How to price team composites and memory mates
Composites and memory mates are some of the most profitable items on a sports picture day order form, because one design is sold to many families. Here is a simple way to set prices that cover your costs and your time.
1. Know your cost per print
Add up what one finished print costs you:
- The lab price for the print size, for example an 8 × 10" or a 10 × 8".
- Shipping and packaging, divided by the number of orders in the shipment.
- Payment fees from your ordering system or card processor.
2. Count your time
Design time is where composites and memory mates usually lose money. Doing them by hand can take several minutes per team and per player. Write down how long a league really takes you, then decide what an hour of your time is worth. Speeding up the design work is the easiest way to earn more without raising prices.
3. Look at your local market
Check the order forms of other sports photographers in your area. Prices vary a lot by region and by what's included. On order forms we've looked at, memory mates were often priced somewhere around $15 to $30, but your market may be different.
4. Build packages
- Basic: individual prints only.
- Popular: individual prints plus a memory mate.
- Best: individual prints, a memory mate and the team composite.
Most families pick the middle option, so make it the one you want to sell. Offering the composite in the top package raises the average order.
A worked example
These numbers are made up to show the method. Use your own lab prices and times.
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Lab print and packaging | $3.00 |
| Payment fees | $0.80 |
| Design time per memory mate, by hand | 5 minutes |
| Design time per memory mate, automatic | A few seconds |
| Price on the order form | $20.00 |
At $20 the print costs are easily covered. The real difference is time: 200 memory mates by hand at 5 minutes each is over 16 hours of work. Done automatically, that time goes back to shooting and selling.
Tips
- Show a sample composite and memory mate on picture day. Parents buy what they can see.
- Offer prepay discounts. They lift the number of orders.
- Give coaches a free composite. They show it to every family.
To make the design part fast, see how to make team composites for a whole league.
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