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Author Topic: Shutterstock sales growth year to year not impressive for the last few months.  (Read 39722 times)

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« on: August 27, 2016, 07:04 »
+2
Despite constantly adding new video and photo contents, the year to year growth last few months hasn't been impressive.  I don't know if it's just me or their growth as a company is slowing down.  Maybe they are selling contents too cheap?  I have no idea.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2016, 07:08 by helloitsme »


alno

« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2016, 07:18 »
+3
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.   

« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2016, 07:37 »
+9
Making my month now requires multiple big SOD's and video sales. Overall number of downloads is way down, OD's are down, the whole tamale.  This has been generally going on for the last year.  Monthly swings can be as much as $500 for me on SS.

As a general statement, this whole industry is on the back side of the S-curve for contributors and those same agencies have figured out how to squeeze so much out of the contributor that they have demotivated many of us from taking the time and making the effort to shoot creative content. I have not set up my studio for still work for two years.  I have zip motivation.  I've been thinking of shooting more in the RM area but that kind of work takes a long time to sell and is not consistent income.  So I have been focusing on video and animations. Even still, that is hard to make up for the losses from images if you aren't edging on pro-level content or niche.

Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2016, 08:56 »
+8
Supply is outpacing demand.

« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2016, 09:05 »
+13
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2016, 21:59 »
+2
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

So if you got loads of sales and made about $2K a month there, that would be really horrible?

« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2016, 00:26 »
+9
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

So if you got loads of sales and made about $2K a month there, that would be really horrible?

Yes, it is very horrible.  People now can buy the same clips for $10 instead of $70+.  It's bad.  Simple math.

Justanotherphotographer

« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2016, 02:59 »
+12
As always happens when a site sells dirt cheap a fee people join early and clean up on volume. Everyone else hears about it and signs up, the volume dries up. Other sites have to sell lower to compete. The race to the bottom continues.

alno

« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2016, 03:08 »
+1
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

So if you got loads of sales and made about $2K a month there, that would be really horrible?

Yes, it is very horrible.  People now can buy the same clips for $10 instead of $70+.  It's bad.  Simple math.

I may sound like stupid girl, but the number of people who can afford clip for $8 or $25 for 4K is... Well, it's everybody. Any person with youtube channel and 1+ subscribers. Millions of potential customers are better than thousands. McDonald's will ever outperform any 3 Michelin stars restaurant in terms of revenue. Simple math.

« Reply #9 on: August 28, 2016, 03:16 »
+4
A Michelin starred chef earns more than a McDonalds chip fryer...

alno

« Reply #10 on: August 28, 2016, 03:38 »
+1
A Michelin starred chef earns more than a McDonalds chip fryer...

I suppose we all here don't look like hired staff :)

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #11 on: August 28, 2016, 04:21 »
0
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

So if you got loads of sales and made about $2K a month there, that would be really horrible?

Yes, it is very horrible.  People now can buy the same clips for $10 instead of $70+.  It's bad.  Simple math.

So it's only the price your works sells for that's important to you? The volume of sales doesn't matter as long as they sell for a high price?

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #12 on: August 28, 2016, 04:25 »
+1
A Michelin starred chef earns more than a McDonalds chip fryer...

I think for the purpose of the analogy, we're looking at the turnover of the restaurants, rather than how much their staff are paid.

« Reply #13 on: August 28, 2016, 04:26 »
0
[

So it's only the price your works sells for that's important to you? The volume of sales doesn't matter as long as they sell for a high price?
[/quote]  To me its total income from my portfolio that matters. Its nice to think someone thinks my work is worth $$$$ but in the end its total income that pays the bills.

Tror

« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2016, 04:28 »
+3
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

So if you got loads of sales and made about $2K a month there, that would be really horrible?

Yes, it is very horrible.  People now can buy the same clips for $10 instead of $70+.  It's bad.  Simple math.

So it's only the price your works sells for that's important to you? The volume of sales doesn't matter as long as they sell for a high price?

The point is that you see good sales NOW on videohive because they undercut the market. Once everybody submits their stuff there your sales volume (not revenue or Profit, just the amount of files you sell) will be the same or maybe a bit more the amount of todays established sites (lets say three times more due to possible new markets, youtubes, low budget folks etc.?) .

However, once this was done the market is ruined and your revenue is minimal.

Beyond the pricing issue Videohive has. I simply think Envato is not a respectable company. For almost any EU resident it is almost impossible to work with them since they break about 6 laws with every invoice they issue in my name.

I do not respect them and do not understand why people support companies like this. I hope the IRS closes them down as soon as possible.

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #15 on: August 28, 2016, 04:35 »
0
As always happens when a site sells dirt cheap a fee people join early and clean up on volume. Everyone else hears about it and signs up, the volume dries up. Other sites have to sell lower to compete. The race to the bottom continues.

That's not entirely true though, is it? Envato have been around for ten years... the same as Pond5, just a year less than Fotolia and three years less than Shutterstock.

So all these other sites have had ten years in which to start 'selling lower to compete', and I've not seen any $8 clips on Shutterstock, and they seem to be doing ok.

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #16 on: August 28, 2016, 04:40 »
0
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

So if you got loads of sales and made about $2K a month there, that would be really horrible?

Yes, it is very horrible.  People now can buy the same clips for $10 instead of $70+.  It's bad.  Simple math.

So it's only the price your works sells for that's important to you? The volume of sales doesn't matter as long as they sell for a high price?

The point is that you see good sales NOW on videohive because they undercut the market. Once everybody submits their stuff there your sales volume (not revenue or Profit, just the amount of files you sell) will be the same or maybe a bit more the amount of todays established sites (lets say three times more due to possible new markets, youtubes, low budget folks etc.?) .

However, once this was done the market is ruined and your revenue is minimal.

Beyond the pricing issue Videohive has. I simply think Envato is not a respectable company. For almost any EU resident it is almost impossible to work with them since they break about 6 laws with every invoice they issue in my name.

I do not respect them and do not understand why people support companies like this. I hope the IRS closes them down as soon as possible.

You know they've been around for ten by years, right? So they're pretty established already. I've been there for seven, and apart from a few very minor exceptions, my sales have increased every single month.

Not sure about the laws they're breaking... from what I can tell, they're one if the few companies that don play by the rules when it comes to VAT collection and remission, and handling US withholding tax. I'm no international tax expert though!

Tror

« Reply #17 on: August 28, 2016, 05:44 »
0
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

So if you got loads of sales and made about $2K a month there, that would be really horrible?

Yes, it is very horrible.  People now can buy the same clips for $10 instead of $70+.  It's bad.  Simple math.

So it's only the price your works sells for that's important to you? The volume of sales doesn't matter as long as they sell for a high price?

The point is that you see good sales NOW on videohive because they undercut the market. Once everybody submits their stuff there your sales volume (not revenue or Profit, just the amount of files you sell) will be the same or maybe a bit more the amount of todays established sites (lets say three times more due to possible new markets, youtubes, low budget folks etc.?) .

However, once this was done the market is ruined and your revenue is minimal.

Beyond the pricing issue Videohive has. I simply think Envato is not a respectable company. For almost any EU resident it is almost impossible to work with them since they break about 6 laws with every invoice they issue in my name.

I do not respect them and do not understand why people support companies like this. I hope the IRS closes them down as soon as possible.

You know they've been around for ten by years, right? So they're pretty established already. I've been there for seven, and apart from a few very minor exceptions, my sales have increased every single month.

Not sure about the laws they're breaking... from what I can tell, they're one if the few companies that don play by the rules when it comes to VAT collection and remission, and handling US withholding tax. I'm no international tax expert though!

In most countries of the world invocies have to follow certain rules and regulations e.g. they have to be numbered, electronically transmitted to the tax office, have a certain format or things like this. Since envato issues invoices on our names and we have very limited possibilities to influence that it will get most likely many people in trouble. Leave alone that they issue invoices with the SALES price, not our comission. My tax office for example needs to verify a payment method and see the actual transaction for a business expense which es impossible with envato. Why deal with such a mess?

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #18 on: August 28, 2016, 06:10 »
0
And do all the other stock sites provide you with invoices that have all these things?

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #19 on: August 28, 2016, 06:39 »
+1
[

So it's only the price your works sells for that's important to you? The volume of sales doesn't matter as long as they sell for a high price?
  To me its total income from my portfolio that matters. Its nice to think someone thinks my work is worth $$$$ but in the end its total income that pays the bills.
[/quote]

That's the way I see it as well. 100% royalties on $200 clips would be lovely, but not if you only sell one a month. Likewise, 10% royalties on $10 clips would be pretty terrible... but not if you're selling 2000 a month.

stockVid

« Reply #20 on: August 28, 2016, 06:54 »
+4
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

So if you got loads of sales and made about $2K a month there, that would be really horrible?

Yes.

Tror

« Reply #21 on: August 28, 2016, 07:11 »
+5
And do all the other stock sites provide you with invoices that have all these things?

You do not understand I think. Other Stock sites do not have to issue invoices on my name since they sell to the client, not me. But yes, all the other agencies work clean and transparent.

The normal procedure is that if I receive a payment form any other Agency or site I issue a invoice according to the local legislation to them and thats it :-)

Not Envato. They are the only ones I work with which chose to be NOT the seller of your content.

The point is that according to Envato you do NOT receive revenue from Envato, but rather from the client you sell to. Envato issues invoices ON YOUR BEHALF to the BUYER who buys at Envato. YOU earn according to Envato the full sales price although you receive only a fracture of that and if ANY tax office ANYWHERE checks one of those invoices YOU have to explain the sums, money, transactions, VAT declarations, expenses etc.

Please check the Envato forums for further information.

If you are from the countries where this practise does not bring any conflict with your local legistlation you can be happy and continue. If you are from a country which obliges you to follow a certain format with invoices, or if you need to declare your income at all you might be in trouble since Envato reports THEIR commission and Profit as YOUR Income to the Tax office and YOU have to deduct this Commission later as your expense.

Now, we all know that conflicting numbers are, especially if you state your income lower than expected, is a red flag for any tax office :-)

Finally it can be said that their practise is extremely shady and they seem to avoid all sorts of obligations for themselves at the expense of bringing the contributors in all potentially troublesome situations.

I get your point of making money through them, but leaving alone the whole pricing subject, personally I do not want to work with people like this. Profit or not. Sales or not. I believe in honesty and self-respect. Period.
« Last Edit: August 28, 2016, 07:14 by Tror »

SpaceStockFootage

  • Space, Sci-Fi and Astronomy Related Stock Footage

« Reply #22 on: August 28, 2016, 07:32 »
0
"The normal procedure is that if I receive a payment form any other Agency or site I issue a invoice according to the local legislation to them and thats it :-)"

Why can't you do that with Envato? I'm pretty sure most tax authorities don't care what some website says they do or don't do... as long as everyone is paying the taxes they should be. Envato may say you are the seller, but in the eyes of the tax authorities (well, the UK ones anyway) they are the seller. That's one of the reasons they are charging and remitting VAT. They wouldn't do that if they weren't the seller, or if there was no need for them to do so.

And I'm pretty sure something would have been done about it by now, if they were doing something shady. What's the benefit to Envato of doing it this way? Surely any financial gains could be easily obtained by a drop in commissions rather than by implementing a complicated, shady and illegal tax scheme. Isn't it more likely that they've looked into it and are doing all this because they're supposed to?

Tror

« Reply #23 on: August 28, 2016, 07:39 »
+1

Why can't you do that with Envato?

Because Envato says that you did not sell to them but to the client. And issues a invoice for each sale on your name. And reports their income as yours to the tax office, later virtually charge you with their commission you never received.

There had been long and huge threads here and on the Envato boards regarding that. Please read through them :-)
« Last Edit: August 28, 2016, 07:50 by Tror »

« Reply #24 on: August 28, 2016, 08:20 »
+3
I guess the main reason is we are all making too much content too fast and dividing almost the same pie for growing number of contributors :) The number of big and medium producers who can afford $79 for HD is unlikely growing accordingly. Videohive may be a some sort of solution. I noticed there were sales from the countries which never appeared on my Shutterstock sales map (China, Russia) and the typical buyer profile there is surely different.


I will never sell anything at Videohive.  It's too dirt cheap!!  It's horrible for contributors!!

So if you got loads of sales and made about $2K a month there, that would be really horrible?

Yes, it is very horrible.  People now can buy the same clips for $10 instead of $70+.  It's bad.  Simple math.

So it's only the price your works sells for that's important to you? The volume of sales doesn't matter as long as they sell for a high price?

It's obviously both we want.  But price erosion is what brought micro stock down to its knees for suppliers.  Now we are having the same discussions for video, some embracing cheap seat prices and others wanting to sustain fair prices.  In the longer term (maybe a few years) we will then be seeing similar shenanigans on sub pricing, cheap bundles, further commission erosion, less quality content (need I say 50,000 videos of someone smoking pot), a race for more volume, less quality just to keep up with the cuts agencies build into their models, to the point where video is now for those who only wish to make a few extra bucks a month, and those in countries where a small dollar amount is significant for them. The rest of those who are trying to make a living at it might as well go work at McDonalds to supplement their MS income.  So I understand both points; yours is instant gratification and helloitsme is long term sustainability and steady income.  All agencies are doing is competing by chopping pricing, it has nothing to do with people paying $79 for HD.  Bloggers and such don't need $79 HD, they can pay much less for a web version, so that argument is noted at best.  Where in all of this discussion is the quality of ones work addressed? There seems to be a tone that content does not matter, only price.  That is short sighted thinking.  I'm with helloitsme, I won't upload to VH. 


 

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