Author Topic: My first FotoSearch Regular - $19.80 (Read 34322 times)

epantha · « **Reply #25 on:** May 31, 2009, 14:13 »

Began uploading to CanStockPhoto about a month ago and only have 1 view on approved photos. Is this one of those sites that takes 6 months or a year to start seeing results? $:-\$

stockastic · « **Reply #26 on:** May 31, 2009, 14:26 »

Quote from: epantha on May 31, 2009, 14:13

Is this one of those sites that takes 6 months or a year to start seeing results? $:-\$

Or is it one of those sites that just won't be here anymore, in 6 months or a year?

m@m · « **Reply #27 on:** May 31, 2009, 14:42 »

Quote from: epantha on May 31, 2009, 14:13

Began uploading to CanStockPhoto about a month ago and only have 1 view on approved photos. Is this one of those sites that takes 6 months or a year to start seeing results? $:-\$

I've had no problems with views, get plenty of those, just sales that sucks (always have).

stockastic · « **Reply #28 on:** May 31, 2009, 16:07 »

My conclusion, after a few months of microstock, is that all the sites are now de-emphasizing new photos in favor of popularity-based ranking. In other words, try to get the search functions directing buyers to what other people have bought in the past.

This may be a sensible strategy for the microstocks, now that they have millions of images in the bank. But it gives new submitters a sense of futility.

Magnum · « **Reply #29 on:** May 31, 2009, 16:20 »

The way it works here is pretty funny

You hate the site first, til you get a sale, then you cheer up and upload even more. If you get a 19.80 sale. you go nuts and upload everything you got in 10 minutes.

No wonder some sites have honeymoons

Hate or love 20 $ is all it takes

travismanley · « **Reply #30 on:** June 01, 2009, 09:44 »

My advise to those struggling with sales is to hang in there. Uploading is such a breeze whats the big deal? I would definitely put CanStockPhoto in the up and coming category. I have been with CanStockPhoto for over a year and have 3,000+ images in my portfolio. Sales were pretty slow at first but have really picked up lately and now with these FotoSearch sales CanStockPhoto things are looking even better.

stockastic · « **Reply #31 on:** June 01, 2009, 09:51 »

My portfolio is tiny at this point - just 80 images. Even so, it generates enough sales on SS and FT that it's at least interesting and I might get a payout ever few months. On CanStockPhoto, it would never generate a payout in 100 years so all it would do is make money for them, not me. I'd never see a dime. So I have no motivation to give them anything - I'll probably delete what I already uploaded.

epantha · « **Reply #32 on:** June 01, 2009, 09:58 »

I have been in Microstock for about 15 months and have learned in that time to be patient with new sites. Based on the good advice of people in this forum, I will continue to upload to CanStockPhoto and hope for the best in six months to a year. It really is an easy site for uploading.

m@m · « **Reply #33 on:** June 01, 2009, 11:35 »

Quote from: epantha on June 01, 2009, 09:58

I have been in Microstock for about 15 months and have learned in that time to be patient with new sites. Based on the good advice of people in this forum, I will continue to upload to CanStockPhoto and hope for the best in six months to a year. It really is an easy site for uploading.

CanStockPhoto is not a new site, the only new thing about them, is their affiliation with Fotosearch, I'm also planning to stick it out for a while, and see if things (sales) will change after the affiliation, so far I'm not impress, but I guess time will tell, I'm also hopping for the best epantha.

stockastic · « **Reply #34 on:** June 01, 2009, 13:19 »

It's true, patience is not normally my strong suit. I have to wonder though if some of these companies will even be around by the time I'd start to see any returns.

After 4 months I'm in the pit of discouragement. All my images sell, at least as 30 cent subs on SS, and sometimes on FT for a dollar or so. But the more photos I upload, the fewer sales I get. It just feels like the whole microstock thing is winding down, the companies now have huge archives and would like to stop spending money reviewing new ones. They're ncreasingly emphasizing past popularity in their search ranking, which means new images have little chance.

Just my doom and gloom for the day.

epantha · « **Reply #35 on:** June 01, 2009, 13:43 »

For me, things are steadily improving and May was my 3rd BME in a row, passing my goal of doubling my monthly income this year. I have found that the more diverse your portfolio, the better and I'm optimistic about the future because I think this is a great field to be in right now and would love to eventually make enough at this so I don't have to work a 9-5 job for 20 more years. Really, there is so much freedom in MS and you have complete control over your destiny. My personal opinion is that attitude has a HUGE impact on how well you do. If you preach doom and gloom, then that's what you will get when you look at the results of your efforts.

stockastic · « **Reply #36 on:** June 09, 2009, 19:57 »

After 3 weeks without a single view on any image, I moved on to the next stage of my relationship with CanStockPhoto - trying to close my account.

I found "Cancel Acccount" on the Account page - sounded promising. I clicked it and it warned me that all my images would be lost - clicked OK on that and it told me I had to delete my images first. Which I did, one... by... one.... (apparently no way to delete them all, or in groups). And "Cancel Account" still tells me I have images on line. I had to open a support ticket to close the account (which they did, quickly).

Oh and it also warned me I'd be deleting my images from StockSensation.com. Um who the heck are they? Some other junk site I unwittingly authorized to sell my images for 2 cents, I guess. Serves me right for not paying a lawyer $150 to look at the agreement.

I'm deleting my account here, and at 123RF, because I wouldn't get to payout on these sites in 100 years, and I don't want them going out of business while hanging on to copies of my images.

click_click · « **Reply #37 on:** June 09, 2009, 23:24 »

Quote from: stockastic on May 31, 2009, 10:40

...I uploaded 20 images to test the waters.

Uhhh, how about tossing 2000 images on there. I promise you will have sales...

20 images... that's not a test. You expect that 20 images outsell SS or what? I don't understand.

travismanley · « **Reply #38 on:** June 10, 2009, 09:56 »

Quote from: click_click on June 09, 2009, 23:24

Quote from: stockastic on May 31, 2009, 10:40
...I uploaded 20 images to test the waters.

Uhhh, how about tossing 2000 images on there. I promise you will have sales...

20 images... that's not a test. You expect that 20 images outsell SS or what? I don't understand.

I totally agree. You really have to work at microstock to see significant sales. Those 20 images are competing with probably at least a million others. Ya my sales are starting to pick up at CanStockPhoto but, I have put a lot of time and energy into that site and have 3,000+ images in my portfolio. How can you complain about a site when you really havent given them a fair chance?

stockastic · « **Reply #39 on:** June 10, 2009, 10:24 »

travismanley, I get what you're saying, but I also have to look at the evidence in front of my eyes.

I have only 80 images on SS and they make sales every day. Fotolia is selling them too. I put the top 20 on CanStockPhoto and they never even got 1 view, much less a sale. We're not talking about 'low' sales or 'low' views. It was absolute zero. Something is wrong here. Maybe small portfolios get ranked so low that they're invisible; there's no way to know.

Look at this from the point of view of someone starting out in microstock. I want to see if this is going to be worth the effort, and on which sites, and find out what sells. I'm not going to spend the time producing and uploading hundreds of images for no payoff. I think it makes sense to start with a small group, try a few sites and see what happens.

CanStockPhoto's trafffic is obviously so low that a small portfolio will never even make a payout. If I had an existing portfolio of thousands of images, things would be different. But I was sure not impressed to find that if I wanted out, I had to delete every image manually, one at a time. No way would I have thousands of images in that situation.

Magnum · « **Reply #40 on:** June 10, 2009, 11:04 »

wait til you have a big portfolio. then submit there. but dont trash the site based on 20 images test. Every site works different.
SS has a honeymoon in the first 3 months or so.

stockastic · « **Reply #41 on:** June 10, 2009, 11:31 »

Yes I was also advised that sales at SS would fall off after 3 or 4 months while DT would pick up. Exactly the opposite has happened. SS continues to sell well after 5 months. DT has completely died. I think these sites are constantly changing and what was observed in the past may not be true today.

Put 2000 images on CanStockPhoto, then have to delete them one....by...one... someday, if I want to go exclusive somewhere, or CanStockPhoto changes their "terms" and starts paying 2 cents? Not likely.

Artmyth · « **Reply #42 on:** June 10, 2009, 13:42 »

Theres a good reason you did not receive any views - During your test updates were being implemented on CanStockPhoto as you can read for yourself as the associated glitches were being discussed in the forums. Views were not being recorded completely during this time anyway, so your findings are a little uhh inaccurate, or perhaps a better description might be your test is completely skewed

You actually deleted your images the day the upgrades were completed.

stockastic · « **Reply #43 on:** June 10, 2009, 13:45 »

Wow how cool is that? So the site wasn't really working. So yes, my test was worthless.

Some notice might have been nice. The support guy who deleted my account might have said something.

I could just sign up again and reload the 20. But the difficulty of closing an account is, to me, enough reason to stay out.

click_click · « **Reply #44 on:** June 10, 2009, 16:10 »

Patience is a virtue...

madelaide · « **Reply #45 on:** June 10, 2009, 16:14 »

You know, I've been dreaming for a new 19.80 sale, so I can finally get a payout at CanStockPhoto.

elvinstar · « **Reply #46 on:** June 10, 2009, 21:53 »

Canstock has never done much for us, then suddenly, WHAM! Two FotoSearch Regular downloads ($27.89 and $29.17) in one week! I may upload a few more there...

airphoto.gr · « **Reply #47 on:** June 13, 2009, 03:00 »

Let me report my first $19.85 "Fotosearch Regular" sale on this file

https://www.canstockphoto.com/file_view.php?id=1836334

a file that has 0 views(!)

MicrostockExp · « **Reply #48 on:** June 13, 2009, 05:13 »

Just got my second Fotosearch sales

(almost 1000 files on line)

Stu99 · « **Reply #49 on:** June 13, 2009, 07:52 »

After sending 400 'test' images to CanStockPhoto over two years ago I finally made my first $50 payout this month. So now that I am rolling around in my riches I am deciding whether to send them a 1000 images or just delete my account (I stopped uploading a long time ago due to apathy). Seriously I am very patient, but 2 years plus to earn $50 off 400 images, is it worth sending more or should I just bow out gracefully? :-)

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Author Topic: My first FotoSearch Regular - $19.80 (Read 34322 times)

epantha

stockastic

m@m

stockastic

Magnum

travismanley

stockastic

epantha

m@m

stockastic

epantha

stockastic

click_click

travismanley

stockastic

Magnum

stockastic

Artmyth

stockastic

click_click

madelaide

elvinstar

airphoto.gr

MicrostockExp

Stu99

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