A couple of questions

timgangloff

A couple of questions for you guys

1. I don't seem to be able to create cards. When logged in and in one of my galleries, I click on photo tools, design a card and then another screen comes up with my image and it says to click on categories, but when I do, nothing happens. Using Vista with both IE and FF 2 and FF 3.

2. Seems prices for prints are a bit high. I can order them through ROES from a great lab like Richmond Camera (same Kodak papers) and 5x7 prints are like 1/2 the price. Are we paying full-retail price as pro photogs? If so, why?

3. I keep hearing and hearing that package deals and coupons are on the way, but I am getting increasingly frustrated with this wait and see attitude. Most major companies have timelines for planned improvements. Why can you not share that information? Is it one month, 6 months or 2 years?

4. Is there a tutorial on how to set up the work-around for #3 above with Google checkout? I've searched, but could not find it.

Look, I realize that I am not the best or biggest producer for you guys, but when I friend just called me and asked me some questions about smugmug (former photoreflect guy but went Mac and is looking for a new system), I had a difficult time explaining the benefits of smugmug over dual booting his Mac and continuing with photoreflect. I still have an account over there and one of the reasons I came to smugmug was the nicer looking store and ability to user my own domain name, but I am getting a bit less happy with the aforementioned issues.

Andy

timgangloff wrote:

A couple of questions for you guys

1. I don't seem to be able to create cards. When logged in and in one of my galleries, I click on photo tools, design a card and then another screen comes up with my image and it says to click on categories, but when I do, nothing happens. Using Vista with both IE and FF 2 and FF 3.

Bug. We've fixed it internally, and it'll be live on the site soon we hope. With some new cards, as well Sorry for the hassle.

2. Seems prices for prints are a bit high. I can order them through ROES from a great lab like Richmond Camera (same Kodak papers) and 5x7 prints are like 1/2 the price. Are we paying full-retail price as pro photogs? If so, why?

Thanks for that feedback! Stay tuned
http://blogs.smugmug.com/release-notes/

3. I keep hearing and hearing that package deals and coupons are on the way, but I am getting increasingly frustrated with this wait and see attitude. Most major companies have timelines for planned improvements. Why can you not share that information? Is it one month, 6 months or 2 years?

We don't publish advance dates. We're incredibly transparent though, and we have said we're working on 'em and we are. We'll have 'em but we have to get some improvements done to the shopping cart, first.

4. Is there a tutorial on how to set up the work-around for #3 above with Google checkout? I've searched, but could not find it.

Sure, just post in the customizing forum, there are folks who've done google checkout

Like: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=83981

Look, I realize that I am not the best or biggest producer for you guys, but when I friend just called me and asked me some questions about smugmug (former photoreflect guy but went Mac and is looking for a new system), I had a difficult time explaining the benefits of smugmug over dual booting his Mac and continuing with photoreflect. I still have an account over there and one of the reasons I came to smugmug was the nicer looking store and ability to user my own domain name, but I am getting a bit less happy with the aforementioned issues.

Size doesn't matter - all of our customers are important to us! Thanks for the direct feedback, we'd not have it any other way.

timgangloff

Thanks Andy for the quick response.

After reading the google checkout link, I am not sure it is quite ready for primetime yet. Seems some get it working, some don't and some that have, gave it up as too cumbersome. It's far too much work for what I want to do.

I imagine one issue with official support of this could be that by using google checkout and handling the prints ourselves, smugmug may lose a bit of income. More of a reason for you guys to get it done.

I think for me, the easier answer, is going to be to develop a custom order page and let folks order from me directly by telling me image numbers, sizes, etc. It will be slightly more cumbersome, but I don't see a way around it. At least that way I can self-fullfill the order at a lower cost and further encourage smugmug's fix.

I know you say you are trying to be transparent, but all we are looking for is a general timeframe. If it is going to be 6 weeks, I may not need to work on a custom order page, but if it is going to be 6 months, well then I've got some work to do.

Also, looking forward to the bug fix on the cards.

And while I see some potential in selling dvd slideshows online and being able to preview parts of them through smugmug's new video functionality, I'd much rather your company spend time fixing the aforementioned things that still photographers need/want and spend less time on video.

Thanks again for all of your help on these forum pages.

Andy

My pleasure. I won't give a date or even a time frame, sorry. It's very important to us. We need to get changes to shopping cart out and done, and then can do coupons.

Thanks.