Service for Selling Your Photo's?

Do any of you use an automated service for selling your photo's? Currently I'm having people PM me there request on my pbase site, I then send them pricing and payment options, and then they email me their address and either mail me a check or PayPal me.

This takes at least 24 hours of exchanging e-mails and I know it leads to a big loss in sales. I'd like to capture more impulse sales.

What websites/services are you using that allow you to sell and make money off your prints with little to no input from you?

Thanks for your help.

I've been using Smugmug, but will likely change over to Exposure Manager in the spring. The latter is cheaper and allows you to choose your own lab.

I've been using SmugMug for over a year now, alot of flexibility in site customization, pro pricing, and more. It helps to have html or css knowledge but not necessary to get a site up and running, there is an associated forum connected called dgrin.com and there's a wealth of knowledgable users one there that can help if you have questions. I just wish they had pricing options for packages. Other sites include Exposuremanager.com, Zenfolio.com and there's alot more, just Google 'photo hosting' and you'll find more.

I use Exposure Manager You can use a basic HTML editor to change the headers on the pages. The customer service is excellent at EM and I like the fact that they handle the order. I chose their pro fulfillment over self fulfilment and the way it works is easy. My customer places an order, I get an email telling me what they ordered, I crop to the proper aspect ratio, edit the image and upload it. They have it printed and mail it direct to my the customer. With my branding. They send out email progress updates to the customer and myself. Once a month they mail a check out (if at least $25.00) to me. There is also great flexibility in setup products to offer and you set the prices. Linking from another site will work, but why pay for 2 sites?

EM is really geared towards print sales. It does take some time to set it up for the look that you want. In my case I am now getting activity of people looking at my landscape shots when they come to the site for the sports photos. I had no activity before. I think if I were to add more landscapes, that they would sell better than they are. I have the shots but have been too busy to add them to the gallery.

They pay monthly?! Now I know I'm going with Exposure Manager. Smugmug only pays automatically on a quarterly basis and only if you're at a certain level of sales. You can request it, but that's just a PITA. I'd rather get a monthly check.

Hey thanks a lot you guys, this is just what I was looking for!!

does EM offer digital downloads? Meaning if a client doesn't want a print but wants a specific sized download?

Additionaly, does EM read keywords and/or IPTC information on upload and do they allow keyword searching of your pictures from your site?

thanks much

coleygm wrote in post #4216338
does EM offer digital downloads? Meaning if a client doesn't want a print but wants a specific sized download?

Additionaly, does EM read keywords and/or IPTC information on upload and do they allow keyword searching of your pictures from your site?

thanks much

Yes you can offer downloads, and like everything else you, set the price.

You can set up a search function although they do not read keywords, you have to enter it.

coleygm wrote in post #4216338
does EM offer digital downloads? Meaning if a client doesn't want a print but wants a specific sized download?

Additionaly, does EM read keywords and/or IPTC information on upload and do they allow keyword searching of your pictures from your site?

thanks much

For this additional functionality (including logged high-res downloads, full searchability by IPTC and keywords and rights-managed sales) well worth looking at www.photoshelter.com - PhotoShelter will also allow seamless integration with an existing website.

Example gallery: http://www.photoshelte​r.com …ery-show/G0000Re1ww3UjzW0

---- Gavin

gmen wrote in post #4217258
For this additional functionality (including logged high-res downloads, full searchability by IPTC and keywords and rights-managed sales) well worth looking at www.photoshelter.com - PhotoShelter will also allow seamless integration with an existing website.

Example gallery: http://www.photoshelte​r.com …ery-show/G0000Re1ww3UjzW0

---- Gavin

Gavin is your web site run through photoshelter? and if so whats the payment situation seeing your in the UK, as I'm "trying" to set up a web site for my photography sales

I know some of the photo hosting/sales sites mentioned have a free trial period. Make use of them and see which one fits your needs the best.

EM has a 15 day free trial period.

http://www.exposureman​ager.com/aff/newtampac​oncierge

That's what helped convince me. And their customer services is prompt and professional.

Exposurer Manager is the choice in most areas for what you're looking for - and by areas I mean prints, price, etc. They are meant for event photographers uploading and selling online - unlimited storage with the event account, you can set it to "display only' or "print ready", etc. To costomize you need a bit more knowledge with html (or you can just use there basic set up). You get costom headers and footers so can integrate your own site pretty easy. You also do have that nifty referal plan mentioned above for a 15 day trial, and hey why not - mine's...
www.exposuremanager.co​m/aff/mikejanesphotogr​aphy

Photoshelter also uses EZPrints, in other words I won't touch them for prints though I do have a membership that I pay for and don't use yet. Gavin just won't build my site for me, geez! (seriously, his site rules, and I just can't figure it out yet though I've tried - soon, soooon). Anyways, reason I have a membership with them is for a database of photos so MEDIA clients can download from there for print purposes, it won't be used for prints. If a player or someone goes searching and sees a photo he can email me and I'll direct him to Exposure Manager and set up a page for him to go through. I don't like the limited storage of PhotoShelter, I have to resize all my pics to put on there and that's why it's not up yet.

Robuk wrote in post #4219104
Gavin is your web site run through photoshelter? and if so whats the payment situation seeing your in the UK, as I'm "trying" to set up a web site for my photography sales

Hi Ron...

Some of the pages are hosted in my own tgsphoto.co.uk domain, but I use the customised PhotoShelter pages to provide the searchable archive and sales aspects.

For example, the portfolio page is in the tgsphoto.co.uk domain:

http://www.tgsphoto.co​.uk/folio.html

...but the general galleries (and the client areas) are powered by PS...

http://www.photoshelte​r.com …ery-show/G0000W8jxtuF.pow

---- Gavin

What image hosting/online sales program do you use?

What are you using to sell prints online?