let us have a self-fulfillment print order capability
SM's fulfillment is very swish. Problem is it's only valid for US people - printing costs and lead times make orders for EU customers prohibitively expensive.
I know several other would like this feature, and like many others, I've been playing around with paypal payments (there's a good thread on dgrin about it). Problem is, well, it's paypal and doesn't give the photographer / seller the option to view an order before receiving payment.
Google has a far better order processing system, but doesn't support logistics; a third party shopping cart is required and that costs money!
So, why not open up SM's excellent print ordering system so that SM members can receive an order via email and manage the fulfillment themselves? :)
Being based in the UK, I'm not losing out on people not being able to buy my photos easily and because of that, I fear I may cancel my SM renewal because it's a real showstopper for me...
Xavier
shared this idea
132 comments
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Jim Davies
commented
Afraid I moved from SM to Zenfolio who offer more features for less cost!
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Melissa M Goodill
commented
As of now I am forced to have two different sites. The lab I work with knows me and I get a professional discount because of this. I do not like having control over this. I love this site and could save another $300 if I did not have to pay for two sites. The biggest problem is in shipping. When your labs print for me, if it is something that I send all together, I am paying for shipping on each set of prints instead of a bulk order. The way shipping keeps going up, this is a killer in expenses.
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Athena Carey
commented
I am also still asking for this. I live in Switzerland, which is not an EU country and does not have a SM printing partner. So for me it's a cut in profit AND a big shipping cost AND import duties. That just doesn't work.
I have an Epson 3880 printer sitting right here in my office. I need to be able to do my own printing.
Come on guys - help a girl out! ;)
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Martin Mason
commented
I totally agree, I probably will also leave for another supplier because of this issue when my renewal is due.
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Anonymous
commented
Me too! I have the ability to do a lot of my own prints but have to sell Loxley which decreases my profit margin.
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Xavier commented
Well, it looks like this is not going to happen :(
I really wish SM would seriously consider this. I wouldn't a problem with paying a small yearly premium on my subscription.
Yes, SM now use Loxley in the UK, but there are lots of smuggers elsewhere (not US or UK) where there are no local printers available.
Plus, there's a whole range of products that people might want to offer in addition to what the printers set up on SM.I'm now having to look elsewhere for the professional side of my photo business as the current situation has unfortunately become untenable.
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Simon King
commented
Great idea - I really like it BUT (this may have been mentioned - not reading the lot) surely the problem SM has is that it guarantees all orders themselves and they have no way of knowing the quality or how consistent it would be for any individual doing self fulfillment (whether they print themselves or send to favourite lab).
If things weren't up to standard, SM would be held responsible. I imagine that is the biggest hurdle
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Anonymous
commented
I don't have a pro account but I would like to be able to tell my friends and family that I can print stuff for them, or that they can print them themselves.
Unfortunately this is not an option (I am based in Central America with family in Europe and South-Eastern Asia). -
Maria Holland
commented
Well, I switched from SMUG to Zenfolio about a month ago . . . mainly because of the self-fulfillment side of it. PLUS they only charge 12% (instead of 15%) on lab
print/sent orders. Now with the price increase, glad I did!You can try Zenfolio out for free for 2 weeks and if you do decide to go with them, here is a referral code.. The referral code EF3-26H-Q6Z can be used during sign up to save 10% off your own subscription. I love them so far and they have actually been easier to set up then SMUG was :-)
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Ken Richmond
commented
Yup... Increase in fees has forced me to look at alternatives. Zenfolio has been offering self-fulfilment for quite some time now. Sad that this doesn't even seem to be on the radar for SM. Renewal date is creeping up fast - time to consider another vendor.
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Melissa
commented
If this isn't fixed, then come my renewal date, I'm transferring over to Zenfolio. At their $250 premium business account they have FREE self fulfillment.
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eventpix
commented
As much as I love SmugMug I'm looking at moving over to the Canadian based Photo Event Plus because they provide self-fulfillment printing.
cannot understand why SmugMug are locked into US only printing.
Remember the USofA is no longer the world power it used to be, it is only a matter of time before a China based operation sets up to provide everything we users want! -
Anonymous
commented
I do a custom card line that I can't have done through a print house and would love to be able to fulfill orders through a smugmug cart.
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lara.luz commented
for something that sits number three in most wanted feature, how is this not yet set to planned?
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Utzi
commented
It would definitely be a great thing if printing oders could get arranged in other countries... like Switzerland :-)
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Brian V
commented
This is critical for Canadian photographers like myself who face the barrier (or perceived barrier) of having Canadian customers order from US companies and pay extra for shipping/duty. Since no Canadian lab is currently offered, self-fulfillment is the next best alternative.
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Paul Pacey
commented
The fact that SM users are forced to print at so few labs, and not be able to produce locally, for local clients, is by far my biggest complaint. SM says that their goal is to give photographers the tools they want/need to support their business, but clearly that only goes as long as they get to keep one hand in your pocket.
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Anonymous
commented
i like this forum very much
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baroo
commented
If you want Self-Fulfilment make sure you VOTE for it - the more Votes it gets the more attention it has to receive.
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Nathan Choate
commented
The work-arounds to make self-fulfillment happen are not very functional long term and don't appear very professional to clients who are at the higher end of the market. I love SmugMug and this isn't a deal killer, yet. But as my business grows I can see it becoming one rather quickly.
I would not mind paying a decent amount for this service on a per order basis for orders that were self fulfilled. There HAS to be some way for SmugMug to offer this and still capture a bit of revenue from self-fulfilled orders.
I am not giving up hope that they will make this happen at some point, hopefully before I have to find other options. :o)
