Author Topic: Sales and traffic on Canstock (Read 20034 times)

enstoker · « **on:** August 29, 2012, 07:08 »

Two month passed and no life here?
Also my sells are low, lower, the lowest compared to other sites.

admin edit for a better subject.

Wim · « **Reply #1 on:** August 29, 2012, 07:26 »

Just when I was to quit some of the middle/low earners CS picked up and well so it's the opposite for me, they have just come alive after one year, so was about time too!
Might be lucky sales though from the same buyer, time will tell.
My sales were also amongst the lowest from all agencies I supply but hang in there, they might pick up when you least expect it.

Good luck!

dbvirago · « **Reply #2 on:** August 29, 2012, 07:41 »

For me, Canstock remains a solid mid-tier performer on par with Bigstock, Fotolia and 123. Far exceeds iStock which continues a trend of WME every month.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 29, 2012, 08:42 »

portfolio link?

they were 1.5% of my income in 2011

grp_photo · « **Reply #4 on:** August 29, 2012, 09:45 »

CS was my first microagency back in 2004 but it was always a very very low performer, if you have a very small portfolio then the occasional good sale can pump it to the mid-tier but with a 'so-called' mature portfolio you know it is a low earner in general.

Fred · « **Reply #5 on:** August 29, 2012, 10:03 »

Well sales at CS are very slow but I average over $2.50 a sale there and that more than makes up for it for me.

fred

enstoker · « **Reply #6 on:** August 29, 2012, 10:27 »

Nice to hear You, friends, ...

What about CS related sites?
Any info about selling there ?

Duncan, my friend, are You on holliday?

michaeldb · « **Reply #7 on:** August 29, 2012, 13:24 »

Quote from: dbvirago on August 29, 2012, 07:41

For me, Canstock remains a solid mid-tier performer on par with Bigstock, Fotolia and 123. Far exceeds iStock which continues a trend of WME every month.

+1 Good, consistent sales for my illustrations at CS.

CD123 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 29, 2012, 15:43 »

Good steady performer (that is now CS and Duncan

). Still number 3 on my earnings list and still going strong.

leaf · « **Reply #10 on:** August 29, 2012, 16:51 »

Quote from: Duncan_CSP on August 29, 2012, 14:56

Quote from: enstoker on August 29, 2012, 10:27
Duncan, my friend, are You on holliday?

Nope, no holiday for me I'm afraid! I still check MSG whenever I can.

While everyone's mileage will vary, we are continuing to set monthly sales records nearly every month in a row - which is especially nice to be doing through the traditionally slow summer months. I'm surprised to see our ranking on the right, which never seems to reflect our actual performance, but it's good to hear some people here have been noting our steady progress.

Cheers,
Duncan

For me Canstock has nice steady sales and is worthwhile uploading to as it is easy to do and is supported by StockSubmitter for automatic submission so it really doesn't take any extra work.

In terms of the poll, I think if people could vote higher values for Shutterstock, Canstock would have an even lower ranking. For me Shutterstock earns 16x what Canstock does and I have a larger portfolio on Canstock. The poll suggests that Canstock earns 1/10 of what Shutterstock could earn a photographer. That said, I'm sure everyone's numbers vary a fair bit. In terms of your nearest neighbors though, Photoune, Veer - they seems pretty spot on as I earn a similar amount with them as I do on Canstock.

Mantis · « **Reply #11 on:** August 29, 2012, 17:05 »

Significant drop for me, from $10 a month to $5

But true. No growth there (or anywhere to be fair) with continued uploads.

Poncke · « **Reply #12 on:** August 29, 2012, 17:40 »

5$ a month here as well with 450 photos

Wim · « **Reply #13 on:** August 30, 2012, 01:59 »

6 sales in the last 3 days netting me around 26USD.

I do hope this sales trend continues trough the better months and I can keep supporting this agency.

Carl · « **Reply #14 on:** August 30, 2012, 05:48 »

Sales at CS are only occasional for me. However, I stopped uploading because recently a batch was rejected for lack of a model release. I'm sure I attached it, in which case it would be a system glitch. It's possible that I simply forgot to do it. But since there's no mechanism that would allow me to simply attached the releases and go forward from there, I'd have to start again at square one and reupload the images. Not gonna happen. Not worth the time investment for a low earner. I'm focusing my efforts on Pond5 where I'm in control because I set the prices and keep 50%.

stan · « **Reply #15 on:** August 30, 2012, 06:57 »

Quote from: leaf on August 29, 2012, 16:51

Quote from: Duncan_CSP on August 29, 2012, 14:56
Quote from: enstoker on August 29, 2012, 10:27
Duncan, my friend, are You on holliday?

Nope, no holiday for me I'm afraid! I still check MSG whenever I can.

While everyone's mileage will vary, we are continuing to set monthly sales records nearly every month in a row - which is especially nice to be doing through the traditionally slow summer months. I'm surprised to see our ranking on the right, which never seems to reflect our actual performance, but it's good to hear some people here have been noting our steady progress.

Cheers,
Duncan

For me Canstock has nice steady sales and is worthwhile uploading to as it is easy to do and is supported by StockSubmitter for automatic submission so it really doesn't take any extra work.

In terms of the poll, I think if people could vote higher values for Shutterstock, Canstock would have an even lower ranking. For me Shutterstock earns 16x what Canstock does and I have a larger portfolio on Canstock. The poll suggests that Canstock earns 1/10 of what Shutterstock could earn a photographer. That said, I'm sure everyone's numbers vary a fair bit. In terms of your nearest neighbors though, Photoune, Veer - they seems pretty spot on as I earn a similar amount with them as I do on Canstock.

Indeed, I earn at least 50x more on SS. But then again BS brings me only half as much as CS and it's ranked higher. I guess only old members are earning good money at BS. CS is a constant low seller for me, no improvement whatsoever after adding hundreds of new images, so I don't even bother anymore although the UL process is simple. But why do it, if it's futile? To be fair, I must add that I stopped ULing to all the sites except for the top 4, since they earn me less than 10% combined.

JPSDK · « **Reply #16 on:** August 30, 2012, 07:10 »

I gave it a try and uploaded a some hundred pictures.
a couple of months ago.
and got a payout a week ago.

the site is well funktioning and nice to cooperate with, but... it takes many more sales to really become interesting.

tab62 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 30, 2012, 09:27 »

my personal experience has been nothing but positive with this site! Duncan works his tail off! I got my first payout a few weeks ago!

Pauws99 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 30, 2012, 12:48 »

A do like C stock and appreciate Duncan coming on here when hes had some ridiculous insults my sales have dipped recently though - my response - work harder

Mantis · « **Reply #20 on:** August 30, 2012, 16:55 »

Quote from: Pauws99 on August 30, 2012, 12:48

A do like C stock and appreciate Duncan coming on here when hes had some ridiculous insults my sales have dipped recently though - my response - work harder

What kind of ridiculous insults are you referring to?

Pauws99 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 31, 2012, 00:48 »

"Neverending small agency crookery. I'm used to it, yet get surprised over&over" and other posts from a rather vitriolic WUT

Dan · « **Reply #22 on:** September 08, 2012, 16:56 »

I have a very small port but unlike what was said that maybe a small port could pull in a couple sales. Hasn't worked for me but i'm still hanging in there.
All my sales elsewhere are from small ports so maybe i'll can get a sale or two here also.
I won't give up because Duncan sounds like he really cares about us contributors.

Mantis · « **Reply #23 on:** September 08, 2012, 17:41 »

Quote from: Dan on September 08, 2012, 16:56

I have a very small port but unlike what was said that maybe a small port could pull in a couple sales. Hasn't worked for me but i'm still hanging in there.
All my sales elsewhere are from small ports so maybe i'll can get a sale or two here also.
I won't give up because Duncan sounds like he really cares about us contributors.

Hey Dan,

Duncan cares about his business first, profits, etc, then there are the contributors. Although your port is small (and I don't know if it's 10, 50, 500, etc) just receiving one or two sales somewhere doesn't mean their site is on fire. I am not trying to discourage you, I am merely suggesting that not all sites are the same and a sale here and there doesn't set precedence, although it may give hope. The goal is to upload as you are, see what happens and adjust your strategy accordingly. I am not on all sites, in fact not on most small sites. I have tried a many that are either no longer in business or are just too high of risk (no downloads). But I would just say that don't rely on something like Duncan cares as a strategy.

Best of luck.

stocker2011 · « **Reply #24 on:** September 08, 2012, 18:08 »

I'm a video contributor with a port of only around 130 videos however sales are fairly consistent each month which is encouraging, and Duncan sounds like a really honest chap.

However, i can't help but think that if us video contributors were pushed further up in the search instead of being lumped at the very back of the search results (heck i'd even be happy if videos were somewhere in the middle) and in addition were given the ability to change thumbnail to represent what the video is about instead of a blank, I'm confident that my sales would be much higher. And course that would mean a higher margin of profit for you as well Duncan as video sells for much more.

At the moment i feel like we are being choked for some reason which i do not know.

Mantis · « **Reply #25 on:** September 08, 2012, 18:15 »

Quote from: stocker2011 on September 08, 2012, 18:08

I'm a video contributor with a port of only around 130 videos however sales are fairly consistent each month which is encouraging, and Duncan sounds like a really honest chap.

However, i can't help but think that if us video contributors were pushed further up in the search instead of being lumped at the very back of the search results (heck i'd even be happy if videos were somewhere in the middle) and in addition were given the ability to change thumbnail to represent what the video is about instead of a blank, I'm confident that my sales would be much higher. And course that would mean a higher margin of profit for you as well Duncan as video sells for much more.

At the moment i feel like we are being choked for some reason which i do not know.

Just to be clear I think Duncan also "sounds like a really honest chap." Ya know when some of us criticize an agency (and I am not saying that you are saying this) we don't always criticize an individual. We probably shouldn't since most angered comments by us are based on decisions by them as a company, not an individual.

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #26 on:** September 09, 2012, 03:23 »

Yeah, Duncan's a good guy. I had a payment problem once, it turned out to be the banks' fault, but Duncan was very concerned about it and gave his personal attention to my next payment or two.

I just wish they would sell more and those big Fotosearch sales would come back again.

Wim · « **Reply #27 on:** September 09, 2012, 03:33 »

Quote from: Dan on September 08, 2012, 16:56

I have a very small port but unlike what was said that maybe a small port could pull in a couple sales. Hasn't worked for me but i'm still hanging in there.
All my sales elsewhere are from small ports so maybe i'll can get a sale or two here also.
I won't give up because Duncan sounds like he really cares about us contributors.

Dan, it all depends on how you want to built up your port and what to expect from it.
If you are looking for good sales from the start a small port would require high quality/concept/niche.
Also keep in mind that vectors seem to sell best on CS which might be true for other small sites too.

Good luck

Pauws99 · « **Reply #28 on:** September 09, 2012, 06:38 »

I would want someone to care first about their business otherwise it would go down the swanee pretty darn quick!

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #29 on:** September 09, 2012, 07:52 »

Unfortunately there are too many sites out there whose bosses may care about their business but who long since stopped caring about their contributors, regarding them as replacable and generally irrelevant. Unfortunately, they seem to be able to keep making money while doing that.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #30 on:** September 09, 2012, 08:07 »

in the short term id like to think :-\canstock are one of those sites i tend to give higher priority than maybe the numbers deserve as they seem to have an eye on the long game

Mantis · « **Reply #31 on:** September 09, 2012, 08:36 »

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on September 09, 2012, 07:52

Unfortunately there are too many sites out there whose bosses may care about their business but who long since stopped caring about their contributors, regarding them as replacable and generally irrelevant. Unfortunately, they seem to be able to keep making money while doing that.

Well stated.^^^

Duncan_CSP · « **Reply #32 on:** September 09, 2012, 10:07 »

I'm very flattered by the warm personal regards by many of you. Thanks!

In 2003 I was a photographer on a certain microstock agency, who I felt treated us photographers poorly and with shockingly little respect. It ate away at me until the following year when I quit and started my own agency, with the sole focus of treating photographers fairly and with respect. I set commissions at 2x that of the other agency, and aimed to run CanStock as the first "fair trade" stock agency. The goal was never to make millions, or even personal gain, but much rather doing what I thought was right.

Now over 8 years later, I think it's clear these principals still drive us today. I'm still regularly shocked to read experiences people here have in dealing with other agencies - and personally make sure we don't fall into the same grouping.

There has been lots written about the backgrounds of some of our competitors, and it would be easy to see that their focus always has been and always will be bottom line profits. While we're not a non-profit, I think it's important to remember that we're started by photographers, run by photographers, and treat our contributors how we would want to be treated.

I hope people see that this is not just marketing spin, but is how and why we were started. Which is something we are very proud of.

Cheers,
Duncan

fritz · « **Reply #33 on:** September 09, 2012, 10:12 »

Well with 4012 files there I still can't get more than 60-70$ per month but much better than DP. That agency really sucks

WarrenPrice · « **Reply #34 on:** September 09, 2012, 12:07 »

I keep thinking about uploading to Canstock. I'm a great procrastinator. But, I think you just knocked me off the fence, Duncan.
Now, if I can just find a wee bit more inspiration ...

Good post and congratulations on the continued success.

MikLav · « **Reply #35 on:** September 09, 2012, 14:44 »

is it normal these days to wait for more than 2 weeks for images review at CS? I remember it used to a few hours some time ago...

fotografer · « **Reply #36 on:** September 09, 2012, 15:00 »

Quote from: MikLav on September 09, 2012, 14:44

is it normal these days to wait for more than 2 weeks for images review at CS? I remember it used to a few hours some time ago...

No, Mine are getting reviewed very quickly still.

Poncke · « **Reply #37 on:** September 09, 2012, 16:10 »

Quote from: MikLav on September 09, 2012, 14:44

is it normal these days to wait for more than 2 weeks for images review at CS? I remember it used to a few hours some time ago...

No, thats not normal, they normally get reviewed same hour, same day and lately 2 days. 2 weeks is not normal. Write a note to Duncan via support and he'll sort you out.

MikLav · « **Reply #38 on:** September 10, 2012, 01:56 »

thanks!

corepics · « **Reply #39 on:** September 10, 2012, 12:32 »

Quote from: MikLav on September 09, 2012, 14:44

is it normal these days to wait for more than 2 weeks for images review at CS? I remember it used to a few hours some time ago...

We, too, have images pending since the end of August, and reading this tread, I contacted Duncan.

usual reasons for such delays can be copyrighted terms ("disney", "olympics", etc) in kewyords, or new model releases, as they need to be checked by CS' legal deptartment.

I also pointed Duncan to this thread. Hope it gets resolved, soon.

Pixart · « **Reply #40 on:** September 10, 2012, 12:38 »

I've also noticed in the past if you upload a new model release it can take extra time.

CD123 · « **Reply #41 on:** September 10, 2012, 13:08 »

Even if I had 1 sale per month, I will continue supporting CS just out of principle, based on the agencies general attitude and devolution.
What Duncan said is not a marketing ploy, as I can confirm from all my dealings with him, that he is a person of integrity (something one can barely say of 5% agencies around).

corepics · « **Reply #42 on:** September 10, 2012, 13:12 »

+1 Duncan has always been extremely helpful and open in communications. Besides, CS performs pretty nicely with 1 to 2 payouts per month. Site is fairly straight forward, and uploading is easy.

MikLav · « **Reply #43 on:** September 10, 2012, 13:53 »

My pending images are fairly generic, no special copyrighted words. Reported via support ticket, Duncan confirmed he is checking it.

enstoker · « **Reply #44 on:** April 16, 2013, 00:38 »

Quote from: CD123 on September 10, 2012, 13:08

Even if I had 1 sale per month, I will continue supporting CS just out of principle, based on the agencies general attitude and devolution.
What Duncan said is not a marketing ploy, as I can confirm from all my dealings with him, that he is a person of integrity (something one can barely say of 5% agencies around).

Nice!
Will You continue supporting CS also with ZERO, NADA, NULL sales?
My sells on SS, DT, FT are rising but on CS stopped.
25 days not even one sold, 1300+ photos.
Upload and forget is NOT my system.
My system is upload and sell !

flotsom · « **Reply #45 on:** April 16, 2013, 02:02 »

In 3 months I've only had 7 sales but have reached payout, so much better to sell less for more I think

enstoker · « **Reply #46 on:** April 16, 2013, 04:03 »

Quote from: flotsom on April 16, 2013, 02:02

In 3 months I've only had 7 sales but have reached payout, so much better to sell less for more I think

7 sales..... 50 $ realy???
With so big luck You must bet on lottery, not sell stock photos

dino · « **Reply #47 on:** April 16, 2013, 04:15 »

My sales are slow there, usually just few per month. I keep uploading because there is no so much work to do it.
Just got the $32 sale over the weekend

definitely made my day!

MisterElements · « **Reply #48 on:** April 16, 2013, 06:46 »

Sale for me are normal this month on Can. Their upload process is so easy and awesome and review times are so very fast. I really enjoy uploading to Can. Thank you Canstock for the easy enjoyable upload process and fast review times!

shiyali · « **Reply #49 on:** April 16, 2013, 07:07 »

Easy upload, fast reviews, reasonable sales, bug free site, I'm ok with that. Wish there were more places like that.

Poncke · « **Reply #50 on:** April 16, 2013, 11:23 »

Sales svck immensely if you have under 2000 images. 2 payouts a year.

lisafx · « **Reply #51 on:** April 16, 2013, 11:51 »

Quote from: shiyali on April 16, 2013, 07:07

Easy upload, fast reviews, reasonable sales, bug free site, I'm ok with that. Wish there were more places like that.

Same experience here. They are not one of my big sellers, but I get a couple of payouts a month there on average. That makes it worthwhile IMO.

CD123 · « **Reply #52 on:** April 16, 2013, 17:57 »

Quote from: Poncke on April 16, 2013, 11:23

Sales svck immensely if you have under 2000 images. 2 payouts a year.

It all depends what those images are. For example, vectors seem to sell relatively well and bring in $5 a shot, while I also found some more "arty" type of images sell better than other stock images. Started getting payouts about every 2 months from 1200 images upwards.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #53 on:** April 16, 2013, 23:00 »

usually very low from 10$-20$ per month but this one is just crazy, wait for it................. 1.55$

Tryingmybest · « **Reply #54 on:** May 04, 2013, 06:45 »

I'm quite impressed with the sales and revenue at Canstock. I'm doing better there every month since I started in summer 2010.

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Author Topic: Sales and traffic on Canstock (Read 20034 times)

Wim

dbvirago

grp_photo

CD123

Poncke

Wim

tab62

Wim

WarrenPrice

Poncke

CD123

Poncke

lisafx

CD123

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