How To Compete With Other Print Labs

KSean SportsKSean Sports Registered Users Posts: 13 Big grins
edited June 8, 2011 in Mind Your Own Business
I have clients who are purchasing digital downloads of my pictures and are then using other print labs to get prints. How can I compete with this when the prices of the other print labs is below the base price on SM?

For example, I just found out a client of mine purchased 4Mpix digital downloads and is using Mpix.com to print them. When I look at the prices Mpix charges, they are well below the SM base price. There is no way I can compete. I guess I can raise the prices of my digital downloads, but I already think they are fair and in-line with what others are charging for similar photos in their respective genres.

Even Bay Photo, who SM uses for my prints, is cheaper if my client prints directly from them.

For example, an 8X10 on Mpix is $1.99 and on Bay Photo is $1.79 (with no color correction). The base price on SM is $2.49. A 16X20 is $15.99, #13.99 and $17.99 respectively. Mpix also gives quantity discounts.

How do others handle this?

TIA.

Comments

  • Ann McRaeAnn McRae Registered Users Posts: 4,584 Major grins
    edited June 7, 2011
    KSean Sports wrote: »
    I guess I can raise the prices of my digital downloads, but I already think they are fair and in-line with what others are charging for similar photos in their respective genres.

    *SmugMug hat OFF*

    Can I ask what your download price is? You should be charging at least as much for your file as you do for a single print, or else not sell prints IMO. A customer that buys your file will be able to print it at any print size, multiple times, and so you should be being compensated for the work of creating the file and not worry about the cost of paper and ink elsewhere.

    That is my business perspective on this question, anyway.

    ann

    My Galleries     My Photography BLOG
    Ramblings About Me
  • KSean SportsKSean Sports Registered Users Posts: 13 Big grins
    edited June 7, 2011
    Ann McRae wrote: »
    *SmugMug hat OFF*

    Can I ask what your download price is? You should be charging at least as much for your file as you do for a single print, or else not sell prints IMO. A customer that buys your file will be able to print it at any print size, multiple times, and so you should be being compensated for the work of creating the file and not worry about the cost of paper and ink elsewhere.

    That is my business perspective on this question, anyway.

    ann

    I am selling 1Mpix for $3.00 and 4Mpix for $5.00 for sports pictures. Before pricing I did a search on SM for other sports sites hosted there and looked at a couple of dozen of them to see their pricing, not only for downloads but also for prints. Since I am not competing with these other photogs I set my prices similarly.

    I've only been selling my images for a little over a month and have sold quite a few prints, the largest being 8X10 ($9.00 each).

    I did notice that a number of photogs don't even sell downloads and maybe I should stop as well.

    My site is: http://www.kseansportsphotography.com/
  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited June 7, 2011
    You can not compete print for print.

    You can not successfully buy prints and then try to resell against the print labs. What made you think you could?

    What you do have that is unique and special is the image file. The only way your client can (legally) obtain this file, or a print of this file is through you.

    You set the price and terms. You don't like them buying a file for $5.00 and printing as many as they want, don't sell the file for $5.00.

    You are offering a moment in time. A captured image. Not a piece of paper.

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
  • mercphotomercphoto Registered Users Posts: 4,550 Major grins
    edited June 7, 2011
    KSean Sports wrote: »
    I have clients who are purchasing digital downloads of my pictures and are then using other print labs to get prints.

    Why does this even surprise you?
    Bill Jurasz - Mercury Photography - Cedar Park, TX
    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
  • eoren1eoren1 Registered Users Posts: 2,391 Major grins
    edited June 7, 2011
    I sell digital downloads for a few bucks on my site but the size is no larger than 1600 px on the long end. Basically it has made for nice iPad backgrounds for the few that have bought them. I have sold far more prints than downloads to date.
    Eyal
    My site | Non-MHD Landscapes |Google+ | Twitter | Facebook | Smugmug photos
  • Cygnus StudiosCygnus Studios Registered Users Posts: 2,294 Major grins
    edited June 7, 2011
    mercphoto wrote: »
    Why does this even surprise you?

    Exactly. People are always going to choose the cheapest option. If you give them a download and allow them to print elsewhere and still save money, why would they not choose this option?

    Considering the fact that a digital download allows the client to print as often as they wish, why choose to price this cheaper than 1 print?
    Steve

    Website
  • KSean SportsKSean Sports Registered Users Posts: 13 Big grins
    edited June 7, 2011
    Thank for all the replies. This is a new experience for me (selling my photos online) so I appreciate all the comments. I've been at this about one month and I'm still trying to work out things like pricing, etc. All your comments give me a lot to think about.
  • GlortGlort Registered Users Posts: 1,015 Major grins
    edited June 8, 2011
    Cygnus Studios wrote: »
    Exactly. People are always going to choose the cheapest option. If you give them a download and allow them to print elsewhere and still save money, why would they not choose this option?

    I sell images on disk in minimums of 5 and I push the fact people can go elsewhere and have them printed or put them online or whatever the hell else they want to do with them.
    Many customers will buy a disk to get a number of images at an affordable price and buy a print or 2 of their favorites as well.

    I also only sell 1 file size and that's the full res version. Personally I don't see the point of lower res versions and as i do the majority of my sales and fulfillment on site, i don't have the time to muck around resizing images to give them to people for less money either. I give them the full deal and make it worth my while to do so.

    I make damn good money off the digital file sales and frankly I'd rather sell the digital files than prints. Less cost, equipment, consumables and more profit in it for me.
    No matter what your selling, you have to make it worthwhile for yourself and be happy to sell it. I don't care what they buy off me, i make money on everything so the more they buy the happier i am!

    If you are convinced you can't raise your prices, how about considering what I do and raising the minimum qty? Sell the digital files in batches of 5 ( or if they only want 3 or 4 still charge them for 5) at the same individual price. that way your prices stay the same but your total sales income goes up. My 5 image disk is $50. I do a 6-9 image disk for $75 and a 10 up for $100

    And pre -empt the crafty clients, put the condition on the file sales that all the images have to be of the one single player at the one event/ game. Unless you do this you'll have parents or kids throwing in together or people ordering 1 pic from 5 different games.
    I have this condition and I never get complaints about it although i do allow siblings on the same disk if they buy the 10 image version I charge $100 for.

    Hope that gives you some food for thought! thumb.gif
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