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Author Topic: Pricing confusion?  (Read 6835 times)

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« on: March 28, 2008, 18:02 »
0
I just got this in my inbox at Zymmetrical..

Hi,

I just noticed you have been changing (lowering) prices as I bring them online. I don't know if you saw, but you had a sale for this file earlier for $5.  I look at at it now and the price is down to $2.

I know you may be used to other agencies and have the feeling our prices are set to high, but I would strongly advise waiting a bit before bringing everything down to the $2 - $3 mark. For example, we had two other raster graphic sales today, one for $11 and for $8.

As we are in Beta, there is at present very little spent on marketing and promotions at this point - however I guarantee after 4 years of experience running Flyerstarter.com that people will pay more than $2 for graphics (to that end, maybe you'd like to make some Flyer designs for submission there?).

Perception of value is very important to our marketplace, and while you're absolutely free to bring prices down to rock bottom, I just thought I'd shoot you this note - especially as our Art Manager is barbaric at this point and very slow to change files prices/tags (new version will be online soon).

Thanks,
Keith Tuomi
Director
Flyerstarter Services Ltd.
 
**********

The "$2" that I apparently lowered my pricing to...that is what I am assuming is the price for the 'small' size.  Am I correct?  I "was" going to price my port at Zymm, about the way that I do at Featurepics.  I was pricing at $5, and apparently someone likes it because I made a sale and have $3.50 in my account now.

So now I am confused and wanted advice on what others are pricing.  The perception of value kinda threw me.  I'm there to make sales.  So is that implication more towards leave our pricing structure alone?  I thought the part of the advantage of Zymm was that you could set your own pricing...rock bottom or not??

I won't change prices or rock the boat.

Thank you.


« Reply #1 on: March 28, 2008, 23:25 »
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I put my prices up at FP half March and as a "result", I got 3 sales since then.  ;D

As to ZYM, they know the market they're in. Just trust their judgment and stay away from the prices they value your art. My 2 cents...

suwanneeredhead

  • O.I.D. Sufferer (Obsessive Illustration Disorder)
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2008, 00:03 »
0
I put my prices up at FP half March and as a "result", I got 3 sales since then.  ;D
Odd... I raised mine up to double what they were at FP and have had 2 sales since then as well... so I'm not sure that is a direct correlation...

Personally I'm trying to make more money with my images and am leaning toward the midstock sites to concentrate my efforts (although I must say that SS and IS are my top earners and no way am I going to stop what I'm doing there)... so I am going to favor higher prices on my own work. Perception of value is a critical concept here -- i am a graphic designer and my clients tend to be fine with spending $15-$30 for an image if they think its going to get them a better image -- people need to be shown and convinced that they need to pay a price for what we do since we aren't amateurs and there is a lot of skill, effort and overhead involved in this business.

Just MY 2 cents...

« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2008, 00:07 »
0
Thanks Flemish. I was rereading my post after reading your reply, and didn't mean to come off snarky lol.   I've been spring cleaning all day, and chewing on this issue, and I'm content to leave prices as they set them.  I think what is hard to get used to is that they are just a different animal, in both the way they process uploads to pricing.  Now if they only had a pesky 'reset prices' button LOL  I know, I know...it's beta  ;D  But I agree with the sentiments in the email I have and am content to just be patient and watch.

« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2008, 00:09 »
0
I put my prices up at FP half March and as a "result", I got 3 sales since then.  ;D
Odd... I raised mine up to double what they were at FP and have had 2 sales since then as well... so I'm not sure that is a direct correlation...

Personally I'm trying to make more money with my images and am leaning toward the midstock sites to concentrate my efforts (although I must say that SS and IS are my top earners and no way am I going to stop what I'm doing there)... so I am going to favor higher prices on my own work. Perception of value is a critical concept here -- i am a graphic designer and my clients tend to be fine with spending $15-$30 for an image if they think its going to get them a better image -- people need to be shown and convinced that they need to pay a price for what we do since we aren't amateurs and there is a lot of skill, effort and overhead involved in this business.

Just MY 2 cents...

And your two cents nailed it on perception.  I'm 'used' to micro, and it dawned on me that I am dealing with 'midstock' here.  Don't mind me...just shifting my brains gears here lol

« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2008, 06:32 »
0
Odd... I raised mine up to double what they were at FP and have had 2 sales since then as well... so I'm not sure that is a direct correlation...
There is of course no causal effect, but the least we can say is that a buyer isn't deterred by a 6 or 10$ shot, if he finds the right image. I always thought it's funny to see how some contributors complain about low prices at micro, and when given the change to set the price themselves (like at FP) they price their shots at 2$  :o
The recent good sales at FP might just reflect a general trend across sites that the week after Easter will be the BWE. Customers apparently are doing spring cleaning too on their products and ads.

As to ZYM, I trust their perception of the market they are targeting. It's their job and they have a good track record in business. I don't. I just like to take pictures and enjoy it tremendously. Let us become good in shooting and postproduction, and let our agents handle the sales and the pricing.

As to midstock, yes, I'm leaning towards that too. Flipping hamburgers in Europe gets you 7Euro/hour 56Euro/day. Although the fun of doing creative things is priceless, we don't all have to end up like Van Gogh.  :P


 

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