MicrostockGroup

If you know how to organize your self, you won't see big difference in time spent for microstock between 4 and 10 sites. I personally submit to 13 right now. Most time you will spend on shooting and editing, and you have to do it anyway.
1. Write IPTC data in PS or any other software that can do it, so you won't have to do it online
2. Use FTP for upload, so you can upload your files to multiple sites with few mouse clicks. You can even go to sleep after it, your images will be uploaded anyway
3. Logon to every site and choose categories where it's needed.

Third step is the only step that will take more time for 10 sites than 4 sites.

in the past months, my most optimistic would be Fotolia, my newest site (5 months old). My most consistent since beginning in micro almost one year ago today  has been Stockxpert, which also gave me a stellar performances (by my standard) in Feb,March, April, although mostly subs. Followed closely by Dreamstime, and tagging far behind but paying better than subs Big Stock.Giving me a trickle (less than a dollar ) in the past month : 123rf, Canstock, SV.    Scanstock started well with 2 EU then fell into a stupor . I was actually hoping for more after they announced their move into the US market.
But don't judge it by me, my portfolio was very small until last winter (feb, march, april 2009) that I really made any effort to upload more consistently, BUT only to the sites that gave me a sale. Each time I get a sale, I upload to that site .
The only site that hasn't given me a sale but I am in full support is Cutcaster...
simply because John rocks  !

I think Fotolia too, I find that your ranking is linked to your approval and sales. This week I got an Extended Licence Sale and my ranking shot up. I also heard that keywords are vital for the first seven, although others here say that's folklore.
what do you think?

Did Fotolia customer service confirmed that too?

There are no big 6. Theres a big 2 IS SS, big 4 if you add FT & DT, and big 7 with StockXpert 123 BigStock. I dont find CanStockPhoto as one of the big 8 but if it was fored in that would be it.

part 2 of the question which ones are worth the time? either the big 2 or the big 4 after that it might be a waste of time until you have 1000 photos. you can always upload those later to the last 4 and you didn't lose much. Sobody good would have only the big 2 and not waste time on any of the rest. FT & DT are getting hard to work with.

Real data are here...

Fotolia will be No.1 soon...

Thank you for clarifying that Lisa! I'm sorry if I misguided anyone. The less rumors around the better.

Me: small portfolio, mostly objects, 4 months experience.

Regular sales on SS and FT, DT is third.

StockXpert - some sales early on, then the site esssentially broke in February. New images get no views. Nothing sells any more.

123 RF - a complete waste of time.

IS - too much hassle, for very few sales.  If you want to mess with IS, submit only images that are already selling well elsewhere - expect lots of them to be rejected and don't bother trying to understand why. If you believe they've rejected a particularly good one, wait a couple weeks and resubmit, it may get through.

As a newcomer you can forget about IS and nobody know that is in a year or two.

IS is 42% of sales - SS is 40%. BigStock 7% DT 6% and FT 3%.

CC, 123, and Yay have yet to make a sale. I've been with IS since 2003 with Yay for 1 month. All other sites I've been with for about a year.

I also agree, except that starting next week I'm afraid that StockXpert will drop down to the group containing 123 & BigStock. 

Optimism is good.

I also hope you are pleasantly surprised.