Prices for digital downloads?

muse

I recently took photos for a school soccer team. They've been posted and purchases have been made and all is well... but I just got an email from a parent who wants to purchase a digital copy. I can see where and how to enter the prices but I have NO IDEA where to even begin on prices. Anyone have any ideas?

MT Stringer

If you have a Pro account, you can set your prices for prints, merchandise and digital downloads.

muse

I know HOW to set them... I just don't know how MUCH. How much does a low res and/or high res image go for? I know that it depends on a lot of factors, but I just need to know where to begin on prices.

SamirD

Keep in mind that selling any high-res copies will start to negate any print sales since most high-res digital copy sales are for just that--self printing. Price accordingly with the print sales you'll lose.

jfriend

Of course, pricing is highly context sensitive. It depends upon how uniquely your photos fit the needs of the buyer and what the value of those photos are to the buyer.

Speaking as an occasional buyer of digital images, I expect to pay something around what an 11x14 print would cost (in the $10-30 range). If it's more than that, it just seems too expensive to me for a single image.

Here are a couple examples from my history. I ran a marathon. The photo service taking pictures there had 24 pictures of me. They offered me an 8x10 print of one image for $20 or full res digital versions of all the images for $55. I bought the digital ones. Once in a lifetime event (first marathon) and no family members took quality photos so they had a unique and meaningful product for me.

Another example. I take lots of photos of our family skiing, but nobody takes quality shots of me. One day a staff photographer was taking shots on the slopes of people going over a ski jump. I went off the jump a few times, looked at the shots at the end of the day and ordered a digital version of one image for $15. I probably would have paid up to $20, but not more than that.

I've also seen pricing at soccer tournaments where it looks like they figure the most anyone is ever going to reasonably buy in that venue is two 8x10s, so in order to entice people to spend more, they offer you all images they have of your player for the price of two 8x10s. Then, a lot of people who were going to buy a single 8x10 or maybe weren't going to buy anything are enticed to "go for the value deal" and buy all the images. Since few people ever buy more than two 8x10s, they gain more than they lose. For digital sales, you could do the same. Figure out what's the most you think folks would ever reasonably spend and make a digital deal that entices more buyers to get close to the number.

rt2photo

Here's the thing - is this an audience that would buy prints? I've run sports events *and* shot sports events - and I've never been interested in buying physical prints, and always had poor physical print sales.

But, I price my 1mpix shots around the same as my 8*10 print, and sell lots more of those. the 4mpix is priced higher, but rarely sells, and the original isn't something I offer.

muse

Ooh... VERY helpful John and rt2photo. It's a group of high school soccer girls. Most of them are purchasing prints but there's one mom who wants to purchase a couple of digital images for a book she makes for her daughter every year. She says she's planning on purchasing the prints as well (who knows for certain). Anyway, this definitely gives me a solid place to start. What a sketchy, subjective deal that is... pricing. Sigh...

SweetScenePhoto

In this case (this mom) you can also require a print purchase before you'll release digital files.
I just priced mine up to $10. I was "giving" them away if I charged less. For my family sessions, I have a set requirement in prints that they must purchase before I'll sell them the digital files. Helps recoop my costs and pay for my time. And, once they see the Bay Photo quality - and then take the digital file to walmart - they'll see the print quality difference.
Good luck!