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GoPhoto.com

by TerriAnn

My daughter was born in 2001. Since that was when digital cameras just started to get popular, they were expensive and we did not have one. That means most of my daughter’s photos from birth to about two years of age were captured on 35mm film. While I kept all the negatives from that time, I never did anything with them. In this day and age, it is so much easier to put together photo albums or scrapbooks if you can print the pictures straight from the computer or use an online printing company. To do that I would need to get my negatives and photos converted to digital format.

There are not many companies that do this. The ones that do are horribly expensive and usually ship them to India to be processed. As these were the precious negatives of my daughter I was very nervous about sending them anywhere, for fear they would be damaged or lost in the mail. I finally bit the bullet and tried one company – what a disaster! I won’t go into detail but that experience made my hesitation to use such companies was even worse. Still, I had spent hours organizing my negatives and I didn’t want them to just waste away. That’s when I stumbled upon GoPhoto, a California-based scanning company that works with photos, negatives, and slides.

I love GoPhoto. Period. It’s easy, the customer service is phenomenal, and the workmanship is top-notch.

There is a three-step process to get started. That’s right – only three! First you estimate how many photos, negatives, and slides you have. Once the company receives your package they will give you the true number but this allows you to get an instant quote. You’ll notice that the pricing is very reasonable.

After you get that in you can select the shipping. When I sent my order to the first company I tried, it got very expensive. So I opted to use the flat shipping fee of $16 which covered transit both ways. The fee for this would be included with your order when you pay for it.

A pre-paid label was immediately created and ready for me to print out. All that was left was for me to slap it on my package and drop it off at a UPS store.

Every step of the way GoPhoto gave me updates on my order, giving me total peace of mind and dispelling any uncertainties I had regarding photo scanning. Getting caught up in other endeavors, I hadn’t gotten a chance to actually send my package off for a week after I posted my order request. As a nice surprise, I received a polite reminder that they had not yet received my package. Nice follow-through!

After package arrived quickly as their facility is located right here in California. I got an email letting me know that it got there safely. Here is a timeline of the notices I received and their relation to general turnaround time:

  • 7/11 – Sent my negatives and photos
  • 7/12 – GoPhoto received my package
  • 7/17 – My order was being processed
  • 7/22 – My order was complete and ready to be viewed

One week! They went through some 140 negatives (which I had cut up and rearranged earlier) and 16 photos in one week! The other company had kept my negatives for 2 months before I heard anything from them and had only finished a small portion. I was extremely pleased to see all my pictures looking lovely on my computer screen. The colors were vivid and as crisp as decade-old pictures from a 35mm point and shoot could be. Now I had the digital copies that could be edited and reproduced with ease.

You’ll notice that I have not discussed payment for the order yet. That’s because you only pay for the pictures you want. There were several negatives I had sent but, now that they were full-size and in color, I didn’t actually want to keep. This one was blurry or that one was almost identical to another, etc. Before, to cut costs, I had meticulously cut several negatives and ever so carefully taped the top portion of each individual frame to a strip of paper. With GoPhoto that is totally unnecessary. Just send in all your negatives, slides, and photos but only pay for the ones you decide to keep. Just look through the online albums and delete the ones you don’t want. Easy-peasy! This is a wonderful feature that really keeps the customer’s time and budget in mind.

All that is wonderful and great, but how would my originals look when I got them back? The other company sent my negatives back in bubble wrap and a Ziploc bag. I paid for my order and anxiously waited for my items to be returned. GoPhoto sent a sturdy box with all my items inside. Everything came back in perfect condition and the DVD with my photos was placed in a nice case. Inside the envelope I included with my 4×6 photos to be scanned, I found a little card from the representative that actually worked on my order. I thought that was a nice personal touch. I was so relieved my priceless, non-replaceable negatives were safely back in my hands.

It is scary and unnerving sending off such sentimental items with no control over how they are handled or the manner in which they are returned. I was so happy with the work GoPhoto did and the integrity they showed in taking care of my order. GoPhoto has only been around for about a year but if they continue as they are I’m sure they will be around for many years to come. I know they have certainly won over my customer loyalty and my trust. My next batch is almost ready to be sent to them.

——————–
Giveaway closed, winners announced here!
——————–

WIN IT!
One reader will win a $50 GoPhoto gift card.

To enter (mandatory):
Visit GoPhoto and tell me what you need scanned.

For additional entries leave a comment for each you do:

“#Win a $50 Gift Card to GoPhoto.com for slide, negative, and photo scanning @cookiesANDclogs Ends 8/14 #giveaway http://bit.ly/rfVWNB”

Giveaway ends 8/14/11 at 11:59 PST. Open to US residents only. Winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

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62 comments

sara July 29, 2011 - 4:26 pm

i need lots of negatives from my wedding scanned and photos of me and my husband before we were married!

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara July 29, 2011 - 4:26 pm

i like you on fb

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara July 29, 2011 - 4:26 pm

i like gophoto on fb

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara July 29, 2011 - 4:27 pm

i sub via email

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara July 29, 2011 - 4:27 pm

i follow you on twitter

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara July 29, 2011 - 4:28 pm

im following gophoto on twitter

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara July 29, 2011 - 4:28 pm

tweet 07-29-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/97085961439162368

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara July 30, 2011 - 7:16 am

tweet 07-30-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/97309479158300672

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

Debz July 30, 2011 - 11:30 am

I need to scan a lifetime of photos for my 25th anniversary party slideshow.

sara July 31, 2011 - 6:20 am

tweet 07-31-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/97657904391393282

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

melissa pruitt July 31, 2011 - 7:46 pm

I have some pics of my daughter I need scanned!

melissa pruitt July 31, 2011 - 7:47 pm

I like cookies and clogs on facebook!

melissa pruitt July 31, 2011 - 7:48 pm

I like gophoto on facebook

melissa pruitt July 31, 2011 - 7:49 pm

i subscribe via email!

melissa pruitt July 31, 2011 - 7:49 pm

i follow cookies and clogs on twitter
@butterflyz01234

Aimee E. August 1, 2011 - 7:01 am

I’d like to scan a bunch of negatives I found from when I was little.
aimeeeldon at hotmail dot com

sara August 1, 2011 - 10:07 am

tweet 08-01-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/98077242437009408

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

Brooke K August 1, 2011 - 12:02 pm

I need photos of my daughter’s birth scanned, as well as photos of when I was a child, and Christmas photos that include relatives that are no longer with us. I would love to have those photos to share and create with online! Personalized photo gifts are my favorite to give, and that is what I would use the scans for.

Brooke K August 1, 2011 - 12:03 pm

Liked Cookies and Clogs on FB 🙂

Brooke K August 1, 2011 - 12:04 pm

Liked GoPhotos on FB 🙂

Brooke K August 1, 2011 - 12:04 pm

Followed Cookies and Clogs on Twitter 🙂

Brooke K August 1, 2011 - 12:05 pm

Followed GoPhoto on Twitter

Brooke K August 1, 2011 - 12:06 pm

Subscribed via Email

Brooke K August 1, 2011 - 12:08 pm

Twitter was @BrookeKaelin for the follow confirmations.

leigh August 1, 2011 - 4:21 pm

I got married in 2000 and was afraid to photograph my wedding in digital. Now I wish I had more opportunities to do things with those pictures.

sara August 2, 2011 - 9:36 am

tweet 08-02-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/98431959331643393

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

Monique Rizzo August 2, 2011 - 11:17 am

An old wedding picture of my grandparents.
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill12@gmail.com

sara August 3, 2011 - 9:11 am

tweet 08-03-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/98788050934575104

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara August 4, 2011 - 1:44 pm

tweet 08-04-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/99219193035104256

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara August 5, 2011 - 8:29 am

tweet 08-05-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/99502385608667137

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara August 6, 2011 - 10:47 am

tweet 08-06-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/99899424813219841

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

JoeyfromSC August 6, 2011 - 11:46 am

WOW, your experience seems great! I am way overdue (since I’m the family historian with old pics, etc. lol) for doing just this!!

I also was entrusted with my Aunt’s precious slides of her daughter who was killed at age 18, from her childhood..I need to use gophoto.com so I would use it for old family photos I need scanned in and for her slides!! It would be awesome to win!

Thank you for the chance!!

ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

JoeyfromSC August 6, 2011 - 11:47 am

“Liked” Cookies & Clogs on Facebook

Joey J.

ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

JoeyfromSC August 6, 2011 - 11:47 am

“Liked” Go Photo on Facebook also

Joey J.

ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

JoeyfromSC August 6, 2011 - 11:47 am

email subscriber

ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

JoeyfromSC August 6, 2011 - 11:48 am

Following Cookies & Clogs on Twitter @JoeyfromSC

ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

JoeyfromSC August 6, 2011 - 11:48 am
JoeyfromSC August 6, 2011 - 11:49 am

Following GoPhoto on Twitter also @JoeyfromSC

ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

sara August 7, 2011 - 2:17 pm

tweet 08-07-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/100314563500720128

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara August 8, 2011 - 8:34 am

tweet 08-08-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/100590794188144641

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

JoeyfromSC August 8, 2011 - 2:53 pm

Daily tweet

http://twitter.com/#!/JoeyfromSC/status/100685816224956416

ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

sara August 9, 2011 - 10:41 am

tweet 08-09-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/100984988530511872

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

JoeyfromSC August 9, 2011 - 4:29 pm
JoeyfromSC August 10, 2011 - 1:54 pm
sara August 10, 2011 - 6:12 pm

tweet 08-10-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/101460804586573824

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

sara August 11, 2011 - 9:06 am

tweet 08-11-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/101685949427220481

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

JoeyfromSC August 11, 2011 - 3:17 pm
sara August 12, 2011 - 10:50 am

tweet 08-12-11
https://twitter.com/#!/sniffenegger/status/102074496097320961

sara (at) theniffs (dot) com

Karen Gonyea August 13, 2011 - 6:02 am

I’d love to have some of the old pics and postcards of my moms scanned 🙂

Karen Gonyea August 13, 2011 - 6:02 am

GFC Follower 🙂

JoeyfromSC August 13, 2011 - 11:34 am

Daily tweet

http://twitter.com/#

ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

Lexigurl August 14, 2011 - 9:34 am

I need my father’s baby pictures done!
lexigurl_17 (at) hotmail (dot) com

Lexigurl August 14, 2011 - 9:35 am

I subscribe via email
lexigurl_17 (at) hotmail (dot) com

Lexigurl August 14, 2011 - 9:35 am

I like you on FB: Alexandra Herring

Amy DeLong August 14, 2011 - 3:59 pm

my hubbys baby pictures
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com

Amy DeLong August 14, 2011 - 3:59 pm

fb fan of yours
amyd
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com

Angela W August 14, 2011 - 7:44 pm

I would love my Mom’s pictures from high school done, thanks

Angela W August 14, 2011 - 7:45 pm

Liked you on FB (AngelaWinesburg)

Angela W August 14, 2011 - 7:46 pm

Email Subscriber, thanks!

Kelsey August 14, 2011 - 9:17 pm

pictures of my grandparents that are passed

Tammy Greer August 14, 2011 - 10:10 pm

I need to scan some old photos of my dad who is now deceased.
LuckyTJG at cs dot com

Comments are closed.