Discussion
An opportunity has come up for me to rent a small unit a small craft centre. The ones occupied are a jeweller, two painters and a ceramics place, I am looking to sell photos. It is only a cheap weekly rate and will be more for me to get of the house when the kids are at school. I hope to break even at worst and maybe have enough for a few drinks at best. The advice I need is how is it best to display/sell pictures? Should I look to mount/frame or just sell as prints, or a combination of all? I know I am rambling but the chance just popped up today so I need to do some research first and have a look around. I just wondered if anyone had any experience of this and the best way forward.
To make things easier for myself (less price structures), I offer mounted prints. I think it looks more attractive that way when it's well presented all with back board and sleeve. I sell framed work too but mounted ones seem to sell far more. But I'm still prepared to sell prints only when requested.
I'd agree; frames are personal and whilst people might like the photo, if they don't like the frame they won't buy it.
I went this way once; plenty of people said the photos were nice but nobody bought one. Actually that's not quite true; after I'd spent £500 on prints and mounting card and frames and spent days cutting all the mounts by hand and framing them and driving to the exhibition place and hanging them up, I sold one print for £16. So don't even expect to cover the rent; set your sales target at £0 and anything else is a bonus.
I went this way once; plenty of people said the photos were nice but nobody bought one. Actually that's not quite true; after I'd spent £500 on prints and mounting card and frames and spent days cutting all the mounts by hand and framing them and driving to the exhibition place and hanging them up, I sold one print for £16. So don't even expect to cover the rent; set your sales target at £0 and anything else is a bonus.
Actually I have a decent size Keencut 'Arrow' mount cutter I was going to put on eBay if you fancy a go.
Haha, having looked for similar there it took me a while to figure out why this had appeared as a mount cutter in the search: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FRENCH-FRY-POTATO-HEAVY-...
Haha, having looked for similar there it took me a while to figure out why this had appeared as a mount cutter in the search: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FRENCH-FRY-POTATO-HEAVY-...
Edited by Simpo Two on Saturday 21st December 23:56
This may or may not be relevant (depending on what images you intend to sell)
I make most of my money from DVDs (in the local cafe/gift shop). I buy 500 at a time which cost about £1.50 per (including printed matter and case) and they sell for £10.95. (Sale or return, giving the shopkeeper a few quid on each - still leaving me with very healthy profit margin). I have an iMac set up which (using the screensaver) permanently scrolls through the shots. It's this that makes me the money. If people just saw a DVD for sale sitting on a shelf, I'd sell bugger all, but looking at the shots on a high quality monitor is what hooks them. The iMac paid for itself in 3 months.
The downside... One does have to have a lot of images, and they all really need to be on a specific subject. For me it's obviously the local landscape. However I too used to live in the midlands, and did the same thing with images of the Cotswolds (I used a laptop to display them back then).
As I say, it just depends whether your shots would work on a DVD.
I make most of my money from DVDs (in the local cafe/gift shop). I buy 500 at a time which cost about £1.50 per (including printed matter and case) and they sell for £10.95. (Sale or return, giving the shopkeeper a few quid on each - still leaving me with very healthy profit margin). I have an iMac set up which (using the screensaver) permanently scrolls through the shots. It's this that makes me the money. If people just saw a DVD for sale sitting on a shelf, I'd sell bugger all, but looking at the shots on a high quality monitor is what hooks them. The iMac paid for itself in 3 months.
The downside... One does have to have a lot of images, and they all really need to be on a specific subject. For me it's obviously the local landscape. However I too used to live in the midlands, and did the same thing with images of the Cotswolds (I used a laptop to display them back then).
As I say, it just depends whether your shots would work on a DVD.
The laptop idea is excellent but you also need a friendy shopkeeper; not all want alien stock taking up room in their shop when that space could be selling ice creams etc, nor have to be responsible for an expensive piece of kit.
Defo local views though because tourists want souvenirs.
Defo local views though because tourists want souvenirs.
Thanks Steve I like the DVD idea and that could be ideal in that setting on a permanent scroll, and should be no problem getting the volume of pics down here.
John, I am very interested in that cutter, could you please pm details and what price you are looking for?
Is mounting tricky to get the hang of?
John, I am very interested in that cutter, could you please pm details and what price you are looking for?
Is mounting tricky to get the hang of?
leedogg3 said:
Thanks Steve I like the DVD idea and that could be ideal in that setting on a permanent scroll, and should be no problem getting the volume of pics down here.
If you go for DVD, I use this chap... proper impressed.http://www.xpressduplication.co.uk/
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