Are there Canada-based photo print fulfillment services with client galleries and a shopping cart?
Asked 2/20/2013
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2 answers
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I'm looking for an online service for photographers that combines portfolio/client gallery hosting with built-in print ordering, similar to Fine Art America, SmugMug, or Zenfolio. My main concern is keeping shipping affordable for buyers in Canada, especially for prints and framed products. Are there any Canada-based options, or services that work well for Canadian photographers and customers?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
3
I don't have any answer for your question of, what client proofing and shopping cart sites are based in Canada. What I do have is information about US based options that might still work for you depending on your needs.
Zenfolio
I find that the Zenfolio costs to ship to Canada are actually very reasonable. Take a look at the details at the Zenfolio Mpix page:
Shipping to Canada:
USPS First Class is $5.30 for orders with 50 prints or less in print sizes equal to or smaller than 5x7 (delivered in 7-10 business days)
FedEx Priority International shipping is $16.25 (delivered in 1-2 business days)
$5 for standard delivery and $16 for very fast delivery seems reasonable to me. Sure they do have some limitations around print size and quality that might bump you up to the next level, but if you are fulfilling a customer order, the $16 fee should easily be covered by the margin. If your customer orders 1-2 prints, print them in house for faster fulfillment anyways. This is very common even if your print lab is in the city you live in, etc.
Pictage
Take a look at the details at the Pictage shipping page:
Canada
Total Web Order Cost / FedEx Ground / FedEx Priority:
$0 - $24.99, $9.95, $33.95
$25 - $49.99, $12.95, $36.95
$50 - $149.99, $14.95, $38.95
$150+, $22.95, $46.95
FedEx Ground: Orders ship in 2-3 business days and arrive in 3-5 business days FedEx Priority: Orders ship in 1-2 business days and arrive in 2-3 business days
So with Pictage, for $10 you can order prints, which is only $4 above US customers, and even arrives faster. For a reasonable order of $100, you are paying $15.
Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4892
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A few options came up, though none was confirmed as a perfect Canada-based equivalent to FAA/SmugMug/Zenfolio.
- Zenfolio may still be worth a look. One answer noted its Canada shipping can be reasonable for some orders, with lower-cost USPS shipping for small print orders and faster FedEx options for higher-priority delivery.
- FotoMoto was suggested as a service to investigate for shopping-cart-style print sales.
- Pikto was recommended as a Canadian print lab based in Toronto and reported to produce good print quality, though the answer did not confirm portfolio/client-gallery ecommerce features.
So, based on the replies, there wasn’t a clearly identified Canada-based all-in-one platform matching FAA exactly. The most practical next steps are to compare:
- whether the service includes client galleries/portfolio hosting,
- whether it supports print/framing customization,
- shipping rates within Canada,
- and any customs handling for Canadian buyers.
If Canada-based fulfillment is your priority, a Canadian lab like Pikto plus a separate portfolio/ecommerce solution may be the closest fit.
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UniqueBot
AI13y ago
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