Best online print site for profit

So I googled a couple of things and signed up and checked out a couple but there seems to always be a catch. A little backstory first: I did a wedding for my cousins and it turned out great. Everyone - including me - is very happy with the photos.

I had a meeting with the bride today to ask if she thinks its a good idea to set up a website to sell prints instead of going through the hassle of making a cd for everyone and have them print everything (I did the wedding for free). Obviously she would get a cd and be able to print what she wants - i refused her $200 check and told her to spend it on prints instead. It was their wedding gift so im really not after money from them, everyone else wouldnt mind 'donating' though, Ive had a couple of requests for websites to order from.

So I signed up for photomoto but they dont work well with iweb - not that my website is so great anyway but it would be nice to work with what ive got instead of starting over. They do have good pricepoints and profit margins imo.

Smugmug seems to be too expensive for what im going to use it for, im not a pro wedding photographer so i really dont want to pay a monthly fee that high. Especially considering I dont know many prints will be ordered.


Anybody have any other suggestions that would work?

Thanks!

InstaProofs. No set-up fees or annual fees. The only time you pay a fee is when someone buys something (they take 15%, so mark up accordingly). It's not too user friendly but once you watch the tutorial videos is makes perfect sense and is super quick to set-up. What I love most about it is that it doesn't bind you to a print lab (like SmugMug binds you to Bay Photo). Then I can price shop for the specific order I have. So if I have a 4x6 only order, I'll print through Lab A because their 4x6 prices are cheaper. If I have an 8x10 only I'll print through Lab B because their 8x10s are cheaper.

PeaceFire wrote in post #12736060
InstaProofs. No set-up fees or annual fees. The only time you pay a fee is when someone buys something (they take 15%, so mark up accordingly). It's not too user friendly but once you watch the tutorial videos is makes perfect sense and is super quick to set-up. What I love most about it is that it doesn't bind you to a print lab (like SmugMug binds you to Bay Photo). Then I can price shop for the specific order I have. So if I have a 4x6 only order, I'll print through Lab A because their 4x6 prices are cheaper. If I have an 8x10 only I'll print through Lab B because their 8x10s are cheaper.

do you have a referral code i can enter?

Wow, thanks! You can use my email: jebuell at gmail dot com in the referral box when you sign up.

And if you need any help setting it up feel free to PM me. It's a little confusing at first but the tutorial videos do a really good job of explaining it.

I use Backprint as you may also want to consider. They only charge if you sell something and provide a free customizable home page.

You set the prices and they calculate the profit.

They handle all the photo printing, so there is no worry with third party companies. Nor is there a limit on the amount of photos you can upload.

I've never ordered any frames, cups or plaques so unsure whether that is in-house but would assume it is. They have a parent company that handles high profile photogs.

Ralph III wrote in post #12736763
I use Backprint as you may also want to consider. They only charge if you sell something and provide a free customizable home page.

You set the prices and they calculate the profit.

They handle all the photo printing, so there is no worry with third party companies. Nor is there a limit on the amount of photos you can upload.

I've never ordered any frames, cups or plaques so unsure whether that is in-house but would assume it is. They have a parent company that handles high profile photogs.

They look very interesting. How are the quality of their prints? I prefer Fuji Crystal over Kodak Endura so this isn't something that would work for my business but definitely something to recommend in the future. Also their catalog doesn't like canvas prints, are they just not listed there or not available at all?

Instaproofs seem interesting but aren't they just providing a storefront and basically charging 15% for the transaction? Do you also have to pay the actual Printing company for the prints and then shipping charges as well?

PeaceFire wrote in post #12736808
They look very interesting. How are the quality of their prints? I prefer Fuji Crystal over Kodak Endura so this isn't something that would work for my business but definitely something to recommend in the future. Also their catalog doesn't like canvas prints, are they just not listed there or not available at all?

1) I've found the print quality to be excellent.

The only thing they do which I do not like is they do not ship prints with a cardboard insert. They do however stand by the product, so if any damage occurs they will replace. I've never had an issue though after several years, knock on wood.

Their parent company caters to high end photogs and offers much higher end services but there are costs associated with that. It's a professional outfit though.

2) They offer most anything you could want but I'm not sure about "Canvas" prints. They have something listed as "mounted" and "stand out mount". Would that be canvas? They also offer a "wild card" whereas you can provide an item which they don't carry.

I am actually talking to my Brother-In-Law about possibly doing canvas prints for me. He works at a sign company so look for a thread by me if prices are excellent. I'd love to be able to setup something and offer photogs better prices than available now.

Ralph

Ralph III wrote in post #12736830
Instaproofs seem interesting but aren't they just providing a storefront and basically charging 15% for the transaction? Do you also have to pay the actual Printing company for the prints and then shipping charges as well?

Yes, but you do with Backprint as well. From their website:

"We take 15% of the retail total of an order plus the wholesale cost of the prints/products."

So they take 15% of what you earn plus whatever it costs to make the print. I don't see prices on there, but I'm guessing their print prices are comparable to, say, WHCC or Millers. Please correct me if I'm wrong, though (without revealing their prices, that's against forum rules).

The reason I like InstaProofs is because it gives me the flexibility of choosing my lab. I like Fuji Crystal paper so I make my prints through ProDPI. I like the way Simply Color does their canvas prints, so I order my customer's canvas prints from them. For metal prints I like the results I get from Black River, so for metal print orders I use them. And so on.

But for the average person who only does one wedding here and there and usually wouldn't need a service, Backprint seems like a great option. A little limited, but still a good option.

And I don't believe they do offer canvas. That's the only part about them I really don't like. Maybe in the future they'll add them.

15% transaction fees? Holy moly. Them's mafia rates.

cdifoto wrote in post #12744535
15% transaction fees? Holy moly. Them's mafia rates.

That's what SmugMug charges which is why I'll never understand why people use them. $150 a year plus 15% of sales plus they make you order through their selected print lab? They are making bank and so many people think it's amazing. At least Instaproofs doesn't charge you an annual fee of any sort.

PeaceFire wrote in post #12745428
That's what SmugMug charges which is why I'll never understand why people use them. $150 a year plus 15% of sales plus they make you order through their selected print lab? They are making bank and so many people think it's amazing. At least Instaproofs doesn't charge you an annual fee of any sort.

I agree. I wouldn't go for anything like that. Pictage is worse though. I don't remember the exact numbers but it was baffling.