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Author Topic: huge sales drop for new images  (Read 28725 times)

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« Reply #25 on: June 20, 2018, 13:33 »
0
With the subscription sales i know people who pay and use them and usually they are happy with "junk".  Most have deadlines and just need a picture roughly related for it, they dont have the time or the will to wade through 20 pages to find a "good" one.  They'll select the first on the page that'll do the job regardless.
Certainly EL and higher licence sales may look for searches but for most people subs are their main income source and number of sales and in that one the search being overwhelmed by new images that arent great but are on the same topic as searched will reduce their chance getting seen unless they do now start uploading in huge quantity....and the only real way to get the quantity required are large numbers of similar images which usually means a lower quality - ie the bar lowers.


« Reply #26 on: June 20, 2018, 17:21 »
+2
Quality in business terms is "fit for purpose" if someone wants a picture to be glanced at for 10 seconds on a web site it doesn't need to be a technical/artistic masterpiece...increasingly that's where the Mstock market is. I think the agencies realise this but went from being too stringent to in some cases letting even risible work with no definable purpose through.

« Reply #27 on: June 22, 2018, 05:21 »
+4
Something new has happened. There have been sales drops before, but nothing that resembles this. Images that are 10 years and older (just sold one with number 1,1xx,xxx) are selling better than before, while new photos don't seem to sell at all, particularly the last 6 months.

Even some editorial categories where I have little competition have died more or less completely for recent photos, categories that have sold well since I started this. It's all in the algoritms of course, and they must have changed them in a way that doesn't match previous patterns. This is happening while my Adobe/Fotolia sales is showing a healthy increase along with some of the smaller agencies. Even iStock, where I haven't uploaded in years, is improving.

dpimborough

« Reply #28 on: June 22, 2018, 13:47 »
+1
Something new has happened. There have been sales drops before, but nothing that resembles this. Images that are 10 years and older (just sold one with number 1,1xx,xxx) are selling better than before, while new photos don't seem to sell at all, particularly the last 6 months.

Even some editorial categories where I have little competition have died more or less completely for recent photos, categories that have sold well since I started this. It's all in the algoritms of course, and they must have changed them in a way that doesn't match previous patterns. This is happening while my Adobe/Fotolia sales is showing a healthy increase along with some of the smaller agencies. Even iStock, where I haven't uploaded in years, is improving.

Well considering SS only have two search categories now "New" and fake "Popular" it's hardly any wonder

rinderart

« Reply #29 on: June 22, 2018, 16:51 »
0
Something new has happened. There have been sales drops before, but nothing that resembles this. Images that are 10 years and older (just sold one with number 1,1xx,xxx) are selling better than before, while new photos don't seem to sell at all, particularly the last 6 months.

Even some editorial categories where I have little competition have died more or less completely for recent photos, categories that have sold well since I started this. It's all in the algoritms of course, and they must have changed them in a way that doesn't match previous patterns. This is happening while my Adobe/Fotolia sales is showing a healthy increase along with some of the smaller agencies. Even iStock, where I haven't uploaded in years, is improving.

Couldn't agree More. and Im doing tests. I sell the exact same amount everyday 7 days a week and basically the same 6/8 Year old Images. new stuff?. very, very Rare. so why upload. and yes adobe is coming On strong.

rinderart

« Reply #30 on: June 22, 2018, 19:56 »
0
Also, I don't think in 13+ years That has ever happened, I think mathematically that would be quite Impossible Unless my sales are manipulated.

« Reply #31 on: June 22, 2018, 21:05 »
0
Something new has happened. There have been sales drops before, but nothing that resembles this. Images that are 10 years and older (just sold one with number 1,1xx,xxx) are selling better than before, while new photos don't seem to sell at all, particularly the last 6 months.

Even some editorial categories where I have little competition have died more or less completely for recent photos, categories that have sold well since I started this. It's all in the algoritms of course, and they must have changed them in a way that doesn't match previous patterns. This is happening while my Adobe/Fotolia sales is showing a healthy increase along with some of the smaller agencies. Even iStock, where I haven't uploaded in years, is improving.

Couldn't agree More. and Im doing tests. I sell the exact same amount everyday 7 days a week and basically the same 6/8 Year old Images. new stuff?. very, very Rare. so why upload. and yes adobe is coming On strong.

AS is doing better, indeed. But not by as much as some try to suggest.
I am selling about 10-15% more per week than a year ago, but my weekly rank hovers around similiar levels.
This is telling me that AS has grown by 10-15% in a year. And this means that they still have a long way ahead, before catching up with SS.

As for SS I already exceeded June 2017 and I still have a full week ahead to dig deeper in the 4 digits revenue realm.

Btw, my new stuff is selling. Did you consider that maybe your new stuff is not as good as the work you produced when you were better motivated? All this negativity is not conducive to creativity.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2018, 21:16 by Zero Talent »

« Reply #32 on: June 23, 2018, 00:07 »
+1

AS is doing better, indeed. But not by as much as some try to suggest.
I am selling about 10-15% more per week than a year ago, but my weekly rank hovers around similiar levels.
This is telling me that AS has grown by 10-15% in a year. And this means that they still have a long way ahead, before catching up with SS.

As for SS I already exceeded June 2017 and I still have a full week ahead to dig deeper in the 4 digits revenue realm.

Btw, my new stuff is selling. Did you consider that maybe your new stuff is not as good as the work you produced when you were better motivated? All this negativity is not conducive to creativity.

My current images are higher resolution, my post processing skills are much better and the number of relevant keywords twice as high as they were 10 years ago. Much of my material is editorial, and when photos from an event in 2008 are outselling better and more relevant photos from the same event in 2018, I find it worrying. This is not about negativity, but observing a trend that has been going on for a while and that affects my, and apparently other's, bottom line negatively.

I'm uploading more and better images than I have in many years, and I see a positive effect with several agencies, even Bigstock, but no effect at SS. Quite the opposite actually.

There might be more than one reason for this. One thing I and others have observed is what I call "image spaming", several nearly identical images with the same search words that effectively move to the next pages other photos with the same theme from other contributors. In many cases, some of the keywords used aren't even correct, but will still place the image earlier in the queue than correctly keyworded images.

Example:
If you search for "singapore airshow a380 interior", you get 96 images of which 76 are not from Singapore Airshow, all from the same contributor, many of which are effectively duplicates. The photos are taken on a Sydney to Singapore flight. A380 was not on show at Singapore Airshow 2018. The result is that the honest contributors with A380 interior images that are actually taken at Singapore Airshow are pushed down to the bottom of the page.

Ironically I earn from this phenomenon also. I have lots of photos from floodings in Thailand 2010 and 2011. They sell well simply because they rate high on the "Popularity" search, but in reality they should have been surpassed by newer flood photos. When that is said; many of the newer photos I find are crap, pure and simply. This may be one of the reasons why customers search for "Popular" rather than "New". Under "New", they would often have to go to page umpteen to find a usable photo.

I'm actually consentrating more on Alamy these days. Less money, but less annoying also.

« Reply #33 on: June 28, 2018, 06:57 »
0
AS is growing and getting better. SS is peaked. I thought the problem was new images are stealing our income from old images, or was that last week? I can't see losing money to the dope guy or the bookshelf thousands, I don't have either. I also think they aren't making money. Or did that switch back from quality not quantity like old and new. Now it's quantity makes money, this week? People will find whatever they want to see for answers to what we can't see or know. Then they make up these fantasy theories why or how the sales are a big game, not really sales to people who license our work. All luck, controlled, capped and manipulated. That makes everything easy to explain, when we don't have real answers.

« Reply #34 on: June 28, 2018, 07:54 »
+4
I have portfolio over 8000+ images, many years of hard work, days and nights, good and bad times. I never ever had 40% of monthly decrese - this month is horrible.
I am selling new content from 2018 only 3-5% :(  So I decide won't supply them longer

« Reply #35 on: June 28, 2018, 11:11 »
+1
A photo I uploaded late January was sold about 280 times, so far. This means ~56 times a month, for the past 5 months, only on SS.

Isn't this proof enough that new stuff sells and maybe even that it can sell rather well?
« Last Edit: June 28, 2018, 11:25 by Zero Talent »

« Reply #36 on: June 28, 2018, 11:36 »
+1
Wow, then you are very talented guy, congrats. I have also well earners from 2018, but the trend is decreasing (for me).

« Reply #37 on: June 28, 2018, 18:43 »
0
Almost nothing I've uploaded in the past month has made a sale.  Everything appears to have disappeared into a black hole.

steheap

  • Author of best selling "Get Started in Stock"

« Reply #38 on: June 28, 2018, 19:13 »
+1
Quote
I have portfolio over 8000+ images, many years of hard work, days and nights, good and bad times. I never ever had 40% of monthly decrese - this month is horrible.
I am selling new content from 2018 only 3-5% :(  So I decide won't supply them longer

If you don't mind me saying, that is exactly what you should not do. Although part of me says that the more experienced contributors leave a site the better for those that remain!

This is just the latest iteration of SS's algorithms. Perhaps they will change next month and favor newer work - who knows. The only answer is to continue to upload to all agencies so that the one that takes the lead for a time has your images.

Steve

« Reply #39 on: June 28, 2018, 21:23 »
0
That has not been my experience. I sell old stuff (as far back as 2010 when I first started uploading) and new stuff (sold within a few days of uploading).  In fact, my sales are all over the map, both in terms of timeframe uploaded and in terms of subject matter.

I am selling landscapes (one uploaded last August has sold continuously 40+ times per month), butterflies (uploaded in my very first batch in 2010), India street scenes (uploaded May of this year), scenes of Broadway lit billboards (uploaded also in May), eagle hunters (uploaded last Fall), Galapagos birds (from 2005), Dubai camel race training (again May this year), Panama hat making (2016), Icelandic horses (2015), lots of Cuba cars (last December), etc, etc.

No rhyme or reason that I can see, and no pattern of age...

dpimborough

« Reply #40 on: June 29, 2018, 04:42 »
0
A photo I uploaded late January was sold about 280 times, so far. This means ~56 times a month, for the past 5 months, only on SS.

Isn't this proof enough that new stuff sells and maybe even that it can sell rather well?

One swallow does not a summer make

« Reply #41 on: June 29, 2018, 07:37 »
0
A photo I uploaded late January was sold about 280 times, so far. This means ~56 times a month, for the past 5 months, only on SS.

Isn't this proof enough that new stuff sells and maybe even that it can sell rather well?

One swallow does not a summer make

Not even that huge pterodactyl?
Swallows are not worth mentioning  ;)
But I just saw a couple of them this morning, in case you really want to know.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2018, 07:40 by Zero Talent »


« Reply #42 on: June 29, 2018, 08:37 »
0
Not all new images gets sale. I uploaded few holiday theme and some of them got sold and there were 1-2 new images which were getting downloads like crazy around 10-15 per day..

namussi

« Reply #43 on: June 30, 2018, 21:17 »
0
Stop blaming the agency or quality

Well the lack of quality control is largely responsible for the massive above linear increase with library size and that is the agencies decision.

They've also publicly stated they vary the algorithm and test it with randomly selected groups (its on their forum) so thats not some conspiracy theory.

No. That's a NEW conspiracy theory :-)

« Reply #44 on: June 30, 2018, 21:31 »
+2
Stop blaming the agency or quality

Well the lack of quality control is largely responsible for the massive above linear increase with library size and that is the agencies decision.

They've also publicly stated they vary the algorithm and test it with randomly selected groups (its on their forum) so thats not some conspiracy theory.

No. That's a NEW conspiracy theory :-)

A/B testing. Everybody is doing it. SS would be stupid not to test what works and what not. That's not a conspiracy. It's normal practice.

rinderart

« Reply #45 on: July 01, 2018, 00:39 »
+2
What I would Like is Like we have on SS A link to look at the work by a person posting. I Always find that very helpful. Posting words is one thing seeing someones work speaks Volumes. at least for me.https://www.shutterstock.com/g/rinder99?language=en

Also I never understood being anonymous. what are you afraid of? someone Like a possible client or buyer Finding you. I get emails constantly wanting to do business Privately. Anytime.I have a very Old client that found me here a LOOOOng time ago.They keep me very busy.

« Reply #46 on: July 01, 2018, 08:11 »
+2
What I would Like is Like we have on SS A link to look at the work by a person posting. I Always find that very helpful. Posting words is one thing seeing someones work speaks Volumes. at least for me.https://www.shutterstock.com/g/rinder99?language=en

Also I never understood being anonymous. what are you afraid of? someone Like a possible client or buyer Finding you. I get emails constantly wanting to do business Privately. Anytime.I have a very Old client that found me here a LOOOOng time ago.They keep me very busy.

You can go to your forum profile to add usernames for the main agencies you work with. Then links to your port will become visible to others.

As for being anonymous, better ask those forum members who dared to speak up and criticize agencies (like FT or IS) only to see their ports booted and the privilege of selling through them denied.

Additionally, sharing your port while bragging about good sales will definitely inspire many to copy your ideas and/or style.
Inspiring or helping your competitors to better compete with you is no different than shooting yourself in the foot.

So, if you only come here to complain about poor sales, you can always post links to those images nobody wants, as long as you don't blame your agencies for your lack of success.
 :P

Otherwise, it is better to stay anonymous and rely only on your brains to debate arguments and filter the information shared here.
« Last Edit: July 01, 2018, 08:18 by Zero Talent »

namussi

« Reply #47 on: July 01, 2018, 08:34 »
0
Stop blaming the agency or quality

Well the lack of quality control is largely responsible for the massive above linear increase with library size and that is the agencies decision.

They've also publicly stated they vary the algorithm and test it with randomly selected groups (its on their forum) so thats not some conspiracy theory.

No. That's a NEW conspiracy theory :-)

A/B testing. Everybody is doing it. SS would be stupid not to test what works and what not. That's not a conspiracy. It's normal practice.

I think you took my comment a bit too seriously.


Phadrea

    This user is banned.
« Reply #48 on: July 02, 2018, 05:22 »
+2
What I would Like is Like we have on SS A link to look at the work by a person posting. I Always find that very helpful. Posting words is one thing seeing someones work speaks Volumes. at least for me.https://www.shutterstock.com/g/rinder99?language=en

Also I never understood being anonymous. what are you afraid of? someone Like a possible client or buyer Finding you. I get emails constantly wanting to do business Privately. Anytime.I have a very Old client that found me here a LOOOOng time ago.They keep me very busy.

They are full of words of criticism, perceived wisdom but with nothing to back them up as they hide behind their anonymity. I would just like to see their ports as a reference.

« Reply #49 on: July 02, 2018, 08:43 »
+2
They are full of words of criticism, perceived wisdom but with nothing to back them up as they hide behind their anonymity. I would just like to see their ports as a reference.

... said someone who "hides" ;D behind his/her anonymity!


 

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