I have to say, I do really dislike the extra shipping cost for going through smugmug, BUT I still rather go through smugmug rather than directly to Bay just so I don't have to deal with Bay's awful ordering software.
Hey thanks for responding. I'm not sure if raising my prices would hurt or help me, but I know I want to keep my photography affordable. I'd rather have 100 inexpensive prints sell than 5 expensive ones. I want it to be widely available. I think my prices are fair, without being too low. What do you think? The Bay Photo costs for MetalPrints are extremely high and there's only so much I'd feel comfortable charging for them.
I have not read every post on this thread but, I IMHO, believe you should charge for your Artwork and not according for print prices. What I mean anyone could go to Walmart and purchase photos and posters and prints at super cheap prices and we "regular" photographers could never compete with them, and make any profit.
Many years ago, I sold Wildlife and Nature Photos at Outdoor Fine Art Shows and Wildlife Expositions. When I first started I sold 8x10 photos, mounted and matted for $5. We sold a lot. But the work to go home print, mound and mat new prints was very time consuming. And I had a roller transport developer and I did CibaChrome prints. Boy I am showing my age there. And I mounted and matted them myself. I wanted to make as much profit as I could.
But every show we kept rising the prices on all the photos. But I will use the 8x10 mounted and mats as a reference. In about 6 months the prices went up to $20 for that very same photo Mounted and Matted 8x10 Photo. Sure we did sell a few less, but not that many less. But we made much more of a profit every week even from JUST the sales of the 8x10 Photos. And my work load to replace the sold photographs plummeted drastically. Best thing I ever did. I then had time to go out and get new images that I knew would sell then.
IMHO, you have to understand there will be people who will perceive AND appreciate the extra value in your unique work, if you price your work as requiring that extra value. And if your work is good enough. But you can never compete with the Walmart shoppers, and should not even try.
One other thing. Have you ever seen what the framers charge to frame the photographs. Usually it is way MORE than the photograph sold for itself. And I used to frame many of my photos for the shows because of this reason. But the ones I sold but did not frame, I always felt the framer made more of a profit than the photographer. And that is plain wrong to me. What is the point of the framed piece? The frame or the image. IMHO, it should always be the image.
I like SmugMug a lot. (disclaimer, I have been a pro with them for seven years.) I have NOT sold my exhibition photos from here yet. But I have thought about it. But there are a few problems that I still see and I have not tried to work them out yet.
Just my humble opinion.
Paul Wilson
PaulThePhotographer
WonderfulPhotography.net
Hey thanks for responding. I'm not sure if raising my prices would hurt or help me, but I know I want to keep my photography affordable. I'd rather have 100 inexpensive prints sell than 5 expensive ones. I want it to be widely available. I think my prices are fair, without being too low. What do you think? The Bay Photo costs for MetalPrints are extremely high and there's only so much I'd feel comfortable charging for them.
Nothing wrong with staying affordable. Kia sells a lot of cars. Mercedes far fewer. Nothing inherently wrong with either approach, but keep this in mind: both companies are operating at a profit level that allows them both to stay in business.
"Fair" is a term I really don't like to much. Fair from who's perspective? What criteria are you using to judge if its "fair"? You need to be more concerned about whether you are brining in enough business, enough gross revenue, and enough profit from that revenue to justify the energy and time you are putting into this business. Because if you are not then this business is not being fair to you.
I strongly suspect you'll start to realize you need to be charging more.
Comments
My Site
My Facebook
I have not read every post on this thread but, I IMHO, believe you should charge for your Artwork and not according for print prices. What I mean anyone could go to Walmart and purchase photos and posters and prints at super cheap prices and we "regular" photographers could never compete with them, and make any profit.
Many years ago, I sold Wildlife and Nature Photos at Outdoor Fine Art Shows and Wildlife Expositions. When I first started I sold 8x10 photos, mounted and matted for $5. We sold a lot. But the work to go home print, mound and mat new prints was very time consuming. And I had a roller transport developer and I did CibaChrome prints. Boy I am showing my age there. And I mounted and matted them myself. I wanted to make as much profit as I could.
But every show we kept rising the prices on all the photos. But I will use the 8x10 mounted and mats as a reference. In about 6 months the prices went up to $20 for that very same photo Mounted and Matted 8x10 Photo. Sure we did sell a few less, but not that many less. But we made much more of a profit every week even from JUST the sales of the 8x10 Photos. And my work load to replace the sold photographs plummeted drastically. Best thing I ever did. I then had time to go out and get new images that I knew would sell then.
IMHO, you have to understand there will be people who will perceive AND appreciate the extra value in your unique work, if you price your work as requiring that extra value. And if your work is good enough. But you can never compete with the Walmart shoppers, and should not even try.
One other thing. Have you ever seen what the framers charge to frame the photographs. Usually it is way MORE than the photograph sold for itself. And I used to frame many of my photos for the shows because of this reason. But the ones I sold but did not frame, I always felt the framer made more of a profit than the photographer. And that is plain wrong to me. What is the point of the framed piece? The frame or the image. IMHO, it should always be the image.
I like SmugMug a lot. (disclaimer, I have been a pro with them for seven years.) I have NOT sold my exhibition photos from here yet. But I have thought about it. But there are a few problems that I still see and I have not tried to work them out yet.
Just my humble opinion.
Paul Wilson
PaulThePhotographer
WonderfulPhotography.net
Nothing wrong with staying affordable. Kia sells a lot of cars. Mercedes far fewer. Nothing inherently wrong with either approach, but keep this in mind: both companies are operating at a profit level that allows them both to stay in business.
"Fair" is a term I really don't like to much. Fair from who's perspective? What criteria are you using to judge if its "fair"? You need to be more concerned about whether you are brining in enough business, enough gross revenue, and enough profit from that revenue to justify the energy and time you are putting into this business. Because if you are not then this business is not being fair to you.
I strongly suspect you'll start to realize you need to be charging more.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu