What is the most

[Argentum]

What is the most you have ever sold a print for from your website. I'm talking here about a buyer who hasn't seen your work in a gallery or anywhere else but just happened to discover you site and bought an image displayed on it?

I ask because I've had a few enquiries but when I tell them how much for a matted image sized to fit a 20x24 frame, I never hear from them again.

[Argentum]

oops. I meant to put this in the business section.

[Tom Stanworth]

If you are a careful worker who invests time and money in producing high quality prints, then only people who are passionate (and prepared to pay up) will buy from you. They tend not to be casual net browsers but people who 'buy art' and are more likely to have looked you up after reading/hearing about you or seeing your work elsewhere.

Unless you are selling cheap inkjet prints for twenty quid a pop, cold sales off the net would appear more likely to dent your confidence than anything else. You could be Edward Weston and the average person bumping into your site would be reluctant to hand over more than a few tenners. Its like exhibiting in the local school.... it does not matter how good you are, you unlikely to make much progress, unless you harness the media, get reviews etc. Just my 2 cents. Aim HIGH!

[Argentum]

Seems like no one has ever sold a print from their website...

[Dave miller]

Seems like no one has ever sold a print from their website...

Either that or we are so successful that we don't want to let you in on the secret! ;)

[Argentum]

Either that or we are so successful that we don't want to let you in on the secret! ;)
Is that the bluff, double bluff or double double bluff or ...

[B&W Neil]

I have not sold anything from my web site and TBH I never expected to as the buyer would have no idea of the standard of the print by just looking at a small jpg. The sales I have achieved have mostly come from galleries etc where the buyer can have a good look at the actual work. As Tom has said - web selling is probably mainlly cheap DI prints.

Neil.

[Victor Krag]

150.00 for 11x14 Fiber heat pressed mounted to 16x20 with overmat. But I've sold more 'loose', unmounted 11x14 prints for 90.00 as priced on my site and even more loose 8x10's for 30 bucks, but usually I'll make them a deal by offering 2 @ 8x10's for 50.00. I'd prefer to sell loose prints any day than cranking up the heat press, tacking tissue, hand-trimming prints, t-squaring, measuring, tacking again to the board, cutting the window overmat.. I'm now selling here in Carmel, California and in Big Sur, 8x10's simply taped (acid free artist tape) to the back of an 11x14 or 14x18 overmats hinged to another like-size backing board as most color prints are sold, rather than the dry-mounted prints I'd have to sell for more, all on 100% rag of course. They don't look quite as elegant as a 'floating' print, but the costs of materials and time is worth it to sell them for less and make it easier for the retail customer to make a decision. I'm taking the approach of selling prints for less to get them out there rather than asking for more and selling fewer. The reasons for this approach are: the more prints I make the better printer I become and also getting the work out there and into peoples' homes is great advertising.

[Argentum]

I think you are taking the correct approach Victor but there is a point that you start to ask yourself, "Am I devaluing the time and effort I put into this work". I guess that if you are starting out, then it's perhaps worth accepting lower prices even though in our own minds they are worth a lot more.

[Victor Krag]

Rob, I'm not starting out, I've been selling prints at a profit for a few years now and it is part-time income for me. I've asked myself the very question you propose, and like I said, the more I print, the better printer I become and selling them inexpensively is better than having finished prints filling up boxes on my garage shelves. Plus all the experience of toning of those selected prints or using the 'defective' ones for experimenting, that all takes time, there's no getting around it. I see no devaluation whatsoever. I'd rather sell loose prints than mounted ones for sure, dry press mounting is more like work, shipping them is more costly. I think it's likely that with the aid of galleries, work is usually over valued. I've witnessed photogs start their prices too high, when sales slow, they face a dilemma in lowering their prices.. I say, buy 'em now before they go up ! Looking at the numbers, I've sold over 110 loose prints and 28 mounted prints since Jan. '08 with many repeat customers. Many seeing my work in person and then finding more images and a better price on unmounted prints on my site. Getting them out there where people can see the quality and then judge for themselves is the approach I'm taking.