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Author Topic: Sales have tanked big time  (Read 180566 times)

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lagereek

« Reply #775 on: November 18, 2011, 16:10 »
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The IS search is constructed, Im sure by some monkey out in the bush, playing with himself.

I have the very photo you need  :P:


Modified: but the link doesn't seem to work!


Please try to get the link to work, would like a good laugh myself :D


« Reply #776 on: November 18, 2011, 16:29 »
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Exclusive images sell at a higher price point anyway, so while an indy @ 20% will get 1.2 credits worth of $ out of a medium (6 credit) sale, and an exclusive @ 30% will get 3 credits of $ off a medium (10 credit) sale, iStock earns 7 credits with the exclusive and only 4.8 with the independent.

What an absurd example __ you're not comparing apples to apples. There is only one independent contributor (if any at all) that earn 20%, the vast majority earn 17% or less. Exclusives on the other hand can supposedly earn up to 45% and there are certainly several hundred, if not thousands, that earn 35-40%. If you plug those numbers into your little equation you'll find that Istock's take, in cash terms, is roughly the same for each similar sale. It is that way because that's exactly what they designed the pricing architecture and commission levels to provide.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2011, 16:36 by gostwyck »

« Reply #777 on: November 18, 2011, 16:34 »
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duplicate post

lisafx

« Reply #778 on: November 18, 2011, 16:38 »
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Ironically rigging the search in favour of exclusives will also be costing Istock dearly in terms of their percentage profitability that they seemed so keen to improve. They must pay roughly twice the % commission on exclusive sales that they do on independent sales.

Very true.   But desperate times call for desperate measures ;)

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #779 on: November 18, 2011, 16:38 »
0
The IS search is constructed, Im sure by some monkey out in the bush, playing with himself.

I have the very photo you need  :P:


Modified: but the link doesn't seem to work!


Please try to get the link to work, would like a good laugh myself :D


Maybe it's because iStock have deemed it 'adult content' - honestly!!!
Try copy-and-pasting: http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-5372504-look-what-i-ve-got.php?st=8da8390
Give me a few minutes and I'll look for one that's an even closer match, and if I find it I'll throw it up somewhere ...

tee

« Reply #780 on: November 18, 2011, 16:44 »
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What an absurd example __ you're not comparing apples to apples. There is only one independent contributor (if any at all) that earn 20%, the vast majority earn 17% or less. Exclusives on the other hand can supposedly earn up to 45% and there are certainly several hundred, if not thousands, that earn 35-40%. If you plug those numbers into your little equation you'll find that Istock's take, in cash terms, is roughly the same for each similar sale. It is that way because that's exactly what they designed the pricing architecture and commission levels to provide.

OK so let's say that the independent gets 17% - that's iStock earning 4.98 for the medium file. Lets' say 35% for the exclusive - that's iStock earning 6.5 for the same size.

Even at 15% for the indy and 45% for the exclusive it's still 5.10 and 5.50 for iStock, respectively, and those are generous numbers, seeing as how difficult it is to reach past the 35% RC level. Over volume this is a huge difference, and my point is valid. No need to get so defensive.

« Reply #781 on: November 18, 2011, 16:47 »
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But desperate times call for desperate measures ;)

Dead right __ and of course that's also why independent contributors got Photo+. It makes you wonder if there's anything left to squeeze dry in their efforts to maintain profits.

Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #782 on: December 05, 2011, 03:39 »
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Well, so far Dec sales are terrible. Well below the usual busy run up to the end of the year.

Microbius

« Reply #783 on: December 05, 2011, 03:51 »
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Well, so far Dec sales are terrible. Well below the usual busy run up to the end of the year.

 I always found December to be the slowest month?

« Reply #784 on: December 07, 2011, 15:28 »
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It's just dawned on me how badly istock is perfoming now and made me worry about their future and of course my subsequent income.

My story is since january 2011 my sales have been dropping month after month, i usually put these variations down to ebb and flow but my sales results are just speaking for themselves. That together with observing the opinions from other contributors both on the istock forums and here as well as site traffic info leads me to an educated guess that they really are losing ground rather rapidly and are displeasing buyers and which in turn is displeasing contributors.

Many have their theories and i think common sense will tell you what is going wrong over there like many have already stated. As to why istock staff cant see this is completely beyond me, but there you go.

I personally think the following are major contributing factors:

Site revamp. It's horrible and i dont like it, the search feels slow and clunky and competitors sites are very quick in comparison.

Vetta to the front of the search. I think this is putting off buyers, they probably dont even look to the left TBH at sliders etc. The average buyer does a search, glazes over the lovely colourful images that are presented on the first couple of pages then runs away after looking at the price while having lodged in their brain that istock is now expensive and they can no longer trust them. I believe that the bods at istock know this as well but do not want to admit it as they have probably spent too much time and money on the system to roll it back now.

Global downturn. Higher priced images are a 'nice to have' if the economy was in good shape however its not and buyers are quite happy to shop around if it meant saving $50 for a cheaper alternative which may also be better suited towards them. Also my sales on competitors sites have not gone down at all this year. Also when you look back at when the global recession first took its toll istock was still doing well and were letting everyone know this fact but its only since these big changes have taken place with the site-revamp and Vetta order within the search that i have witnessed a huge loss.

In short, buyers (designers and corporates) are being put off by this, buyers want simplicity and a slick, quick site that pulls up the images that they want at a good price from an already established brand that they trust - what more could you ask for? Think Google. And if their trusted bank of images changes the game, what are you going to do? Go elsewhere.

To me, this is a huge shame and i cant see the situation getting better, only worse. 2012 may indeed be a horrible year for istock.

Anyway, i needed to get that off my chest and i wish everyone the best.

Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #785 on: December 12, 2011, 01:15 »
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Dec is looking to be the worst month if it carries on like this.

« Reply #786 on: December 12, 2011, 03:50 »
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Well, so far Dec sales are terrible. Well below the usual busy run up to the end of the year.

 I always found December to be the slowest month?
Same here but it usually slows down later in December.  Christmas seems to of come early this year for istock :)

helix7

« Reply #787 on: December 12, 2011, 07:59 »
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Dec is looking to be the worst month if it carries on like this.

Same here. At my current pace, this month will be my worst month at istock since June 2007, which is the month that I joined the site.

It will also knock istock down to 5th overall on my monthly earnings list. Pretty amazing considering that it wasn't very long ago that istock held the #2 spot, and was even occasionally #1 a few years back.

« Reply #788 on: December 12, 2011, 12:25 »
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Over the weekend I actually had my first 'zero sales' day on Istock ... for 7 years (literally, my last zero sales day was 10th Dec 2004). It has been gradually getting closer and the way sales have been slipping it didn't come as a surprise. I'm expecting to 'enjoy' such events more and more regularly in the future.

microstockphoto.co.uk

« Reply #789 on: December 12, 2011, 13:36 »
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My sales there have been going slowly down for at least one year now, but they were still in "Middle Tier".
This month is a totally different story, and way worse: if things continue this way, it will be my WME at IS, below my first month there (May 2008) and below some "Low Earners".
For the first time I am thinking IS is really over, unless something completely new happens (Someone buys them and comes with a proper business plan, not without clearly saying SORRY).

« Reply #790 on: December 12, 2011, 14:06 »
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This is the worst month I've had at IS in years. I'm shocked at how fast my earnings are declining there. It looks like the site is dying - maybe this was Getty's plan all along -- buy it then kill it.

« Reply #791 on: December 12, 2011, 14:37 »
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My figures for the year are looking down by almost exactly the percentage I lost due to bringing in the RC system. So in effect I've lost ground even though I've been ULing regularly.
This month is dire. I had the worst week I've had for ages at the end of last month, start of this. Last week looked a bit better, but this has started really badly. TWO DLs so far today is ridiculous for a weekday, and is totally unsustainable for me in the long run. I just don't know where this thing is going any longer. I don't think I'm alone in that either.

« Reply #792 on: December 12, 2011, 15:10 »
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This is the worst month I've had at IS in years. I'm shocked at how fast my earnings are declining there. It looks like the site is dying - maybe this was Getty's plan all along -- buy it then kill it.

It's not Getty, it's the financiers who own it. Getty bought it six years ago and actually expanded it. It's since the H&F takeover of Getty three (?) years back that things have got seriously peculiar.

« Reply #793 on: December 12, 2011, 15:29 »
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Dec is looking to be the worst month if it carries on like this.

Same here. At my current pace, this month will be my worst month at istock since June 2007, which is the month that I joined the site.

It will also knock istock down to 5th overall on my monthly earnings list. Pretty amazing considering that it wasn't very long ago that istock held the #2 spot, and was even occasionally #1 a few years back.

Helix7, just wondering if you see the same trends on your own website that sells your images.  How have your sales been lately?  Does the wave go up and down with the rest of the agencies? 

helix7

« Reply #794 on: December 12, 2011, 16:15 »
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Helix7, just wondering if you see the same trends on your own website that sells your images.  How have your sales been lately?  Does the wave go up and down with the rest of the agencies? 

Generally the volume of sales I'm getting on my own site is too low to really see any kind of trends. I'd say my personal site earnings are generally up, although slightly. That or I'd say they're steady. But probably not down.

But again, without a more significant volume, it's tough to say if there's any real trend line.

« Reply #795 on: December 12, 2011, 17:22 »
0
Hello,

A few of your file downloads were paid royalties at the wrong rate
and we have made adjustments to your account balance to make up the difference.

A balance adjustment of $0.05 was added to your account.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

If you have any questions, hit us up anytime by email ([email protected]) or phone (1-866-478-6251).

   The iStock Team

SNP

  • Canadian Photographer
« Reply #796 on: December 12, 2011, 17:39 »
0
Sales are below average, and they're made up of a weird mix of old files. Since Friday as far as I can tell

« Reply #797 on: December 12, 2011, 18:46 »
0
Hello,

A few of your file downloads were paid royalties at the wrong rate
and we have made adjustments to your account balance to make up the difference.

A balance adjustment of $0.05 was added to your account.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

If you have any questions, hit us up anytime by email ([email protected]) or phone (1-866-478-6251).

   The iStock Team

Congrats, luis, you can do all your Christmas shopping now!  ;)

« Reply #798 on: December 12, 2011, 19:58 »
0
Over the weekend I actually had my first 'zero sales' day on Istock ... for 7 years (literally, my last zero sales day was 10th Dec 2004). It has been gradually getting closer and the way sales have been slipping it didn't come as a surprise. I'm expecting to 'enjoy' such events more and more regularly in the future.

Wow.  Sorry to hear this. 

« Reply #799 on: December 12, 2011, 20:30 »
0
delted


 

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