First time selling Prints

im...LOST

Hey all,

I got approached on Facebook by someone wanting to buy 3 of my prints in 8*10.

To print this size costs about 2 euro and then postage is a few bob aswell.

Thing is, I've no idea how much to asked for for the actual photographs, you know?

Each situation probably has it's own pricing but what do you guys charge if someone wanted a print of one of your photos?

Thanks for your help, lads.

squareballoon

Factor in all your time, equipment costs etc that went into that shot. Don't sell yourself short. Personally I charge €25 per print but that's as part of a larger shoot with a minimum order so you might want to charge more.

Paulw

I charge €20 per print, plus P&P.

im...LOST

squareballoon wrote: »

Factor in all your time, equipment costs etc that went into that shot. Don't sell yourself short. Personally I charge €25 per print but that's as part of a larger shoot with a minimum order so you might want to charge more.

Hrm, 25'd be nice but to me, that seams like a lot of money for my print. Sure, my equipment and travel costs should be considered, though. Good point there.

I'm just a bit wary of saying to big of a number and scaring a potential sale away. I guess it takes a bit of time and experience to get used to all of this.

melekalikimaka

depends on how you value your work? if you think its good charge alot, if you think its bad, charge little, just bear in mind what you charge effects how others view you as a photographer, to many it reflects quality.

Depends what the photo is of I suppose.

A photographer i know that does social photography (people out and about in different venues, celebrating birthdays etc.) sells 8x10s for €25 each (in person, i assume an additional charge for postage should the images need to be posted out).

Originally I found €25 a bit much for a photo, but then, when you think about the time/effort/gear/learning required, it begins to seem like a decent price.

If you're stuck for cash and afraid to scare them off, then I'd say go lower, but dont put yourself in a situation where the person may suggest you to other people and you're stuck at a lower price forever (as soon as you increase a price, you're a rip off, regardless of how cheap you may be).

Factor in the cost of printing, posting and envelope too (ya know those hardback envelopes with "do not bend" on them).

If they decide to buy, print a piece of paper off with a discount code for their next purchase. They may never buy anything, but it's always worth chancing your arm for an additional sale (include this potential discount in your pricing of prints now though and try to be consistent with print pricing)!

AnCatDubh

I saw recommended on a site which facilitated the sale of art pieces that if being sold as part of a limited edition of a particular size/type, then €25 is reasonable assuming a quantity of 200 in the edition at a size 8x10 / 8x12 (ish). Plus don't forget your postage/packing. Don't under-estimate : registered post can cost you up to €10 to somewhere like the uk - check an post's web site.

Your print cost of €2 - is this mini lab quality? Perhaps consider doing something a bit more professional. For the size print you are proposing, the cost won't be much more (a couple of euro) but the quality and longevity of the end product should be well worth it.

good luck.

EDIT: The above assumes you don't have a spectacular sized following (or are a photographer belonging to a well known agency)

CabanSail

The advice here is all valid but may be more suited to someone who was shooting expecting sales. This may not completely fit this circumstance.

What would you be happy to get for the prints? There is the material costs, postage and the time taken to do the job. Then there should be something in it for you.

If you were to charge €25+ per print then you want to make sure your printing is high quality archival standard. I'm not saying not to charge this but just make sure the quality is there. You don't want prints fading in a couple of years.

I would suggest talking to the potential purchaser and asking what the planned usage will be and what they were thinking of offering. You may be surprised that they may be offering more than you expected or would have asked. If it's really low then you know they don't value it that much.

Good luck.

dinneenp

Selling price is like how long is a piece of string. I've seen some sites that charge €100 per print- maybe it makes them 'stand out' and people feel like they want them more than a 'cheap' €20 print....

I've just added a page to my website for selling prints- http://www.photoblog.ie/buy-print/.

Postage to anywhere in the world is surprisingly cheap. I originally thought I'd put each print in a mount but they're more expensive than I though- about €3.30 for a 8 by 12" print. Then you're also talking a larger envelope.

im...LOST

Asked for 20 a pop.

Said that because she's ordering 3, I'll do the P&P for free providing she lives in Ireland.

Fingers crossed she gets back to me!

Best of luck with it, and keep us updated