Does anyone have a good word to say about istock?

[heywoody]

Rarely see anything positive posted - wondering what folks think.  Really aimed at non-exclusives as less likely to be institutionalised....

[Microbius]

Nope, nothing.
Funny to think that if you had asked me two/ three years ago they were my favorite agency

[packerguy]

How about a back-handed compliment.  The P+ program is preventing my earnings from falling quite so fast.

[Jo Ann Snover]

iStock's actions are what I think they should be judged by - what can they deliver in monthly earnings from my portfolio. My opinion of them rises and falls (mostly the latter of late) with those numbers.

[Snufkin]

Yes, it is a very good cage for all the exclusives that were lured there, once you're in, it is not easy to break out.
Less competition for us in the real-world, that is a positive effect that IS has on the stock market.

[velocicarpo]

Not me.

[WarrenPrice]

Not so sure it is a good word but ... are they really any different than the rest?  Is there really a dimes worth of difference?  Am I more likely to make money there than at other sites?
I think the answer to that last question might be a "good word."   

[Microstock Posts]

Declining

[disorderly]

The best I can think of is that they so pissed me off with the dramatic cut in my royalties that I no longer have to care about their infuriating upload process or their equally infuriating reviewers.  And not uploading hasn't cost me all that much; my revenue there is down 24.2% year on year, only a little worse than the 20% more they took for themselves.

[mortenkjerulff]

Well... (as a small fish / slow producer)

IS is where I make the most money.
I like their reviewing, which seems much more human than other places.
I have learned a lot from IS, being a contributor there.

[Slovenian]

Less competition for us in the real-world, that is a positive effect that IS has on the stock market.

That's the only good thing I can think of, otherwise I think they're pathetic.

[leaf]

as much as I hate to say it, it doesn't look like their exclusives are suffering too much
http://blog.microstockgroup.com/microstock-income-vs-portfolio-size/

[BaldricksTrousers]

When you create a two-class business, with special privileges for an elite and an underclass that is repeatedly discriminated against, I think it is inevitable that the lower-class citizens will start getting a bit resentful. It doesn't really matter that you can choose which class to join, the sense of being snubbed is still there with each widening of the gap.

The company is still a very important source of income for me, despite the lousy treatment it repeatedly dishes out.

[michaeldb]

The best I can think of is that they so pissed me off with the dramatic cut in my royalties that I no longer have to care about their infuriating upload process or their equally infuriating reviewers.  And not uploading hasn't cost me all that much; my revenue there is down 24.2% year on year, only a little worse than the 20% more they took for themselves.

Exactly. iStock/Getty is the enemy of independents. They would like to put us all out of business and rule in a world where only their pets are allowed to make money.

I stopped uploading to IS many months ago. The drop in my revenues there has stabilized. But my revenues at other sites have greatly increased. I understand why some people are afraid to stop submitting to IS, but my experience is that buyers will find my images elsewhere, and in the long run I will make more money, and save a lot of time - it used to take me almost as long to submit to IS as to upload to all the other agencies put together. We independents should stop feeding the hand that bites us. Stop submitting to IS, and we independents will all be better off in the long run.

[Mantis]

Yes, I got an EL this week

[lisafx]

I can't resist a challenge...

Positive is that the P+ program has improved my earnings quite a bit.  I'll save the "but..." for another thread, since you only want positive comments here

[WarrenPrice]

PS: I did open a ticket about the length of time since my last download and had a response in a reasonable time ... and, got sales within an hour of submitting the ticket.   

PPS:  They are not the only agency catering to exclusives.

[Sean Locke Photography]

Really aimed at non-exclusives as less likely to be institutionalised....

Wow, insulting right from the start.

[luissantos84]

had a good month there but it is always going up and down.. I have been uploading for a "long time", they are far from dropping to 3rd place so there is still hope, I am talking on around 100$ per month so not a very valuable statement

[fritz]

When I compare IS with SS DT and FT they are far better than others.
Better sales and better inspection process at least in my case.
Yes, they 're greedy with buggy site but still having the best microstock collection according to me.
I'm not a buyer but if I have to buy I'll go with them.

[Freedom]

I have experienced the mood swings like everyone else. I was an independent and now I am exclusive.

At the end of the day, I realize one thing, I cannot control what iStock does, but I can control what I do. I either adept and survive, or I do something else. No one cares about your destination, it's up to you, independent or exclusive.

[Mantis]

I have experienced the mood swings like everyone else. I was an independent and now I am exclusive.

At the end of the day, I realize one thing, I cannot control what iStock does, but I can control what I do. I either adept and survive, or I do something else. No one cares about your destination, it's up to you, independent or exclusive.

How are you feeling about going exclusive? Is/was it worth it?

[Freedom]

Mantis, as I said, I went through all the mood swings, lol, it is still a love and hate thing. I am not making as much as I had hoped, but I don't think iStock is fully responsible for it. The competition is getting tougher everyday.

In all honesty, I have learned more from iStock than anywhere else. I still believe it gives me better potential to grow as a photographer. I don't think I can go back to take the subscription sales from other agencies. At least I can opt out of Thinkstock if I want to.

I have experienced the mood swings like everyone else. I was an independent and now I am exclusive.

At the end of the day, I realize one thing, I cannot control what iStock does, but I can control what I do. I either adept and survive, or I do something else. No one cares about your destination, it's up to you, independent or exclusive.

How are you feeling about going exclusive? Is/was it worth it?

[luissantos84]

At least I can opt out of Thinkstock if I want to.

not following you actually.. non-exclusives can opt out too

[madelaide]

Well, despite ripping us off with the commission, IS is still amazingly consistently one of my two top earners. This is something positive. Not that it covers all the negative points.