MicrostockGroup

Agency Based Discussion => Dreamstime.com => Topic started by: velocicarpo on December 13, 2010, 17:08

Title: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: velocicarpo on December 13, 2010, 17:08
Hi All,

Just a quick question: what exactly is our cut at Dreamstime? I contribute there since long years and allways was under the impression that we get 50%. However, lately, when I check my Downloads I get for example 1 $ for a 4 credit download while it should be 2. When I check the credit prices it is almost exactly (apart from the small package advantages) 1 credit = 1 $ .
Do I get something wrong here? Just me?

Thanks everbody
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: gostwyck on December 13, 2010, 17:15
You can read all about it right here;

http://www.dreamstime.com/sellimages (http://www.dreamstime.com/sellimages)
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: madelaide on December 13, 2010, 17:15
It's been a while since it isn't 50% anymore.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: velocicarpo on December 13, 2010, 17:50
Guess I was sleeping here...thanks everybody.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: lisafx on December 13, 2010, 18:20
Oh, I didn't realize that our earning % went up along with the image level.  Good to know! 
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: pancaketom on December 13, 2010, 19:44
With the variably priced credits and the variable percentages it is hard to know what the range is these days. My DT earnings really took a hit when they changed to this latest scheme. They have leveled off but haven't recovered yet. They do still brag about having the highest royalties in the industry, but I am dubious.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: Microstock Posts on December 15, 2010, 11:57
Oh, I didn't realize that our earning % went up along with the image level.  Good to know! 

Yeah I only got to know that recently and was surprised too. I still prefer 50% though, but I've always been a silly fool.  :)
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: ibogdan on December 15, 2010, 12:03
I just noticed I had a subscription sale of a level 3 image and my share was 0.42$ but 6 days before, I sold the same image, same level, same subscription, for 0.84$. Something is weird here.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: cathyslife on December 15, 2010, 12:21
I just noticed I had a subscription sale of a level 3 image and my share was 0.42$ but 6 days before, I sold the same image, same level, same subscription, for 0.84$. Something is weird here.

Are you opted in to Partner Programs? If so, perhaps one of the sales came from a partner site?
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: stockastic on December 15, 2010, 13:02
I just noticed I had a subscription sale of a level 3 image and my share was 0.42$ but 6 days before, I sold the same image, same level, same subscription, for 0.84$. Something is weird here.

That sort of thing is happening everywhere.  By introducing countless, ever-changing pricing plans, the microstocks have accomplished their goal of destroying the idea of 'commission' as a percentage of 'sale price'.  With subscription plans, discounts, specials and who knows what else going on, we really have no idea what a buyer actually paid, so the whole concept of a commission is obsolete.  We get whatever they give us for any particular sale.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: ibogdan on December 15, 2010, 13:07
Cclapper, I don't care about partner sites and whatsoever. In their pricing table it's clearly stated that an exclusive level 3 images sold with a subscription my revenue is 0.84$.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: pancaketom on December 15, 2010, 13:23
they might say it was an old subs plan (if any of those still exist?) that is usually their reason for really low payments for a sale. I'm curious what they say (you have asked them right?)
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: cathyslife on December 15, 2010, 13:30
Cclapper, I don't care about partner sites and whatsoever. In their pricing table it's clearly stated that an exclusive level 3 images sold with a subscription my revenue is 0.84$.

In your first post, you didn't mention you were speaking of an exclusive image. I don't know how exclusive images work on DT. Do they go to Partner sites? If not, ignore my post. If you are not opted in to PPs, ignore my post.

But you should care about partner sites because if you ARE opted in, you aren't necessarily getting paid the same amount of money as what you get on DT. So IF you are opted in to PPs, and your exclusive image DOES show on a partner site, and someone DID purchase your image from a partner site, it is possible you DID NOT get paid the same amount of money as you would if someone had purchased that same exact image directly from the DT site.

I'm just throwing out a possible reason as to why you got paid different subscription amounts for the exact same photo. I certainly could be wrong. You don't have listen to me if you don't want.  :D
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: stockastic on December 15, 2010, 13:40
Note that a microstock cand define, and re-define, terms like "partner" and "subscription" any way they want, at any time.   
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: WarrenPrice on December 15, 2010, 14:40
It is totally confusing ... and probably meant to be.

Two of my images, both sold today, both medium, both 4 credits (2010), one for $1.20 the other for $1.11.  What could possibly be the difference?

No, I haven't queried support.  I never understand the response.   :(

ED:  I forgot to mention:  both are level one.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: luissantos84 on December 15, 2010, 14:45
It is totally confusing ... and probably meant to be.

Two of my images, both sold today, both medium, both 4 credits (2010), one for $1.20 the other for $1.11.  What could possibly be the difference?

No, I haven't queried support.  I never understand the response.   :(

could be one from the USA.. but I have the same issue very often..
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: stockastic on December 15, 2010, 15:05
Trying to decide whether we've been paid "fairly", or received what we're "supposed to", for a particular sale, is ultimately futile.  The microstock holds all the cards. 

The sooner will all get to the point of acceptance on this, the better.

Just my opinion.   
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: madelaide on December 15, 2010, 15:41
Two of my images, both sold today, both medium, both 4 credits (2010), one for $1.20 the other for $1.11.  What could possibly be the difference
Different credit packages?
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: WarrenPrice on December 15, 2010, 15:46
I did contact support and got this response:

Hi Warren,

 

Thank you for contacting us.  The difference depends on the credits package purchased.  A credit spent from an 8 credit package purchased for $9.99 earns more than a credit spent from a 108 credit package purchased for $99.99.

 

Please contact us if you need further assistance.

 

 

Best Regards,


Very fast response ... maybe 15 minutes.   :)
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: lisafx on December 15, 2010, 15:54
Makes sense.  Glad you got such a fast response :)
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: madelaide on December 15, 2010, 16:22
I was right.  ;D
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: cathyslife on December 15, 2010, 16:35
I was wrong.  :o
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: WarrenPrice on December 15, 2010, 16:37
I was right.  ;D

 ;D  Yep... so,
if 8 credits is $10 then my picture must have sold for $5 (4 credits).
I got $1.20.  
 = 24%  ???

is that right?
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: ibogdan on December 15, 2010, 16:47
I also asked them about that subscription sales and yes, I got a very fast answer too, From their first mail I didn't understand a lot and from their second, They told me it was a.....anyway, here's the message:

Hello Bogdan,

If you will notice at the top of the chart there, it states these are maximum values.

The download you received $0.42 for was made from a buyer who has the largest subscription. They have the 12 month up to 50 images per day for $3739.99, this makes it about $0.20 per download. Since this was a level 3, it would have taken 2 downloads.

 

 

Kind Regards,

...


As Stockastic stated, they have always a different version of sales, comissions etc.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: WarrenPrice on December 15, 2010, 16:47
hmmmmm...
so if 108 credits is $100 then four credits would be $3.70
of which I received $1.11.
or 30%

???
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: WarrenPrice on December 15, 2010, 16:51
at Shutterstock I get:
25 cents; 81 cents; $1.88; or $28 ... until I sell $500 of images then .
 ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: pancaketom on December 15, 2010, 16:59
to make things even more murky, the sites often give even bigger discounts to large credit or package buyers or discounts for new accounts, or when the sites screw up and want to appease buyers (not sure why we should have to pay for that, but we do).

I think listing the "maximum" you could get is disingenuous and they should really only list the minimum if they are going to list one number, or list the ranges. Unfortunately it appears that this trend is accelerating and the pricing schemes etc. are going to only get more confusing as time goes on. It does make SS look good, although we are about due for a raise there I'd say.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: madelaide on December 15, 2010, 19:51
To be fair, it isn't DT alone that make these huge discounts that cut our share too.

I've recently sold an item at Zazzle and its price was at a 75% discount!  Given that part of the item's cost is its production, I wonder if the 25% minus my 15% commission even paid for the costs - or otherwise the production cost is much lower than I imagine and so Zazzle's commission is very high.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: velocicarpo on December 16, 2010, 08:35
The discounts a seller gives to its customers shouldn`t affect the supplier at all.
Imagine a car seller who decides to give 10% off and thus pays 10% less to BMW just because he thinks it would be a good idea. Or a Supermarket who suddently gives 30% off and pays then 30% less to CocaCola. This is not the way business works. We work with dreamstime as an intermediate, and not directly with the customer.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: Dave on January 21, 2011, 19:10
Here is another little trick I am experiencing, just had an image that has sold 5 times but I have only been paid for a level 1 percentage. You imagine if they are doing this to every image that moves from one level to the next higher level, they are making a nice little earner on our sales, it's worth checking your sales to see how you are affected as well.
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: pancaketom on January 21, 2011, 19:56
I think they have always done that - sales one through 5 are level one, 6 through 10 are level 2, and so on (after the 5th sale it is a level 2). As long as they don't move the goalposts away that is fine with me (in fact they have moved them closer a few times through the years).
Title: Re: Dreamstime - What is our percentage?
Post by: klsbear on January 21, 2011, 23:12
The discounts a seller gives to its customers shouldn`t affect the supplier at all.
......Or a Supermarket who suddently gives 30% off and pays then 30% less to CocaCola. This is not the way business works. We work with dreamstime as an intermediate, and not directly with the customer.

Actually, with retail supermarkets, it's worse than you suggest.  Suppliers are pressured to offer marketing programs that include heavily discounted merchandise to promote sales at various times throughout the year (hence the various sales you see in the weekly flyers), slotting fees are required to "buy" shelf space, as are slotting fees for placing new items into distribution centers.  Then there are the endless deductions from invoices - "damaged" goods, fees to unload trucks, late fees for late deliveries, the list goes on...  Please don't give the micro sites any ideas, they'd have us offering up discounts to move up in searches, charge us for ftp uploads, charge us for storage on their servers, oh, then they would charge for reports on our sales too!