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Author Topic: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?  (Read 6883 times)

misskitty

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Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« on: 29 April 2015, 10:12:36 am »
Hi,

I'm glad to have found this forum and it has been very helpful! However mostly it seems to be guided towards the UK market, so I wonder if someone can give me some guidance towards working in the US? I am located in Belgium, and doing quite good here, but for new experiences and more work I'd be interested in touring the US, specifically NYC. I have been there a few times before, but always with one client from Belgium booking me for the whole stay there.

I am currently in the process of getting a company for my services registered and started, including a bank account without my name for receiving fees, and making credit card processing available on my website. Credit card processing I figured was a good way to take payments and deposits more easily than a bank transfer. I know of the issues of reporting a credit card transaction as fradulent afterwards, but am working on a solution.


Anyway, after all that yada yada, my main point is touring NYC! Eros I have figured is the best place for ads. Any other sites that are noteworthy?
I am of course worried about the involvement of LE though. What are some red flags for those? And how do you best screen US clients?
I am planning on accepting the payment electronically only, or at least having the majority of a booking paid by card/transfer, as I can't take more than 10k out of the country anyway. Do you think the clients would be wary of this system? Once I get my things up and running I will have the vat number of my company on the website, ssl secured card processing etc, so it will not look amateurish at all, but I wonder about clients feeling sussed about paying this way.

Also, any advice on which hotel is good? I'd like a nice place for myself, but also client friendly in the case of a possible incall.


So this turned out a bit long, but I would love to hear your experiences on touring in the us and general advice for it!

Thanks in advance :)

xw5

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #1 on: 29 April 2015, 09:40:45 pm »
There is stuff about working in the US (including New York specifically as well as screening etc) here, but if you can't find it via a search, it may be somewhere you can't see yet.

Yep, the huge problem with accepting credit cards is the issue of chargebacks, where the card holder disputes the payment and the credit card company gives them their money back by taking it back / not giving it to you. There's also the delay between taking the card payment and actually getting the money, and the fact that it leaves a paper trail that may not be to your advantage if you're somewhere sex for money is illegal. (OK, three huge problems...) So are you willing to have sex with someone just in the hope that you'll get the money?

The Belgian authorities must also be more relaxed than their UK equivalents if they'll allow a company's business to be prostitution... and I can't see clients wanting to leave a paper trail either. (Although it is going to make chargebacks more likely.)

It's been a while since I've been, but does the US have exchange controls like that?

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misskitty

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #2 on: 29 April 2015, 10:06:47 pm »
Hi xv5, and thanks for your insight. I probably should try to look in to the tips on NYC already posted on this forum a bit more in depth.

As for Belgian authorities and lax business checking, it is not that I explicitly list my company as prostitution, but it is also not too difficult to deduce the "meaning" of my business. It's completely legal here btw, and being that I am the only employee but with an employed assistant, it's completely legal.

And yess... The credit cards are quite an issue. The response I've gotten from my business advisors is taking a document needing a signature to a booking, making the payee acknowledge the credit card payment is not refundable, and getting 2 signatures on that thing, so by that time it's clear it's non refundable. And yes, leaving a paper trail for the client is not preferrable, but I plan to explain in the Q&A section of my website that it's truly quite difficuly for the US authorities to get the banking details of some random company in Belgium, so realistically that shouldn't be a problem, let alone prove something illegal happened, as my website doesn't mention anything about escorting or specific services offered.

Also, one of the main reasons I am interested in NYC, is that since it's quite difficult in the legality department, the prices are very high. 1000 to 1500 seems pretty normal, whereas in Belgium I am charging between 350-500 per hour.


amy

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #3 on: 29 April 2015, 10:36:08 pm »
Also, one of the main reasons I am interested in NYC, is that since it's quite difficult in the legality department, the prices are very high. 1000 to 1500 seems pretty normal,

Assuming you mean USD per hour, it's really not normal - these are extremely high rates anywhere you go and just because you've seen some ads on Eros stating them (and I can't think of anywhere else outside a few agencies listing well know 'porn stars' and the like), that doesn't make it a benchmark figure.

I work in NYC a couple of times a year and have never had problems, but if I tried charging anything like that amount I'd be amazed to get any bookings. Even the 'High Rollers' sections on some ad boards are for people wanting over 400 per hour and even assuming you fit into a very conventionally attractive part of the market and offer a very wide range of services I think 1000+ is pretty pie in the sky. It's completely up to you what you charge, but don't go there thinking this is 'normal'.

Also be aware that hotel prices make London and Paris look reasonable, and for even a bog standard workable hotel expect to pay 200? per night absolute minimum unless you get lucky with a special deal somewhere. And if you're going to charge millionaire rates, bog standard won't cut it.

Sandra29

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #4 on: 30 April 2015, 12:39:03 am »
I m also working in Holland where prostitution is legal and i got my own escorting company. When i have a cc payment i charge 5%extra and on the receipt i ask the client to give me his ID number and a signature , like that i m sure he will never cancel the payment
. American expres i do not accept as they can take the money back any time  even if i have a signature and ID number . Good luck

misskitty

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #5 on: 30 April 2015, 07:53:07 am »
Hi amy and sandra29, and thanks for your answers.

perhaps I am being a big optimistic with the rates, thanks for pointing that out. From my research I found 750 is pretty average on eros for younger ones, and some do charge 1000 or 1000+ without offering much more than a gfe and a nice appearance. Then there is backpage etc, but I think that might attract the wrong type of customer. I think my best bet is to put an ad on eros about a month or so in advance before actually touring and try to gauge out the intrest with my rates etc.

i've done touring with an agency in London a lot, and indeed, even there a reasonable hotel is very expensive. Nice room in a nice area is atleast ?300 a night, in nyc more like $500 a night, so overheads are high. Plus in London I paid 35% to the agency, so very glad to be doing it myself.


I should be touring in NYC this summer, or maybe even early in the fall, I will come back to report how it goes :)

amy

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #6 on: 30 April 2015, 08:30:43 am »
Well 750 per hour isn't 'average', it is high, but it's more realistic - I'm concerned you seem to be taking Eros as gospel though, especially as it's well known for bait and switch/fake ads. That said, not everybody wants to be busy, and fewer punters means less screening - longer bookings are more common there which I'm not keen on, but again, it's less prep.

Are you only putting one ad up for a tour which will cost you a fortune? Eros visiting ads last two weeks, so you'll need at least two and possibly three at the VIP rate - they're not cheap. Backpage can be crawling with LE and robbers but your main problem with it will be screening, as punters there tend to just ring expecting a booking there and then and I don't use it. Eros has lots of timewasters and fantasists who'll try to string you along without actually booking, and ploughing through them on your first trip will be a pain in the arse, but that's the same the first time you go anywhere.

In the five years I've been going, the toughest month by far was August as it's extremely hot (and July is worse) plus a lot of people leave the city. I'd definitely recommend leaving it until it cools off.

ThirdCoastGal

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #7 on: 06 May 2015, 09:58:35 pm »
There is a well known US site that only advertises about 50 of the top escorts.  It's pretty much a who's who.  75% of these girls charge less than $750 an hour.  In fact they put a "Diamond Elite" on your profile if you do.  Those are hard core fitness girls who have pages and pages of "I can't believe she's real!" reviews.

I don't mean to knock you whatsoever, but if you're very good and well known in your country, but have no following in the US, $600 is probably the highest safe amount to charge in NYC.  $750 is probably the highest pie-in-the-sky but may still get bookings rate.

The other thing to think about is that US guys generally book for longer than an hour and we don't like short bookings.  So a lady who charges $750 for an hour probably charges $1200 for two hours and that is what men will book.  The $750 is more to discourage what we consider short bookings.  Also just a listing on eros won't get you seen- it's competitive.  You need to buy featured spots etc.  Expect to spend $1000 at least if you want to be seen.

All that said, I love tours to NYC.  The men are nice, very on-time coming and going, and really enjoy the "visiting escort" scene (often bragging about who they've seen in a very fun talking-shop way).  I'll pm you the advertising site- it's so small and I'm trying to be a little anonymous here.
« Last Edit: 06 May 2015, 10:11:02 pm by ThirdCoastGal »

xw5

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #8 on: 07 May 2015, 01:17:26 pm »
With my cynical hat on, I wonder how they decide who is a 'top escort'...
'The Ian formerly known as SW5'. What they said: "Indispensable", "You are our best resource", and (hours later!) "I'm afraid that you're being made redundant..."

Winding down YourEscortSite.com

amy

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #9 on: 07 May 2015, 02:32:30 pm »
If (as I suspect) it's Gina's Little Secret, it'll be a combination of fitting the requisite physical stereotype, lying about being a prostitute, good old fashioned marketing snobbery and cash.

The first one probably isn't as important provided your pictures are identikit pro and airbrushed to within an inch of your life, the second is par for the course in the US and anybody with the funds can blag the third :).

ana30

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #10 on: 07 May 2015, 03:23:54 pm »
NYC is a place where you need to be very careful. I've worked there half of my life so I know what I'm talking about :-). Backpage is full of LE, but they also love to bust high end prossies from EROS too (the 750$ an hour ones). A typical NYPD sting operation is when they hire a room in a high end hotel (they used to do it from the plaza in 59th st for many years till they got converted into apartments) and now they're doing it from other hotels. Vice will start calling "high end" escorts from EROS guide asking for an outcall. The prossie/agency will call the hotel and verify his name/room number. Of course the hotel is working in conjunction with the police and will tell the girl what she wants to hear. So lady will arrive to the room, get recorded on camera and arrested. Then police will move on to call the next one. They usually arrest 20 prossies a day with this type of sting operations. So you need to be extra extra cautious when going to hotels. I only did outcalls to private homes because of this reason. There's no sting operations done from private homes.
« Last Edit: 07 May 2015, 03:25:47 pm by Ana30 »
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sourgrapes

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #11 on: 08 May 2015, 10:57:20 am »
NYC is a place where you need to be very careful. I've worked there half of my life so I know what I'm talking about :-). Backpage is full of LE, but they also love to bust high end prossies from EROS too (the 750$ an hour ones). A typical NYPD sting operation is when they hire a room in a high end hotel (they used to do it from the plaza in 59th st for many years till they got converted into apartments) and now they're doing it from other hotels. Vice will start calling "high end" escorts from EROS guide asking for an outcall. The prossie/agency will call the hotel and verify his name/room number. Of course the hotel is working in conjunction with the police and will tell the girl what she wants to hear. So lady will arrive to the room, get recorded on camera and arrested. Then police will move on to call the next one. They usually arrest 20 prossies a day with this type of sting operations. So you need to be extra extra cautious when going to hotels. I only did outcalls to private homes because of this reason. There's no sting operations done from private homes.

So, what happens when they get arrested. Are touring prossies safer, since they're more likely to stamp out an entrenched local scene, or doesn't it work that way?
I've been thinking of touring NYC for a long time, but I suspect I'll not be allowed to enter the US again once I've been unlucky and got busted.
Every woman is the architect of her own fortune

amy

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #12 on: 08 May 2015, 11:17:14 am »
So, what happens when they get arrested. Are touring prossies safer, since they're more likely to stamp out an entrenched local scene, or doesn't it work that way?
I've been thinking of touring NYC for a long time, but I suspect I'll not be allowed to enter the US again once I've been unlucky and got busted.

If (and it's if, not when :)) you got sprung, you'd be deported and yes, it's unlucky you'd be allowed back in for a good number of years at least, although I don't know about never.

It's worth pointing out that if proper screening was being applied (getting references, screening info and so on rather than just ringing a hotel asking for Mr X in Room Y as we would here), the above scenario is extremely unlikely - there was a lot more activity last year around the time of the Superbowl but I was there the week after and nobody I saw mentioned being unduly concerned about anything. Then again, I don't do outcalls when I'm away, and I'm not claiming to be an expert.

I do know that neither I nor anybody I know who visits and screens properly has ever had any LE problems, although cracks can and do happen. I suspect a middle aged woman popping over to work quietly from a hotel for a few days is unlikely to be anywhere near the top of the NYPD's To Do list :).

sourgrapes

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #13 on: 08 May 2015, 12:09:29 pm »
So, what happens when they get arrested. Are touring prossies safer, since they're more likely to stamp out an entrenched local scene, or doesn't it work that way?
I've been thinking of touring NYC for a long time, but I suspect I'll not be allowed to enter the US again once I've been unlucky and got busted.

I do know that neither I nor anybody I know who visits and screens properly has ever had any LE problems, although cracks can and do happen. I suspect a middle aged woman popping over to work quietly from a hotel for a few days is unlikely to be anywhere near the top of the NYPD's To Do list :).

Here's hoping. I think I'll start with a short tour, see one (well screened) guy a day to cover the hotel, and do touristy stuff for the rest of my stay. I love New York, so I'll pluck up the courage some day.
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ana30

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Re: Touring in NYC and other us cities, advice and warnings?
« Reply #14 on: 08 May 2015, 12:11:19 pm »
So, what happens when they get arrested. Are touring prossies safer, since they're more likely to stamp out an entrenched local scene, or doesn't it work that way?
I've been thinking of touring NYC for a long time, but I suspect I'll not be allowed to enter the US again once I've been unlucky and got busted.

If (and it's if, not when :)) you got sprung, you'd be deported and yes, it's unlucky you'd be allowed back in for a good number of years at least, although I don't know about never.

It's worth pointing out that if proper screening was being applied (getting references, screening info and so on rather than just ringing a hotel asking for Mr X in Room Y as we would here), the above scenario is extremely unlikely - there was a lot more activity last year around the time of the Superbowl but I was there the week after and nobody I saw mentioned being unduly concerned about anything. Then again, I don't do outcalls when I'm away, and I'm not claiming to be an expert.

I do know that neither I nor anybody I know who visits and screens properly has ever had any LE problems, although cracks can and do happen. I suspect a middle aged woman popping over to work quietly from a hotel for a few days is unlikely to be anywhere near the top of the NYPD's To Do list :).

Hi Amy,
No you won't get deported when arrested for prostitution -absolutely not- because it's a "B class misdemeanor" which is too small crime (something compared to shop lifting, also a B misdemeanor). BUT you will spend 3 days in jail, then charged with "prostitution",then do one week of community service (usually cleaning the subway which is what they make all prossies do). Your prostitution charges will stay on your US criminal background for two years (after that they get "sealed" and dissapear unless you commit another crime). In that two year frame of time if you fill the ESTA form (the one you fill online before travelling to the US) your arrest  will "pop" up in their computers and your entry into the US denied.
« Last Edit: 08 May 2015, 12:13:50 pm by Ana30 »
"Sex work is real work, being a landlord isn't" - Graffitti seen on a wall.