How the customer sees it
Imagine you’re looking for a plumber or a hairdresser. You open three websites: two show prices, the third says “individual pricing, please call”. Which one do you call? Most people call the one where they know in advance what they’re getting into. A price you keep secret doesn’t protect the customer from a shock. It just sends them to a competitor who wrote theirs down.
And there’s a bit of trust in it too: visible prices say “I have nothing to hide, no invoice of mine will surprise you”. That’s exactly what people want to hear from a tradesman and from a salon alike.
Three worries and how much truth is in them
“The competition will undercut me.” The competition will find out your prices anyway, all they have to do is call and ask as a customer. A hidden price list doesn’t protect you from competitors. It only drives customers away. And anyone who chooses purely on the lowest price wouldn’t have bought from you anyway; losing them doesn’t hurt.
“Every job is different.” True, and you can still give a ballpark. The customer doesn’t need an invoice in advance. They need to know whether we’re talking hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands. A range is enough for that.
“Prices tie my hands.” An indicative price list doesn’t tie your hands; for a non-standard job you can always quote individually. Just say so honestly on the website: “Prices are indicative, I’ll give you an exact price after seeing the job.”
A price you keep secret doesn’t protect the customer from a shock. It just sends them to a competitor who wrote theirs down.
How to do a price list when you can’t give an exact figure
A from-to range. “Tap replacement: CZK 800 to 1,500.” It covers the usual cases and the customer knows what to expect.
Typical jobs with a price. Three to five examples of what you do most often: “complete floor sanding, two-bedroom apartment, from CZK X”. Works great for the trades.
Hourly rate + trip charge. When you really can’t promise the scope, write your hourly rate and the trip charge. Even that’s a hundred times better than “call us”.
For services with a fixed menu (salons, cafés) it’s simple: the complete price list goes on the website. Fewer “how much is coloring” questions, more bookings from clients who have already made up their minds.
When not to put a price list on your website
Honestly: almost never. The exceptions are lines of work where the price is made up of many unknowns (large construction jobs, custom projects), but even there at least a line like “jobs usually start from CZK X” helps the customer get an idea. A completely empty “prices on request” page is a wasted opportunity.
By the way, that’s exactly why I have a complete price list with final prices on my own website. I know first-hand that it works: people get in touch already decided and don’t have to ask about the price. And how to recognize a fair website offer is something I wrote up in 7 things to check before you order a website.