MicrostockGroup

DT seems to have died over the last few days.  Anyone else getting the same impression?  Or is it just me?

A little quieter.

Horrible!  Getting ready to upload pictures of cemetary plots...  only 9 sales this month!  Really poor!! Really, SS & BS only ones performing for me this month so far.     -tom

Has picked up well for me in recent times.

Can't complain.

Initially, the decision was based on my experience with 16 other agencies and the realization that I will never make payout at any of them no matter how many images I upload.  Not to mention the one or two that went belly up.

So the decision was to check my experience with the "big 6" agencies.  I don't like the subscription plan at Shutterstock very much.  I can deal with a subscription model and limiting usage (as is part of their TOS) but I can't deal with giving the whole show away for 20 cents (this was before the last pay raise) that's included in the second part of their TOS.

I had an issue with Fotolia (not Chad) that was beyond Chad's control - I won't work with an agent that does what they want with my images (this includes continuing to sell my images despite the fact that I asked them to close my account - I couldn't log in but as a customer I could search for them, find them, and buy them).  Again, Chad is a great guy and did everything he could.

I don't like the upload limits or the attitude at iStock.  They have a great community and all but at times, I felt I was selling through my local high school's bake sale.

Someone stole an image from me at StockXPert (it had their watermark on it).  StockXPert NEVER backed me up or looked out for me (what's the point of having an agent that won't back it's contributors)?  After I contacted them, they pretty much left me high and dry and on my own for getting it removed.

That left me with DT and Bigstock.  Bigstock wasn't a big seller for me and I did a little financial calculation and figured I could make the same, if not more, by becoming exclusive.  I consider my time valuable as well and the payoff looked good so last August, I became exclusive.

Because of the recent changes at DT, I've resigned my exclusivity.  I've given my 30 day notice which will expire on the 21st of this month.  I am weighing my options and may decide to pull out of microstock altogether (my 6 months at DT since my last upload is up in June).  This also goes along with the valuation that if you set aside all the smoke and mirrors of bonus this and contest that, the core earnings of my Microstock RF images over the past two years could be wiped out by two large size RF sales on Alamy - and I don't have to deal with ridiculous refusals and spending an hour on each image trying to find minuscule mistakes.

I got into this to build a portfolio that would eventually make my student loan payments for me (I have about $95,000 in student loans that I will be paying on for the next 28 years because I deferred them for so long and the interest accrued) - that amounts to $650/month.  Based on all the time and effort I've put into the micros over the past two years, I would have been better off getting a part time job flipping burgers at the local fast food place.

I do upload to other agencies - just don't sell RF stock through those other agencies (per my exclusivity agreement).  I currently have 251 active images at Alamy, 880 in the "processing" stage, 100 in the "received" stage, and 43 in transit.  I also have small RM portfolios at other smaller agencies.  I'm looking at RM and the traditional agencies and I'm seeing (experiencing) a lot more hope with relation to my small business.  I'm also seeing a lot of lucrative private work that will eventually help build my portfolio as well.

Thanks for the compliments on the star image - I was really surprised that it has sold so well.

Red_moon - be careful with Photographer's Direct.  They don't allow you to contribute and sell through them if you sell through the micros. 

eendicott -  I wonder if I could contact you about your problem? Just to see if it is similar to mine at FT. Curious!  -tom

Well DT is still dead (for me).  Saw their statistics page; a whopping 37,000 images waiting to be approved.  No wonder things are taking so long.  And no wonder they've reduced the number of images people can submit.  Have the price increases caused this rush?

At the same time, the waiting list at IS has declined from 30,000 to 20,000 and I am finding my images being accepted more quickly than ever before.

Interesting.  Coincidence?

At SS my images are being accepted so quickly it's frightening - acceptance usually within hours.  And almost every image is being accepted; out of 80 submissions I have had only 2 declines.  That doesn't tie in with all the stories of difficulty, noise, high rejections etc.

So something is going on.  Or perhaps I am just suspicious in my old age.....

I expect to see price and commission increases at SS and eventually at IS.  Competition seems rife....

I have had a drastic upswing in the same period.  7 -$1.00 sales today and 4 on the 14th, much better than the trickle before. I am surprised.

Lee

I dont' have many images online, but I've been very pleased with DT in 07.  I've also had several sales for pix that I've considered removing.  And this week the subscription sales have started to trickle in for me as well - but still mixed with the nice $1.50 sales.  Even sold a Christmas image today.   Definitely not dead for me!

If you sell your images at microstock prices at FP, you're working in the microstock model.

I have images at high and low price ranges at FP.  I'm thinking of having two accounts there to separate the two portfolios.

Regards,
Adelaide

Still, it's difficult to define. On IV, I have photos ranging from 20 to 150 (I think). 20 isn't really micro, but it isn't macro either. Nobody will buy "whatever-for-the-office" isolated on white background for more than 20$ anymore, and quite rightly so. Shots like that are easy to set up, particularly with a digital camera, and should be cheap. Photographers can hardly be blamed for adapting to realities. Still some do of course, and although they have the right to do so, I find the arguments somewhat out of date some times.

I have been getting a sale everyday for the past week though not much just $0.50 - $1.50 a day but i'm happy cos i dont have a big portfolio  but i'm dying on BigStock no sale since last week !!