Does it exist

[Overread]

Ok had my mind thinking about this for a while (dropping money down on new lenses prompting me a bit more now!) and whilst I have tried searching I think I am using the wrong key words to get the answers I am after - so:

I am considering (not now- in the future) putting my shots up online to sell, now I don't exepect to sell many nor make it a substancial part of my income - just a little extra. Now I have heard of companies (online ones) which will perfom printing and postage of products to clients of photos placed online for sale; taking a comission out of the sale of each photo.
Now what I would like to know is if such companies exist; if they are any good (print quality, quality of serivce); if they have any annual fees (a link to their site would answer this) and if it is worth going for them.
I am not thinking of stock sites as the income from the shots is very small and you have to sell a heck of a lot to get anything. Plus it limits you one the usage of your works as well.

So far I know one thing I will need to do is to calibrate my moniter to ensure that what I am editing on screen is what my future clients will be seeing on the prints that they get.

And information is welcome - thankyou

Ps - I AM NOT SELLING YET. Before people start on a bandwagon of "your too green to sell yet" and the rest I want to make clear I am not selling anything yet - I feel I still have a long way to go before I am ready to begin selling my works at all. This is some recon research into a future idea (the concept being on being ready for the future rather than having to ask then)

 

[kundalini]

I hear a very professional site to be Smugmug for handling photos and orders. I'm not there yet either, but I did read thru some of the smaller print. It has been mentioned quite a few times in my searches of this topic.

I will gladly follow this thread for more information.

 

[Mike30D]

ONLINE PROOFING AND PRINTING OPTIONS


* *
Picture Proofs No set up fee, unlimited uploads, flat 5% commission on gross sales, use your own lab Welcome to Picture Proofs! ~Proofing Made Simple~*

OrderPicture.com No set up fee, unlimited uploads, flat 12% commission calculated after lab cost, use their lab OrderPicture.com - The most complete professional online photo service

InstaProofs No set up fee, unlimited uploads, flat 15% commission, choose your own lab* Instaproofs.com: Online photograph sales and proofing

PhotoReflect No set up fee, unlimited uploads, graduated commission beginning at 18%, labs available or use your own PhotoReflect

Phototool No set up fee, unlimited uploads, $50.00 per month, no commission, choose your own lab Sell images OnLine. Online Proofing. Commercial, event, wedding, portrait and stock photographers. Making more money with photography.

PhotoShelter Leveled packages, one time $50.00 set up fee, $9.99 per month, 10% transaction fee PhotoShelter™ - Archive, Buy, Sell Photographs

Collage.net Leveled pacakges, middle package $70.00 per month; 15% commission on all orders Collages.net: Total Workflow and Printing Solution for Professional Photographers

SmugMug No set up fee, unlimited uploads, $149.00 per year, customizable pricing, catalogs, galleries and user interface SmugMug - The ultimate in photo sharing. Online photo albums, photo sharing, photo hosting and photo storage.

Eventpix Fairly complex per-event pricing, $100 annual fee. eventpix.com: Maximizing Your Exposure

Exposure Manager* $99.95 / yr for unlimited storage or $12.95 / month.* Self fulfilled or use one of their selected pro labs. ExposureManager - Focus on Sales

Shutterfly $99.95 / yr for 5GB storage; $199 / yr for unlimited storage.* Fulfilled by Shutterfly. Shutterfly | Professional Photography Ideas | Pro Gallery Storefront

MorePhotos:* $200.00 set up fee, 25,000 images, $49.00 per month Online Photo Proofing and Sales- Photographer Site Web - Photography - MorePhotos.com : E-commerce Software for Professional Photographers

PhotoBiz: $100.00 set up fee, 7200 images, $80.00 per month PhotoBiz - Online Proofing Solutions for Photographers

Pictage $150.00 set up fee, $99.00 per month, unlimited uploads Pictage.com

and there are more than just these out there.....

 

[kundalini]

Stick a fork in me, I'm done.


Cheers Mike30D. Any chance of a rating system?

 

[PhilGarber]

Yup! Rebubble.com! It's print quality is amazing though you have to be a member with a portfolio it's free to join and there on no monthly fees. (Links in my sig).

 

[Mike30D]

The one I use is Collages.net. Right now I pay-per-event. I like it because I can still use my lab even though everyone submits the orders through Collages. If you're looking for something like a gallery that always stays up, then you might want to look at Smugmug. Places like Collages, Pictage, Eventpix, etc. are for one time events such as weddings or portrait sessions. Events usually stay up for a certain amount of time and then come down off the web.

 

[Overread]

Thanks for the info so far - Smugmug is another I have heard in passing quite a lot.
One thing I have been wondering is that a lot of these companies are US based - is this ever any problem if you are not US based yourself?

 

[Big Mike]

Thanks for the list Mike.

I've heard great things about Collages.net, except that they don't (or didn't) support out of USA customers etc. One thing to consider is where the prints will be printed and shipped from. Your clients will not want to pay $50 shipping on top of their print order...so find a local lab.

Another option is Photocart. It's an application that you load onto your own website and people can order prints directly from you. The benefit of this is that you have control over the process and you don't have to pay a commission. Also, it looks pretty professional to have it all on your site, rather than directing people away from your site for ordering. A downside may be that you have to process the orders yourself. I know several people who use this and love it. I'm going to buy & install it myself...but I need to upgrade my hosting first.

 

[Mike30D]

I don't use them (Collages) for printing anyways, I use H&H Color out of Missouri. I have everything shipped to me that way I can still maintain QC. Hopefully Collages will start supporting you guys outside of the US soon.

There's another option for your website, it's called Redcart. I haven't personally used it, but I've heard nothing but good things about it. There's one more...can't remember the name...oh yes, it's called Skooks Kart. Don't know anything about this one. There are some top wedding pros that use it but that's all I know.