to the legality question on this, the demand side of the equation will always be high. But it seems to me that legal prohibition does negatively impact the supply side. And the greater the supply the better the pricing would be on average. At least that's how it works for most commodities-- ( I wonder what the futures market would say about the price of pussy were this hobby to be declared legal in all 50 states--lol)  

I would think the market would then set prices based solely on supply and demand, without the distortions caused by illegality.

--b.

Nevada is not a fair model.  It is legal in Nevada, but the number of licensed brothels is limited.  Competition is limited so the prices go very high.

After all just because you are in a cash business you still need to pay your quarterlies, declare and file. I would never assume that anyone is not complying with all applicable tax requirements

-J

Sooner or later they will find you for tax evasion.  Most ladies I know have some type of legal business that they use for a "front".

This is a great question..  Its hard to say what would happen, on one hand you would thing that in places that have tons of providers (like Las Vegas) the prices would probably remain the same, maybe drop a bit because of the sheer number of providers who already provide and who can now do it legally without fear of repercussions.  They would be able to see more clients, and due to the taxes they would probably have to in order to have the same income.  But this would only happen if the number of providers outnumbered the number of clients.

At the same time if people could now legally hire a provider and were virtually assured that it would be safe, disease free and without fear of having to go home and explain to the wife why they now have a charge pending in Las Vegas, I think the number of people hobbying would greatly increase.  The first few times I visited Vegas before I moved I never gave pay for play a second thought - too much risk.  It was only after I really started learning about it, and found that I could do it relatively safely that I decided to take the plunge and try it out.  So because of this increase in demand there would probably be an increase in price assuming the present providers could not handle demand.  

I would think that in smaller towns, and places without a large number of providers the prices would increase because of supply and demand once again.  

What would be more interesting is if only Nevada legalized prostitution, and made the number of brothels unlimited.  In that case I think that prices would drop.  Tthere would probably be an influx of girls who come here for the benefits of doing it legally.  If this happened I think that you would probably have some of the same thing that goes on now.  Some lower price houses that only offer quickies, and some mid range houses, and also some places that only have the best girls, but charge the most money.  

In the end I am one of those that would like to see it legalized.  There are few providers on here who seem to hate what they do, and who feel exploited.  IMHO I think that what these girls do is a fair trade and an ok way to make a living, why should they have to be afraid of LE, and other safety issues?  Legalize it, sure Uncle Sam will get his piece, but I think it would be better for the industry, you would probably see this hobby immediately become a multi-million dollar industry in Las Vegas alone.  I think that in the end there would be more money to be made for providers, and more opportunity for hobbiests.  

That's what the rest of the world does. Seems to work pretty well, except where religious nuts (Puritans and Muslims) rule.

I think they call them ranches because the women are treated like cattle.

The cost worldwide definitely depends on where you are at.  In London, overnights range from $500-600 to generally no more than $1000.  Many, many beautiful woman there to choose from.  In Thailand or the Phillipines you can have an escort for an overnight for as little as $40.  The poor economy in these third world countries means there are plenty of women willing to spend time with you for a fraction of what it costs in the U.S.  Do some research on the worldsexguide.com to see what I mean.

Legalization right now would be a mess. Because it  would be compromised with people who would are dead set against it. The result? It would formally legal but practically illegal, by being taxed, regulated and licensed to death. Potentially,  this can be far worse and more expensive than straight out illegality. Every tax, regulation or license violated would probably add up to more charges and fines than simple prostitution does now.

Just look at the regulations that cities and states have been putting on strip clubs now. I can imagine a law that says sex for money is legal, as long as man and woman remain three feet apart.

Far better to keep it honest and illegal.

Sex for money between adults in private is not against the law in Rhode Island.  Massage parlors where sex is provided for money are not illegal.  Only solicitation in public is illegal.

...to think about this?  I mean, this is a no-brainer!

I have hobbied in well over a dozen countries, but there are dozens more that I want to hobby in. WSG is a good site ISG is also a great site for international hobbyists.

I don't know if I can enlighten you, but...

...If only we had a model to look at.  Oh wait, we do.  Let's take a look at Nevada.  Through the roof!

Virtually all of the rest of the entire world.

Nevada's exclusive quasi legal status is what enables them to operate in such a draconian fashion. If it were legal in the entire country the results would be much, much different.

A much better example would be Canada, the hobby is legal there and by and large the rates are much, much lower than they are here in the US.

...Uncle Sam wasn't pulling money out of Canada!

Comparing Canada's (or any other nation's) government to our own is not going to work in this scenario.

Perhaps a better question would be: if it were legal would we see an increase in hobbyists (demand) or an increase in providers (supply)?  I think we would definitely see a HUGE increase in hobbyists, and as Marea pointed out, not that drastic an increase in providers.  So, demand would increase more than supply and the price would increase.

Canada is not the US-- so what. They have a taxation system that is actually higher than ours. What's your point.

I mean if Marea says we would see "not that drastic an increase in providers", then it MUST BE TRUE...LOL.

You might want to rethink your sources for authoritative information. She may be a world class resource for blowjobs but using her as your source for economic theory and drawing a conclusion as a result, is laughable. That's funny stuff...LMAO

He doesn't really have one.

The entire world, with only a few exceptions(us and the muslims) seem to deal with the hobby quite well. There is no reason that we can't.

any where else in the world. I made over twenty trips out of the country last year, and I can speak from personal experience.

then her opinion can't possibly have any value.

Just what makes you so much smarter than her? I don't blame you for making such an idiotic post from behind an alias.

Since this is a "what do you think would happen" question, I simply shared my perspective on how legalization would affect me personally, and how, from what I know, it might go on to affect things overall. I never stated the quote you attribute to me nor tried to imply that the number of ladies in the biz would absolutely and for certain display "not that drastic an increase."  What I did say is this: "I doubt that many more women would line up to become sex workers simply because it was legalized.. the stigma would still be there, and some of the risks as well- health risks, risk of violence, social stigma.." What I was pointing out is that the legal stigma is one part, and in fact a small part of the whole picture and the factors that may inhibit most women from pursuing this. Since monogamous relationships are held up as the ideal in our society, and sex with another, "cheating," is morally and legally wrong, most women would be stigmatized for participating. In addition, the desire to do this work, and the emotional disposition required to succeed at this work- having casual sex and enforcing emotional boundaries while being intimate with strangers on a daily basis, is not something possessed by many. Indeed, I'm not an expert on economic theory, but I am an educated individual in that I am a college student and in that I pursue knowledge and information from many different sources in my personal life as well, I think I have a good grasp on the concepts. In addition, I am pretty much an entrepreneur and the owner of my business, so while I don't have formal economic training, I've made it my career to operate this business successfully at this point in my life. So I feel comfortable pointing out that the financial costs of legal interference are mostly a possibility or a threat, something that must be taken into account and planned for, certainly, but also not the name as a concrete business expense. If I had to pay 100 a week to avoid arrest through some deal with law enforcement, that would be a real concrete expense. But since I merely have to acknowledge that I could have legal expenses at some point, it influences my attitude towards discretion, but does not affect my daily operating budget. If legalization were to become a reality, I would likely have to pay a fee to become licensed as an escort, and there would probably be taxes specific to this profession that I would also have to pay. Those are very real expenses that would apply consistently across the board if this profession were subject to legal regulation, as opposed to possible expenses that each provider may or may not have to deal with in her career. I think my post made clear that these are simply my own interpretations of one possible outcome. No one could say for sure how it would play out until and unless it happens- I thought the point of this thread was to express some different scenarios and perceptions on the situation.

If you disagree with my opinions as to how legalization might affect the supply and demand of the hobby, or if you have any economic insights you'd like to share with the rest of us, please feel free. I'm always happy to learn something new and hear opinions that differ from my won perception. If you know something I don't, I'd love to hear it. Like I said, I have no specialized knowledge on the economics of legalization, and am not here to argue or insist that my thoughts are the absolute and final word on the subject.

In addition, what makes you think a woman who is good at and enjoys her sexuality is any less qualified to give an educated opinion than a man who partakes in her services, or a woman outside of the profession? I think you need to reevaluate your own perceptions and see where that is coming from, since it is clearly related only to your own issues, and not anything about me or my opinions

Thanks, GaGambler, for pointing out that just because I am a woman and a provider, my opinion is still valid here.

XoXo
Marea

Exactly right. They are treated like cattle. In the southern ranches women are expected to be on call for 24hours a day for three weeks straight.  They cannot leave the brothel during that time and they pay for room & board even though they are required to stay on site.

In most of the northern brothels, the "tour of duty" is betwen 10 and 14 days, usually 14-16 hours on the clock and when you are off the clock, you are not allowed to leave your room except to grab some food. And again, you cannot leave the premises.

Nevada is truly a disgusting situation. I've worked both ends of the state and I would hate to see anything remotely like it turn up elsewhere.