Is anyone successfully selling prints of their photos online?

[cclapper]

If so, what site? I've been pondering this. Remember seeing posts now and again about it, just curious if it is worth the time and/or $$ to set up a store. Is there a good market for prints?

[louoates]

I rarely sell prints from my website and don't know any photographer who does any better, even with an "e-store"  feature. I'm sure some do but just nobody I know. It gets down to what drives people to your site and that costs money.

[MikLav]

I can't say really "successfully" but I made a sale on RedBubble (but I only have a few tens pictures there).

I also made some print sales via my web-site but not very many.

[takestock]

Have sold quite a few on Redbubble - but to promote yourself there you really have to keep pretty active in the community.

[WarrenPrice]

It seems to me that the most success comes from selling events photos on sites like SmugMug.  Kid sports, running events, motorcycle race, graduation, highschool band, etc.  The people I know who are doing this, however, barely cover expenses.  Marketing is mostly word of mouth and images are not very professional.

I have seen some pretty good DYI websites at SmugMug and similar sites.  Might be a good place to start.

I've tried selling at my site by directing traffic to my ImageKind portfolio.  That has been an absolute disaster.  Thankfully, a friend helped with my site development.  I need to hit him up again for some updates.

I may look into something like Red Bubble but my heart isn't really into it.

[cclapper]

Thanks all for the feedback.

[Moonb007]

I have been a member of DeviantART for a while, but never sold anything.  They are free to join.

[MatHayward]

I sell some through my site www.MHWildlife.com

I have a shopping cart feature on my site but in all honesty it sucks.  I'm equipped to take credit cards and all that good stuff as well to simplify the process.  Just having the site alone doesn't work though.  I have prints on display at a large mall in the Seattle area as well as cards and prints scattered all over the place, ads in magazines and calendars also have helped drive traffic.

Good luck,

Mat

[a.k.a.-tom]

It seems to me that the most success comes from selling events photos on sites like SmugMug.  Kid sports, running events, motorcycle race, graduation, highschool band, etc.  The people I know who are doing this, however, barely cover expenses.  Marketing is mostly word of mouth and images are not very professional.

  I've been trying to build my site for 2 years now and it's still a shambles ...havent even gotten to the point to open for sales... no time... I'm on Better Photo.  However, while not selling direct from online, it has generated business thru email contact.  It's kind of pricey though, I think a little over 300 a year. Right now for me it's a tax write-off.

But to WarrenPrice's point,   my son is making a good buck on Cafe Press selling cups and shirts and bumper stickers. Enough to support his 32 year old 'kid' toy habits. My wife gets some nice pin money from Zazzle. You'd be surprised what people will buy from them. I am!
Not very prestigious nor artsy, but ya cant take prestige or art to the bank for cash money.. LOL  =tom

[ptlee]

I was thinking of giving Smugmug a go at selling prints of my photos. Maybe cafepress has a potential too. I guess the key is to be able to reach your target audience, marketing and making our site visible to potential buyers.

Haven't looked at zazzle though.

Cheers,
PTLee

[sharpshot]

I have sold a few with zazzle with just a few uploads, so I will give them a go.  I deleted most of my portfolio on red bubble because there isn't an effective watermark.  I sold a print there and made £20, so I might upload those that don't do well on the stock sites.

[Phil]

I went to try redbubble a while back, even though sales apparently were nothing amazing. But then I saw single image upload and that was a turn off and when I got one uploaded there was no reading of iptc and everything had to be reentered manually one image at a time basically I couldnt be bothered

might have a go at zazzle

[cclapper]

I will research smugmug, cafepress and zazzle and maybe try one. Sounds like some of you are getting some sales.

[tobkatrina]

I use Smugmug and have a lot of sales there.

You may want to "sell" them like on an auction style site, have the print run though Smugmug direct to the customer etc....  Prints well very well to European countries I find in that manner.

[borg]

I use Smugmug and have a lot of sales there.

You may want to "sell" them like on an auction style site, have the print run though Smugmug direct to the customer etc....  Prints well very well to European countries I find in that manner.

Can I upload my photos from microstock sites there...? And sell multiple times?

[Red Dove]

Re RedBubble - been with them about 3 months now with 70 images and have had a sorry 7 sales to date, mostly cards a few prints. Have been studying "successful sales" and I reckon 70-75% of sales are graphic work for skateboarders,star wars freaks and manic depressive goths. Mostly tee shirts I'm about twenty years too old to wear.

Photos that do sell are severely manipulated and not my style so I'll be adding stuff as and when I feel like it.

It would be interesting to know who the "million" people a month are on their front page blurb.

[crazychristina]

I've got a portfolio on RedBubble and haven't sold anything. However I have bought three framed prints and a calendar there from artists whose work I really admire. In case you're interested what someone like me buys -

Atomic Bombshell by Paul Vanzella (one of the owners of RB)
Studly spent hours... by Incognita
Dark Cabaret by wonderful 3D artist Shanina Conway
and Aaron Pritchard's moody images of my home town

[LSD72]

Currently I am Eyeballing Etsy. Work it sort of like POD. If someone buys, then go print out what size I was selling. Got an account but I am not pulling the trigger yet.

[Red Dove]

I've got a portfolio on RedBubble and haven't sold anything. However I have bought three framed prints and a calendar there from artists whose work I really admire. In case you're interested what someone like me buys -

Crikey. You won't be buying any of my stuff then mate. This is way above my skillset and I don't have enough hours in the day to work images to that level.

Thanks for the info though. I have some ideas for tee shirts, with the help of my skater girl niece

[stockastic]

I reckon 70-75% of sales are graphic work for skateboarders,star wars freaks and manic depressive goths. Mostly tee shirts I'm about twenty years too old to wear.

Yes my analysis reached the same conclusions.   

I put a few of my best pictures there early this year and nothing happened. Unless you have some outside means to promote your photos, or get heavily into Redbook's internal social network,  it's just another big, beautiful haystack to toss you needles into.

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