Selling prints on ebay

jd callow · Jan 5, 2005

mark said:
...next to my original callow(Since he did not sign the prints he sold, I wrote peachbutt in the border). I would not have those prints if callow was not ditching his cast offs and extras.

Mark,
If I'm ever in your area or if you want to ship it back I will gladly sign the print.

jdc (aka THE peachbutt)

Tom Stanworth · Jan 5, 2005

I am amazed that people have the time to produce dozens of prints a month without making money from them! Do you not have jobs! I would love to be in this position, but the ugly truth is that after trying to earn a living, I am lucky if I can take one image a month worth of framing and sale! If you can produce the prints in enough volume to meet the sales at low prices, good on you. If I could I would, unfortunately the compromises it makes to family life (being up a mountain, returning home, mumbling to myself about developing film and disappearing into the darkroom for a few days) makes that impossible. It may sound 'mean' but if I am to hide away for a (substantial) while in my time off, there needs to be something in return for the family to understand the level of dedication (I have already pushed the limits of persuasion). If I did not have a family, this would be a non issue and I would probably become sensitive to sunlight. The life of an artist is not an option for me......unfortunately!

TPPhotog · Jan 5, 2005

I feel at the moment that the whole market is starting to fail as many people seem to want something for as little as they can even if they can afford it at it's real value. Over here in the UK the retailers are reporting poor christmas trading figures. Well of course they are as the same stoes have had sales nearly all year (which people assume is the real price) and are waiting for the even lower prices (which they feel will be real sales prices).

Fine Art is special as all luxary items should be, it has to be well made or printed in this case, presented at it's best and last a lifetime. The artists in the other mediums around here are having the same problems at the moment, their work is oustanding but gathering dust in galleries because people don't want to pay the extra costs associated with quality.

Sadly in a market economy the buyer decides what something is worth even if that is below the cost of the actual materials and service costs. Maybe because we are involved in the creation of the work we look at things logically and honestly which is not always as the buyer seems to see things.

photomc · Jan 5, 2005

Many..Many good thought here. And after some additional time, here are some thoughts ...

Wouldn't it be great to have a Online Gallery here on APUG where people could purchase prints they see here? Now, I don't have a clue on how this would/should/could be done and would not purpose Sean do it..just a thought. I really think that many people who purchase (buy) prints don't have a clue of how nice a plt/pld, AZO or other non-silver or silver print is made or even how it is done..they just care that 1-they like the image and 2-can they afford the work. In a nutshell that is what the general public wants. Collectors are completely different, and while they know a good deal, many are just after the name on the print and perhaps the actual work - ie a great image with a limited availablity = more $$ for them when they sell it. So, while someone on theis site may attain the $$ status for their work most will not. As Ann stated, AA did not normally get more than $400 for his work..so the big..HUGHE $$ are being made by a handfull of dealers and gallery owners that have the work the collectors want.

While I would support an Online APUG gallery, I think that more people are reached, at least at this time, by selling on ebay..one day an APUG gallery may make sense...not to mention it would be great to see an ad in the new magazine.

Foto Ludens · Jan 5, 2005

Mike C,

the online gallery does exist, even if not with the only motive being sales. I have been aproached by people who have seen my work here and/or on my website, and have sold prints that way.

I'm not sure I would agree with people putting price tags on photographs they upload on the standard/critique galleries, but it should be understood that every APUG member is not only a photographer, but a human being as well. That is, I'm very open to whoever decides to write me for no particular reason. Sometimes I discuss my working habits and methods, sometimes about places I've been at or have photographed, and sometimes I'm asked if this or that print is for sale.

In a way, letting people approach me for whatever photograph catches their eye has its won merits. Please realize that I am in no way bashing those who have their works on gallery walls, ebay, or advertised on their own website. Those are perfectly good ways to go about it, and I have considered doing them all. In fact, the only print of mine that's ever hung on a gallery wall did NOT sell. It was priced at $250. I would have loved to have sold it, but I'm very satisfied selling the ocasional print for $50. Of course, I make no profit, but merely spread my work around to whoever wants it.

And now the disclaimer: I have spent the whole entire day in the darkroom. I have left it to eat lunch and gone back inside. I just left it for the day 30 minutes ago. I'm probably very high on developer and fix fumes. Please do not let my yapping offend you, just dismiss it as crap.

take care,

André

johnnywalker · Jan 5, 2005

photomc said:
Wouldn't it be great to have a Online Gallery here on APUG where people could purchase prints they see here?

An interesting idea, and possibly a way that APUG could become self-supporting. The potential problem would be that since it is an APUG gallery, some APUG person(s) would have to be an arbiter of quality control. Similar to a gallery owner deciding what he shows and what he doesn't. No one expects E-Bay to know or care about photo quality, but I think the expectations would be different if APUG were to do it. In other words, if there were unhappy customers, there would be enough stuff in the fan to hit both the photographer and APUG itself.
Not to say there wouldn't be ways to solve the problem.

wm blunt · Jan 5, 2005

My Platinum/Palladium prints on ebay are sold unmounted and without mat. This keeps the cost down to the buyer and to me. I can also keep shipping costs down. If I were selling silver prints they would be dry mounted and probably matted but Platinum/Palladium prints are often sold loose. This gives the collector the option of matting with brush strokes showing or not if the print was not masked. I have purchased work both ways and enjoy all. When I purchased a print from Dick Arentz it was a loose print but I'm sure he would have had it matted for me for a fee. I'd rather save on the deal and put that towards another print. Just my two cents.

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 5, 2005

I could imagine APUG having a serious online gallery with something like the model of Photo-Eye (www.photoeye.com). That might involve setting up a panel of curators and perhaps paying them an honorarium of some sort, but I think there are certainly people here who are trusted enough to perform that role.

roteague · Jan 5, 2005

David A. Goldfarb said:
I could imagine APUG having a serious online gallery with something like the model of Photo-Eye (www.photoeye.com). That might involve setting up a panel of curators and perhaps paying them an honorarium of some sort, but I think there are certainly people here who are trusted enough to perform that role.

I wonder if we have a wide enough variety of people on APUG to warrant something like that. I mean, it looks like Baxter and I are the only ones who specialize in color landscapes here; most are doing B&W.

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 5, 2005

Well, if it were a good thing, it might attract others.

TPPhotog · Jan 5, 2005

Robert I have nothing against colour pictures and I do love them, I just don't shoot them as I'm cr*p at colour (I'm shade blind). Also I don't have the facilities to process them at home. I suspect many others here on APUG are the same as far as facilities are concerned.

Jim Moore · Jan 5, 2005

ann said:
and i believe photographers should collect photos and hang them on their walls.

I agree 100% ! Of the many photographs that I have hanging on the walls of my home not one of them is mine. Although I belive that my work is "good enough" to hang on the wall I enjoy other photographers work so much that I don't have enough room for mine.

I think one of the problems with collecting photography is that people don't understand the medium. My "uncle Henry " has a great expensive camera, he can just make me one of "those". That is a tough barrier to over come.

How very true. I gave several of my co-workers a framed print as a gift this year for Christmas. One of the workers from "the other side of the building" came into our office and when an overjoyed co-worker showed off her gift to her she simply said Oh I can do that.

Some people just don't "get it".

Jim

photomc · Jan 5, 2005

Andre R. de Avillez said:
Mike C,

the online gallery does exist, even if not with the only motive being sales. I have been aproached by people who have seen my work here and/or on my website, and have sold prints that way.

And now the disclaimer: I have spent the whole entire day in the darkroom. I have left it to eat lunch and gone back inside. I just left it for the day 30 minutes ago. I'm probably very high on developer and fix fumes. Please do not let my yapping offend you, just dismiss it as crap.

take care,

André

Andre,
I completely understand your comments and agree if someone sees an image that they are interested in they can contact the maker of the image. What I purpose is a seperate gallery, one just for images available for sale. If someone wishes a critque that is one thing, if they just want to share that is another. If they feel that the image is worthy of a wall hanger then it might be nice to have a place to show it.

Now that being said, maybe an option - button, etc. that could be checked if someone is interested in purchase of an image then the viewer could select that and it would either email, pm or link to the owners web site. Any thoughts on this? I'm really just thinking out loud, but some (don't know how many) do not have web sites to sale their work and this would be a chance to do so. A link to PayPal or some other method, plus a small % to APUG to help offset the operational cost. Sean, what are your thoughts, there may be good reasons to not do this, but it is just thinking out loud...would be interested in what others might think about it.

David, I think you are correct that the model might be something like the Photoeye Gallery.

Thanks for letting the ideas flow..now back to fighting the sob that has hijacked my PC.

mark · Jan 5, 2005

roteague said:
I wonder if we have a wide enough variety of people on APUG to warrant something like that. I mean, it looks like Baxter and I are the only ones who specialize in color landscapes here; most are doing B&W.

I shoot both as I am sure many folks here do. Apparently I do color better than BW because I get many more requests for them. I do not scan them because as many saw my scanning ability is non existent. Callow may not shoot landscapes in the way you do but he has some really nice city doorways and night scenes.

There is just more to talk about in BW, at least for me. There are also some who shoot color but output digitally which is not in line with what is discussed here. You would be surprised.

mark · Jan 5, 2005

mrcallow said:
Mark,
If I'm ever in your area or if you want to ship it back I will gladly sign the print.

jdc (aka THE peachbutt)

I just might take you up on that.

Alex Hawley · Jan 5, 2005

Great discussion. Very informative.

I've been contemplating selling on E-Bay for a while so tonight, I did it. Three prints listed; seller name is azo_dude

Bruce Osgood · Jan 5, 2005

Alex Hawley said:
I've been contemplating selling on E-Bay for a while so tonight, I did it. Three prints listed; seller name is azo_dude

Alex, how do I find azo_dude? All I know is to look for a subject like camera or lens, etc.

kjsphoto · Jan 5, 2005

Alex just checked out your stuff nice images...

What do you call a print that is pritned on fiber paper? I see these names like silver gelatin, pd/pt but I have no clue as to what it is. WOudl I just say silver print or fiber base print? What do you call a print you expose to paper from teh enlarger and develope? I am not contact pritning as I will be printing MF and 4x5 negs?

I just do not know the photo terms.

THanks,

Kev

kjsphoto · Jan 5, 2005

Bruce (Camclicker) said:
Alex, how do I find azo_dude? All I know is to look for a subject like camera or lens, etc.

If you click on advance search then click on search by seller type in his name;

azo_dude

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 5, 2005

A normal print on fiber based paper is called a "silver gelatin print" or sometimes a "gelatin silver print." Azo prints are often called "silver chloride prints." "Pt/Pd" refers to "platinum/palladium."

Alex Hawley · Jan 5, 2005

Bruce (Camclicker) said:
Alex, how do I find azo_dude? All I know is to look for a subject like camera or lens, etc.

Good question Bruce. I thought there was a way of locating sellers but I never can remember how to do it. Try this.

Go to the category for Art, Photographic Images, then search on images made from 1950 and use a keyword of "azo". That should get you there.

If anyone knows how to do the seller search, please feel free to pass it along.

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 5, 2005

Seller search right here--

Dead Link Removed

Alex Hawley · Jan 5, 2005

David A. Goldfarb said:
Seller search right here--

Dead Link Removed

Thanks David!!! Thanks Kevin!!

kjsphoto · Jan 5, 2005

Hello David,

Thank you very much...

Jim Moore · Jan 5, 2005

Alex Hawley said:
Great discussion. Very informative.

I've been contemplating selling on E-Bay for a while so tonight, I did it. Three prints listed; seller name is azo_dude

Hmmmm... Now where have I seen this print before?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=66465&item=3774082693&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Oh I remember, it's hanging on my "gallery" wall

Good luck Alex!

Jim

Selling prints on ebay

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