Selling a Prepaid Santa Photograph?

NicoleHoytNicoleHoyt Registered Users Posts: 1 Beginner grinner
edited October 24, 2012 in SmugMug Support
For a community event with perhaps 50 kids lining up for Santa photos, what would be the best way to have them prepay? The prepay would cover a 5 x 7, ground shipping, and CA tax. What would the total be if the basic price is $15? Or $20? All shipping to SF Bay Area.

It must be prepay while the families are in line at the community center. I assume they get the coupon when they pay the cash, then I pay you my basic price, they go to the site and fill in the order info, credit card number (what if they don't have one?), mailing address, shipping info, and any other print orders....

Does each person get a different coupon number? I'm a new Pro gallery member and haven't used them.
Perhaps SmugMug isn't best for this?

For instance, a 5 x 7 print could be $20. How much would the profit on that be, minus CA tax and shipping?

Hope you can help me with this -- surely lots of photographers are doing Halloween and Santa pictures?

Thank you!

Comments

  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited October 24, 2012
    NicoleHoyt wrote: »
    For a community event with perhaps 50 kids lining up for Santa photos, what would be the best way to have them prepay? The prepay would cover a 5 x 7, ground shipping, and CA tax. What would the total be if the basic price is $15? Or $20? All shipping to SF Bay Area.

    It must be prepay while the families are in line at the community center. I assume they get the coupon when they pay the cash, then I pay you my basic price, they go to the site and fill in the order info, credit card number (what if they don't have one?), mailing address, shipping info, and any other print orders....

    Does each person get a different coupon number? I'm a new Pro gallery member and haven't used them.
    Perhaps SmugMug isn't best for this?

    For instance, a 5 x 7 print could be $20. How much would the profit on that be, minus CA tax and shipping?

    Hope you can help me with this -- surely lots of photographers are doing Halloween and Santa pictures?

    Thank you!


    I would not do the prepaid go to gallery to get print scenario at all ... ... I seriously think that your best deal would be to shoot and print, but you would need an assistant to do the printing. Printing either 5x7 or even 8x12 (which is what I would do) would cost you very little...then a decent folder from TAP or other folder maker to top it off... or if you're set on mailing them out...have an assistant taking the names and addresses and you shooting, have them processed the next day put in
    Christmas folder and mail out....be sure to use a hard cardboard priority mail flat rate envelope... it would run around $5 for mailing that way...you could do it cheaper but this would be to impress for future business .... .... ...

    You should search for a member named Glort, he has lots of great posts on doing this kind of stuff, a lot is for huge events but the info still pertains to something as small as this.

    Good Luck.
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

  • Mike JMike J Registered Users Posts: 1,029 Major grins
    edited October 24, 2012
    I'm not sure exactly what model you want to follow here. You mention prepay in the first paragraph and then coupon and they enter credit card information in the 2nd paragraph. I'll assume you want to take payment on photo day, not do onsite fulfillment, and have the photos sent directly to the customers. Honestly if it were me, I'm not sure I would run this type of deal through smugmug.


    Not Using Smugmug
    1. Create order form for customer to fill out why they are waiting in line
    2. Accept payment from customer at the community center. You need to be able to take cash, check and credit card. If you have an Android phone or iPhone, the SQUARE reader is awesome.
    3. Take the photo and note the frame numbers you took on the order.
    4. Work directly with EZprints or your favorite lab for fulfillment. Have the order drop shipped directly to the customer's address. You would need to find out what they print cost, shipping cost and tax are for the lab you choose.
    The advantage here is that you cut out the middleman of smugmug. The disadvantage is that you select the photo for the customer and they don't get to choose. I assume you will take a couple of shots of each person.


    Using Smugmug with Prepay
    1. Create order form for customer to fill out why they are waiting in line
    2. Accept payment from customer at the community center. You need to be able to take cash, check and credit card. If you have an Android phone or iPhone, the SQUARE reader is awesome.
    3. Create a unique one-time usage coupon for the amount your charged for each customer.
    4. Give each customer their unique coupon as well as the link your smugmug gallery that you will upload the photos to.
    5. Upload all of your photos to a Smugmug gallery and set the price for the photos.
    6. Customers then go to your gallery and select the photo they want.
    7. They place an "order" that is $0 for them since you gave them a coupon to cover the entire cost including shipping. Not sure how the CA tax issue plays out there though.
    8. Smugmug does all of the behind the scene work of getting photo to the lab
    9. Lab ships directly to the customer.
    Using Smugmug without Prepay
    1. Upload all of your photos to a Smugmug gallery and set the price for the photos.
    2. Customers then go to your gallery and select the photo they want and pays for the photo online
    3. Smugmug does all of the behind the scene work of getting photo to the lab
    4. Lab ships directly to the customer.
    Mike J

    Comments and constructive criticism always welcome.
    www.mikejulianaphotography.com
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