RiverNan Loc: Eastern Pa

Hiya hogs
I was recently contacted by an art broker asking for images of a nearby county.
I sent her black and white and then color images on request

I'm sure she has to show them to a client because she is very noncommittal. She asked me about pricing and I figured what the heck and told her four times the amount the printer was charging me which I figured was still pretty good, but what do I know....???

size printer price my price
30x16 25. 100.
30x20 35. 140
30x24 40 160

Then she asked "Are these WholeSale Prices"
well I didn't know what to say except make a suggestion
and her response was HOW BIG CAN YOU MAKE YOUR IMAGES?
she wants prints only and will do the framing herself.



MY QUESTION IS....How much should I be charging for prints of my work at these sizes...

Sherman A1 Loc: St. Louis, MO

I was once told an item is worth exactly what someone else will pay for it. Now knowing what that amount is really is the sum and substance of the game. I think you built in some wiggle room on your pricing, so I would just work from there. If she is talking wholesale price, then perhaps there is a quantity of each print involved and if so, you might be able to give her a volume discount. If it's just one of each then a different story. I would simply ask her what size she wants, what quantity and try to get some idea of what she is willing to pay.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

The question should be thrown back at her. What does she want to make per print?

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

This might help...
Stock Photo pricing calculator: http://photographersindex.com/stockprice.htm

RiverNan Loc: Eastern Pa

Thanks folks

Sherman I called her and asked her those questions and she said it was likely that the buyers if they accepted her proposal would by multiple images but not duplicates...

David...I did not have to ask that question because she came out and told me she needs to make 100%.

Shellback..interesting site but I couldn't find the calculator for a broker.

I guess now it is a waiting game to see if her client is interested.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I think I'd contact her and discuss how many copies of your image(s) you are willing to license and unit cost based on number of copies. It would be a shame to sell unlimited rights to an image and find it used in a national advertising campaign. Remember, you should be selling a license to use the image, NOT your right to copy (copyright).

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

This is why I wouldn't consider selling pictures for a living. Buyers want too much for for too little, and they're never satisfied.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

:thumbup:

RiverNan Loc: Eastern Pa

Hey Jerry and RM
luckily I'm retired and don't NEED to worry about putting food on the table...
I do however feel my art and efforts to create it have value...Just not sure what that should be...:-)

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I know what you mean. A friend does some amateur painting and recently sold her first. Of course, the price was a concern. She had no idea what to charge, and I have no idea what the final price was, but she's happy that she sold one.

anotherview Loc: California

She says: "she needs to make 100%." I suppose her words mean she will double her costs in pricing to the ultimate buyer. Thus, one half of the selling price will become her profit. The other half of the selling price will include your revenue and her costs from the transaction.

This equation will put downward pressure on a successful sale by her; after all, the buyer likely has a budget allocation only so big to pay for this photographic outlay. Maybe she knows the dollar size of this allocation, and wants to reach into it for her gain.

This scenario, if accurate, tells me she wants to profit big from this one transaction as the prime motive of her economic behavior, instead of looking to sell at a reasonable price with a view to receiving future business from the buyer. Your product has been dragged into this scenario.

Whatever, you must protect yourself by selling at a reasonable price you arrive at by a rational process, not tied to her demand, so you make a net gain (= profit).

Yet, your fate lies mostly in her hands because she represents your work to the buyer. And it lies partly with the buyer who will pay only so much for the product.

She may have to negotiate her asking price to make the sale happen. Her profit margin will size itself by this dynamic. But your profit will remain intact.

frozenhermitphoto

100% markup is not uncommon for reselling a lot of things, but to take your $100 print, frame it, then resell it to the buyer ends up making the whole thing quite pricey for the buyer. I think that is why she asked if your price was "wholesale". She wants to maintain her 100% markup but is worried it may make her look greedy to her buyer. Don't let her pressure you into lowering your price unless you feel comfortable with it.

I base my "print only" price on double the cost to print, plus my "expense" costs. Time, distance traveled, bug bites, dining out; they all play part of the equation. I base my expense rate on $30 per hour; that is enough to cover gas and food and such for me. I divide the "expense" amount by the number of finished photos and add that to the print cost.

I don't give a "wholesale" price unless the buyer wants to provide proof of a tax exempt wholesaler's license, or unless they are a repeat customer buying more than five prints at a time. (neither of these have happened before) I sometimes have to tell people that I don't sell wholesale if the project is a custom order.

In the end, if you and the broker don't meet eye to eye she may find another photographer to take the same pics at a price she likes. If you know this person to be a legit broker who may order from you in the future, it may serve you well to grease the wheels.

I hope you let us know how this turns out.

JaiGieEse Loc: Foxworth, MS

Had a show at a gallery in my state capitol a few years back. Opening night, this guy button-holes me, says he is an interior designer and needs images to put in his clents' houses. He offered me $50 for 11x17 framed prints. I told him that would be $25 less than what it had cost me to have the image printed, matted and framed. So he shrugs and says, "Think of the exposure you'll get..." Told him I'd heard that line before, had even fallen for it once or twice and that it have NEVER worked out. He shrugs again and said to let him know if I changed my mind. That was seven years ago. Guess he may have figured it out by now.

During the same show, a lady who ran a curio and antique shop in the same shopping center as the gallery which hosted my show offered me $30 for the same prints. I had been in her shop, and the cheapest print I'd seen there was priced at $175. I pointed out that she was ofering me less than production cost and reminded her of what she charges for prints. She says, "Well, I have to make some money on the deal." I replied, "So I'm supposed to operate at a loss so you can make money? She gave me the same response as did the designer. She's also still waiting.

Cannot understand why people think its fine for you to lose money so they can make money.

Anyone asks now, I give them my business card, on which is printed the URL of my website.They want the pic, they pay the price.

dickwilber Loc: Indiana (currently)

What makes you think 100% isn't reasonable? That is a normal retail margin! (And as she is repackaging - framing - the "merchandise, and doing all the sales work, she is the retailer, rather than a broker.)

Going back to RiverNan's original question, the prices he quotes seem, possibly, a bit low. Four times the printing cost does not give the photographer a whole lot for his time and trouble if these are single copies of each image (it is in line for multiple copies, a bit high for lots of copies; but I read this as a one print, one time opportunity for each image).

If this were to pan out for a lot of follow up sales, concessions might be in order. But, a couple words of caution: how is your relation with your printer - how is he about reprints if you or your client is unsatisfied; and, will your client be making unreasonable requests of you and the print quality?

Finally, good luck. I wish you and your client a long happy collaboration.

RiverNan Loc: Eastern Pa

Thank you Dick. Printer is great