Sales

[ronyzmbow]

In the last week I had no sales at all. Does anybody experience the same? Does anybody have any idea why is this?

[Mantis]

Istock has slowed down to the point where I only look in on them a couple times a week.  I no longer get even remotely hopeful that sales are good. I treat them like 123, DT, and any other of my lower tier sites. Last month I made $130 with 2950 images. I used to make easily $500 plus per month there.

[sgoodwin4813]

For me regular iS sales plunged in June and really tanked beginning last month.  Unfortunately I think this is the new normal.  Who knows why, but the most likely explanation is that their buyers have moved elsewhere, probably to SS.

Looks like Mantis posted while I was writing and I agree - only worth checking once a week like the other slow sites.  It's very sad, as they used to be my #1 earner - I liked the old days when iS could bring in a lot of money.

[jjneff]

Video sales have been good and photo sales have remained stable for me. Getty has been really strong for me.

[ShadySue]

For me regular iS sales plunged in June and really tanked beginning last month.  Unfortunately I think this is the new normal.  Who knows why, but the most likely explanation is that their buyers have moved elsewhere, probably to SS.

Yup, fewer buyers + a vast increase of so-so, badly keyworded images (possibly leading to fewer buyers)/competition = fewer sales among many  more contributors.

[Mantis]

Video sales have been good and photo sales have remained stable for me. Getty has been really strong for me.

That's good to hear as an exclusive, but as an indy getting $6-$7 for full 1080P that sort of stinks.

[KB]

This past week was my second-worst week ever ("surpassed" only by the last week of 2013) (I'm iS Exclusive for photos).

[Uncle Pete]

Now that they have driven off most of the customers with confusing pricing schemes or various collections, that changed every six months, then switched people to Subs or TS, I don't know why anyone sees the same level of Credit Sales on IS that they used to get?

In the last week I had no sales at all. Does anybody experience the same? Does anybody have any idea why is this?

[KB]

That's good to hear as an exclusive, but as an indy getting $6-$7 for full 1080P that sort of stinks.

"Sort of stinks" is putting it mildly. "Completely unacceptable" is the way I put it, so they are no longer selling my clips.

[lionheart]

I can join you. Sales are completely down and really rare. November 2014 was the worst month on IS since joining them in 2006. So there must be something strange ...
I also didn't sign the new artist's supply agreement till now nor did i upload anything new. DBy the way: Did anybody sign the new ASA already?
The only good (bad) thing are the partner program sales - they helped to "survive" November.
It really hurts thinking back a few years were 400, 500 even 600 $ were made a month, with just 200 files online ...
Today with more than 1000 files online i just make the tenth of this sum (when having a good month). Strange - isn't it? 

[Difydave]

Nothing here since last Thursday.
I know it's Christmas, but I think this is the longest time with no credit sales in about 9 years!

[tickstock]

December is going to be the first month since iStock introduced subs that I beat the previous year in terms of income.  With GI sales and subs I'm expecting a best December ever.  Also GI sales for November were the best I've ever had so for me things are looking up.

[ShadySue]

Worst Nov since 2007 (even counting in subs and GI) is pretty certain to be followed by the worst Dec since 2007.

When I did my stats last night, I noticed I got 2.5x the $$ in the same week last year (no ELs then or now).

[Difydave]

Yeah it's the worst I've known it for many years. Must be similar for me. I'd have to go back to 2007 ish. I went for several years with sales every day, including holidays. Those days are gone. Mind you I have had one sale today now!

[BaldricksTrousers]

Still a few most days but the trend has been in the wrong direction for a long time.

[ShadySue]

Mind you I have had one sale today now!

Me too  not the first time I've noticed a moan here has preceded a dl there.

[ronyzmbow]

My monthly a average was about 100 US Dollars. last month - 0 sales!!!
I wrote to them and their answer was that there few images related to Christmas in my portfolio....excuse me - how stupid is that???

[BaldricksTrousers]

My monthly a average was about 100 US Dollars. last month - 0 sales!!!
I wrote to them and their answer was that there few images related to Christmas in my portfolio....excuse me - how stupid is that???

Exceedingly.

[hoi ha]

I have been travelling over the holidays and had not checked my portfolios for close to 3 weeks - I was totally shocked - not a single download in that time on IS - not one since the 9th of December - in the same period I made almost $70 on SS - only about $20 on DT but at least something -  I know my sales have been getting worse on IS worse but this is beyond belief. They must really be suffering a massive loss of customers. 

[BaldricksTrousers]

They must really be suffering a massive loss of customers.

Or the search might have shifted to bury independent content.

How long has the default search been "new" rather than "best match"?

[CCK]

I've had 3 sales for December, from a portfolio of 1700. Same sales as back in 2007 when I had 10 photos in my portfolio. At least I get something from partner sales.
But is it the same for exclusive members? I was wondering if the search perhaps favours exclusives in such a way that the other photos are buried so deep that no one sees it.

[Semmick Photo]

Werent they favouring independents a short while ago?

[Mantis]

That's good to hear as an exclusive, but as an indy getting $6-$7 for full 1080P that sort of stinks.

"Sort of stinks" is putting it mildly. "Completely unacceptable" is the way I put it, so they are no longer selling my clips.

Well, yea. Sometimes I try to be nice.... But you're correct.

[breamal73]

I'm an exclusive illustrator and although I have a small port I haven't had such a sales drought for several years with a port a tenth the size. No sales since mid Dec.
I can't help feeling there is something more serious going on than just a holiday slowdown.

[KB]

They must really be suffering a massive loss of customers.

Or the search might have shifted to bury independent content.

How long has the default search been "new" rather than "best match"?

The search must have also shifted to bury exclusive content.    I vote for the "massive loss of customers" theory.

Dec was my worst month ever as an exclusive (other than my first month, July 2010, which hadn't fully shifted into exclusivity).

[w7lwi]

I'm an exclusive illustrator and although I have a small port I haven't had such a sales drought for several years with a port a tenth the size. No sales since mid Dec.
I can't help feeling there is something more serious going on than just a holiday slowdown.

Same problem here, only as an independent and with photos.  Last sale was during the second week in December.  Month was moving along, albeit slowly, up to that point and then ... brick wall.  Zero sales ever since.

[ShadySue]

I did two searches, after deleting history/cache etc, logged out.
'Iceberg' had 2/3 indie files in the top 15 or so.
'Business' had about 3/4 excusive in the top c15.

[No Free Lunch]

I compare being 'Exclusive' on iStock to having a first class ticket on the 'Titanic' - why would you want it knowing your going sink?  Get into the life boats (indie) while you can before it is too late...

[Freedom]

Terrible November and December as IS exclusive.

[bunhill]

I'm now starting to remove my higher value images and will move them to macro.

Does the Exclusive contract allow that or are you quitting Exclusive ?

[PaulieWalnuts]

I'm now starting to remove my higher value images and will move them to macro.

Does the Exclusive contract allow that or are you quitting Exclusive ?

Not sure. But from a financial standpoint if they don't allow me to do this I will have no option but to drop exclusivity.

[ShadySue]

I'm now starting to remove my higher value images and will move them to macro.

Does the Exclusive contract allow that or are you quitting Exclusive ?

It does, if the macro is RM.
The issue with some macros is if they would accept files as RM which had previously sold as RF.
If they hadn't sold, it wouldn't be an issue.

[bunhill]

The issue with some macros is if they would accept files as RM which had previously sold as RF.
If they hadn't sold, it wouldn't be an issue.

Yep. And I believe that there may be an additional potential issue. Which is that pulled content may still be on distributor / sister sites. Content takes ages to be pulled. Eg - The last time I looked there were long ex iS exclusives (years now) who still have E+ collection content on GI.

You would not want to be uploading old content as RM whilst somewhere else it is still being sold RF.

Personally I think that it is bonkers to move RF content to RM. Just shoot something new. Especially given that all RF sales can still be used again forever. I think you kind of have to let old stuff go and shoot new if you decide to move on.

[PixelBytes]

December is the first month EVER I have a zero sales day on IS.  Even my first year I got at least one sale a day even on Xmas, and mostly many more than one.  Now here's my first day with no sale, but I don't think it will be my last on IS.

[PaulieWalnuts]

I'm now starting to remove my higher value images and will move them to macro.

Does the Exclusive contract allow that or are you quitting Exclusive ?

It does, if the macro is RM.
The issue with some macros is if they would accept files as RM which had previously sold as RF.
If they hadn't sold, it wouldn't be an issue.

Macro RF, not RM.

[ShadySue]

I'm now starting to remove my higher value images and will move them to macro.

Does the Exclusive contract allow that or are you quitting Exclusive ?

It does, if the macro is RM.
The issue with some macros is if they would accept files as RM which had previously sold as RF.
If they hadn't sold, it wouldn't be an issue.

Macro RF, not RM.

You would definitely have to become indie, in that case.

[Monkeyman]

Anybody seeing an increase now when we're back from the holidays? My sales are still VERY bad. Yesterday (which I assume was a normal wednesday in North America) I had two downloads... a couple of years ago I used to get around 30 downloads a day. I guess it's the effect of the subscription program... the whole * industry will probably be mainly subs eventually... 

Too bad iStock isn't a limited company (or whatever it's called in english) so we could see their reports. Would be interesting to see how bad things really are over there.

[Monkeyman]

I had no sales this saturday and sunday. And so far I haven't had a single download today either. I don't even remember when I had normal weekday without a single download the last time... and three days in a row with no downloads (even with weekends included) hasn't happened in I don't know how many years. It must have been when I was new at iStock back in 2009.

I've been thinking about leaving exclusivity since 2012 and it seems like I'm now quite quickly getting to the point, income-wise, where it could be worth the risk.

[No Free Lunch]

I've been thinking about leaving exclusivity since 2012 and it seems like I'm now quite quickly getting to the point, income-wise, where it could be worth the risk.

I don't see it as a risk at all- more like a wise business decision leaving exclusivity. 

[goober]

I said it a few months ago. They topped and tailed the collection. The small image buyers now have to pay a fortune for small images and the high end image owners get far less per sale.

So it is less for everyone.

[Phadrea]

All sales (audio and image) sales for me halted on the 16th.

[Monkeyman]

So how are you doing, iStockers?

My sales are extremely low in January. So low that I decided to cancel exclusivity a few days ago, after about 4,5 years as exclusive. I have a rather small portfolio so I have no idea if I'm actually gonna make more money as independent... but unfortunately the only way to find out is to try.

[mojaric]

super low.... 10 sales with 1300 images...

[borg]

Will they change royalty percentage on level of Getty (20% I think) after these changes?

[KB]

Will they change royalty percentage on level of Getty (20% I think) after these changes?

They've seen that they can get a nearly unlimited supply of images at 15% (to perhaps 17%), so I don't see why they'd suddenly decide to go up to 20% for everyone.

I've suggested before they may try something like 15% / 25% or even 15% / 30% for independents / exclusives, but really the most likely scenario in my mind is now a straight 15% for everyone (no more exclusivity).

Whatever they do, I can't see them doing anything that will save themselves in the long run (whenever they can no longer roll over their financing).

[Holmes]

istock confused buyers with crazy pricing = buyers did not like that

istock flooded offering with poor quality images = buyers hate that

istock priced-out web developer image buyers = c/ya

= buyers left

same thing happened with RM stock photos...

[Stockmaan]

In the last week I had no sales at all. Does anybody experience the same? Does anybody have any idea why is this?

Sales stoped for last week on IS. Weird. SS sales are okey. Fotolia stoped too. Dreamstime is low as usual. We will see ...

Greetings

[Monkeyman]

The industry is dying I suppose. Which isn't exactly a new and unique analysis. 

I've been independent a few days now and it seems that I made more money at Shutterstock back in 2010 with fewer and uglier vectors. And if Shutterstock sales are bad I can't imagine that the other sites will boost my sales... so maybe I've should have stayed at iStock. Time will tell...