Customers can discover 'Default Prices'

HumblePie

Hi everyone. This is my first post. I may need some slack:dunno. I have joined SmugMug as a Professional. And I intend to sale Classic Portraits via my site on SmugMug. I am finding SmugMug to be fantastic. Really glad I found it. However, I do have one concern. Although I have used the Control Panel > Site-wide Customization options to remove links that will take my customers off my site and onto SmugMug's, there is always the "Powered by SmugMug" link at the bottom of the page. This makes it possible for my customers to be two clicks away ("Prints & Gifts" link) from discovering the default price(s) and calculating the mark-up. Typically, a business does not share this information with their customers. Example: I sell 4 x 6's for $2.75 ea. Customer's can learn that my cost is $0.19. I base my pricing on; (mark-up x square inches). It's a consistant method. Anyway . . . any 'Professionals' concerned about this? Or am I thinking too hard :rolleyes.

Vanquiz

You might want to read this thread

http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=106450

Basically, your customer is paying for your work, not just a mere print photo.

HumblePie

Got it!
Thanks Vanquiz! Hopefully I can find a more passive approach than some of those suggestions. But I do get the concept; Selling the value of the art and service not the cost of the prints. Looks like I mangaged to post this in the wrong forum.

Andy

Hi welcome

So yeah - your customers, they know how much a 4x6 print cost them, like at Walmart or some other lab.

They're paying for what you put on that paper

jfriend

HumblePie wrote:

Hi everyone. This is my first post. I may need some slack. I have joined SmugMug as a Professional. And I intend to sale Classic Portraits via my site on SmugMug. I am finding SmugMug to be fantastic. Really glad I found it. However, I do have one concern. Although I have used the Control Panel > Site-wide Customization options to remove links that will take my customers off my site and onto SmugMug's, there is always the "Powered by SmugMug" link at the bottom of the page. This makes it possible for my customers to be two clicks away ("Prints & Gifts" link) from discovering the default price(s) and calculating the mark-up. Typically, a business does not share this information with their customers. Example: I sell 4 x 6's for $2.75 ea. Customer's can learn that my cost is $0.19. I base my pricing on; (mark-up x square inches). It's a consistant method. Anyway . . . any 'Professionals' concerned about this? Or am I thinking too hard .

I agree with Andy here.

Most customers know or can know how much a 4x6 is at their local drugstore, Costco, Walmart, Wolf Camera, Ritz Camera, etc... And, if they want to know, it's clearly on all of their web sites.

Further when they buy from you, they aren't paying for the materials of a print - they're paying for your services to take the photo. If anyone asks about it, just remind they that these photos are not about the cost of the photo paper and the ink, they are about the capturing and preparation of the images. You charge what you think is a fair price for that service.

PeterLyons

Nah, Humble, you're in the right forum. You're just maybe a bit too humble!

I think it's wise to price within your market. In mine I sell 4x6 at $9, 5x7 at $18, and 8x10 at $38. Maybe 1% of my clients gripe about price. Most everyone accepts the cost of doing business and is willing to pay for it. As I do this longer, and see first-hand the real cost of doing business, I'm forced to be more realistic in my pricing. Do NOT undersell yourself! It will only make things harder for you in the long run, as you need to adjust upward to meet the real price of business, and still make a fair profit.

DeeDeeO

Like everyone is saying here, your pricing your work, not the cost of production.