Best way to show and sell online?

[Grimes]

Has anyone registered their own URL somewhere, then used Smugmug to set up the site? It says you can do this, but I'm not sure how difficult it would be.

[DDCSD]

Originally Posted by Grimes

Has anyone registered their own URL somewhere, then used Smugmug to set up the site? It says you can do this, but I'm not sure how difficult it would be.

It is very easy to direct your URL to your Smugmug site.

That is how I have my site set up, but I haven't done any customizing.

Here is my smugmug site:
www.derekcecilphotography.com

[CannedHeat]

Originally Posted by DDCSD

It is very easy to direct your URL to your Smugmug site.

That is how I have my site set up, but I haven't done any customizing.

Here is my smugmug site:
www.derekcecilphotography.com

Can you do the opposite: get a smugmug account and direct traffic to your own hosted site?

[bsmith6280]

ditto on cannedheat's question. I have a website and would like to begin selling photos w/ smugmug w/o having to set up a link. anyone do this?

[Duff]

http://www.zenfolio.com They host and do all the payment/customer service stuff. They also have some great integration if you have your own website and want to use them as a gallery only.

[Robertogee]

Thanks, Duff, for that link to Zenfolio. Looks quite interesting for all it provides.

[DDCSD]

Originally Posted by CannedHeat

Can you do the opposite: get a smugmug account and direct traffic to your own hosted site?

Originally Posted by bsmith6280

ditto on cannedheat's question. I have a website and would like to begin selling photos w/ smugmug w/o having to set up a link. anyone do this?

I guess I don't really understand the question?

You can have your main site as www.boogityphotos.com and your Smugmug site set up as sales.boogityphotos.com.

Is that what you're asking?

[CannedHeat]

Originally Posted by DDCSD

I guess I don't really understand the question?

You can have your main site as www.boogityphotos.com and your Smugmug site set up as sales.boogityphotos.com.

Is that what you're asking?

At least for me, no.

Let's say I have a domain: mydomain.com which is already hosted. I want to know if I can create a smugmug account, perhaps put up a few pics for teasers, but then link from smugmug to my own domain for the real meat and potatoes. I already have a website and my own working ecommerce. I would only be setting up the smugmug account to take advantage of the exposure and traffic, but ultimately would want the customer to come to my real domain. Smugmug would not do any of the ecommerce financials nor the printing.

Edit: I'm sure that if smugmug pages are configurable, creating the link would be simple. However, the real question is if the smugmug TOS allows it.

[DDCSD]

I guess I basically do that now. I just use SM as a personal host and actually do my sales through Exposuremanager. I do sporting events and EM is just set up so much better for event sales than SM.

I have not idea if the SM TOS allows what you are describing, but I am guessing that it does.

I honestly think that Flickr would be much better for traffic and exposure. I mean, SM isn't exactly someplace that normal people go to look at pictures and if you don't need them to handle orders or printing there's little reason to use SM.

I'm actually in the process of moving some of my concert photos over to Flickr to get some exposure. A lot of magazines will troll Flickr looking for photos to use. Nobady is going to be trolling SM for photos.

I'll keep my SM account though, because I love how things look hosted by SM and I really do like the service.

[gh patriot]

Great info here!

[Nicole Faith]

I use Pictage for mine. Not sure if I will stick with them though, as I would rather host it all myself, but for now they take care of all the stuff I don't want to mess with.

[skywalkerbeth]

Originally Posted by stathunter

I host my photos for sale on smugmug---and market the crap out of it.

How do you "market the crap" out of it?

[bfriend]

I liked Ktools Photostore because it is very easy to configure and use. Its also a self contained web site where you could put info.

If anyone is looking for Ktools Photostore and Photohost, I have a license and the software that I am willing to part with dirt cheap. Approximately 2/3 the going package cost. This software no longer suits my need, so i figured that I will let it go if someone is interested. I will even install it for free, just to prove that its functioning.

Send me a message if you are interested.

Thanks

[neil_r]

I use Jalbum and PayPal on my commercial site. Works well for me.