Author Topic: Fulfillment end of Stock Site (Read 7011 times)

Larry · « **on:** August 18, 2011, 11:37 »

Hi, I would like to find a service that fulfills the delivery and payment of my stock photos. I will maintain the front end, and pass along a click to this service that accepts payment and downloads the image to a customer.

Does anybody have a recommendation on this.

I maintain my own front end of the photo site so I can display my photos as I wish, but do not wish not get involved directly in the commerce end of if. Right now this back end is carried out by a stock agency but that is a poor way to do this.

thanks

madelaide · « **Reply #1 on:** August 18, 2011, 16:17 »

Isn't it what Smugmug does? As far as I remember, some people have their websites with galleries of images in Smugmug, using some sort of HTML, and sales are directed to Smugmug.

Featurepics also allow some HTML integration, but then you have the regular submission/approval/commission process of regular stock agencies.

Larry · « **Reply #2 on:** August 18, 2011, 22:26 »

Madelaide, Thanks I looked at their website. It seems like they specialize in offering prints from your images. I could not find the specific service I was looking for on their very whizzy website. It seemed really sparse on details, very full of bells and whistles though. Perhaps others may have some experience with them? How about Photoshelter?

Larry · « **Reply #3 on:** August 22, 2011, 14:14 »

I have found out about this option called Payloadz.com which is offered by PayPal. It is specifically intended for what
they call "Digital Goods Ecommerce". It basically covers any type of file you want to offer (mp3, ebook, pdf's, jpegs, etc).

They host the file, they perform the download, they collect payment and send it to you as in plain old PayPal payments. You get an account, and get a provider number and you register each product and get an item number for it then upload the master to them. You put two buttons on your web page (e.g. detail view) of a photo. One is buy and one is checkout. The costs look ok to me I won't try to summarize it.

Does anybody know about this service, does anybody use it, or have any helpful input.

I would have to make multiple items per image, to accommodate various resolutions file versions.
I wonder how you would make the license part of the deal.
As I understand it you do get customer information from the sale which is better than the stock sites give you.

thank you for any info or opinions.

Ed · « **Reply #4 on:** August 22, 2011, 14:20 »

Zenfolio is an option as well - you can offer prints or electronic downloads. If it's prints, the order will get sent to a printer and the print will be mailed to the customer, the net profit will be delivered to your paypal account or by check. Same with electronic downloads - you will receive the net profit.

Very similar to smugmug.

lisafx · « **Reply #5 on:** August 22, 2011, 14:35 »

Isn't this what Photoshelter does too? You set up your own store, and they fulfill the sales? Maybe someone who uses Photoshelter can post here.

Artemis · « **Reply #6 on:** August 22, 2011, 15:37 »

I use smugmug to sell prints and licenses, i think it has some pro's and con's.
You'd have to go with a pro account to use watermarking and enable priced dl's etc, which is about $150/year. (google for coupons though

)
Pro: easy to set up, a lot of options and flexibility, THE best helpdesk and customer service, 100% satisfaction guarantee for customers, dropshipping, they take only 3% commission on sales and take care of literally everything else, good SEO,....
cons: setting prices for your products is an absolute nightmare (could be me though), they dont have paypal (really..), for prints: although the quality of the labs they work with is really excellent imho prices are a bit on the high side, definitely the rates for shipping overseas and they only support $.

The not having paypal part annoys me the most because i think it costs me sales...apart from that i'm really happy with them.

madelaide · « **Reply #7 on:** August 22, 2011, 16:24 »

According to Larry's original post, I understand he wants to sell from his website: images will be displayed there and if the person proceeds, he will be forwarded to a site to purchase it. I believe Smugmug allows this integration (at least I've seen sites in which the photographer displays images from his Smugmug account and are linked to his Smugmug account), but I do not know for sure. I can not tell about Photoshelter or Zenfolio having this feature, but some people here have an account there, so they may clarify this.

Pixart · « **Reply #8 on:** August 24, 2011, 00:43 »

Smugmug does sell digital downloads (I only use it for client proofing), I was going to switch to Zenfolio - it's a little cheaper, hosts pdf's and tiff's also, but I had to upload batches of client photos before leaving town one night and Zenfolio was down so I was forced to renew Smugmug for another year.

As far as customization, SmugMug seems to be the better of the two.

Both accounts are U.S. based and withholding taxes will be held from your sales (but maybe only over $500). I don't allow any sales or fulfilment with them because I'm in another country. I seem to recall that it's a really high amount you need before you can cash out, but that may have changed in the past couple years as well.

Pixart · « **Reply #9 on:** August 24, 2011, 00:53 »

Quote from: Larry on August 22, 2011, 14:14

I have found out about this option called Payloadz.com which is offered by PayPal.

Are you sure it's offered by PayPal? They support a PayPal checkout. The language on the site doesn't come off as very mature and it's overstuffed with keywords.

Larry · « **Reply #10 on:** August 24, 2011, 19:08 »

Quote from: Pixart on August 24, 2011, 00:53

Quote from: Larry on August 22, 2011, 14:14
I have found out about this option called Payloadz.com which is offered by PayPal.

Are you sure it's offered by PayPal? They support a PayPal checkout. The language on the site doesn't come off as very mature and it's overstuffed with keywords.

Well, here is what I read:

http://www.payloadz.com/info-paypal-downloads.asp

You may be right. They are playing heavily on the PayPal name and the two work together during this service. But payloadz seem to be
a separate company. Sorry for my mistatement. Please read the link though. If anybody knows more about this please post it!