Are you the type of individual who loves snapping photos everywhere you go? If so, you’re probably skilled with your camera. Did you know that you could potentially sell your photographs and make a little bit of money along the way? Why shouldn’t you transform your hobby into a profitable business. Just remember that selling your photography online will be trickier than you might believe. Within this guide, you’re going to learn how to sell your photography online.
Choose Your Best
First and foremost, you need to make sure that you choose your best photographs. You should not launch a website and begin displaying your photos until you’ve gotten the very best ones. After all, you might develop a bad reputation if you attempt to peddle low-quality images. By displaying only the best, you’ll be able to develop a good reputation and that will make people more eager to seek out and buy your pictures. In the long run, it will help you fetch a higher price.
Be Careful With Micro Stock Websites
In the past, photographers had few options. In fact, most of them were required to utilize micro stock websites as a way to sell their photos. These websites are certainly effective, but they’re not always the best option. After all, some of them charge outrageous commission fees and this is something that you want to avoid. If you want to make the most money from your pictures, you’ll want to stay away from these websites or at least read the fine print.
Some of these sites are going to accumulate as much as 70% of the selling price. Be very careful if you’re going to use one of these sites to sell your photos.
Building Your Own Site
When it comes down to it, a lot of websites offer limited freedom and this is something that you’ll probably hate. With that being said, you may want to remain in complete control. It is definitely going to be more difficult, but launching your own website might be the best way to go. With your own website, you’ll be able to tell the world about yourself and you’ll be able to customize the site as much as you wish. Just remember that building your own website is going to be tough. Getting people to the site will be even tougher.
With this in mind, selling your pictures from your own website will be too time consuming and difficult for many people. Still, it will prove to be well worth it in the long run. After all, you won’t have to worry about paying commission when you sell using your own site.
Try Selling Photo Prints
If you want to maximize your earning potential, you’ll also want to try selling prints of your photographs. This is really one of your best options. There are plenty of WordPress plugins that will enable you to sell your prints directly from your website. Once someone has purchased your prints, you can send it to them through the mail. This will help add more charm to their home or office. Prints are great because they can be sold an unlimited number of times. If you have a picture that proves to be very popular with the public, you could literally sell it a million times or more.
Protect Your Photos
Before doing anything, you’ll want to make sure that your photos are protected. After all, the Internet is a vast world and it is used by millions of people. Someone could easily take your photograph and being using it as their own. You might be able to act quickly and defend your rights, but that might not stop them from stealing your pictures. With this in mind, you’ll definitely want to look into photo copyright laws. You may also want to watermark your images. These quick tricks are great for decreasing the likelihood that someone is going to steal your pictures in the future.
Pricing Them Right
It is pertinent to make sure that you know how to price your images. If you’re unrealistic and price them too high, there is a good chance that you’re never going to sell anything. Therefore, you have to be realistic and put a reasonable price on your pictures. There are several things to consider. How unique is the image? How popular could it potentially be? Are you selling a print or the original? You need to take all of these things into consideration when trying to put a price tag on your pictures. Keep your prices realistic and you’ll be able to sell more than you would otherwise.
Be Prepared To Be Patient
At the end of the day, it can be tough to sell anything online. Therefore, you cannot believe that you’re going to become successful overnight. Instead, you’ll need to be stick with it for the long haul. Whether you’re selling pictures on your own website or through another website, it is going to take time to build an audience. Set reasonable expectations and go from there. Once your pictures start taking off, it will become much easier to sell them. And, you might even be able to increase the prices slightly.
eBay
One of the best auction websites online is eBay. The website offers a platform that brings sellers and buyers together. There really is not anything that cannot be found for sell on this website. In fact, you can find new, used, knockoffs, name brands and homemade products that are being sold by sellers around the globe. Sellers can offer their products up for bid or sell them straight out.
If you truly want to sell your photography and make a profit, you should consider becoming an eBay seller. And, if you want to take things to the next level, you can set up a store, where buyers can see all your works.
Photography Websites
Like eBay, photography websites offer platforms that allow photographers to display their works. Some of these websites even let photographers sell their photography. Of course, this service will cost you a small fee, but it is a great place to start establishing a customer base.
Amazon
Amazon, America’s largest ecommerce website, allows artists and photographers around the world to sell their products. For a small fee, you can display and sell your photography to American consumers. It is also possible to offer your works to the international market as well. Millions of people utilize the Amazon marketplace platform to sell their products. Of course, you may not be able to compete with the retail giant on prices, but since you are offering unique products, it will be easier to draw buyers.
Craigslist
Craigslist is one of the most popular classified websites. Here, you will be able to reach consumers throughout the United States, even in small town America. This is the ideal place to start for beginner photographers who are trying to get established. The only downside is Craigslist has a lot of users who have only one intention in mind and that is to defraud the public. So, use caution when utilizing Craigslist to market your photography.
Social Media Marketing
Since the introduction of social media, companies around the world have been able to introduce their products to different markets. And, this is not to mention the fact that social media marketing is free. Bringing awareness to your photography will not be easier than when utilizing social media. Be sure to take advantage of the top social media sites, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to market your products.
News Websites
Just about every news website has a classified ads section. Whether you live in a rural area or metropolis, you can utilize all these websites to market your photography. Of course, you will need to sign up and become member before you can start selling your works. And, it may be necessary to pay a small fee for each ad, before it will be posted. But, if you are serious about selling your photography and making a profit, news website classified ads is definitely a great place to start.
YouTube
Millions of people tune into YouTube to find information about specific topics, watch videos, learn how to do something specific, listen to music and keep up with the news. This video-sharing website also offers opportunities to photographers, artisans and anyone who is trying to market their products. Of course, you will need to be creative when utilizing YouTube to gain the attention of other users. But, if you are successful you could create an avenue for potential buyers to find your photography website.
Shopify
Shopify is a great place for photographers to build an online store to sell their works. This ecommerce website is very simple to utilize and affordable. For only $9 a month, you can reach consumers around the world.
Summary
At the end of the day, it is entirely possible to sell your photography online. Just remember that it won’t be completely easy. Take your time and plan everything out from the get go. Set low expectations for yourself in the beginning and go from there. As long as you’re patient and you remain dedicated, you’ll be able to pull it off.