A website that encourages men to bid on women they want to date claims to have 50,000 Canadian members and has released data on how much its clients in various Canadian cities are willing to pay.
Male clients of WhatsYourPrice.com can, as “generous men,” offer “attractive women” members a dollar amount in order to set up a meeting. (Women can’t bid on men.)
When a woman accepts a price, a chat window opens for the two to set up a time to meet; the money is exchanged at the conclusion of the date.
According to the site’s survey stats, men in Victoria pay women $360, on average, to date them.
Men in Edmonton pay $289, on average; in Calgary, $265. The site-wide average is $160, according to the survey.
Launched in 2011, the site claims to have 850,000 members worldwide. And, the site says, 70 per cent of members are women.
The service is free for women to join, while men pay the website for each bid on a “date” with female members.
“A date is an opportunity for two people to get together and evaluate each other as romantic prospects,” said dating and relationship expert Kat Spiwak.
“I don’t think that’s happening here.”
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She argues initiating relationships with financial transactions is a poor way to look for love.
“I think that any woman who starts out her relationship being paid for her time, being paid for her presence, will have certain expectations,” Spiwak said .
“I don’t think it’s the right basis for a really solid, dynamic, healthy relationship.”
Spiwak said some of the women on this site might be considered “non-sexual escorts,” providing time and companionship for money.
And it could give men the impression they can buy themselves a girlfriend, at least for a period of time.
“I think men are attracted to it because it involves the opportunity to spend the evening or the day or whatever with a beautiful women, and a lot of men pride themselves on dating beautiful women or being able to buy the best for themselves, so that’s the appeal for them,” Spiwak said.
Website claims to ‘level the playing field’
The website says the auction-style monetary transaction gives women the incentive to give guys a chance.
“WhatsYourPrice was kind of made to level the playing field for a lot of guys that might be too busy to date the traditional way, or for guys that otherwise might not have the chance to date certain people who may be considered out of their league,” said Hannah Dela Cruz, spokesperson for the website.
She said the money also reassures women that their dates will show up and be attentive.
“There are so many options out there when it comes to dating, so a lot of the times you’ll go on a date and it’ll be a waste of your time because the guy knows that he can get another date the next day and not really be invested in their time with you.”
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Meanwhile, women tend to spend a lot more time and money getting ready for a date, Dela Cruz said.
“It’s good to know it’ll be worth your time showing up there.”
Spiwak agrees there is a certain level of dating fatigue for those looking for love.
“I know that a lot of women are tired of being blown off at the last minute for maybe another date, someone better … a lot of the time right at the last minute,” Spiwak said . “So this is one way of ensuring that they are actually going to have the date that they’re planning on.”
“Now whether it’s going to deliver the right kind of guy that they’re looking for is really suspect or debatable.”
‘No escorts’ policy
WhatsYourPrice.com calls itself a “date-auction site” and says the site is a “patent-pending dating-for-dollars website.”
But the service claims to have a “No Escorts Allowed” policy.
“Escorting is really not what the site’s about,” Dela Cruz said. “That’s such a transaction thing.”
The site encourages members to report “suspicious activity or requests of this nature” so the site can take action against such users.
“This is not a paid-for service, they’re going on a date and the guy might just be reimbursing the female member for the trouble that she went through getting to the date,” Dela Cruz said — things like buying new clothes for the date or transportation costs.
“So it’s not really getting paid for a service that you provide for somebody.”
The website says it has received positive feedback from “quite a few members” who have found love through the site, Dela Cruz said, adding that some who have been together for at least year.
Spiwak said many women on the site are likely attracted to the service to use as an income stream, or are what she calls “future trophy wives.”
“This is based only on his ability to pay. So the likelihood that this will turn into anything romantic is pretty low.”
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