MicrostockGroup

This thread got me thinking http://www.microstockgroup.com/fotolia-com/fotolia-partner-sales/msg223313/?topicseen#new

Given the lack of transparency in accounting that we face with our agents/distributors and their partners, I think somebody could start a business mystery shopping for individual contributors.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_shopping   for those who don’t know about it.)

I’ve got a busy day job, so this is beyond me, but I bet a number of contributors would be willing to pay to see how long it takes to show up in the contributor’s account and how much the agent/distributor actually pays out.  

The big hurdle is getting the agencies/distributors to not object to this when a contributor comes to them with a problem transaction fund this way.  I can imagine some agent/distributors taking the position that anyone buying images on your behalf is seeking to manipulate their system and will close the contributor’s account rather than work to resolve the issue.

Clearly this would not work on high volume images since it would be hard to identify individual transactions, but most of us have a few more niche images that rarely (if ever in my case) sell.  

Added to note that if you are posting here under your real name that you might not want to state you have/intend to buy your own images, regardless of how well intentioned you might be.  People have had their accounts closed for doing so.  

We are on the same wavelength.  I am buying a hosting package in the next couple of days, one of them gives 7 free credits.  If I get that plan I had intended to buy 7 little photos from 7 of us over different days and see how the reporting goes.

Wonder if the mystery shopper could get agreement from the agencies in advance that sales made by the shopper would be identified to the agencies after 60 or 90 days and then identified to the agencies so the transaction could be voided so no benifit could accrue to the contributor?

60 or 90 days would give partners enough time to report the transaction (or not!) to the agency and them to report to the contributor. 

I'm sure that some do have a system in place, but those systems are there to serve the agent, not the contributor.  I have doubts that some of the agents are able to manage the accounting within their own company, let alone with a whole slew of partners

This is at least a theoretical way to narrow the trust gap between contributors and the agencies a bit.