How to get started selling matted prints?

Kavika

I have only sold prints via Smugmug Pro, but I think I have an opportunity to sell matted prints at a new gallery in town. I'm hoping some of you here can save me many hours and much frustration by telling me how to get started in this. Okay, I order the prints from Smugmug ... so where is the best place to get mats, and what do I need to know about this side of the biz? What do I wrap them in? How much should I charge if the gallery takes 50%? etc etc etc I've never even matted a photo !!! Thanks for any help and suggestions!

David

Cygnus Studios

Kavika wrote:

I have only sold prints via Smugmug Pro, but I think I have an opportunity to sell matted prints at a new gallery in town. I'm hoping some of you here can save me many hours and much frustration by telling me how to get started in this. Okay, I order the prints from Smugmug ... so where is the best place to get mats, and what do I need to know about this side of the biz? What do I wrap them in? How much should I charge if the gallery takes 50%? etc etc etc I've never even matted a photo !!! Thanks for any help and suggestions!

David

Bay Photo offers all sorts of mountings directly through their service. Contact them and they will answer all of your questions. Super people working there.

As to what to charge, that is something only you can decide. What I get away with in San Francisco is different than I get away with 60 miles north of the city.
In whatever town you live in, may be quite different than here.

Some factors include, what your total costs are, what the image itself is worth, what printing was done, what paper is used, and how it is presented.

Pricing is just way too open ended of a question, that no one can determine without knowing all of the facts and the market where you are selling them.


Here is a great place to get matting

Be sure to check with the gallery what they want. Most galleries have specific colors, ply, archival rate, and other things.

bendruckerphoto

If you've never matted a photo before, be sure to get a blower bulb and set aside a clean area free of dust to do the matting. Especially with a white matte, you'll see tons of dust, especially when using cheaper frames. No sense in losing a $700 sale because the buyer sees dust specks on the mat.

Sam

With regard to pricing........................I have an issue with selling the same image at different prices.

If there is something that differentiates the offerings such as say on line sales through SmugMug that are for the print only and your local sales include a mat and backing, then I think a relatively ( $10.00 to $150.00 size dependent) small price difference can be justified.

That said think about how you would feel if you bought a photo at a gallery and paid $500.00 then later when you looked up the photographer on line you discovered you could have bought it for $250.00. Would you ever do business with the gallery or the photographer again?

I would encourage you to try and think about how you want to market your work and develop a pricing strategy accordingly.

OH, and I would highly recomend Frame Destination for your matting materials.

Sam

Blaker

Kavika wrote:

I have only sold prints via Smugmug Pro, but I think I have an opportunity to sell matted prints at a new gallery in town. I'm hoping some of you here can save me many hours and much frustration by telling me how to get started in this. Okay, I order the prints from Smugmug ... so where is the best place to get mats, and what do I need to know about this side of the biz? What do I wrap them in? How much should I charge if the gallery takes 50%? etc etc etc I've never even matted a photo !!! Thanks for any help and suggestions!

David

Congrats on this opportunity !

Have you had any discussions with the gallery owner about pricing? That is a good place to start, as the owner should have experience in what sells at what price points in your area , and also has a vested interest in your photos selling at a good price!

You could also check out the other matted photos that are on sale at that gallery, and other galleries in your area.

This should give you a good idea of the general price range in your area, and you can go from there.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!