Well, I got into selling my images online last year and signed up with Photoreflect.com.
Photoreflect looked like the best way to go for me:
they were free to host and only charged apercentage of 18% for sales and that was added to my online fees. Customers could order the prints they wated online and they were sent to a lab that I setup an account with for that print or that package and the lab would process the images in to photos and drop ship them to the client. What could be better.
Whewre is the cloud. It is in the process of uploading the images to the different galleries. You have to use their propritory software which at first didn't seem bad. It had a libravby module and a develop module so if you were douign your job right when takingthe images you didn't need another application for that and you could go streight to uploading the selected images after tweeking them in the develop module.
Now here is where the big problem wiht the whole deal is: it copies your images into its directories ( taking twice the space on you C drive as there doesn't seem to be a way to redirect this ofr link to the existing images.
To change anything on your web site in the galelries you must have the images where the program put them. YOu have options of backing up or archiving but ifyou get a bad backup/archive and delete the orginals then you have lost all contact with that gallery/album yoiu can't delete it or anything.
What happened to me was while I processing my images before uploading I though I would goahead and build the directory structure I wnated for this shoot. Things like my top 50 images, this group, that group etc and it was great because the customers who were interest in looking at the images went to the site clicked on the album and were instructed to enter their email and they would be notified when the images were upload and ready for viewing all automatcially. Well I had compputer problems and was unable to backup the new structures and had to reload the hard drive. Well the program doesn't have a way to sync with the data online and the customer support has been nonexistant.
When it first happen I sent an email because I still had a couple of days worth of processing to do before Iwould be uploading any images. I got an auto reply statign that they had received the request for assistance and I should be gettign an message withn 72hr. Well that was OK I still ahd a coupld of days worth of work left since I had to restart the processing over also. Never have gotten another email from them except wanting me to attend one of their conferences several stats away. SO I got the images ready to upload so I call. It was after lunch and midafternoon I got routed and was on hold for close to an hour when a recording cameon and took my info and my problem and agin i was told I would hear from someone. Never did.
So now I am looking to move my galleries to a new host. I am looking for one tat is free if possible and not outrages if not. I do not mind that they collect a percentage of the sales if they process the orders and can drop ship the prints out for the non local fulfillment items. I will even pay a small percentage if they handle the transiactions and sent me a monthly check so I do not have to worry about credit cards and such. Able to receive payments in paypal would be a plus.
I would prefer a ftp type upload instead of using the propritory software that must match on both sides to work and now way to sync them to take the differences for each and add to the other if requested or desired.
I woudl like to take galleries from Lightroom or Portfollio and upload the web pages and then they add in the POS code. But keeping it as open and user distinct so each sight dsoesn't look like a cookie cutter of the next would be great.
I figure the only way to have total control is to buy my own domain and find a host for it and then either take the time to design the web sight or pay someo ne to than I still have to be able to have the client send the order directlly to the lab for processing and then have the lab send the finish product to them and charge them for the shipping and the fees I agreedupon and then send me a check of what is left over after expences which means I have to beable tointergrate a middle man program in to my library so that the accounting is done elsewhere and all I do si ullfill the selffulfillment items and upload the images. The amount I would get wold be what is left over after the lab and the middle man cuts.
So I am looking for a new web hostt that will meet most of my desires.
I have looked at Smugmug Pro, Printroom, EZ Photo Sales and Zenfolio. None have what I am wanting and I may have to change to get the magority of the main things.
If you use somethign else or one of the one aboves let me know what you think of it. Tell me how you get your images online for sale and what it cost a month, yea ror image/sales.
