To those who sell prints....

carguy

Senior Member
I am working on a page on my site to offer prints for sale. I will print them locally and deliver/ship them myself.

I wanted to keep my sizes limited, what sizes do you find you sell the most?

9x12 seems popular.

Thank you.
 

Moab Man

Senior Member
8x10 mostly (kids sports), or something large in the 20"+ size. Only time I print a 5x7 tends to be for missionary announcement or graduation.
 
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Phillydog1958

Senior Member
I recently had a holiday exhibit at a local gallery and sold two 11x14's. The director told me that in her experiences, most people seem to want something of a reasonable size. She said they seem to want something to hang over their sofas or mantle pieces. I had several 8x10's and 5x7's. None of them sold.
 
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Eyelight

Senior Member
The bigger the subject the bigger the print size. Eons ago 8" x 10" was likely the #1 seller for portraits of a single, 11" x 14" for groups and 16" x 20" if the folks could afford it.

Landscapes, large animals, etc. 20" or bigger.

Automobiles (since @carguy asked) I could see being 8x, 9x, all the way up 20X plus depending on the buyer.

I'd be tempted to offer more sizes, but maybe a little premium for the ones you don't want to fool with everyday.

Me thoughts.
 

Moab Man

Senior Member
I'm assuming this will primarily be automotive prints? If that's the case you're definitely going to want to have those large prints available. When doing cars I've had 40", 36" and often times 20". I would also suggest having metal (not metallic paper prints) available. Some of the racers have wanted the metal prints because they can hang then in the garage without the ill effects that would damage a paper print. If I had been thinking more about the genre of photography you're doing this would have been my answer.
 

carguy

Senior Member
I'm assuming this will primarily be automotive prints? If that's the case you're definitely going to want to have those large prints available. When doing cars I've had 40", 36" and often times 20". I would also suggest having metal (not metallic paper prints) available. Some of the racers have wanted the metal prints because they can hang then in the garage without the ill effects that would damage a paper print. If I had been thinking more about the genre of photography you're doing this would have been my answer.

Thank you Roy. This will not be limited to automotive. I do like the larger sizes, was more interested in how small to offer.
 

Rick M

Senior Member
I keep track to project better inventory for future shows. I did 4 shows last year, the breakdown is as follows:

5x7- 63
8x10- 80
8x12- 30
11x14- 76
12x18- 16
16x20- 6

My highest profit margin is on 8x10 and 11x14, Also easier for people to get frames. One annoyance is people like 8x12, but they are rarely on sale so my cost is almost double. I always stock up during sales!
 

Whiskeyman

Senior Member
I keep track to project better inventory for future shows. I did 4 shows last year, the breakdown is as follows:

5x7- 63
8x10- 80
8x12- 30
11x14- 76
12x18- 16
16x20- 6

My highest profit margin is on 8x10 and 11x14, Also easier for people to get frames. One annoyance is people like 8x12, but they are rarely on sale so my cost is almost double. I always stock up during sales!

Are your prints sold pre-framed?

WM
 

carguy

Senior Member
I keep track to project better inventory for future shows. I did 4 shows last year, the breakdown is as follows:

5x7- 63
8x10- 80
8x12- 30
11x14- 76
12x18- 16
16x20- 6

My highest profit margin is on 8x10 and 11x14, Also easier for people to get frames. One annoyance is people like 8x12, but they are rarely on sale so my cost is almost double. I always stock up during sales!
Great info Rick - thank you!
 

sonicbuffalo_RIP

Senior Member
I keep track to project better inventory for future shows. I did 4 shows last year, the breakdown is as follows:

5x7- 63
8x10- 80
8x12- 30
11x14- 76
12x18- 16
16x20- 6

My highest profit margin is on 8x10 and 11x14, Also easier for people to get frames. One annoyance is people like 8x12, but they are rarely on sale so my cost is almost double. I always stock up during sales!

Rick...you go through Nations, don't you? Didn't you once tell me you sell a lot of metal prints? Maybe someone else....can't remember. Thanks for your help!
 

Rick M

Senior Member
All of my prints are uncorrected lustre from nations. I wait for the sales and get 8 x 10's for one dollar and 11 x 14's for two dollars. Take advantage of the free shipping over $50. I will add a few metal prints this year of my top sellers. I package in crystal sleeves and chipboard from matboards plus. Buy sleeves by 100 count and they are half price. Shipping is very expensive because the chipboard is heavy so order a lot at once. I do not mat or frame as cost is high and it's hard to transport to shows. They are also a matter of personal taste. I believe in low cost high volume. I'm selling at 4-7 times my cost.
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
I've found internet sales to be really slow so I stopped paying the host for that option. Last year I sold 3 prints online and the other 268 at shows. "Art" prints are somewhat Impulsive purchases, they buy when it is front of them. Variety is important too, at the last Train show, half the prints I sold were not trains. Women buy more than men, when dragged out to an uninteresting event like a train show, they will open their purses for a "pretty" fall picture :). Also a 5x7 sale is better than no sale, always good to have a low price item. Other vendors can be great customers also. Main thing with shows is to find the most exposure for the lowest space cost. The train show I do is at the New York State Fairgrounds, I get 2 10' tables for $100 Saturday and Sunday. the same space at the Home and Garden show would be over $1000. Check into Mall space between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I hooked up with a craft show and had a Fri, Sat, Sun spot 2 weeks before Christmas for only $200. That Friday alone covered all my costs including product sold.
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
I have found that framed prints sell better for me and non framed just about do not sell at all. Transporting them without getting them scratched up was a problem until I went into a Salvation Army store and spotted new pillow cases for 50 cents a piece. I bought sixty of them and they work great. I just slip the frame into the pillow case and fold the end over and place it in a big plastic tub for transport to art shows. These are quick, easy to use and reusable. I have tried several other methods of transport but this idea was by far the best way to go for me.

For the bigger framed pices I went to a thrift store and bought a bed quilt for $2.00 and had a lady cut it up and sew the pieces into larger sleves similar to the pillow cases and that worked great for the bigger framed prints.
 
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carguy

Senior Member
I have found that framed prints sell better for me and non framed just about do not sell at all. Transporting them without getting them scratched up was a problem until I went into a Salvation Army store and spotted new pillow cases for 50 cents a piece. I bought sixty of them and they work great. I just slip the frame into the pillow case and fold the end over and place it in a big plastic tub for transport to art shows. These are quick, easy to use and reusable. I have tried several other methods of transport but this idea was by far the best way to go for me.

For the bigger framed pices I went to a thrift store and bought a bed quilt for $2.00 and had a lady cut it up and sew the pieces into larger sleves similar to the pillow cases and that worked great for the bigger framed prints.
Great ideas there - thank you for sharing!
 
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