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Author Topic: Profit from Prints  (Read 45787 times)

Gulag

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #100 on: March 11, 2013, 03:16:10 pm »

C-prints are less durable, for one. Not sure about color gamut, but probably not as wide as inkjet.

Thank you. I've seen many huge C-prints in my recent visits to some local galleries.
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #101 on: March 11, 2013, 04:18:14 pm »

Thank you. I've seen many huge C-prints in my recent visits to some local galleries.

I am speculating here, but I think the main attraction for galleries is that they can advertise it as "real" photographs, on photo paper, classical, traditional, rather than digital "trickery," for better or worse. You know, these days everyone has an inkjet at home, so artists (or "artists") have been trying to run away from such a "lowly contraption" in two directions: one would be using a fancy, artsy-fartsy name for it ("giclee" - French, thus must be artsy), the other using C-prints. Again, just speculating.

Gulag

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #102 on: March 11, 2013, 05:02:44 pm »

I am speculating here, but I think the main attraction for galleries is that they can advertise it as "real" photographs, on photo paper, classical, traditional, rather than digital "trickery," for better or worse. You know, these days everyone has an inkjet at home, so artists (or "artists") have been trying to run away from such a "lowly contraption" in two directions: one would be using a fancy, artsy-fartsy name for it ("giclee" - French, thus must be artsy), the other using C-prints. Again, just speculating.

That I don't know since there wasn't any particular sales pitch at any of those galleries. But those c-prints are huge in size.
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Iluvmycam

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #103 on: March 11, 2013, 06:30:37 pm »

That I don't know since there wasn't any particular sales pitch at any of those galleries. But those c-prints are huge in size.

I was refused by galleries because my prints are inkjet. Have not had any issues to speak of from museums with ink jet. But I donate and don't sell.

Good ink jet print will outlast the best type C...aka Fuji Crystal Archival. But Fuji still has an outstanding C paper that is maybe 90% as dye fast as the lower end pigment ink jet. Best of any of the wet papers I've tested for dye stability. But it still is no ink jet...at least when it comes to light stability. Have not tested them for long tern dark storage.
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Kirk Gittings

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #104 on: March 11, 2013, 07:27:56 pm »

I have had no problems selling inkjets to museums.
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nairb

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #105 on: March 15, 2013, 02:19:41 pm »

Speaking of selling prints, can anyone recommend a preferred way of taking payments from overseas customers? I assume people are using Paypal, but I have little to no experience with it and am leery of using it until I'm comfortable with the process. Unless there's another preferred method? I just looked into direct bank transfers but the fees are roughly $50 ($35 on their end, $15 on mine). I understand paypal fees are about 3% which would work out to $13.50 on a $450 print.

Thanks
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louoates

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #106 on: March 15, 2013, 05:20:57 pm »

I thought it was just my vision failing when seeing so many poor to very poor "C" prints in museum shows.
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Landscapes

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #107 on: March 16, 2013, 02:26:52 pm »

Speaking of selling prints, can anyone recommend a preferred way of taking payments from overseas customers? I assume people are using Paypal, but I have little to no experience with it and am leery of using it until I'm comfortable with the process. Unless there's another preferred method? I just looked into direct bank transfers but the fees are roughly $50 ($35 on their end, $15 on mine). I understand paypal fees are about 3% which would work out to $13.50 on a $450 print.

Thanks

I would say paypal is probably the most accepted, so you can't go wrong from a comfort point of view.  When I did this though I felt that Paypal cheated me because upon asking me to accept the payment, it had the currency equivalent in my currency listed.  Then when I got it in my account, there was yet another fee for currency conversion.  I couldn't get an answer from them as to why this currency conversion fee doesn't appear when I am given the choice to accept and the value in my currency is clearly shown (which isn't the amount that I ultimately ended up getting).  So just be aware that in addition to the Paypal fee, you will also get slapped with a currency exchange fee that you won't know about until it goes into your account.  If you never accept online payment, then Paypal is the way to go, but certainly if my business revolved around doing this regularly, I would look at other options.
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #108 on: March 16, 2013, 10:07:34 pm »

Credit card companies do the same: they use the most unfavorable (for you) exchange rates to convert your foreign purchases, AND they slap you with a currency conversion fee on top of that. Then again, there are CC companies that do not charge conversion fees at all. So, PayPal is not unique in what they are doing.

Rob C

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #109 on: March 17, 2013, 09:36:17 am »

Credit card companies do the same: they use the most unfavorable (for you) exchange rates to convert your foreign purchases, AND they slap you with a currency conversion fee on top of that. Then again, there are CC companies that do not charge conversion fees at all. So, PayPal is not unique in what they are doing.


Absolutely; that's why it suits me best to retain a credit card in pounds and another in euros. One uses them depending on where the thing's going to be used and invoiced.

Trouble is, you have to be able to pay them back in whichever place... bummer.

Rob C

Landscapes

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #110 on: March 17, 2013, 10:12:39 am »

Credit card companies do the same: they use the most unfavorable (for you) exchange rates to convert your foreign purchases, AND they slap you with a currency conversion fee on top of that.

Oh absolutely, but in this case, Paypal is even more deceiving.  They would say...from a transaction from England, "Do you accept the payment of X pounds (Y dollars)?"  So they clearly show you what the conversion is and state you will receive Y dollars.  But then when you look in your account, the amout you received is less than the Y quoted.  When I called to ask why, they told me about the conversion fee.  Of course I tried to expalin why they didn't tell me about this conversion fee when I was asked to accept and was quoted the exact amout of money I should have been receiving but didn't... and got no reply.  I think for a company as big as Paypal it would be quite an easy software fix to show you how much money you will actually receive.. but alas.. that would be too honest.
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #111 on: March 17, 2013, 10:54:56 am »

Well, the same goes for their regular fees. While I know there is a transaction fee, you never see it next to the transaction amount until the final statement. The same with third-party ATMs: they'll warn you about the fee they are going to charge, but not about the fee your bank is going to add on top of that. Even your own bank's ATM will slap you with a fee when you withdraw money from your credit card, but you won't know about it until you get the statement (when it is already too late to reconsider the transaction).

In other words, nothing particularly exceptional or sinister about PayPal practices. In all of the above cases, it is all disclosed somewhere, usually in small print, but not during the transaction. Not that I condone it, but I file it under "life's little annoyances." Teams of marketeers, psychologists, economists, behaviorists, spent decades perfecting methods meant to induce you to spend more by hiding the true cost of it, by making it look smaller than it is. My pet peeve: after ten years in the States, I am still royally annoyed that my restaurant bills come up 25-30% higher than the sum of menu prices (tips and tax).
« Last Edit: March 17, 2013, 10:58:24 am by Slobodan Blagojevic »
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Mike Guilbault

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #112 on: March 17, 2013, 10:41:50 pm »

If you're worried about the cost of CC charges, then you're probably not charging enough for your product in the first place. ;)
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Mike Guilbault

Landscapes

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #113 on: March 18, 2013, 06:23:25 pm »

If you're worried about the cost of CC charges, then you're probably not charging enough for your product in the first place. ;)

Its one way to look at it.. but suppose you have $10,000 a month in sales and you're losing 3% on each transaction.. that amounts to $300 every month.  I don't know about you.. but I would hate to be throwing out $300 every month.  You can call it the cost of doing business, but if there is a better way... I say go for it!  I mean does it matter if you order your ink from Adorama, B&H or Atlex?  Its the same ink from the same manufacturer.  Likewise, a transaction run through Paypal, or Visa, or MC or some other form is all the same, unless of course the customer doesn't like your options for forms of payment.  I would rather take cash and save the 3% any day! 

I guess my point is, the more sales you have, the more each 1% matters.
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #114 on: March 18, 2013, 07:41:27 pm »

... but if there is a better way...

The real question is "is there a better way?" Someone, somewhere will want to charge those 3% (or whatever) anyway. If you accept a payment over a credit card, the CC company will charge you a processing fee. Apparently, American Express is the priciest (5% - that's why many establishments do not accept it - or so I heard).   

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... I guess my point is, the more sales you have, the more each 1% matters.

Hehe... the alternative point would be: 1% is 1% ;)

Richowens

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #115 on: March 18, 2013, 11:15:07 pm »

According to my calculation, 97% of 10,000 beats the hell out of 100% of nothing. ;D ;D ;D
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Mike Guilbault

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #116 on: March 19, 2013, 07:42:09 am »

That's exactly correct Rich.  I got myself one of the 'Square' card readers just so I could accept CC's when I'm on location.  I've definitely made extra sales by being able to accept CC's that way. It's a flat 2.75% (the reader is free).  So few people carry cash or cheques anymore (I don't accept cheques in most cases - too many returns that cost way more than 3%).
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Mike Guilbault

markd61

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #117 on: March 28, 2013, 03:25:30 am »

I understand about watching costs but the cost of credit card transactions are vanishingly small compared to the sales opportunities they afford your business. Obsessing about 1 or 2% is idiotic. It IS a cost of doing business and as such you build it into your selling price. So you sell a print for $100. Want to make sure you don't get "screwed" by the card fees? Sell the print for $105 and make even more money!

If your business model breaks over 2% then it isn't worth much.
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leeonmaui

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Re: Profit from Prints
« Reply #118 on: March 31, 2013, 07:41:59 pm »

Aloha,

I think you can make a very good living and beyond from the sales of your prints, lets call your prints art, and the selling of your art business.

The art business like any business takes an incredible amount of work to be successful at, whatever work/time you put into making your art; times that by 10 and add infinity to make the business side successful. In this regard, it's no different from any other business.

Working smart and working with a plan will not necessarily ensure success, working stupid and working without a plan will most likely ensure failure.

I have been earning a very good living for the past two years selling my prints, my business continues to grow and evolve, I have been very lucky to some degree, as I have a great location and solid cash flow, which has allowed me to develop, refine and expand my business model.

I don't necessarily think you can quantify initial success or failure; or always monetize your results every, business has tangibles and intangibles.
 
Making money from your artwork is not easy, it can be done with varying levels of success depending on a multitude of factors.
I think the biggest factor confronting your success is your desire, and your desire must be truthful and fearless.
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