Thinking About Jumping Ship

[Arcusmedia]

I do not know if this is in the right place or not so please forgive me!

I have been a happy Zen-folio Customer for the past year.

I recently Looked at smug mug pro and I am thinking about moving over to there.

I like that you can hide galleries and that you can use Bay photo.

I would love to get everyones opinion and to know what you use..

Thanks!

[KenJulio]

This should go under web site talk, but anyways...

Smugmug has a trial period, take advantage of that. I've had SM for the last 2 years and havent thought about switching to another service. You can customize your site as well if you are unable to, there are people who can help or design it for you.

[HFMarshburnJR]

Been with Smugmug for almost 5 years now. They keep working to improve the site and I have never had any issues with them. Like Ken said, when things come up that you can't fix yourself, they are always there to support you. You won't regret the move.

[kellydishman]

Something to think about though with the pro account its 20.00 per month now. (They do have a 50% discount if you sign up through your cell phone) but bayphotos prices are higher for some reason on there then ordering through ROES. I wanted to write them and ask if they update to the current at the sale, or what.

[onesickpuppy]

Have my site via SM for two years now........SUPER group

Helped me set it up....and super customer service

[Kenski Photo]

I have been with SmugMug for just over 6 years now, PRO for all 6 years so Im still paying the $99 a year and thats it so it is nice.

It is a great service but I too wonder why they charge more for BayPhoto then ROES even though they are still getting a cut of the profits. I never really figured out the price difference to see if the difference equals their cut or not but Im sure it does. Either way even when I am printing a picture for someone I usually use SmugMug and print it through them just for loyalty. They are CONSTANTLY doing new things with the customizing and there are plenty of people out there that can help you. DGRIN.COM is a great resource for help with SmugMug but I can't constantly watch for new tricks to come out.

This great feature is also its biggest downfall too, I think. There has been several times where my website wasn't functioning properly and then I found out that they made a change that I wasn't aware of and now it is causing some code I put in to not work. Usually it is for the better because they made it easier to use but still, I have had this happen in the past. SmugMug hasn't gone down like it has in the past, which is great. You usually could almost predict when your site would go down for an hour or two with no warning but it has been pretty reliable it the last 2-3 years.

One of the BEST features they have now is the gift box they offer along with the personalization of the return address and included thank you. I love this idea and yes it might cost you a couple dollars to have the prints boxed in a nice box with paper and a ribbon but who cares. It really makes your prints, and you, stand out with the attention to detail. Best part, you do not have to do anything besides give them a few extra dollars. I do not believe they will box it up fancy for 16x20 and larger though.

I have been VERY VERY happy with SmugMug in the last couple years compared to my first few with them. I am SOOOO glad I stuck around with them this entire time. The fan base and support you get from the users, and staff is hands down the best in the business, I would NEVER choose anyone else and if they went out of business one day, I do not know what I would do! ughhh, I do not even want to think about that....

[Kenski Photo]

*EDIT FOR DOUBLE POST... Dont know why it has done this two or three times already*

[Redneck]

I've been a SM Pro for two years but that "over charging" their pros for prints and products in addition to the monthly fee and the sales commission made me move to PhotoCart. I just felt screwed by SM, even though their service has always been great.
PhotoCart is fantastic. It's more work for the photog but more control and more money, too.