I was just saying as an average, this is the 'professional microstock forum' so I wouldn't think that would be too high.  I'm thinking to be a professional microstocker you need to be making around $40,000 US (maybe less maybe more) a year which I think roughly translates to $300 for Dreamstime.  I was just throwing numbers out there, the point was that just being the 4th best doesn't make something top tier.  Shutterstock is in a different league than Dreamstime for most contributors.

Good idea.  Maybe leaf should restrict membership to those make $40K or over from microstock - that would make stocksy seem about as exclusive as facebook.

That's the thing - what is the average contributor?  I'd suggest that there are a very very small number who make serious bucks, some who might make a passable living and the rest who make beer money.  I only aspire to making beer money but my rank on FT for example puts me in the top third (the only place where some sort of relative positioning is available).  The numbers for IS exclusives are skewed because, by definition, all of them have some sort of track record.  It's a bit like saying life expectancy has doubled where, in fact, it has improved a bit but the big change is in infant mortality so all these people dying at 0 are not skewing the figures.

never made 75$ at DT in a month, my BME is sitting on 69$ (May 2012), after that just worst and worst... this month they aren't even 4% of SS

Honestly speaking I like DT because of their Credit Sales. But what ever I do it's not give me a reasonable grow at all. Here is my stats:

           Online  Refused  Acceptance ratio:        Sales    Revenue     RPD
Sep 12    1        5             16.70%                    21      $29.64       $1.41
Oct 12    1         3             25.00%                    23      $21.89       $0.95
Nov 12    6        7             46.20%                    18      $25.42       $1.41
Dec 12    1        1             50.00%                    17       $21.77      $1.28
Jan 13     7        0            100.00%                   24       $37.33     $1.56
Feb 13    5         3            62.50%                     26       $26.22     $1.01
Mar 13    1        31           3.10%                      18       $21.26      $1.18
Apr 13    5         2            71.40%                     27      $44.16      $1.64
May 13   1         0            100.00%                   26       $44.50      $1.71
Jun 13    15       1            93.80%                     15       $39.53      $2.64
Jul 13     48       3            94.10%                     26       $37.80      $1.45
Aug 13   32      17            65.30%                    26       $46.22      $1.78
Sep 13   52       8             86.70%                    23       $27.08      $1.18

P.S. But what's interesting I got almost the same money this September 2013 and the September 2012. But I almost doubled my port since than. And the closer I'm to the ~95-98$ to paid out the longer it takes to get to 100$.

Interesting, I've uploaded very little in the past year and have made more this month than September 2012.  It does look like your overall earnings have increased in recent months, it could just be a blip this month.

They seem to be rejecting less now, so I'm starting to upload again.

@tickstock -  There are about the same number of members here as an average top 4 site although no idea how active and whether they participate in polls or not but, yes, this is no making a living money.

I'm not sure what you are saying?  I'm making a living at it.

Quote from: heywoody on September 27, 2013, 16:57

@tickstock -  There are about the same number of members here as an average top 4 site although no idea how active and whether they participate in polls or not but, yes, this is no making a living money.

I'm not sure what you are saying?  I'm making a living at it.

I was just agreeing that $75 per month is not making a living     You would be part of a small minority involved in MS and posting on associated fora.  This doesn't mean that the "weekend shooters" have nothing valid to say because most of the discussions are around stuff like software design, the commercial approach of the various agencies, motivations  etc etc and these matters can be informed by experience in various day jobs or life generally outside of MS.

Tickstock, all you are trying to do is redefine the term "top tier" to fit a vague and arbitrary interpretation of your own  rather than accepting what it actually does mean on this site - which is "top four".

It's on a par with arguing that the UK football "Premier Division" has too many teams in it because you happen to think that half of them aren't scoring enough goals to be "Premier" so they should be booted out.

Silly, silly, silly......

Like I said I don't think it's a big deal.  I think a lot of people post things like "how is dreamstime in the top tier?", I always assumed people were confused and thought 'top tier' or 'big four' had some more meaning than just being one of the four largest sites.  I don't think you can always have a big four, like the big 4 operating systems or big four search engines, etc.. those fields are dominated by one or two companies.  I think you can see I was trying to suggest something less arbitrary than what it is now.  The thing is there is always going to be a 'top tier' and 'big four' even if Shutterstock takes 99% of the market share, that's why I think this is too arbitrary.