We know you have choices when it comes to photography services that help you organize, book, and take payment from clients. Some are expensive, some are free, and others are in between.

So why PictureBuggy?

Let's break that loaded question into a few questions.

• Who is behind PictureBuggy?
  PictureBuggy is the brainchild of a few staff members at Hosted Concepts (www.hostedconcepts.com). Having operated a shopping cart service for many years, we found that many photographers used our shopping cart as a simple booking system. A couple years of feedback and PictureBuggy is where it is today.
  
  
• What makes us special?
  We have years of experience in the payments industry. We understand the rules, regulations, and security implications of accepting credit cards. We also understand the buying habits of customers. We know that removing obstacles to payment will make you a more efficient and profitable business. That remains a guiding principle of PictureBuggy.
  
  Take a deep breath. We've designed PictureBuggy specifically to shield you from security issues involved with PCI compliance. Your client's payment information is always secure. There's nothing to worry about installing and keeping up-to-date on your website.
  
  
• What kind of photography business is PictureBuggy best suited for?
  Let's be honest, a service shouldn't be one size fits all. We take inspiration from the single-photographer business. If you are a large studio with many photographers - we're probably not a good match.
  
  But if you're used to wearing all the hats of your business, we can make your life a bit easier! It may surprise you how much time you can save just by allowing clients to book and pay retainers online.
  
  

Here at PictureBuggy we have Three Core Values that really set us apart.

• We listen to our partners; you.
  It's not just a corny catch phrase. Ok, maybe it is a bit corny. But, we believe we're partners in shaping PictureBuggy to be what it is. Nearly every feature you see on PictureBuggy today is the result of direct feedback from photographers like you.
  
  If you're tired of posting "feature requests" on forum posts that never seem to be answered - try us. We listen.
  
  
• We take action during a crisis.
  We're pretty smart fella's - at least we think so. We're smart enough to know that software bugs and downtime happen. Even Google, with all that money pouring out of their pockets, has downtime.
  
  We believe it's how you respond in a time of crisis that makes a good service.
  
  So if there's an issue with PictureBuggy, we keep our lines of communication open and actively keep you posted on what's going on, how we're fixing it, and what we'll do to prevent it in the future.
  
  In other words, we don't leave you in the dark.
  
  
• Taking payment is Queen.
  That's right, we're nerds. We were proud members of chess club during high school. And everybody knows Queen trumps King. (Or if you're married, you know this to be true too..)
  
  PictureBuggy is a payment-centered service. With every feature we ask a simple question, "does this remove obstacles your client may face to book & pay you?"
  
  

• What is the Gift Registry?
  
  Photography lasts a lifetime and makes a great gift! Give your clients the option of allowing their guests to contribute toward the cost of their photography package.
  
  
• How are the gifts tracked?
  
  Gifts are recorded against your client's invoice. Your client can check their invoice 24/7 to see the gift contributions that have been made.
  
  
• What does the guest see after paying?
  
  Guests are emailed a customized "thank you" note.
  
  
• How's it Work?
  
  See how it works and view a demo here: click here for gift registry example
  
  
• Do my client's guests see how much the photography pacakge costs?
  
  No, that's kept anonymous. Instead, guests are shown a custom greeting. A "how we met" story is popular.
  
  

We use a dedicated 3rd party company (the very same Amazon & Walmart use) to ensure you charge your customer the most accurate sales tax possible based on county, city, and state sales tax rates.

Why is real-time sales tax calculation important?

• Save Time
  Some of our competitors require you import a spreadsheet of sales tax figures that you gather yourself.
  
  Especially if you live in a state with a complicated tax structure, using real-time sales tax information saves you a good amount of time and headache.
• Limit Audit Liability
  You are responsible for collecting accurate sales tax for customers you ship to.
  
  Additionally, you are responsible for collecting the correct sales tax for services you render at a venue that are part of a package with product (like a wedding package with images on a CD or album).
  
  As sales tax rates often change, and how you calculate that sales tax can depend on shipping charges, using a real-time lookup saves you time from finding that information on your own.
• Limit Customer Frustration
  Some of your customers reside in a city with a lower tax rate than where your business is located.
  
  By charging them their true sales tax rate, you'll make them happier.

• How do I get my pictures from my computer to PictureBuggy™?
  
  It's as simple as dragging and dropping your images into the uploader tool. The images are automatically resized and optionally watermarked.
  
  
• What are the limits for the number of photos we can upload?
  
  There are no limits to the number of images you can upload, except that each "upload pass" can only be about 400 images. In fact, you don't even need to resize them before uploading as the upload tool resizes them for you!
  
  
• Are my images protected?
  
  Yes. Our system has "Right-Click" protection. You also have the option to add custom watermark text to your images.
  
  
• Is the proofing page customizable to my own branding?
  
  Of course! Not just the proofing, but all PictureBuggy™ features are customizable to your brand.
  
  
• How do I set up pricing information?
  
  You can create multiple "price lists" to be attached to each gallery (i.e. your print and album pricing might be different for weddings versus portraits).
  
  
• Is PictureBuggy™ tied to a lab for automatic print processing?
  
  No, you do your own order fulfillment at the lab of your choice.
  
  
• Can I offer my clients coupons?
  
  Yes, you set up coupon codes for percentage discounts or set amounts off the order total.
  
  
• Do you have features like sepia conversions, borders, and crop tools?
  
  No, we keep it simple for your customer to order. We give the photographer artistic judgement for tone changes, borders, and cropping.
  
  

• Am I notified once an album design is approved?
  
  Yes - you'll receive an email notification and your "Album List" will be updated to reflect the approval. Clients cannot add notes after an album is approved.
  
  

• What exactly are the Contact Forms?
  
  Contact forms keep client communication in one place, and help track the progress from initial inquiry to booking.
  
  They can also be used for survey's, contracts that don't require payment, and collecting any type of information that you'd like to record for future reference.
  
  
• How many forms can I create?
  
  As many as you want - there are no restrictions
  
  
• Do the contact forms have to be a pop-up?
  
  No, PictureBuggy™ makes it simple to copy/paste a snippet of HTML into your existing website.
  
  

• I sell products to other photographers - can PictureBuggy help?
  
  You bet! PictureBuggy includes 'Buy Buttons' that you can add to your website to make selling products easy.
  
  

We've teamed with ProPay® to offer you a free merchant account that's built right into the PictureBuggy service.

• iPhone/Smart Phone "JAK" (Card Swiper)
  
  Qualify for even lower rates, and process cards anywhere.
  
  
• It's Free!
  
  Your ProPay® merchant account is built into the PictureBuggy service. No monthly statement fee, no yearly renewals.
  
  
• Real Customer Service
  
  Yep, you can actually call and talk to a person.
  
  
• Easy Access to Funds
  
  Use the attached Mastercard anywhere MasterCard is accepted. Or simply transfer funds to any checking account.
  
  
• Safely Keep Cards On File
  
  If you require your customers pay a deposit to book services, you can make it even easier to pay the balance by keeping their card on file.
  
  

• What's ProPay®?
  
  ProPay® is a merchant account. Features that incorporate credit card processing in PictureBuggy™ use ProPay®
  
  
• How do I get paid?
  
  You don't need to wait for your "pay check" to come in the mail like many commission-based proofing systems. You can transfer funds to any checking account or use the attached MasterCard (works like a prepaid card).
  
  
• Does PictureBuggy™ allow use with PayPal or my current merchant account?
  
  PictureBuggy™ supports the following merchant gateway's:
  - PayFlow Pro (PayPal)
  - Authorize.net
  - ECHO
  - Mtrex
  - Orbital/Payment Tech
  - HiTrust
  - PayVision
  - VeriTrans
  
  Please contact us if you are interested in using your existing gateway.
  
  However, PictureBuggy™ was designed to maximize ProPay's unique features. Some features may be unavailable with your existing gateway.
  
  
• What does PCI Compliance mean, and do you comply?
  
  Having a secure certificate is a small portion of what is needed to safely process credit cards. No matter your size, you will need to be PCI compliant if you process, store, or transmit credit cards. Using ProPay's ProtectPay service, we remove that liability altogether! Your client's credit cards are transmitted directly to ProPay®, and ProPay® stores the credit cards.