How to Set Up a Print Sales Webstie for Photography

Exercise you want to make some extra cash with your photography? Try learning how to sell photography prints online!

Y'all can even sell other decorative items and canvases depicting your photography piece of work. Here are some pinnacle websites to consider, along with the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Fine Art America

Fine art America is one of the biggest and most famous marketplaces to sell your prints online. They permit you lot to create a profile.

You can too sell more prints and canvases, including pillows and smartphone cases.
They set up a base cost for each blazon of product, and yous decide on the mark-up for your committee.

The drawback to the site is that it is huge and there is a lot of competition.
There are more 100,000 photographers selling through Fine Art America. Potential customers tin browse through countless pictures.
This might make it seem less likely they'll cull yours.

Y'all might call back you'll have more chances to sell on a site dedicated to your own photography.
This isn't true. You lot definitely can sell your work through Fine art America. Yous only need the right marketing tactics.

Fine art America has algorithms that influence how images show upward in a search. Using keywords and also sharing through social media channels will increase your attain.

When you lot exercise sell, it has an declaration folio that you can also share with followers.
The all-time marketing tip is that you need to work to bring awareness to the products you're offering. This means using social media or your ain website to straight people to your Fine Fine art America folio.

A nifty feature they offer is a widget. This will permit you to generate a code so customers can buy without leaving your site.
There are as well many other sites similar Fine Fine art America where you tin can sell your prints hassle-complimentary:

• Great Big Canvas
• Image Kind
• Cafe Press
• Redbubble
• Zazzle
• Society6

The quality of printing on these sites is loftier. Like Fine Fine art America, many of them have been effectually for a long time. And they have great reviews from buyers and artists alike.

Etsy

Etsy has established itself every bit one of the prime venues for artists and crafters of every kind. They sell their piece of work through their own online shop. This is attached to a comprehensive e-commerce platform and payment system.

The site has over 30 million buyers. It's a well-known market place for art, high-quality photo prints, and handcrafted goods. It's besides a keen search engine, which can attract potential sales and exposure.

Your other option would be setting up a website with a shopping cart and getting a merchant account. Continue in listen that this also charges processing fees. Compared to this, Etsy is an affordable alternative.

It costs $0.xx per item to prepare on an Etsy storefront, plus a 3.5% transaction fee. If a seller uses Etsy'south "Direct Checkout" characteristic, the charge is 3% per transaction.

You are responsible for printing, packing, and shipping your prints through this selection. You tin can do this through dropshipping.

Dropshipping means the printers send the prints straight to your client. They exercise and so on your behalf.
This style, y'all do not have to receive the prints from the printer and and then ship them out yourself.

You can enquire nigh this service with a local printer, or cheque out an online resource.
Finerworks and Printhouse are a couple of examples of sites that do drop aircraft.

How to Sell Photography Prints Through Your Own Website

In that location are plenty of platforms on which you can sell prints of your work.
But at that place are also a lot of benefits to selling photo prints through your own website.
You can prepare whatever toll you choose and keep 100% of the profits.

You can ready your own terms and weather, and decide exactly how yous want your images to evidence upward. This means you're in complete control.

Potential buyers tend to take you more seriously when y'all have your own website. And you can build and maintain key relationships with your customers when y'all take an email listing.

The downside is that you have to practice your own marketing. Merely this tin exist the example with other methods of selling your photography prints, anyway. If you lot decide to become this route, hither are some options.

Envira

Many photographers swear past self-hosted WordPress sites. This is considering of the powerful SEO they can provide. Just they are non ever easy to set up if you're a computer novice.

With a plug-in like Envira, photographers can create unlimited galleries with CSS and a host of other options. This range from due east-commerce, to prototype proofing, to social sharing.

Information technology depends on the package you cull. It has a Woo Commerce add-on so you lot can hands sell your photos.

The great thing about this plug-in is that you don't demand whatever coding skills. You can create and customize cute image galleries. All without the extra cost of having to hire a programmer.

Information technology also has been tested on sites with very high traffic. This is to ensure that it won't accept performance issues. If yous determine to use this plug-in on a WordPress site, y'all can remainder assured that it won't tedious it down.

Squarespace

Squarespace is one of the nearly popular website platforms out there. It boasts a modern design and an easy-to-use interface. And it's compatible beyond all platforms and devices.

With vast audiences at present browsing websites on their phones, this is crucial.
Just the platform is non designed with the photographer in mind. You lot can't specify multiple sizes for your prints. And you tin't add photographs can't in bulk. This can make dealing with large collections tedious.

You lot can sell both prints or downloadable files. But it does non offering tertiary-party lab integration.
You can display your store, take orders and neb customers. Simply the onus is on y'all to work with a lab to fulfill an order. This is the aforementioned were you lot to sell prints on Etsy.

Give-and-take is that Squarespace is looking to add this integration in the futurity, but information technology'south not bachelor even so.

Using Squarespace with another shop role similar Gumroad is also an pick. Especially if you lot want complete control over the press process and shipping process.

Photoshelter

Photoshelter has over fourscore,000 photographer users. This is a platform designed specifically around photography.
This sets it apart from more general platforms like Squarespace.
It offers customizable designs. They allow yous to create stunning, professional person-looking photography portfolio sites. Photoshelter likewise offers deject storage, likewise equally client delivery and e-commerce tools.

These features get in a one-stop-shop for photographers.
You lot can sell stock photography through Photoshelter. And you can as well sell prints through their car-fulfilment service.

They take partnered with four labs in the U.Southward. and one in the U.G. for quick and easy easily-gratuitous sales.
Yous cull your lab and apply your prices to the images. Once an order comes in, the lab will handle the rest.

They also have a self-fulfilment choice that gives you a bit more control. Yous tin can choose a local lab that yous may prefer to work with or handle the printing and shipping yourself.

You can choose a participating lab in their Impress Vendor Network or add together a lab of your choice.
When an club comes through, yous can have the order sent straight to the customer with a single click.

Photoshelter offers bulk pricing discounts through packages and a combination of both prints and downloads. Because this is your own website, you are responsible for all your sales and marketing.

Format

Format (previously Visual Society) allows artists and photographers to sell prints from their websites. And go on xc% of the profits.

Like Photoshelter, it has many advantages over a more generic platform like Squarespace.
Like Squarespace, information technology is fully-hosted and easy to install and set up. In that location are viii templates to choose from, each designed with photographers in listen.

Unlike Squarespace, this platform allows you to specify several print sizes. You tin can too add images in bulk.
And there'southward an selection to upload straight from Adobe Lightroom, which is a dandy bonus.

You lot can sell a membership plan to your visitors. This gives them password-protected, private galleries.
The impress vendors used past Format are the aforementioned as those used by industry leaders. They handle the printing and shipping for y'all.

Every time you brand a sale on Format, you receive payment into your Stripe business relationship immediately. You lot can sell in a diverseness of currencies, which you can view on the FAQ section of their website.

Zenfolio

Similar other website builders, Zenfolio offers a variety of well-designed templates. There is no limit to the numbers of images y'all can upload. And you can create several photo galleries to share with clients.

It integrates with Google Analytics for actionable data. And it even comes with built-in support for blogging.

Like Photoshelter and Format, it allows y'all to integrate with custom print labs. This style, buyers can purchase prints or downloadable files.

Y'all can too add together customized offers such as photo books and stationery, and domicile decor items.

Zenfolio allows you to accept credit cards or PayPal for payment. It even helps you runway your sales and profits and deposits your earnings into your bank account.

Smug Mug

Smug Mug offers a wide range of e-commerce options. Yous can sell prints, gifts and digital downloads. They have a fully-hosted shopping cart and checkout.

You lot tin customize price lists for your clients. And you can permit them select their favourite images and bulk download.

When selling photo prints through Smug Mug, you continue 85% of the profits.
In that location is a plug-in available to use Lightroom with Smug Mug. Yous tin likewise upload images from your smartphone or tablet via the official  Smug Mug app.

In that location are those that say that Smug Mug is not equally intuitive equally some website builders. The templates are attractive but non very flexible.
At that place are blocks for video, social feeds, text and other features to make it more customizable.

Conclusion

My best advice for selling your photography prints online? Or to grow your photography business? Diversify! This applies whether you're selling photography prints or stock.

Don't rely on photography sites with i method or platform if you desire to increase your visibility. Do you want to exist a professional photographer or to make decent money through your photography? Learn how to sell photography prints through a variety of platforms.

Cheque out our recent commodity on creating diptych photography or using focus stacking for more inspiration!

For more photography business communication, don't miss out on our eBook – Profit from Portraits!

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