make cash selling prints

Discover more about selling your prints and cards at markets and fairs

Even in a digital and online age, there is still a huge market for traditional prints for people to hang on their walls. Most people don’t have the technology, or the know-how, to make great prints from digital files, and will still prefer to buy pictures for their walls ready-made, with or without frames. Here we’ll look at how you can start selling prints, what initial costs you’re likely to face, and what eventual returns you might expect.

Finding a market

There are several options when it comes to finding places to sell your prints. A popular one is to approach shops and cafés, offering your prints on a consignment basis. This is an agreement where you provide the prints to hang in the shop, then split the money when the item sells. The split of the selling price can be anywhere between 70/30 (where you keep 70 per cent and the shop takes 30 per cent) and 50/50.

When considering this approach you need to choose the right venue for your work. Look for places where there are plenty of people who are likely to buy prints. Tourist spots are a good place to start as they often have a steady flow of people passing through. Make sure that the venue has decent lighting and space to display your prints, as you don’t want them stuck in a dark corner of the shop or café. Once you have come to an agreement with the venue, it’s vital that you have a contract written up before handing over any of your prints. Along with the commissions and the percentage split of the selling price, this should include full contact details for both parties, a list of the prints and selling prices, how long the contract will last, how and when payment is due after a sale, and details of who is responsible for insuring the items while they’re at the shop.

Finding a market

Along with shops and cafés, galleries can be great places to sell your prints on the high street. It’s worth doing a bit of research when looking at which galleries to approach, to check whether your images and subject matter are suitable for a particular venue. While some galleries specialise in a particular media or style, many will be on the look-out for something that complements the work they already have, rather than displaying the same type of art.

When you approach a gallery, start by arranging a meeting with the manager or owner, and take along a selection of around 10 images. These can be on a computer or laptop, as they’re just to give

Superb images of scenery will appeal strongly to tourists whose holiday snaps won’t be as good as the prints you’re selling.

When you’re selling your photos via a café or restaurant, be sure to choose images that are likely to appeal to the sort of customers the venue attracts.