What to charge for downloads

CosmicVoyager

I would like to know what SmugMug'ers are charging for digital downloads. I've matched the download prices to certain print sizes, so that
- 1 Mpix = 4x6
- 4 Mpix = 8x10
- full size = 8x12

The prices seem reasonable to me, but I'd like to see what others are doing.

Thanks for your input.

Cygnus Studios

CosmicVoyager wrote:

I've matched the download prices to certain print sizes

While that sounds good on paper, when someone purchases a print they are only getting 1 copy for that price. A digital download will allow them to print as many copies as they wish. They also can upload that digital image onto any webpage that they desire, and as often as they desire it.

If it were you making the purchase, would you pay $20 for a 1 time print, or $20 for unlimited usage?

Now I understand that there is language in the download agreement that stipulates what the download can be used for, but are you really going to police this usage?

TxTortoise

CosmicVoyager wrote:

I would like to know what SmugMug'ers are charging for digital downloads. I've matched the download prices to certain print sizes, so that
- 1 Mpix = 4x6
- 4 Mpix = 8x10
- full size = 8x12

FWIW, I try to price the digital copies at 2-3 times the print selling price. For example, a 1MB file generates a decent 4x6. So if a 4x6 from football games is $6, then the 1MB file should be $12-18. If you are doing limited engagement events or portraits then you'd need to consider a lot of other pricing factors.

What I need is the ability to sell web-size images at .99 - $4, so I don't have to keep giving them away. ;-)

Hope that helps...

nipprdog

TxTortoise wrote:

What I need is the ability to sell web-size images at .99 - $4, so I don't have to keep giving them away. ;-)

Hope that helps...

http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=146227

That would be nice.

You'd think by now, SM would offer, small 500-700 pixel downloads.

Maybe they'll start a "Small, social, web site, download, feedback thread" that will run on for a year or two.

Allen42

Please go vote for this at SM's uservoice site:

http://smugmug.uservoice.com/pages/17723-smugmug/suggestions/309807-add-sale-of-smaller-digital-files?ref=title

CosmicVoyager

Cygnus Studios wrote:

While that sounds good on paper, when someone purchases a print they are only getting 1 copy for that price. A digital download will allow them to print as many copies as they wish. They also can upload that digital image onto any webpage that they desire, and as often as they desire it.

If it were you making the purchase, would you pay $20 for a 1 time print, or $20 for unlimited usage?

Now I understand that there is language in the download agreement that stipulates what the download can be used for, but are you really going to police this usage?

Good points. Once you've given out the JPG you've essentially lost control over it. While people seem to be recommending pricing download at some multiple of the print size, that really depends on the customer base. I'm selling more prints than downloads, so I suspect those who want JPGs just want to add it to their digital collection, and not for printing multiple copies.

jfriend

Obviously, this all depends upon the type of event and photo and who the prospective buyer is.

I have twice bought a digital download myself. Both times, I figured I was willing to pay about twice what an 8x10 costs because it gave me more flexibility than buying a single print, but 2x still seemed reasonable. In one case, I bought a single digital download for ~$25. In the other case, I bought the digital versions of all the images of myself from a marathon I ran in (of which I was only interested in about 3 of them) for ~$60. That means that both cases were around $20-25 per digital download.