Alternatives to Pictage (Online Photo Sales)

[michaelmurphy]

Hey all-
I've been looking around for a quality service to sell my event photos online (especially for weddings). I'd like for my clients to be able to log in to their private gallery, select photos to order, and have the photos delivered in their respective sizes and media. I've looked at Pictage, of course, but I don't have $99 to spare at the end of each month. On a lower end, I've also reviewed Shutterfly and dotphoto (the latter of which had some fairly negative reviews).
What is the best online service? How has your experience been with the company? I am looking for minimal upfront pricing, expedient and reliable delivery to the customer, flexibility, and options.

Thanks!

-Michael

[Mike30D]

Online Proofing 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~ (http://www.pictureproofs.com/Index.aspx)*

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 (http://www.orderpicture.com/)

InstaProofs No set up fee, unlimited uploads, flat 15% commission, choose your own lab* Instaproofs.com: Online photograph sales and proofing (http://www.instaproofs.com/home/index.html)

PhotoReflect No set up fee, unlimited uploads, graduated commission beginning at 18%, labs available or use your own PhotoReflect (http://www.photoreflect.com/)

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. (http://www.thephototool.com/index.html)

PhotoShelter Leveled packages, one time $50.00 set up fee, $9.99 per month, 10% transaction fee PhotoShelter™ - Archive, Buy, Sell Photographs (http://www.photoshelter.com/)

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 (http://www.collages.net/site/)

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. (http://www.smugmug.com/)

Eventpix Fairly complex per-event pricing. $100 annual fee. eventpix.com: Maximizing Your Exposure (http://www.eventpix.com/)

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 (http://www.exposuremanager.com/)

Shutterfly $99.95 / yr for 5GB storage; $199 / yr for unlimited storage.* Fulfilled by Shutterfly. Shutterfly | Professional Photography Ideas | Pro Gallery Storefront (http://www.shutterfly.com/b2b/professional_photography.jsp)

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 (http://www.morephotos.com/)

PhotoBiz: $100.00 set up fee, 7200 images, $80.00 per month PhotoBiz - Online Proofing Solutions for Photographers (http://www.photobiz.com/index.cfm)

and this isn't all of them...

[michaelmurphy]

So many options! Thank you! What are your 3 most recommended?

[Mike30D]

I can't recommend 3, I've only used Collages.net and I like it. Customer service is great, I use them for the ordering and I can still have my lab print and ship to me. I thought about going to Pictage, got my packet in the mail and it just doesn't seem like it's worth paying $99 a month. IMHO, it seems they have an ego about them just because they have some big name wedding photogs that use them. Collages is nice because you can pay per event, monthly (I think) and yearly. It's not cheap for the whole year - $699, but it's cheaper than $99 a month which comes out to $1188.00 for the year. I really can't find anything bad (so far) to say about them.

[Mike R]

So many options! Thank you! What are your 3 most recommended?

I've only used Exposure Manager and have no complaints. Their customer service and print quality is excellent. You can also remove any hint of their name from your site, including the small "powererd by" link at the bottom of the pages.

I think Mike30D listed them all, (Thanks Mike) maybe people with the experience from each will post their comments.