Help! Standard Practice when Having a Local Business Sell Your Stuff?

[astrostu]

With the recent lunar eclipse and my very high-resolution montage, I got a lot of people asking me today on campus if I was selling them and for how much. Since these are people who I don't want to be seen as money-grubbing and since I wasn't *really* planning on selling this and many live paycheck-to-paycheck (admin assistants and poor grad students), I told 'em I would charge $5 for a 12"x18" since my cost is $2.99+tax.

So I was at the planetarium today and a thought occurred to me: Perhaps they could sell 20"x30" prints of the eclipse along with their other posters. I talked with one of the people who worked there and she seemed pretty agreeable. I said I could get the 20x30 prints for $10 plus shipping ($4.99 for first, $0.79 for additional, so if they ordered 5 it would be $11.78 average per). I suggested selling them at maybe $20 since their posters go for $10-25. I told 'em I'd split the profits 50/50.

Okay, so now I realize there's a lot to actually consider in this. Tax for one thing. Another thing is do I pay for this out of pocket and hope they sell and then they cut me a check for the price plus $4.11 each time one sells, or should they buy them outright from me for $11.78+$4.11 with some sort of buyback agreement on my part if they don't sell?

Granted I can't really go back too much on what I already said (so splitting profits 50/50 and *around* a $20 price point), but I'd like to know what's normally done in these situations, please!

 

[astrostu]

Anyone ... ?

 

[wildmaven]

That size print, matted, in our gallery sells for anywhere from $40-80. Selling for less is just short changing yourself and devaluing everything else you do.

 

[elsaspet]

Hmm. That's a hard one.
If you want to get them out there, you might have a good deal working. However, if you are talking money, I'd say charge 3x cost plus sales tax.
20x30 is a BIG print. My cost on one is about 40 bucks with double weight matboard (to keep it from warping). I can't see how you could sell them for anything less than $80 bucks, and that's not including your time, effort, packaging, possible shipping, and taxes.
Standard pricing on 20x30 is usually around several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.
But again, if it's more about getting the print out there to be seen, I wouldn't go less than 100 bucks for that size.

 

[astrostu]

Remember, I'm selling them along side posters that sell for $10-20. They'll just be rolled up with a rubber band in the back closet until someone buys them, other than the one in the display case.

That's why I didn't want to go too far over $20, since I don't think anyone would buy them. And there's no shipping, packaging, etc., just ordering 'em from the online site and bringing them to campus when they arrive.

But I still don't know how logistics normally work. Like, should I be fronting them all, or should the planetarium purchase them from me outright? What should I expect in terms of that? Or what is a reasonable profit-sharing?

 

[wildmaven]

But I still don't know how logistics normally work. Like, should I be fronting them all, or should the planetarium purchase them from me outright? What should I expect in terms of that? Or what is a reasonable profit-sharing?

Places like that usually buy a small stock from you outright and then play it by ear depending on sales. From what you are describing, I would certainly charge $30 for the print, since you won't be matting it. Again, this is a photograph, not a poster, and the public expects to pay more for a photo than a poster. If they do want to just do consignment (you get paid if they sell) then make absolutely sure you have a signed inventory from them when you hand over the product.

 

[elsaspet]

Remember, I'm selling them along side posters that sell for $10-20. They'll just be rolled up with a rubber band in the back closet until someone buys them, other than the one in the display case.

That's why I didn't want to go too far over $20, since I don't think anyone would buy them. And there's no shipping, packaging, etc., just ordering 'em from the online site and bringing them to campus when they arrive.

But I still don't know how logistics normally work. Like, should I be fronting them all, or should the planetarium purchase them from me outright? What should I expect in terms of that? Or what is a reasonable profit-sharing?

Ok, I gottya. I was thinking wall hanging type stuff. Do you have a lab for the posters?

 

[jstuedle]

Instead of photo prints, try a litho service. You may need to buy a min of 100 or so, but the price will be low enough to sell for your price. Normal prints are much too expensive to sell at the stated price point. Litho is the same process as the average poster on thin glossy paper. If you order enough (1000) your price could be around $1.00 or so. But that's a chunk of change to dish out on a speculative venture.

 

[neea]

In all businesses there are gambles. You win some you lose some. Sometimes you just have to step up and hope for the best.
You won't know how well they sell until you try.. Right!!!???