Microstock Photography Forum - General > Selling Stock Direct
selling on Shopify
gameover:
In my blog I begin a series of articles about selling on Shopify and the differences between hosting a personal stock images website on WordPress and using the Shopify platform.
The first one is an introduction to the argument
https://luisafumi-digitalart.com/blog/2022/03/30/shopify-first-look-from-inside-with-a-big-thank-you-to-jacob-lund/
Uncle Pete:
Sounds good and I'm looking forward to how this goes. I started a WP site, couldn't even get the gallery to show. And then there are people who said, you have to re-write the code to make the Marketplace work. I still have a site which is nothing but the front page... the gallery is invisible. :-\ Somehow I missed how to get it to populate onto the website.
My experience with WP and Symbiostock was that WP would update and the site would crash and Leo or someone else would have to rewrite some of the code. That happened a number of times. I'm just skeptical of how well WP functions as a business site?
So maybe this will work out? I know it will be better for me, except the costs. So please document that part as well?
Part one questions. Jacob says the SEO is easy and works well, and he gets visitors. That's very positive.
Why? "To make life easier he developed a dedicated app to bulk-upload images stripping the keywords and the other metadata to fill and optimize the pages." Why do I want to strip the data, or do you mean extract the data for entry to the Shopify pages? Dedicated app? Where can I get it if I need to do that? 8)
Milleflore:
--- Quote from: Uncle Pete on March 31, 2022, 13:47 ---Sounds good and I'm looking forward to how this goes. I started a WP site, couldn't even get the gallery to show. And then there are people who said, you have to re-write the code to make the Marketplace work. I still have a site which is nothing but the front page... the gallery is invisible. :-\ Somehow I missed how to get it to populate onto the website.
My experience with WP and Symbiostock was that WP would update and the site would crash and Leo or someone else would have to rewrite some of the code. That happened a number of times. I'm just skeptical of how well WP functions as a business site?
So maybe this will work out? I know it will be better for me, except the costs. So please document that part as well?
Part one questions. Jacob says the SEO is easy and works well, and he gets visitors. That's very positive.
Why? "To make life easier he developed a dedicated app to bulk-upload images stripping the keywords and the other metadata to fill and optimize the pages." Why do I want to strip the data, or do you mean extract the data for entry to the Shopify pages? Dedicated app? Where can I get it if I need to do that? 8)
--- End quote ---
As you know Pete, I set up a Shopify store some months ago for my husband's collectibles that he used to sell on eBay. And he loves it. It has a wealth of features, lots of historical and analytical data, really good shipping features, ability to send out monthly newsletters, and lots more. Plus it looks good and very professional, which a few of his close contacts/buyers have commented on.
On the downside it costs him $40 AUD a month, but he compares that to the fees that he used to pay on eBay - and having a shopify store is much more profitable. He gets a lot of traffic without any effort on his part - but he does have some very sort-after items, and several return buyers.
gameover:
--- Quote from: Annie on March 31, 2022, 19:02 ---
--- Quote from: Uncle Pete on March 31, 2022, 13:47 ---Sounds good and I'm looking forward to how this goes. I started a WP site, couldn't even get the gallery to show. And then there are people who said, you have to re-write the code to make the Marketplace work. I still have a site which is nothing but the front page... the gallery is invisible. :-\ Somehow I missed how to get it to populate onto the website.
My experience with WP and Symbiostock was that WP would update and the site would crash and Leo or someone else would have to rewrite some of the code. That happened a number of times. I'm just skeptical of how well WP functions as a business site?
So maybe this will work out? I know it will be better for me, except the costs. So please document that part as well?
Part one questions. Jacob says the SEO is easy and works well, and he gets visitors. That's very positive.
Why? "To make life easier he developed a dedicated app to bulk-upload images stripping the keywords and the other metadata to fill and optimize the pages." Why do I want to strip the data, or do you mean extract the data for entry to the Shopify pages? Dedicated app? Where can I get it if I need to do that? 8)
--- End quote ---
As you know Pete, I set up a Shopify store some months ago for my husband's collectibles that he used to sell on eBay. And he loves it. It has a wealth of features, lots of historical and analytical data, really good shipping features, ability to send out monthly newsletters, and lots more. Plus it looks good and very professional, which a few of his close contacts/buyers have commented on.
On the downside it costs him $40 AUD a month, but he compares that to the fees that he used to pay on eBay - and having a shopify store is much more profitable. He gets a lot of traffic without any effort on his part - but he does have some very sort-after items, and several return buyers.
--- End quote ---
Hey Pete, happy to hear you again!
Sorry, I mean extract keywords in order to fill your product pages for the SEO optimization.
As Annie says at Shopify you pay a monthly fee, but the basic plan give you all you need to sell and you don't have to pay a hosting for your website.
Uncle Pete:
Interesting reading. Yes if I thought I could recover the $29 a month for basic USA, I'd jump in. Not sure I can do that with just photos? As for collectibles, I have very little high end, just things that I like that are fun.
With any volume at all, I can see why $29 a month would be less than the 15% that eBay takes.
Paulie Walnuts wrote about trying this maybe that was last year. Maybe he'll pass through the forum and add some more.
Right now, I'm just watching and evaluating. Sure would be nice to have a "self hosted" store. I'd still like to read some more about digital asset fulfillment? Is it automated or manual? If someone pays for an image, do I have to manually approve, or does Shopify handle that? In the Summer I'm sometimes unavailable for a day or two or might miss an order. I don't think that would be good business to be unresponsive.
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