Maximizing Photography Profits: How Recycling Frames Boosted My Sales by 70%

From Consignment Shops to Galleries—The Smartest Way to Cut Costs and Increase Your Earnings

Framed image by Matthew Bamberg

After complaining for over a decade about not making much money from my photography, I had to do something. I was spending too much. Michaels Art Supply was my supplier, yet only when they offered two for the price of one. I’d get away with spending $23 with tax (California).

I used to buy many 16x20 Studio Decor frames for my 11X14 prints. With tax, each frame was about $23. Prints cost me anywhere from $8 to 12. I’d order good acid-free mats to fit the aforementioned frame and image. That costs about $5.

Add all of that up, and you get. That’s $37.

That left me with a $58 profit…but wait. I sell the photos at Misty’s Consignment in Rancho Mirage, California, and The Estate Sale Co. in Palm Springs, California, from $95 to $105.

These consignment stores take around 35 percent, which is $33.

That left me with a $25 …