Speak Out: Would You Pay for a First Date?

Would you pay for a first date?

Men bidding on first dates and paying women more for them as Valentine's Day approaches, according to the online dating website, WhatsYourPrice.com. It gives 'generous' members the opportunity to date 'attractive' members who may not even give them a chance on traditional dating websites, according to a press release.

A singles study by the world's only dating-auction website found that 3,619 Atlanta men made offers for first dates on Valentine's Day, along with a total of 369,282 men across the country during the last 4 weeks.

The average price to get a valentine this year: $131.70, which is 62 percent higher than the site’s annual average of $80 for a first date.

"Our study revealed that as Valentine’s Day neared, both the number of offers and the average first date price steadily increased," CEO and founder Brandon Wade said in a press release. "Offering money for a first date is rather unconventional in the dating world, but it proves that Valentine’s Day is as important a holiday for singles as it is for couples."

With WhatsYourPrice.com, members are divided into two groups—mostly men (the generous) who pay mostly women (the attractive) for first dates, according to Switched.

Sounds a lot like prostitution, you say?

A big dose of capitalism for the dating game, Wade says.

"This is all about paying for the FIRST DATE!" a spokesman told Gawker. "There is absolutely no sex involved, and except perhaps the chance of sex at some point in the future if you are able to successfully charm and seduce. But isn't that what every first date is about?"

What do you think? Would you bid on and pay for a first date? Is it prostitution? Tell us in the comments.