ray bidegain Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 I am wondering if any of the photographers here who have web sites with prints for sale, make any sales. I come across sites on the web that offer prints for sale all the time but I wonder If anyone buys them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_alpert1 Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 Ray, I hope you will not mind if I amend your question. Along with Ray's question, I wonder how many people who read this forum have ever bought a print from the website of a photographer they do not personally know? If so, what do they think about the experience? As for myself, I've never tried to sell a print via the Internet nor have I bought a print from a website. I think the whole enterprise is questionable, given the lack of good resolution, the lack of materiality (I hope what I mean is reasonably clear) and the lack of personal contact. Even when I buy equipment from a company that has a website, I always call to place my order. I also feel that art belongs in galleries, where people can think with their aesthetic sensibility turned on and their computers turned off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domenico_foschi Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 Hi Ray , good work . I have come to accept the fact that sales of prints online doesn't justify a website. That is not the primary reason why should put one up . The reason is exposure . After 2 years that my site has been up , i have sold few prints , but the most important think is that i am in the process to sign a contract with a fine art agency that got in touch with me trough my site . That, i hope , is better than selling a few prints . www.dfoschisite.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_hundsnurscher Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 I've sold quite a number of prints off of my website. I sell about 2 or 3 a month. During the spring/summer is when the sales seem to pick up. It's definitely worth it, although I wouldn't be getting a merchant account in order to do it or else I wouldn't break even. Selling them via paypal allows me to keep a good profit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil_miller2 Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 I have had a site for nearly two years and I've sold just one picture. It was for the front cover of a magazine and the editor only wanted a scan, not the actual print. I got a great kick out of the whole thing as, like one of the previous replies, I only bargained on exposure value and didn't think I would sell anything. The money will pay for the next three years or so, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qtluong Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 See Q8 on http://largeformatphotography.info/polls/poll3.html My own experience is 1 print per 30000 visits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle_cox Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 LOL! I clicked on Kevin's website, curious what sort of photos sell 2 or 3 a month. Now I understand. :) All joking aside, I think subject matter has a lot to do with it. I don't think things like landscapes or street photography sell as well on the web as erotica, for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_kiefer Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 My website has resulted in zero "cold" sales. It has facilitated sales from return-business clients that originally bought from a conventional exhibit or show... usually someone looking for a matching piece. I'm actually pretty reluctant to use my site as a first exposure to my work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel_turner Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 I sold 49 prints directly from visits to my web site last year.. ranging in size from 8x10 through 30x40. A few of these sales were from folks who had seen my images in previous exhibitions, but most were from new buyers. Strange though it may seem.. I don't even try to sell prints via my web site! Even better is the fact that many who frequent this board class my work as 'postcardy' and not serious photography. Nigel Turner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan brewer Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 I've seen some great postcards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcoda Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 I sold a couple of my World Trade Center prints after 9/11 (also gave a number of them away for proof of charitable donations). Other than that, still waiting. Bought a Galen Rowell a couple of years ago for my daughter's room, through their website. Rich www.rcodaphotography.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bro_monk Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 I don't have a web site but I've sold over 200 prints in the last four months on eBay...better than 12 years in galleries. The internet allows one to reach millions worldwide. A gallery is pretty much limited to whoever walks in. One more thing, for every $100 in print sales on the internet I would have to make $200 in a gallery, for their commission. I have bought prints also online from a photographer I do not know and got what I consider to be great deals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_glick Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 I too have been lucky as far as sales from my site. It really helps me on months when I am not actively showing. My experience is that almost every inquiry (85+%) turns into a sale, and I have picked up several repeat Internet buyers through the site. Now if I could just find the time to keep it updated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_hilliard Posted March 31, 2003 Share Posted March 31, 2003 I have had my site up for about 2 years now for EXPOSURE, and do not explicitly offer prints for sale, but that said, I usually sell several each month. There are publishing firms out there that search sites for specific photos and I have been hit by several including MTV. Whatever sales that have been generated would NEVER pay for the work of keeping the site up and going. Mark Hilliard www.mycophotography.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qtluong Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 George, do the higher number of print sales make upfor the lower prices, compared to what you used to get ingalleries ? I noticed sale prices of around $50 for 16x20, matted prints, in very short (less than 10) editions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 Most of the online prices are low enough to make it fairly unappealing unless the volume is great. It's tough to sell in traditional venues and then sell at a fraction of that on the internet. I don't advertise prints on the web, but I have sold a number of prints from my web site. However, at least 80% of the inquiries disappear after I quote prices. Music and Portraits Blog: Life in Portugal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian_c._miller Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 I've bought three photogravures from the Lenswork offerings. They are reasonably priced (for my Everclear booze budget) and they are photogravures, not silver prints. I have a personal inhibition about purchasing prints because I have two Omega D enlargers and a Jobo and plenty of good film that needs printing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bro_monk Posted April 4, 2003 Share Posted April 4, 2003 Quang-Tuan,My prices are very low with not much profit. A good part of the reason for doing this is just to get the work out. The 16x20s are the least profitable and I actually don't put very many up for auction. I do a lot of experimenting with different images and diffent sizes as sort of research. When I started auctioning prints on eBay about 4 months ago, I figured I would have to start low and gradually build up prices as I built up a reputation for selling the real thing. I started out selling 8x10 contact prints for $12.00. If you have checked out the photographic images section of eBay, you know that there are thousands of photographs for sale, a lot of it junk. But because there are so many images it is competitive just to have your auction looked at, as the average buyer does not know the difference between a gelatin silver contact print and an ink jet print, or even a photocopy. Fortunately for me, here are not that many photographers selling 8x10 contact prints. The volume does add up though and is significantly more than I ever did in 10 years of gallery sales. And because galleries generally charge a 50% commission I would have had to sell over $20,000.00 worth of prints to equal my eBay sales. George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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