Album pricing

[Jonathan H]

Hey,

Hoping someone can help me out. Looking to start doing albums but all the sites require you to register to even get a price list. Obviously, their prices are proprietary for a reason and I'm *not* asking for exact prices, only ballpark. Real ballpark. Say closest $50-$100

I just have no idea what I would need to pay Zookbinders or LeatherCraftsmen for an album, say 8x12 flushmount. $200? $600? I really have no idea. I'd like to know if I (and my market) can even afford these albums before I go and register and hand over all that personal info.

PM's or response here are fine. Thanks in advance for any guidance, no matter how rough.

[spphoto]

It's really not that big a deal to sign on with most companies. You don't have to give much more than your name, address and website. For the most part they don't even ask for tax numbers. I've registered with several, none of them sent me any junk mail (in fact some didn't even send me the information I'd requested....), some of them I decided not to use and simply never ordered from. The only unsolicited calls/mail I ever get is from a company I like and do order from, and it's only to tell me about current and up coming deals.

[tim]

People aren't going to post prices, and they shouldn't. Phone up the companies and ask them, i'm sure they'll tell you on the phone.

[MarkAnthonyPhotography]

For a budget minded album, take a look at AsukaBooks.com. Good quailty and very decent prices. Just register with them to get prices. No personal info mainly just to verify that your a legit buisness.

[Banbert]

Figmented, if you want to do open book pricing with clients then thats your business, I dont think the album manufacturers or other photographers would take kindly to you divulging their prices to the public though, McDonalds dont tell you how much they pay for their burgers and I cant really think of another business that would do either ..... soon as you start breaking your prices down then you give customers leverage for reducing them.

Those graphistudio prices you have stated are very misleading, they can get a lot more expensive than that.

[Banbert]

Yeah, all of the album pricing can be a lot higher depending on your add ons. The OP was asking for general pricing, I did not go into how much each individual item costs, how many pages, etc, for the sake of you nay sayers. Though I did give him a general idea and he can choose the company that most suits his budget.

I say we get rid of all pricing talk on this forum all together, if it means so much. (prints, albums, dvds, packages, where to get prints made, where to get albums made, photoshop action packages, album design software, slideshows, websites)

oh wait, lets just get rid of only the album pricing, because that's the only one people are taboo about.


Not really its just that album prices arent available to Joe public, you generally have to have at least a website or visible business to qualify for them sending you the album prices, most other things are available to anyone whether you have a photography business or not.

[tim]

I say we get rid of all pricing talk on this forum all together, if it means so much. (prints, albums, dvds, packages, where to get prints made, where to get albums made, photoshop action packages, album design software, slideshows, websites)

You're the only one who's named prices for albums since i've been here, that along with advertising is discouraged. I wouldn't be surprised if some of your posts from today get edited by a mod.

[Banbert]

Well, I'm Joe Public. I don't have a registered business name for my photography, yet I still shoot photos and use these companies for my album creation. I never proved any business-ship, other then my website that anyone has the ability to create.

I don't see where I qualify more then anyone else?

As I said, the website is generally enough for you to qualify for prices from the album suppliers, if a bride was really keen to get prices yes she could probably design a dummy website if she really wanted to.

Heres a thought for you.

What are you gonna say to your next bride when she orders another 5 copies of your engagement magazine but offers you $6 for each of them rather than the $25 each because she saw how much they cost you on your POTN thread, ?

[Banbert]

BTW figmented, going back and keep editing your posts after I have started replying to your original posts is making this thread very confusing for me .. never mind anyone else ... and I have purposely not quoted some of what you have written because I dont bthink you should have written some of it on a public forum. :confused:

[Banbert]

I'll say too bad, just like im not gonna sell my 8x10's for 1$ that it costs me at costco.

If they have their own books designed, with their own photos they want to print, sure I'll do it for $6. :)

You don't always have to succumb to price wars. :)

The point I am making is that as soon as you start breaking it down and saying that it only takes you 5 minutes to do this and costs you $5 each per copy your giving people something to go at to try and get a discount and exactly the same holds true for albums which is one of the reasons why you wont see those details posted.

I think it would be a shame if you stopped posting here because I have enjoyed seeing some of your recent posts, the contract looked great as does the engagement magazine, both food for thought for the rest of us..... were all adults I am sure we should be able to discuss things without taking our ball home because we disagree on some things.

[Banbert]

This thread just looks completely whack now all that stuffs been removed !

I dont talk to myself honest ! :)

[randplaty]

check out Candid2000. They have decent albums and they publish their prices right on the website. www.candid2000.com

[Phil V]

This thread just looks completely whack now all that stuffs been removed !

I dont talk to myself honest ! :)
It's alright Nick, it only becomes a problem when you start answering yourself back;)

:lol::lol::lol:

[Bobster]

when pricing albums you have to look at the time and effort it takes to put one together (effort of photographing the event, cost of use for all the camera gear, post processing, layout, proofing, checks and double checks to make sure everything is just as it should before sending), not just the cost to have the book printed..