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Author Topic: Sales  (Read 9055 times)

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w7lwi

  • Those that don't stand up to evil enable evil.
« Reply #25 on: January 03, 2015, 11:43 »
+1
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

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #26 on: January 03, 2015, 12:07 »
0
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

« Reply #27 on: January 03, 2015, 12:19 »
+4
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...



PaulieWalnuts

  • We Have Exciting News For You
« Reply #28 on: January 03, 2015, 12:29 »
+10
This new price structure they launched in September is a total disaster for me.

November and December sales were 50% compared to average monthly sales earlier this year. And sales weren't all that great earlier this year.

Sub sales and downloads are increasing every month while regular sales and downloads are decreasing. Oh so sub buyers are different than regular buyers? My a$$. Actually they are different. Sub buyers used to be regular buyers that paid more money.

I used to regularly get $30+ E+ earnings. Now everything is under $12.

So now buyers that used to pay $100 for an image pay 1/4 or 1/3 of that. Brilliant. And small image buyers seem to have left.

I stopped submitting new content over a year ago. I'm now starting to remove my higher value images and will move them to macro. I'll leave my generic stuff there for now.

It was good while it lasted.


« Reply #29 on: January 03, 2015, 12:45 »
0
Terrible November and December as IS exclusive.

« Reply #30 on: January 03, 2015, 12:50 »
0
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

  • We Have Exciting News For You
« Reply #31 on: January 03, 2015, 13:12 »
+2
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

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #32 on: January 03, 2015, 14:24 »
+1
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.

« Reply #33 on: January 03, 2015, 14:55 »
0
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.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2015, 14:59 by bunhill »

« Reply #34 on: January 03, 2015, 16:06 »
0
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

  • We Have Exciting News For You
« Reply #35 on: January 03, 2015, 16:16 »
0
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

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #36 on: January 03, 2015, 16:37 »
+1
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.

« Reply #37 on: January 08, 2015, 17:45 »
+4
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.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2015, 17:59 by Monkeyman »

« Reply #38 on: January 11, 2015, 19:24 »
+2
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

« Reply #39 on: January 11, 2015, 19:37 »
+2
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.  8)


« Reply #40 on: January 14, 2015, 04:49 »
+3
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.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2015, 04:52 by goober »

Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #41 on: January 20, 2015, 05:41 »
0
All sales (audio and image) sales for me halted on the 16th.

« Reply #42 on: January 24, 2015, 15:39 »
+7
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.

« Reply #43 on: January 27, 2015, 07:23 »
+1
super low.... 10 sales with 1300 images...

« Reply #44 on: January 27, 2015, 08:15 »
+1
Will they change royalty percentage on level of Getty (20% I think) after these changes?

KB

« Reply #45 on: January 27, 2015, 13:26 »
+2
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).

« Reply #46 on: January 27, 2015, 13:42 »
+1
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...

« Reply #47 on: February 24, 2015, 10:08 »
0
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

« Reply #48 on: February 24, 2015, 10:29 »
0
The industry is dying I suppose. Which isn't exactly a new and unique analysis.  :P

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...


 

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