Anybody making $$$ with greeting cards?

Kavika · August 29, 2009

I have images that would sell on local greeting cards, but the business math hardly adds up ...

Option #1 - Smugmug will print cards for $1.50, so if I want $1 profit, that's $2.50 wholesale, but stores can't sell cards for $5. I could get cards cheaper by printing 10,000 at a time in China, but I don't want that many ... just hundreds. If I sell direct to customers for $3 ... that's $1.50 profit. But how? People go to stores for greeting cards. (And Smugmug's card creation area was not working last time I checked last week.)

Option #2 - Buy prints from Smugmug for $.19, plus card blanks and envelopes online for $.65 (per 1000) = $.84 ($840). Wholesale to stores for $1.50 leaves $.66 profit per card, but that involves stuffing and taping tons of cards. $660 profit for spending $840, after time making/marketing the cards, ... not a great return.

Do any of you bother with greeting cards? Are there options I am missing? Thanks.

bendruckerphoto · August 29, 2009

Not sure where you are getting your prices from. SmugMug charges $1.40 a card for folded 5x7s (including envelopes) if you buy in boxes of 25. For their 4x8 Photo Cards, they charge 50 cents per card for Glossy or Matte and 59 cents per card if you buy in boxes of 100.

Where did you get $1.50 from? You could also take a look at TinyPrints and see what their prices are and if they would work better for you.

Kavika · August 30, 2009

bendruckerphoto wrote:

Not sure where you are getting your prices from. SmugMug charges $1.40 a card for folded 5x7s (including envelopes) if you buy in boxes of 25. For their 4x8 Photo Cards, they charge 50 cents per card for Glossy or Matte and 59 cents per card if you buy in boxes of 100.

Where did you get $1.50 from? You could also take a look at TinyPrints and see what their prices are and if they would work better for you.

TinyPrints doesn't offer simple blank folded cards with a photo on the front. Smugmug at $1.40 still doesn't allow keystone wholesale/retail. And their 4x8 cards aren't a folded product ... back to the drawing board.

bendruckerphoto · August 30, 2009

Sorry that I don't have a better answer for you. When it comes down to it, you pay extra to have things printed in short runs. If you want to have a low wholesale price and still make a nice profit, you need to do things in bulk. While you might find some places that are a few cents cheaper than SmugMug, I still don't think it will change the principle of the matter.

rebeccaindy · September 15, 2009

Vote for selling greeting cards to clients!
There's hardly any votes for the feature to sell cards to our clients over at http://smugmug.uservoice.com!!!

Please, everyone that wants this feature, go to that link, sign up, and vote with a 3!! Let's get this to the top of the todo list so the awesome folks at SmugMug will work on this asap!

Vote for this:
http://smugmug.uservoice.com/pages/1...omers-to-order-

Login and VOTE!!!! Thanks!!!

johng · September 15, 2009

I really don't see a market for blank greeting cards with non-personalized images on them. People like buying cards with their kids on them and such, but it sounds like you want to sell blank cards (i.e. no verse) with your stock images on them. I don't really see much of a market there. Especially if you want to sell to local stores (as opposed to offering them to clients you specifically shoot photos of). Greeting cards in general have a very high profit margin for stores - actually one of the highest profit margins. But there we're talking about cards with verse (i.e. from American Greetings or Hallmark) where they charge $4-5 for a premium card (using the 99 cent cards as the hook to get business). Blank note cards with just a stock photo aren't really going to have a high per-unit profit margin. You can't charge $2 for a blank card.

Hikin' Mike · September 15, 2009

johng wrote:

I really don't see a market for blank greeting cards with non-personalized images on them. People like buying cards with their kids on them and such, but it sounds like you want to sell blank cards (i.e. no verse) with your stock images on them. I don't really see much of a market there. Especially if you want to sell to local stores (as opposed to offering them to clients you specifically shoot photos of). Greeting cards in general have a very high profit margin for stores - actually one of the highest profit margins. But there we're talking about cards with verse (i.e. from American Greetings or Hallmark) where they charge $4-5 for a premium card (using the 99 cent cards as the hook to get business). Blank note cards with just a stock photo aren't really going to have a high per-unit profit margin. You can't charge $2 for a blank card.

Not true. As a nature photographer, I go to arts and craft shows and sometimes all I sell are black note cards ($4ea or $20/6). Last week I received an order for $40 for note cards.

mercphoto · September 15, 2009

http://www.overnightprints.com/main.php?A=start_page&product_group=postcards

mercphoto · September 15, 2009

And at CostCo:

6x7½ photo greeting cards

* It's fun and easy to create your own photo greeting card.
* Many new designs including multi-image format.
* Add your own personalized message.
* Envelopes (6” x 8 1/8”) included – require only one postage stamp

$14.99 set of 50
$5.99 additional sets of 25

Hikin' Mike · September 15, 2009

I use Photographer Edge.

fredjclaus · September 16, 2009

I would second the look at Photographers Edge. It really depends on what you want to do with the cards. Based on what you have suggested, I would say check out PHotographers Edge. They have the best product other than cards printed directly on greeting card stock. Last time I checked the blank ones were 12.99 for 10 with envelopes. That works out to be 1.29 each.

justus · September 17, 2009

Greeting Cards
I used to use Photographer's Edge, but found www.winkflash.com as a possible alternative and cheaper. I purchased 50 cards there for $22.50 (using one of their discount codes) for a charity fundraiser for a horse organization recently.

Charity personnel took the card assortment, bundled them into sets of 5 cards and envelopes each, tucked inside a plastic sleeve, tied them with a pretty ribbon and sold them at the fundraiser for $10.00 a set. Sold out the first hour...just a thought.

I routinely order my images on greeting card stock and give away as gifts also.

whitsabout21 · July 22, 2010

Has anyone used tinyprints.com and/or sendoutcards.com? If so I would love some feedback! I'm looking at something that the client can order/send out with postage included. Would like to know the quality of product and/or easy of use. Thanks!

How about Don · July 22, 2010

I use Staples double sided matt paper and make my own. Takes a bit to set it up but really cheap from there. Made about a hundred for a local store couple years ago and they sold out at $2.50 ea. Cost to me was under a dollar and I sold them to her for $1.50.

treegazer · July 24, 2010

How about Don wrote: »

I use Staples double sided matt paper and make my own. Takes a bit to set it up but really cheap from there. Made about a hundred for a local store couple years ago and they sold out at $2.50 ea. Cost to me was under a dollar and I sold them to her for $1.50.

I have also been using the double sided matte paper from Staples for a few years now. I can print two cards per sheet, cut in half and fold. The 4 3/8 x 5 3/4 envelopes are a perfect fit. I ordered small plastic sleeves from Clearbags and I have a very high quality, attractive product.
You can see some of the cards that are for sale here:
http://www.kentuckyproudmarket.com/stacy-borden-photography-c-236.html

I used Adobe InDesign initially for my template and it worked well. I have since switched to using a template I made in Pages. It is so much simpler and faster to make new cards.

I sell at a few local art fairs each year and have cards for sale in two retail locations.

I calculated the materials cost at $0.41 per card. I wholesale the cards for $1.50 and I retail them directly for $2.00.

I am not making tons of money but the cards do sell so it's worth it to me to know that people like what I do and are willing to part with some of their money for it.

I haven't really looked into printing costs from an online print company. It may be worth it to free up my time from card production to playing with my son or sleeping.

Stacy Borden

ChatKat · July 25, 2010

Several resources
I have cards printed on fine art paper with envelopes at Millers. Cards vary in price. I have 20 designs and order 100 at a time of each design. I pacakge them in sets in silk pouches. Some of my cards are 5x5 and some 5x7; I put my logo on the back of each. A set of 5 cards sells for $18 in a boutique that I put them in.

I am also a Send out Cards distributor but I use that for the holidays to send cards to clients. I use that to create some holiday greetings for my customers to sent their greetings using my image and I offer a service to keep their holiday cards database.

deb22 · October 21, 2010

Kavika wrote: »

I have images that would sell on local greeting cards, but the business math hardly adds up ...

Option #1 - Smugmug will print cards for $1.50, so if I want $1 profit, that's $2.50 wholesale, but stores can't sell cards for $5. I could get cards cheaper by printing 10,000 at a time in China, but I don't want that many ... just hundreds. If I sell direct to customers for $3 ... that's $1.50 profit. But how? People go to stores for greeting cards. (And Smugmug's card creation area was not working last time I checked last week.)

Option #2 - Buy prints from Smugmug for $.19, plus card blanks and envelopes online for $.65 (per 1000) = $.84 ($840). Wholesale to stores for $1.50 leaves $.66 profit per card, but that involves stuffing and taping tons of cards. $660 profit for spending $840, after time making/marketing the cards, ... not a great return.

Do any of you bother with greeting cards? Are there options I am missing? Thanks.

Hi, cards are a huge seller for me. I order the card stock and envelopes and crystal clear bags all for under $100 for 200 cards and then buy all the 5x7 paper on sale on e-bay or staples 2 for 1 sales and print out all the 5x7 prints at home.Then just glue or double side tape them and your done. I think marketing comes into play when you are selling them to individuals or stores etc. I pay a total of $150 approx for 200 complete sets and sell for $5 each[to me wholesale or retail] which gives me a great profit. I am lucky I guess as I sell hundreds [I won't say exactly but lots]. One tip I have found out is people or store managers do not know what a photo card is exactly so I sell as Frameable photo cards and explain that they can go anywhere and purchase a 5x7 frame for next to nothing.the stores which sell frames are very happy because they also get co-lateral sales of their frames. I know it sounds crazy but people are used to getting cards and then throwing them out after a while so they are totally surprised when you tell them it will fit any frame they have. Of the thousands I have sold this year I am only aware of one person that bought the card for someone else,all others have framed them and continue to buy the entire collection. That is the second tip,if you can try and develop a series so you can start to get collectors,this can be done with any theme.Ps have you seen the prices of Hallmark cards? $5 dollars is not a lot for a 5x7 print and I have not had complaints so the price is right. My cards are blank inside and have my info on the back.Good luck to you and if you decide to give it a try it won't cost you an arm and a leg to find out.

Blacksheep45 · January 13, 2011

I agree with Deb, just began doing this last year and have 7 retailers selling cards. Buyers tell me consumers buy them for framing. I currently get cards/envelopes from WHCC (www.whcc.com) a little pricy in small quantities but great quality. Can create and order all on line. My experience so far tells me the card biz all about legwork.

SCP · January 16, 2011

Iused Moo for my postcards. They are gorgeous quality. Can be used as postcards, or to frame and hang up.

I charge $2.50 for my cards which I think is a $1.50 profit.

stirinthesauce · January 17, 2011

I sell a good bit of photo note cards. I used to make my own (standard stock, glue a 3x5 on it. I have since moved to these by RediMat,

http://www.redimat.com/products/accessories/photo_cards.html

These are very easy as the print slides into the matted sleeve. I then insert them into the clear bags that are available on the above linked site. In the bag I put a business card and on the back of the notecard I put a sticker with my biz name, website, email and ph #. I sell them for $6. The presentation in the clear bags is great, plus, the way I see it, profit is good and the advertising is good. Everyone that buys it gets the biz card and whoever they send the card to gets the contact info off the back.

Texacali5 · May 23, 2011

I agree with Bill J about Costco with a huge caviot, the quality on Costco cards is surprisingly good, however.... the Costco stamp is on the back of the card. Although I printed my logo on labels to cover it, not the professional look I am going for in the end. I use the Costco route for the greeting cards I send to friends and family. Still gives them my photos/portfolio without high cost.

Just a thought.
J

eoren1 · May 23, 2011

I use Fotomoto to sell prints, cards and digital downloads from my Wordpress site.
I have had 7 orders for cards to date with total sales of $163 and a profit of $45. Not large margins but it adds up...
These are landscapes on 5x7 folded press printed cards

Anybody making $$$ with greeting cards?

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