Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Emphasis on 'A Photo'. Someone messaged me about buying a photo for personal use from me through Flickr. I have no idea what to do though.

I was considering Deviantart cuz it's easy but I don't get much in return. They also only send me any money at all if I go over $20 in revenue.

I'm also considering on printing it on my own and then sending it to the person via a postal service. After they send me money of course (through Paypal). But that takes time and work and I'll have to charge more (and probably over the person's budget) for the work.

Should I maybe ask what size they're looking to print and just send them a jpg with the appropriate resolution and size? After they pay me through Paypal..

I never thought that someone would be interested in purchasing one of my photos and totally never thought about how to do it. I think this will be a one time thing so I'm not really considering on opening a website through Smugmug or others like that.

Anyone have suggestions or comments? Any other things that I should be worried about? (copyright, etc)

Thanks in advance,
Eric

Depending how much you are willing to charge them.
Ask them for the size that they want, or give them size available and pricing.

Then work your client and see what they most feel comfortable.

Normally, if you print and mount, etc, the cost of purchase is a lot higher than submitting to a website and let them do all the work for you.
But if you do everything yourself, you get more revenue.

I wouldnt recommend the jpeg idea since this is like asking your client to work for it, and it will probably end up on the harddrive.

As for copyright, if I am to buy a print, I wouldnt like the photographer's name directly on the image. So, if you dont mind the work, do all yourself, and charge a bit less than you normally would.

If the buyer wants the electronic image, you will need to charge them considerably more because you can't control how and what they can/will do to it. They can always make duplicates etc without your permission. Ask the buyer what size print they would like and charge them accordingly. There are a number of specialty printing companies in the GTA to choose from.

As for watermarking, it's a tough call. Some people don't mind having the artist's name visible while others prefer that it is not on the print because they are paying for it.

Congrats.

Thanks for the tips guys

I'm hoping to print and ship it myself. Right now, I'm going with Pikto and Canada Post. It seems like shipping will cost me the most. The buyer mentioned A3/A4 sizes but will get back to me with exact quantities and sizes.

I don't think I'll watermark it. The buyer only wants prints.. nothing digital. The buyer is also a enthused photographer on Flickr which makes me a bit more relaxed about a possible scam. Anyway, in the end, I'll only send her the photos once I have the money in my hands.

Any more suggestions or comments?

I just came across Red Bubble, you submit artwork and they handle printing and shipping, yet to have one sold, so can't comment much, except that you can design t-shirts and calendars with your own stuff to sell

Canada Post rates for shipping a poster tube shouldn't be THAT expensive. If you think Pikto is a little bit too pricey, there's always Elevator but not sure where you're located in the city. They have a "Press and Go" deal for $9.50 on a 30"x12" sheet and as many pics as you can put in that layout. The catch is no colour balancing (you do this on your end). Just upload it and then pick it up when it's ready and you do the cutting.

if the person lives in the US, why not get it printed by a US prolab and have them mail it to her

if she lives in canada can always look at local pro labs in her area, just to avoid high shipping costs

Buyer is in Czech Republic.. lol I just need the person to confirm what sizes she wants so I can give her a final estimate. I don't know how much shipping is going to cost yet.

Be careful of scams Eric. Not that this is but I wouldn't want you to get burned.

Thanks for the warning James. I'll be careful. =)

Ditto. Don't start any of the print jobs until part of or all of the payment has been received.

I've had a number of requests for pics for books, magazines etc. Some have followed through with payment while others sort of "hope" that you give it to them for free until you send them the bill and they disappear.

Just keep your guard up.

en，I'm receiving an exact buying request on my pbase site. I did sell some digital copies to an organization here in Toronto but never did it to personal. I don't how to handle it and even think of turning down his request to avoid any trouble. Thanks for bringing it up.

Henry