If you're new to selling your photography it can feel daunting to price your images for the first time, here are our top tips to help...
One of the most popular features of Picfair Stores is that you’re fully in control of the prices you set for your images.
When you upload photos to your Picfair Store, you’re free to select whatever price you like for them. Then when an image gets sold, you cash out that same price. No cuts, no commissions. That’s it.
While we know that this is one of the benefits that photographers with Picfair Stores love the most, we understand that it can be daunting if you’ve never sold images before. If that’s the case, you’re probably wondering the best price to sell your photos at, but not quite sure where to start?
Honestly, what to price your images is a hugely personal choice, and there’s no right or wrong answer to it; it all depends on what you feel comfortable with. With this in mind, providing advice regarding a number that suits every photographer can be challenging. But in this guide, we’ll try to give you the best advice possible so you can decide what prices to set for your images.We’re here to help.
So let's get started...
Editor’s note:
What are photographers currently pricing their work across Picfair Stores?
Every photographer is different, and it is very complicated to put a firm number on what exactly photographers are pricing their images at. Simply put, there is no exact answer.
However, from a cross-analysis, we can see the majority of photographers pricing their images between the £10 - £50 mark. But there’s a vast range within this, and outside of that too. But, we hope this information gives you a good idea of what you may want to work with.
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1 Ask yourself what amount you’re comfortable with, & take it from there
The most important part of pricing your images is ensuring you receive an amount you’re comfortable with for that particular picture.
Whether that’s £10 or £100, there’s no right or wrong answer, so long as you’re happy with the amount you’ll get.
There are two things to consider here:you never want to undercut your prices to the point where you’re devaluing your work. On the other hand, you should also be realistic about what people may want to pay and not price yourself out of the market.
Editor’s note:Remember, the licence setup with Picfair Stores means you’ll receive your set price for print, personal, editorial, and commercial use, but the amount for advertising use will be 10x that price.
So, for example. You price your image at £10. You will receive:
Print (regardless of product type or size): £10
Personal use license: £10
Editorial use license: £10
Commercial use license: £10
Advertising price license: £100 (10x amount of other licenses)Read more about what each licence covers on our licences page.
2 Consider your target market &what they are willing to pay for photos
If your target market is friends, family, or your followers on social media, make sure you’re pricing your images at a rate that is accessible to them. You can even have an honest conversation about it; ask them for their opinions, and what they would consider paying. It can be hugely helpful advice for you to make an informed decision.
And if, for example, your images are of a particular subject and target a specific industry or market, you should look into the value of that market and price your images accordingly.
For example, if you’re a maritime photographer, and you specialise in pictures related to the shipping industry, you could expect to charge significantly more for these images, compared to what you might charge for images for the print editorial market.
Pricing for your target market might feel tricky, so here it really pays to do a bit of research.
3 Consider all costs involved for your buyers
Remember, if someone is buying your image as a print or buying a download to go and then print it themselves, additional costs will be associated with this, such as the paper, frame and production costs.
Therefore, don’t make your initial price too high so that all costs make your work unaffordable for your key market; this is mainly the case if you’re looking to sell prints. Be realistic about what your buyers might be willing to pay.
4 See how other photographers are pricing their images
Comparing prices with those of other photographers has helped many photographers on the platform set their initial prices.
Simply looking at what other photographers are pricing their images at can help an awful lot if you’re grappling with a number.
The best way to look at the work of other photographers (and their prices) is to check out our regular Sold on Picfair Stores showcases, where you can see a curated selection of images that photographers have sold in their stores, and for each image you can click through to their store to see more.
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5 If in doubt, ask your fellow photographers
If you're still unsure what to price your work, even considering all of the above, ask for advice from the photographer community.There are plenty of groups of photographers out there who will be happy to provide an opinion, such as on Facebook and Flickr, or even in-person groups such as local camera clubs. Joining a photography community can be hugely beneficial to your overall practice for many reasons, and asking for advice is one positive in particular.
Remember: you can change your prices at any time
While you initially choose a price for your image during the upload process, If you change your mind about your prices, don't worry, you can alter them anytime. Nothing is set in stone, and you can switch up your pricing whenever possible.
Actually, we encourage this, and you can read more about this with our dedicated guide on optimising the prices of your images.
Changing prices for your images, either individual shots or all of them, can be done quickly from your Image Library. You only need to select the photo (s) and navigate to “License Details” > “Edit License Details”. Here, you can see the option to change the price for your images.
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