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Author Topic: Sales collapse at Istock. Are credit sales dead ?  (Read 34411 times)

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« on: November 26, 2015, 07:42 »
+10
Since the introduction of the 10 images subscriptions my credit sales have gone down the drain. Right now I have many days with only 5 sales with a port of over 10.000 images (used to get +100 daily with a port of 3000 only a few years back). Of course subscriptions have increased, but the income is a joke compared to what credit sales mean to my income (around 10$/sale).

So it definetely seems that credit sales are trending to 0 and that is the final nail in my istock exclusivity coffin. Are other exclusives and independents also seeing this credit disappearance or is it just me?
« Last Edit: November 26, 2015, 07:51 by everest »


« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2015, 07:53 »
+4
Yes, credit sales have almost completely dried up this year.  Too bad.

« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2015, 08:23 »
0
Partner sales plus subs make up about 2/3 of my income, credit sales the rest, I'm independent.

« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2015, 09:15 »
+8
For me every month is going down hill as credit sales diminish. Like shutterstock, i keep hoping for a big thinkstock image pack sale to keep my head at water level. I see istock eventially being a $60 to $80 a month site in the next two years or so. I have about 3000 images there. My best times there was about $700 a month. Today i am at $300-$400. This month i am at $165 but that is before pp kicks in. I believe that if thinkstock goes away a percentage of clients will migrate to other sites and we will not have a one to one hand off from TS to IS sub program. Credits are a thing of the past as agencies know they can make more by calling everything subs.
« Last Edit: November 26, 2015, 09:31 by Mantis »

« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2015, 09:23 »
0
Indipendent

2014

Credit sales: 19% of total earnings rpd 1,28 $
Partner and Sub: 81% of total earnings rpd 0,46 $

2015 (+21% portfolio +8% earnings)

Credit sales: 23% of total earnings rpd 1,73 $
Partner and Sub: 77% of total earnings rpd 0,46 $

The introduction of the 10 images subscriptions don't affect my credit sales so far.

« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2015, 09:27 »
0
Since the introduction of the 10 images subscriptions my credit sales have gone down the drain.
@everest Are you exclusive with iStock?

« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2015, 09:29 »
0
i'm overall up 10% this year compared to 2014...but i've a 25% bigger port

ps i mean in credit sales
« Last Edit: November 26, 2015, 10:01 by mojaric »

« Reply #7 on: November 26, 2015, 09:37 »
0
Since the introduction of the 10 images subscriptions my credit sales have gone down the drain.
@everest Are you exclusive with iStock?

Yes . I am exclusive with them. My full time income comes from Istock and Gettyimages

« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2015, 09:45 »
0
Haven't noticed any big change from the introduction of new sub/credit plans, maybe a 10-15% less or so. Introduction of regular subs was far worse. Of course, credits sales are a pittance compared with what they once were.

And today is very slow, but, then again, today is a holiday in the USA.

« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2015, 10:01 »
+5
Credit sales are down for me and video is in terrible shape, I don't know if that is related to fewer people buying credits. Tough times at iStock!

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2015, 12:02 »
+4
Credit sales disappearing like snow in summer. Subs sales increasing, but even sub sales + credit dls are a fraction of previous years. Not sure if my total income from this year will reach even 60% of last year.
True, I'm hardly uploading now, but I was finding that files uploaded in the past couple of years are almost inevitably selling as subs only, so why bother? My few credit sales are almost all much older files (2011 or earlier). Have no way of knowing whether subs buyers see a different best match, or  ...
« Last Edit: November 26, 2015, 14:39 by ShadySue »

op

« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2015, 13:19 »
+3
I'm not on iStock but GI and I see the same trend since few months ago..

It is ridiculous, GI sell videos via subs even cheaper than microstock, it goes as cheap as $4! (I had two of those last month) and at the same time sell the same footage to a non sub client $xxxx... Sometimes I wonder what those clients would think about that if they knew...

Anyway, when we ask GI about those crazy low prices subs, they tell us that they need new competitive offers in order to reach new markets but the only thing that does is turning good old RM sales into subs...

« Reply #12 on: November 26, 2015, 14:24 »
+17
Credit sales are not dead, Credit sales are murdered. Murdered because GI wants to squeeze the lemon even further in detriment of contributors pockets. Greed murdered credit sales in IS.

Chichikov

« Reply #13 on: November 26, 2015, 14:53 »
+2
This month, even if it is not finished, is my best month ever
Not sure that sales collapse for everybody.

« Reply #14 on: November 26, 2015, 15:04 »
+12
How long have you been on istock and are you exclusive

« Reply #15 on: November 26, 2015, 18:26 »
0
This month, even if it is not finished, is my best month ever
Not sure that sales collapse for everybody.
Marriage is like that...for a while.

« Reply #16 on: November 26, 2015, 19:13 »
+7
This month, even if it is not finished, is my best month ever
Not sure that sales collapse for everybody.
Newbie?
Five more cents made it a BME?


« Reply #17 on: November 26, 2015, 20:17 »
+8
Since the introduction of the 10 images subscriptions my credit sales have gone down the drain. Right now I have many days with only 5 sales with a port of over 10.000 images (used to get +100 daily with a port of 3000 only a few years back). Of course subscriptions have increased, but the income is a joke compared to what credit sales mean to my income (around 10$/sale).

So it definetely seems that credit sales are trending to 0 and that is the final nail in my istock exclusivity coffin. Are other exclusives and independents also seeing this credit disappearance or is it just me?

It's not just the subs and the new 'credits disguised as subs packs' - the removal of similars from the search (or the burying of them) will have a negative impact on sales of both credits and subs for most people.  As I understand it, those similars will now only be seen in the similars carousel and not in the search itself.  This of course is potentially disastrous for anyone who has had great sales from sets of images over the years.  It seems that istock has absolutely no interest or commitment to maintaining sales and income for any suppliers, including those who have supported the business over the long term.

dbvirago

« Reply #18 on: November 26, 2015, 20:41 »
0
About 95% or more of my income is from PP sales. I don't even check credit sales there any more. Not worth the time or effort.

« Reply #19 on: November 26, 2015, 22:30 »
+1
I'm exclusive. My credit sales are at 42% of my peak in 2012. Sub sales are not awesome, but they soften the huge decline in credit sales.

KB

« Reply #20 on: November 27, 2015, 00:29 »
+1
I'm exclusive. My credit sales are at 42% of my peak in 2012. Sub sales are not awesome, but they soften the huge decline in credit sales.
Exclusive here, too. My credit sales also peaked in 2012, though the decline in 2013 was minuscule. Through the first 11 months, my credit sales are at 46% of 2012's first 11 months. So quite similar. Though as others have said, the collapse has greatly accelerated, and in fact Nov will definitely be my WME as an exclusive (it won't be close). Sub sales along with GI sales add a bit of flavor, but they surely don't make up for the credit sale downfall.

« Reply #21 on: November 27, 2015, 00:58 »
0
Nov best month this year for me.

« Reply #22 on: November 27, 2015, 02:41 »
0
This month, even if it is not finished, is my best month ever
Not sure that sales collapse for everybody.

For me it's the same, I'm exclusive with 9000 images.

« Reply #23 on: November 27, 2015, 02:46 »
+5
same for me. 6000+ images, exclusive - 7 days this month with 0 sales.

With the current level of decline if I'm still exclusive this time next year, I will be homeless  :o

« Reply #24 on: November 27, 2015, 08:59 »
0
For the first time 0 sale with port of 1300 images. Subs or thinkstock may provide some relief. Independent yes.


 

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