| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
I know it's been asked before but...
Corey Perrine, Photographer
 |
Hudson | NH | USA | Posted: 7:05 PM on 03.01.08 |
->> ...who boasts the best site for picture reprint sales. Would like to know PERSONAL experience not hearsay.
QUESTIONS: Who has best...
1.) Customer service?
2.) Upload speeds?
3.) Price?
4.) Storage?
5.) Lowest percentage of money they deduct?
Thanks in advance.
Corey |
|
Karsten Moran, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
New York | NY | United States of America | Posted: 8:10 PM on 03.01.08 |
->> Great thread Corey -
I've used Adorama a fair bit. I've printed everything from 4x6 and 5x7 event prints, to 16x20 size luster display prints.
1) * Customer service is pretty nonexistent for prints.
2) *** Upload speed seems good, but I have little to compare it to.
3) ***** Excellent price point.
4) *** Storage is good, but limited in time. They boot your images from the system after a while (multiple months) unless you pay them for storage.
5) Doesn't apply.
----------------a few more points-----------------
6) **** Print quality is generally excellent. I've been letting them proof my event prints for color and contrast for me, and they have done some stunning work. I did, however, have one batch that was beyond sub standard. I think someone may have been asleep at the wheel. The Luster and Metallic finishes are nice.
7) *** Turnaround is usually very good, though they do get backlogged some times and communication about orders is all automated so it can be difficult to get updates.
8) ***** Shipping is efficient and economical. They package their prints very well for shipment and you can ship directly to clients once your cc # is in the system.
9) ***** Whoever designed Adorama's software did an excellent job. The ordering process is intuitive - quick, and easy.
--------------------------------------------------
One more note - one thing I discovered a while ago when I sampled minimart printing systems was that Fuji Frontier machines (they print in a luster-like finish) do an amazing job. Most of you probably realize this, but it took me a some time to figure out. |
|
Mike Brice, Photographer
|
Toledo | OH | USA | Posted: 8:28 PM on 03.01.08 |
->> It has been a while since I actually answered one of these threads - but since Delane hasn't beat me to the punch, I'll answer.
I use Exposure Manager - and have for years - for my event sales. I also use various other services for different niche needs.
1 - Well since I help Exposure Manager with photographer questions, I'll have to say excellent. But seriously they have a staffed system from 8 a.m. to 11 p..m. EST who will respond within the hour to a e-mail ticket. On the weekends, it may take a little more, but it is always within a couple of hours.
2. Upload speeds really depend on your connection. I have found that to be the case with Exposure Manager, PhotoShelter, etc...
3. Price - On this you will always find a trade-off. Photoreflect is free, but they take a huge percentage of the profits. Exposure Manager is $99 a year, but only take 10 percent, and that includes the credit card fee. That is much cheaper than any other service.
4. Storage - these online sales services should not be used as archive systems - that's not what they are intended for. If you want to archive stuff, then you need to use Photoshelter or Amazon Web services. But for sales storage, for example, Exposure Manager has no limits. I have events from 2006 still up. Today I made a sale from an event from early 2007.
5. Like I said before Exposure Manager only takes 10 percent of the sales as their commission. |
|
Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Washington | DC | US | Posted: 8:43 PM on 03.01.08 |
| ->> Damnit Mike...how dare you answer for yourself before I can answer for you!!! :) |
|
Alan Look, Photographer
|
Bloomington | IL | United States | Posted: 8:49 PM on 03.01.08 |
->> I've used PhotoReflect, PhotoShelter, and even EZPrints resident utility...
Customer Service - PhotoShelter
Upload speed - no preference - seems to depend soley on filesize (I choose size for PhotoShelter, only thumbs go to PhotoReflect)
Price - not easy to compare between the one's I've used. If it weren't for the $5 base charge from EZPrints through PhotoShelter, I'd pick PhotoShelter because you get so much more than just print sales.
Storage - you can upload as much as you want to PhotoReflect and leave it for as long as you want for nothing - They just take ~20% when you make a sale.
Lowest Percentage - PhotoShelter - if just comparing them to PhotoReflect, but PS does have a monthly fee that PR does not.
Most seem to have fees that vary just enough that it's very hard to compare apples to apples.
One thing you didn't ask about was quality, but I haven't had complaints about any of the labs I've used. |
|
Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
|
Washington | DC | US | Posted: 8:59 PM on 03.01.08 |
| ->> Quality? Whats that? |
|
Phil Hawkins, Photographer
|
Fresno | ca | usa | Posted: 11:48 AM on 03.02.08 |
->> I use Photoreflect to setup the online order gallery, and MyPhotopipe.com as my lab. Both are excellent.
I really have to drive home the point about MyPhotopipe. These guys are WAY beyond excellent. I send up a print, no matter how many or how large, and get a receipt within minutes, and on most orders they are printed and shipped within 24 hours. The quality is ridiculously good. They use a Chromira printer, on both Fuji Crystal Archive and another paper, whose name escapes me at the moment. When I call them, they are genuinely concerned, pay attention and they will bend over backwards to please or explain.
For those who want the highest quality, they are one of the only labs I have been able to find that print 16-bit TIFs. (The Chromira is a 12-bit printer, but at least you're not forced to print 8-bit JPGs.) I have uploaded 50 meg files and they don't even blink.
There hasn't been one single order of mine I've ever had a problem with, and I've been using them for about 18 months.
My only suggestion in using them is not to drop ship to your customer. They put all kinds of "Myphotopipe" collateral material in the packaging, and I would prefer my customers not be able to see what my margins are. But this is a small thing, well worth accepting. No one is more anal about print quality than myself, and I love these guys.
http://myphotopipe.com |
|
Phil Hawkins, Photographer
|
Fresno | ca | usa | Posted: 12:00 PM on 03.02.08 |
->> I forgot to respond categorically...
1) Customer Service; PhotoShelter AND MyPhotopipe are excellent
2) Upload speeds? Both are slow as molasses, but I do not care; It always gets there, and quality is my top concern
3) PhotoSelter is free, pay only when you sell. Prices at MyPhotopipe are very good, at least as far as I can tell. Again, I do not focus on these small differences...
4) Storage? Photoshelter is unlimited
5) Percentage? I think it's 15%... something like that. |
|
Richard Orr, Photographer
|
Longmeadow | MA | USA | Posted: 12:05 PM on 03.02.08 |
->> Phil the only consideration that I disagree with is the cost and effort to open the package, and then repack in another mailer and then put them out in the mail again.
I, personally, find that every time i add another touchpoint in the process, I (and I mean myself) have more of an opportunity to screw something up.
While I sometimes hate the extra $ money I pay to photoreflect, I like that it is generally a "fire and forget" system.
I simply like the system with the minimal number of steps. Yes quality and price are very, very important; but if the picture order is wrong it doesnt matter how good the quality it. |
|
Bruce Omori, Photographer
|
Hilo | HI | USA | Posted: 1:33 PM on 03.02.08 |
| ->> Corey, I second Mike's endorsement of ExposureManager on all five points, as I've been using them for at least a couple years now and am extremely pleased with their service. What really makes them tops in my book is when questions or problems arise, they're on it. I've been through a few others, and after much frustration, settled on EM as my choice for event printing. |
|
Mike Brice, Photographer
|
Toledo | OH | USA | Posted: 1:44 PM on 03.02.08 |
->> Wow - you open and repack all the shipments - that would drive me nuts.
Whoever you select, I think you have to be comfortable enough to drop ship to the customer. I guess if you are only doing 10 order a month it would be a big deal, but if you are doing 100 orders a week, that's a lot of time in repacking. |
|
Mike Brice, Photographer
|
Toledo | OH | USA | Posted: 1:44 PM on 03.02.08 |
| ->> That should say, "wouldn't be a big deal" for 10 orders a month. |
|
Phil Hawkins, Photographer
|
Fresno | ca | usa | Posted: 2:03 PM on 03.02.08 |
| ->> Thanks, Richard and Mike... Just to clarify, I do not repackage, I always drop-ship to the customer, but I just wish they would not put all that collateral material in the package. It also doubles the shipping cost for me to repackage, another reason why i don't do it. But aside from these problems, they are great. |
|
Mike Brice, Photographer
|
Toledo | OH | USA | Posted: 2:35 PM on 03.02.08 |
| ->> OK. That makes sense. I was just picturing your office as a giant Wrap and Ship store. |
|
John Lariviere, Photographer
|
Tigard | OR | USA | Posted: 4:30 PM on 03.02.08 |
->> Another vote for Exposure Manager.
I don't have time for problems. Rarely are there any, but a couple that I had, their customer support was all over it. Very fast response, very accommodating. I heard about their service, that was a major draw for me and I have only been impressed since I made the decision.
I don't have time to deal with customers complaining about crappy prints. Never have had to. Have only heard nothing but praise about the print quality. And many times I have heard, "I can't believe how fast I got my prints."
I don't have time to always be juggling storage space to keep within a minimum allotment. Unlimited storage...enough said about that.
I don't have time for all the bookwork...well, let's say I don't take the right amount of time for bookwork. Their fee for handling the transaction is extremely reasonable, in my opinion, and I am glad to share the small cut they take for them to provide me the service.
I don't have time to wait around for uploading photos, that is why I invested in fiber optic internet service and it works great with Exposure Manager's Java-based browser upload and the option of FTP.
My editorial customers don't have time to be downloading jpg e-mails all the time, so I set up a secure gallery where they can preview a selection I upload and download full-res versions of the specific shot(s) they need.
I have plenty of time to shoot pictures, work on post-processing and writing a short endorsement on how pleased I am with the service, quality and business value of Exposure Manager. |
|
Tom Davenport, Photographer
|
Hayden | ID | USA | Posted: 12:18 PM on 03.03.08 |
| ->> Exposure Manager’s customer service is among the best if not the best I have ever experienced. |
|
Dave Breen, Photographer
|
Somerset | PA | USA | Posted: 1:59 PM on 03.03.08 |
| ->> Yet another YES for Exposure Manager. Orders seem to turn within a day or two, and (as said) Customer Service is great. I was notified by a customer he could not find an order that EM said was shipped while he was in the hospital. EM reprinted and reshipped at their cost. (Two months later, the customer found the original order.) |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|