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Author Topic: Change in Commission Structure for *ALL* 123RF.com Contributors  (Read 114242 times)

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lisafx

« Reply #125 on: January 23, 2012, 13:37 »
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Out of curiosity, DMG, did you plan include eventual Istock exclusivity?  If so, then your deleting of images by sales makes more sense.  And with Istock's recent developments it also makes sense that you might have changed your mind about going exclusive. 

If this is the case, you have my sympathies.  There are probably quite a few in a similar situation right now. 


dmg

« Reply #126 on: January 23, 2012, 16:57 »
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Out of curiosity, DMG, did you plan include eventual Istock exclusivity?  If so, then your deleting of images by sales makes more sense.  And with Istock's recent developments it also makes sense that you might have changed your mind about going exclusive. 

If this is the case, you have my sympathies.  There are probably quite a few in a similar situation right now. 
Well, something like that. 

lisafx

« Reply #127 on: January 23, 2012, 17:37 »
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Out of curiosity, DMG, did you plan include eventual Istock exclusivity?  If so, then your deleting of images by sales makes more sense.  And with Istock's recent developments it also makes sense that you might have changed your mind about going exclusive. 

If this is the case, you have my sympathies.  There are probably quite a few in a similar situation right now. 
Well, something like that. 

Very sorry to hear you got stuck this way.  Had you removed a lot of images from DT too?  I feel bad for anyone who had a large port on DT and was removing them to go exclusive at IS.  DT is so strict on similars now, I think it would be very difficult for most of us to get the same images accepted these days.

dmg

« Reply #128 on: January 23, 2012, 17:56 »
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Very sorry to hear you got stuck this way.  Had you removed a lot of images from DT too?  I feel bad for anyone who had a large port on DT and was removing them to go exclusive at IS.  DT is so strict on similars now, I think it would be very difficult for most of us to get the same images accepted these days.
I never had so many images there becauese of similars. DT is not a problem as they do not delete images immediately. It is possible to enable most of them.
SS have also a great feature that you can take off line whole portfolio and easily get it back if you change your mind.
Unfortunately 123RF  deletes everything forever.
I wonder if the owners or some agencies have ever thought of that, if let's say, a thousand of submitters deletes a thousand files each
that makes 1 million files less.

lisafx

« Reply #129 on: January 23, 2012, 18:02 »
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Very sorry to hear you got stuck this way.  Had you removed a lot of images from DT too?  I feel bad for anyone who had a large port on DT and was removing them to go exclusive at IS.  DT is so strict on similars now, I think it would be very difficult for most of us to get the same images accepted these days.
I never had so many images there becauese of similars. DT is not a problem as they do not delete images immediately. It is possible to enable most of them.
SS have also a great feature that you can take off line whole portfolio and easily get it back if you change your mind.
Unfortunately 123RF  deletes everything forever.
I wonder if the owners or some agencies have ever thought of that, if let's say, a thousand of submitters deletes a thousand files each
that makes 1 million files less.

Some of the smaller sites like Crestock and Veer also allow you to keep your files there but make them inactive, so some of the other sites do see the value in this type of thing. 

Maybe you could talk to 123 customer service and see if there's anything they can do for you.  Whatever happens, I hope you are able to recover your income quickly :)

dmg

« Reply #130 on: January 23, 2012, 18:24 »
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Thank you Lisa  :)
I don't know if I still want to talk to them. It would be nice if they can help but I would not cry if they don't.
From my experience I know that as they started to do such things, they would not stop on newbies only.
   

traveler1116

« Reply #131 on: January 24, 2012, 13:20 »
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What about contributors that used to submit to 123RF but have gone exclusive with iStock?  I had over 1000 images accepted and over 1000 sales, if I were to return to 123RF would I get the lower rates?

lisafx

« Reply #132 on: January 24, 2012, 14:03 »
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What about contributors that used to submit to 123RF but have gone exclusive with iStock?  I had over 1000 images accepted and over 1000 sales, if I were to return to 123RF would I get the lower rates?

On the surface, it would appear so.  The only definitive answer would have to come from 123RF customer service. 

« Reply #133 on: January 24, 2012, 14:41 »
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What about contributors that used to submit to 123RF but have gone exclusive with iStock?  I had over 1000 images accepted and over 1000 sales, if I were to return to 123RF would I get the lower rates?

Um I would think your out of luck there.  Being exclusive at Istock wasn't really supporting 123rf.
Maybe they might have a deal in the future for ex Istock exclusives to drop the crown but Istock seems to have a plan of their own to achieve that.

« Reply #134 on: January 24, 2012, 17:04 »
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What about contributors that used to submit to 123RF but have gone exclusive with iStock?  I had over 1000 images accepted and over 1000 sales, if I were to return to 123RF would I get the lower rates?

Um I would think your out of luck there.  Being exclusive at Istock wasn't really supporting 123rf.
Maybe they might have a deal in the future for ex Istock exclusives to drop the crown but Istock seems to have a plan of their own to achieve that.

That was very well put.  :)

traveler1116

« Reply #135 on: January 24, 2012, 17:08 »
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What about contributors that used to submit to 123RF but have gone exclusive with iStock?  I had over 1000 images accepted and over 1000 sales, if I were to return to 123RF would I get the lower rates?

Um I would think your out of luck there.  Being exclusive at Istock wasn't really supporting 123rf.
Maybe they might have a deal in the future for ex Istock exclusives to drop the crown but Istock seems to have a plan of their own to achieve that.

That was very well put.  :)
This is what alex123rf said on page 2: "We're only doing this for the new contributors, as it is, we believe that photographers with good portfolios will not be severely penalized as their level of sales should bring them up to where they fairly need to be relatively quickly."  Exclusives that contributed to 123RF are not new contributors, so where do they fall.  I don't think this plan was put in to punish people that weren't supporting 123RF but I'll wait to see what alex says.

lisafx

« Reply #136 on: January 24, 2012, 17:44 »
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This is what alex123rf said on page 2: "We're only doing this for the new contributors, as it is, we believe that photographers with good portfolios will not be severely penalized as their level of sales should bring them up to where they fairly need to be relatively quickly."  Exclusives that contributed to 123RF are not new contributors, so where do they fall.  I don't think this plan was put in to punish people that weren't supporting 123RF but I'll wait to see what alex says.

Hope you'll report back when you hear the answer.  This could potentially affect a lot of people.  FWIW, I think 123RF would be wise to make joining attractive to IS former exclusives.  There may be quite a lot of them over the next year or so. 


traveler1116

« Reply #138 on: January 26, 2012, 20:25 »
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Hi All,

We can allow your files to be deactivated (not on sale) and then deactivate your account. However, we have had instances when photographers literally told us that it's a crime to keep even a backup copy of their files when they leave. So which is which? To make things simple we just made a rule when you go, we'll delete all your files, it's much cleaner and simpler to explain in this manner.

So which is it now? Do advise!

Alex.
Is this a response to my question?  You can have whatever policy you want, delete or disable that's your choice.  I assume your answer means that if an exclusive artist decides to go back to 123RF they would get the lower pay rate. 

THP Creative

  • THP Creative

« Reply #139 on: January 26, 2012, 23:17 »
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Hi Alex,

I know for myself personally if I asked any agency to remove my folio then I would expect them to REMOVE it, not keep a backup.  So I'm glad that is your policy (not that I'm thinking of leaving you guys!) and I strongly feel that is the best and only practical approach to the matter.

KB

« Reply #140 on: January 27, 2012, 00:02 »
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Hi Alex,

I know for myself personally if I asked any agency to remove my folio then I would expect them to REMOVE it, not keep a backup.  So I'm glad that is your policy (not that I'm thinking of leaving you guys!) and I strongly feel that is the best and only practical approach to the matter.
Personally, I don't agree. When I became an exclusive IS contributor, I asked those sites that didn't make it obvious whether or not I could de-activate my account without deleting my images. A couple did, most did not.  So far I haven't cared one way or another, but if things continue to deteriorate the way they seem to be, I'll be happy to pick up where I left off at those that did.

dmg

« Reply #141 on: January 27, 2012, 08:02 »
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Hi All,

We can allow your files to be deactivated (not on sale) and then deactivate your account. However, we have had instances when photographers literally told us that it's a crime to keep even a backup copy of their files when they leave. So which is which? To make things simple we just made a rule when you go, we'll delete all your files, it's much cleaner and simpler to explain in this manner.

So which is it now? Do advise!

Alex.
So, after 5+ years with you I have no other choice than leave? Nice!

THP Creative

  • THP Creative

« Reply #142 on: January 31, 2012, 20:00 »
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So new royalty rates come into effect today (i think!) - can't wait to see how they have implemented it.

« Reply #143 on: February 01, 2012, 08:17 »
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So new royalty rates come into effect today (i think!) - can't wait to see how they have implemented it.

No mention of the new rates to be found yet on the site - the FAQ still shows the "old" 50% for all...

« Reply #144 on: February 01, 2012, 09:10 »
0
We can allow your files to be deactivated (not on sale) and then deactivate your account. However, we have had instances when photographers literally told us that it's a crime to keep even a backup copy of their files when they leave. So which is which? To make things simple we just made a rule when you go, we'll delete all your files, it's much cleaner and simpler to explain in this manner.
So which is it now? Do advise!
Hey Alex. I was very happy about 123RF since 2005. I didn't upload though since a  year because I was a bit scared about the automated inspection process, outsourced to India or Timbuktu, but that's not so important. After an average of 30$/mo, in January I got barely 9$ on 123RF (less than 100$ in total on all sites) and that was the limit I was drawing to myself to throw all my stuff for free full size on Flickr and leave microstock. Or I will have m own site, also fr free. I will decide end of February but if you keep a backup or not, I don't really care then. Under 10$/mo is too low to stay.

THP Creative

  • THP Creative

« Reply #145 on: February 01, 2012, 18:35 »
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So still no word on the new rates? Don't tell me it will be delayed again - we want to know whats going on 123rf! (not that it affects me, but still...)

Hope to hear soon

« Reply #146 on: February 02, 2012, 02:33 »
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Hi All,

We can allow your files to be deactivated (not on sale) and then deactivate your account. However, we have had instances when photographers literally told us that it's a crime to keep even a backup copy of their files when they leave. So which is which? To make things simple we just made a rule when you go, we'll delete all your files, it's much cleaner and simpler to explain in this manner.

So which is it now? Do advise!

Alex.

I think I know where you are coming from here Alex.  Damned if you do, damned if you don't.  That being said, this whole thing has a very "Ready-Fire-Aim" feel to it.  I would hope that you have at the very least a legal consultant in place to help you guys make decisions vs. relying on a photographer telling you it's a crime to keep a backup copy of your file. 

Reading between the lines of your post I am picking up that it is impossible to make everyone happy.  This is most unfortunately true in most every business in every industry.  I wish you the best of luck here sincerely as I believe 123rf is a site teetering precariously on the line of potential success.  With the existing commission structure and the (too) low prices it's probably a huge challenge to remain profitable.  Change it and you run the risk of pushing out the photographers that aren't making enough to stay truly loyal at this point as it is which also creates a challenge to become competitive.  The way you are implying it is going to be done is also implying a Grandfather clause that in all reality probably can't remain in place for a long time.  A result is that you could be setting yourself up to really burn some of your most loyal members down the road.  The lack of real information with the hints and innuendos is in my opinion making it look like you guys are really struggling to figure out what to do.  Sometimes you've got to just make a decision and own it.  Even if it's the wrong decision it might be better than not making a decision at all. 

You said to advise so here it is...Raise your prices, lower your commissions.  Make the dollar amount we earn higher on a lower percentage for photographers and earn more dollars yourself.  You've got the database, you've got some visibility and a bit of momentum...use it.

« Reply #147 on: February 09, 2012, 11:40 »
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It's now February 9th, and still no word as far as I can see on the new commission structure that was to take effect on February 1st.

I logged out and logged in again so I could see if there new messages (I can't figure out where to find those notes to contributors if I'm already logged in) and the last one is the January 18th post saying that there would be a change and that details would be made available.

Has 123rf changed their mind about this? If nothing else it seems very odd to me to leave the site with a notice about something that clearly didn't happen on February 1st. Can we please get an update - and get the site updated with current information or just remove the January 18th post if you aren't changing anything?

THP Creative

  • THP Creative

« Reply #148 on: February 09, 2012, 17:43 »
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I agree, this is crazy. How can you make an announcement TWICE about new changes, and then never reveal them?! Over a week late is pretty unacceptable. I love 123RF, but they need to improve their communication. I don't think I have ever received one of their emails others have talked about (other than the newsletter!).

Please give us an update guys



 

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