Trying to sell photos of a bike race..need a useful web host

[Edgnar]

Took pics of the local bike race, now i'm trying to sell photos. Didn't realize 500px only had the fucking $200 canvas option. Smug Mug is a lot more expensive and more of a PITA to figure out. Any ideas out there?

In case you are curious: http://500px.com/EdCarley/sets/charl...usnwwc_8_29_12

[smmokan]

Smugmug has a free 30-day trial for any level membership... I have the pro-level (the highest, whatever it's called) and it is $150/yr, I think. There are coupons floating around for various discounts, but IMO it's well worth the cost.

There's always Zenfolio, too... I'm not familiar with their pricing.

That's what the Whitewater area looks like now? I lived in Charlotte from '00-04 and I used to ride those trails before any of that shit was there... for a bike newb back then, they were pretty fun trails.

[Edgnar]

How do you set the prices of the pictures for sale on SmugMug?

[smmokan]

It's really easy to do once you log into the Control Panel. You can set prices for everything.

The other way to do it would be to sign up for the free version so you have an online presence, and then source all the orders and printing yourself.

[Altmanator]

btw, smugmug just changed their pricing as of today. For a Pro account where you cannot set your prices for a profit, they are calling it a Portfolio account and it's $150/yr. If you want to be able to set prices at a profit you'll get a Business account and they are now $300/yr unless you've already been a pro and then it's $250/yr. Quite a step up in price.

[Edgnar]

ouch. Thats fucking weak. I did get a sale or two though, so that is kind of exciting. I guess I'll have to do some digging if I'm going to try to keep this going. Trials are only 15 days now too, not 30.

[OverTurn]

If you're willing to do a little bit of setup in wordpress, fotomoto will handle everything (including printing and mailing) for a small % of your sales. Not exactly plug and play but pretty close and the quality is good.

[smmokan]

Yep, funny timing with your question. I just got the email from Smugmug, telling me they're going to increase my annual subscription by $100-150/yr. Fuck no... thanks to their email, I am now downgrading my account. They reminded me that I only sell $10-15/yr in prints so it's not worth it.

The only difference between the Power (second lowest) and the Portfolio account is the ability to watermark your images. For $90/yr, I don't even know if that's worth it anymore either.

[Altmanator]

The only difference between the Power (second lowest) and the Portfolio account is the ability to watermark your images. For $90/yr, I don't even know if that's worth it anymore either.

Wait a sec, with the power account can you do customization on the site? If so, then that may be the way to go. I certainly don't sell much at a profit but I do like being able to set up galleries for family and friends to order from at cost. I think they're going to get quite the backlash from this move. That said, I do really like the service and Smugmug as a company to deal with.