BrettOssman Loc: near Tampa, Florida

Pondering the idea of selling digital downloads. I already have a Fine Art America site, but wonder if the price is too high for the vast majority of consumers. Does anybody sell digital downloads? Where and what gotchas should I be aware of? I'm thinking of Etsy.

- Copyright infringement (I know, you shoot it, you copyrighted it, but prove you shot it).
- Horribly editing/manipulating your photo ending up in a bad reputation for you.

Just starting the conversation.

Can't wait to hear the feedback.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

With micro stock sites paying 25 cents per photo, I decided to try selling digital downloads on Ebay.
I sold them for a Dollar. Yes I sold some , but ebay takes a cut and then Pay pal takes a cut, and you end up with? Ive forgotten but like 60 cents. Maybe a bit more.
It turned out not being worth my time. You had to check every day to see if any sold, then get them to the customer in email. Then the customer has no idea how to use a JPG file,
or didnt understand digital download and wants their dollar back.

Ive decided to stick with the stock sites. Some pay more than others but I'm selling everyday and all I have to do is cash the checks.

As for copyright. You sold the rights to use the photo , they have the right to print it once or a 1000 times. It would be a shame to get a few bucks for your photo
and then see it for sale in every walmart in the country.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

There are so many images available for free online that selling is difficult. Then there is the pricing. If it is too expensive, that will turn off most people. If it is too cheap, it will seem like a cheap product. Once you sell a download, the buyer can do what he wants with it - like give it away free to his friends. Life is tough.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Etsy is like every other web-based seller in that you need to drive people to your site (via social media, advertising, marketing your work, etc.) for it to be effective. I put about 2 dozen photos on Etsy about 3 months ago, but haven't had the time to work on the demand creation side. Sold one so far for $60. More than enough to cover the Etsy costs for the rest and the Bay Photo printing, but not very productive. I like the site, and their cost is very reasonable - you just need to do something to differentiate yourself from the other 10,000 photographers selling there.

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

On occasion, I'll sell digital rights to an image to an everyday customer, but most of the time my digital rights sales are reserved for magazines, calendars, and other publications. I only sell to a consumer if there's something special they want to do that I don't offer (like large canvas for example). When I do sell, it's with very specific one time rights for a single finished print and multiple proofs only. I make this very clear before the sale and have never had an issue. I also do these sales one-on-one (via e-mail usually) and not just as a shopping cart purchase. Finally, I also charge a nice sum for the image depending on usage, usually between $100~$200. Never for a buck or two!

Hope that helps.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

You will definitely want to sell through Picfair.com

www.picfair.com



Check them out.

Russ

Billy Bob

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H1.TRS0&_nkw=Digital+Backgrounds&_sacat=0
There you are.
I have about 500 of them. Read what they say about coperight.

Billy Bob

Something that will help you, start making some up and sell.
http://easydigitals.com/thank-you-club-freebies.html?inf_contact_key=93f9c25576b5200abca963740b40c68df8c3c9d31ea2e7cd586083a28a5e820c
I had one putting kids in T caps sold well.