MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => Dreamstime.com => Topic started by: BigBubba on June 28, 2016, 02:27
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I made 4.58$ this month!!!
The other sites gave me Hundreds of dollars and up to 1200...but hey, 4.58 from DT. That's a cup of coffee to drink while I'm counting the money from the other sites.
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Same happened for me. I sent them an email (about pour sales) and this was the answer:
"Thank you for contacting Dreamstime.
We have tools on the site to help you analyze your portfolio’s performance.
You can look into your statistics area and compare your uploads number
with the total database exposure, which is suggestive for the high
amount of content that we receive.
That is under Management Area/Statistics.
The link is here also: http://www.dreamstime.com/stats.php (http://www.dreamstime.com/stats.php)
There you can analyze your account's performance.
It is also helpful to read the forums, blogs etc. to try to improve your portfolio.
Many contributors to the site have discussions on the message boards that can be very helpful:
http://www.dreamstime.com/boards (http://www.dreamstime.com/boards)
There are even sub-forums there specifically for illustrators and photo editing programs like Photoshop.
Quantity, quality and diversity are the most important factors when building your portfolio.
Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.
Kind regards,
Nicole Kidd"
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I made a grand total of $0.35 cents in June. I know you guys are envious. :'(
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I came here to complain but now I see that I'm rich. I earned 0.96c in the last 35 days.
Last time I wrote to support I received a short and impertinent answer telling me that I should upload more.
IMO, they should review faster.
I disabled extended licenses when they introduced unlimited use in March, this year:
http://www.microstockgroup.com/dreamstime-com/dreamstime-introduces-unlimited-extended-licenses/ (http://www.microstockgroup.com/dreamstime-com/dreamstime-introduces-unlimited-extended-licenses/)
I wonder if this has anything to do with these ridiculous earnings?
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And I thought i was doing bad on DT - 7,32$ in June :D
Now who can beat it? ;D ;D
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$75 for a sr-el, but what worries me is that there was only 1 sale this month, last month 3 sales. No point in uploading more.
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Haven't had a sale since last April. A grand total of four dollars for 6 months.
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You loosers. I had 5 sales = 5,81$ in June.
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MicrostockGroup » Top Tier - Big 4 » Dreamstime.com
I'd rather call it 'Small 10' :)
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You loosers. I had 5 sales = 5,81$ in June.
oh wow, now that's a good reason to bring out the beer for everyone ;D
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The most activity on Dreamstime are people that put their milestone of uploaded images. Milestone 100 images online. Milestone 150 images online. :-X
::)
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The most activity on Dreamstime are people that put their milestone of uploaded images. Milestone 100 images online. Milestone 150 images online. :-X
::)
LOL
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The most activity on Dreamstime are people that put their milestone of uploaded images. Milestone 100 images online. Milestone 150 images online. :-X
::)
you forgot Milestone 15000 online free after 0 sales for 3 years, special status only offered by Dreamstime by invitation ;D
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3.05$ in June, need 50 more before I can close my account there
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On DT since 2006, still waiting for my first payout.
To be fair, I had 10 images from 2006 to 2014. Now I have 430 online and 65$.
Guess I'll just wait another 10 years.
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On DT since 2006, still waiting for my first payout.
To be fair, I had 10 images from 2006 to 2014. Now I have 430 online and 65$.
Guess I'll just wait another 10 years.
It could be worse, just saw on Dreamtime blogs: "1000 Images on Dreamstime" with 48 sales or "300 IMAGES IN PORTFOLIO - MILESTONE" with 6 (!?!) sales
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It could be worse, just saw on Dreamtime blogs: "1000 Images on Dreamstime" with 48 sales or "300 IMAGES IN PORTFOLIO - MILESTONE" with 6 (!?!) sales
And to think that those 1000 images are not similars....very encouraging.
Still, DT feels like a guilty pleasure - low sales, time consuming uploading (circa 1993 categories list), slow reviews - but we're all still contributing. Things might still come around though...
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i made 4 bucks last year i am so happy ::)
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And to think that those 1000 images are not similars....very encouraging.
Still, DT feels like a guilty pleasure - low sales, time consuming uploading (circa 1993 categories list), slow reviews - but we're all still contributing. Things might still come around though...
I'm sure you meant this sarcastically. But still, there must be some who still believe this, otherwise, who the heck is still uploading? "My sales are dropping like stones, but once I get this latest batch of handshakes, tomatoes and pot leaves approved, my income will rise from the ashes. I just know it!"
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I have only about 500 images on DT and haven't uploaded for a long time. Last month around 90 dollars with nearly 80 downloads, this month about $45 with more than 60 downloads so far. Usually I get between 60 and 100 dollars per month. When I was actively uploading (until 2014 I think), it was more. I am not really motivated to upload there, but I don't complain, either. It's passive income, I'll take that. I have a few images that are good sellers and probably are high in the search results, that's all.
I am not interested in their footage program at all.
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i've 3 downloads in june = 1 dollar . with 1000 imgs. that's simply lost time
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I don't get why you are complaining.
Not getting rich on microstock of course, just selling OK in DT, based on a small, selective portfolio of 243 photos, payout is once or twice a year.
DT is one of the 3 sites I keep uploading. I have stopped uploading on another 6 sites.
Here's the portfolio:
https://www.dreamstime.com/Airphoto_portfolio_pg1#res1029464 (https://www.dreamstime.com/Airphoto_portfolio_pg1#res1029464)
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With about 225 images, 5 new images uploaded this year, I made $28.83 this month, on target for about 3 payouts a year, not much but I certainly wouldn't pull my port. I have the same handful of images that seem to sell again and again, so I'm content there, though not actively uploading as my numbers show. Though this is less than I averaged a few years ago, the drop on SS has been much greater percentage-wise, though I still earn more there on average than on DT.
I've seen greater growth this year on Alamy and on POD sites than I have on microstock, as I think many others have. In fact, this may be the first year where my microstock income doesn't increase.
I wish I'd uploaded a significant number of images back in 2009-2012 when the money was good, but now it barely seems worth the effort. Although I know I could increase my microstock income if I doubled my portfolio, there's no way to keep up with the huge databases as an individual photographer and I doubt the increase would be worth the work. Concentrating on other avenues.
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3.05$ in June, need 50 more before I can close my account there
after how long, sigalavaca???
but don't close your a/c. leave it there. in 10 years time, your 10 year old relative could use
the $100 when you do reach the next payout ;)
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$20.29 for me, only 9 sales though, my sales numbers have dropped drastically since they made the changes to the way their search results display... Bring on 14th July, no more exclusive!
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i'm still uploading as is it very fast the upload copying paste from other agencies...i hope it will get a little bit better...of coarse i'm not pretending to become rich...but at least batteries for my wedding flashes ;D ;D ;D
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I made 4.58$ this month!!!
The other sites gave me Hundreds of dollars and up to 1200...but hey, 4.58 from DT. That's a cup of coffee to drink while I'm counting the money from the other sites.
Congrats!!!! :-X
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Strange thing happended today at Dreamstime.
I had a sale.
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It's getting funny now - I'm having a zero Sunday on SS but just caught 8 downloads at DT ;D (1 series by one buyer), all 0,35 subs, but still!
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It's getting funny now - I'm having a zero Sunday on SS but just caught 8 downloads at DT ;D (1 series by one buyer), all 0,35 subs, but still!
Yeah, happened to me too, someone bought all my images of birds from a certain country on DT in one go. Don't usually sell much though... but series like that never happen on any of the other sites.
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I must be an outlier. After steadily declining income from DT for about 3 years, June saw a large increase. They made up for the pitiful drop at Istock. Another couple months at this rate and DT will be outselling Istock for me.
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DT makes me an average of $180 per month with $236 last month and a little over 1400 images. So they can make money. I used to be exclusive years ago. I think I would only make $400 a month if I stayed. You cant make a living on DT alone but it's nice extra money.
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On DT since 2006, still waiting for my first payout.
To be fair, I had 10 images from 2006 to 2014. Now I have 430 online and 65$.
Guess I'll just wait another 10 years.
It could be worse, just saw on Dreamtime blogs: "1000 Images on Dreamstime" with 48 sales or "300 IMAGES IN PORTFOLIO - MILESTONE" with 6 (!?!) sales
With my small port of 155 images, 10 downloads, with the last download on 11 May
I thought that was worse :)
But July and August is is vacation period in much places. So i didn't expect a lot of sales (also on other sites).
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Guess I did all right with $62, then, but it's way off the best days - my lifetime total there is $26k.
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$5.78 last month fro 815 files but what I find bad is that sometimes I go up to 20 days without a sale thinking of replacing it with a different site.?
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With about 225 images, 5 new images uploaded this year, I made $28.83 this month, on target for about 3 payouts a year, not much but I certainly wouldn't pull my port. I have the same handful of images that seem to sell again and again, so I'm content there, though not actively uploading as my numbers show. Though this is less than I averaged a few years ago, the drop on SS has been much greater percentage-wise, though I still earn more there on average than on DT.
I've seen greater growth this year on Alamy and on POD sites than I have on microstock, as I think many others have. In fact, this may be the first year where my microstock income doesn't increase.
I wish I'd uploaded a significant number of images back in 2009-2012 when the money was good, but now it barely seems worth the effort. Although I know I could increase my microstock income if I doubled my portfolio, there's no way to keep up with the huge databases as an individual photographer and I doubt the increase would be worth the work. Concentrating on other avenues.
Can u tell how much images u have at Alamy?
Thanks
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DT makes me an average of $180 per month with $236 last month and a little over 1400 images. So they can make money. I used to be exclusive years ago. I think I would only make $400 a month if I stayed. You cant make a living on DT alone but it's nice extra money.
Wow, great RPI for DT!
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Guess I did all right with $62, then, but it's way off the best days - my lifetime total there is $26k.
Ha, I am right there with you, Paul. I made $58. A far cry from my old average" of $180.
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I upload just 38 illustrations to DT in 2013, im earning about 38.40$ per 3 month period (based on DT statics). It is about one US$ per image, i think it is not so bad considering that i just stop uploading to DT after i was accepted at SS so my gallery is so little, and also considering that 3 years ago images are still selling "good".
Maybe If I had continued to uploading images the story was different...
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DT does fine for me. A little over a quarter of SS so a solid middle earner.
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Guess I did all right with $62, then, but it's way off the best days - my lifetime total there is $26k.
I thought $60.26 (my June number at DT) was pathetic - it only looked good compared to April 2016 where sales were lower than in March 2005!
I stopped uploading to DT as it seemed like a total waste of time - dropping far behind 123rf (where I only upload once a year or so to catch things up). Once in a while there are some non-sub sales of the level 5 images with a decent royalty, but that doesn't make up for the lack of volume.
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Starting this month I'm not going to upload anymore. It is a simply waste of time!
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Starting this month I'm not going to upload anymore. It is a simply waste of time!
I've uploaded virtually nothing anywhere for over a year - not a deliberate decision, just a consequence of moving houses and other stuff that's got in the way. Obviously, I've lost some potential sales as a result but I'm still getting decent pocket money, though that's really only due to Shutterstock. I really think it's got to the stage where anybody who has the talent to make good money at this game could be making a lot more by devoting their time and energy towards some other photographic/design outlet.
And here's a thought - if SS earnings were to sink to the level of all the others, would there be any point in anybody, however good, uploading anything, anywhere? SS is really propping up the entire microstock industry.
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Starting this month I'm not going to upload anymore. It is a simply waste of time!
I've uploaded virtually nothing anywhere for over a year - not a deliberate decision, just a consequence of moving houses and other stuff that's got in the way. Obviously, I've lost some potential sales as a result but I'm still getting decent pocket money, though that's really only due to Shutterstock. I really think it's got to the stage where anybody who has the talent to make good money at this game could be making a lot more by devoting their time and energy towards some other photographic/design outlet.
And here's a thought - if SS earnings were to sink to the level of all the others, would there be any point in anybody, however good, uploading anything, anywhere? SS is really propping up the entire microstock industry.
SS is a about a quarter of my total earnings and has been quite stagnant despite my uploading lots more high quality content. I suspect it will be overtaken by FL/Adobe in the next couple of years anyway.
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I haven't yet reached the minimum payout threshold since June 2015, with $78 currently earned in the last 12 months with around 800 images in the port. Don't know why I still keep uploading there :(
And to add to miserable sales, their review times increased substantially in the last few weeks/months. Currently I have something like 11 images uploaded 9 days ago and showing 100-150 hours to go for moderation. 2 weeks in total, whereas just a month or two ago it was few days. And I doubt it's due to a tsunami of submissions to DT...
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The show must go on!!
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A lot of work but disappointing results.
I am no longer upload work on DT!
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My sales collapsed in February, a complete collapse.
What exactly happened at the end of winter I have no idea . . . . . but something definitely changed.
When did Adobe take over management of the Fotolia collection?
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The worst agency for a beginner!
Threshold 100 - Ridiculous!
I do not download, I deleted what I could.
And here too silly rule!
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A lot of work but disappointing results.
I am no longer upload work on DT!
Stupid question, but how do you edit your statistics' graph on DT, e.g. by unselecting (graying out) certain categories and leaving others, as shown on your screenshot? Can't find this feature in my account statistics section.
Thanks!
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A lot of work but disappointing results.
I am no longer upload work on DT!
Stupid question, but how do you edit your statistics' graph on DT, e.g. by unselecting (graying out) certain categories and leaving others, as shown on your screenshot? Can't find this feature in my account statistics section.
Thanks!
On the right side of the table click on the text you want or not to show graph into the chart.
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On the right side of the table click on the text you want or not to show graph into the chart.
Thank you! In fact, I thought of it and tried it, but it didn't work and apparently it's a problem of Chrome. It does work in IE.
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Just to add my piece of statistics in support of the claim. No matter if you increase your port or not, sales are flat and decreasing.
(https://s31.postimg.org/qc6nd8x5z/Capture.png) (https://postimg.org/image/qc6nd8x5z/)
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Checked my earnings. Since 3 months now my lowest earner. A few low earners outdated DT lol :)
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On the right side of the table click on the text you want or not to show graph into the chart.
Thank you! In fact, I thought of it and tried it, but it didn't work and apparently it's a problem of Chrome. It does work in IE.
No problem here with Chrome (Mac)
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I'll add a quarterly chart 2004 - 2016 - the flatline in the middle is when I was exclusive at iStock (I changed the colors as I was finding their color choices too hard to follow)
(http://digitalbristles.com/temp/TNDreamstime-dropoff.jpg) (http://digitalbristles.com/temp/Dreamstime-dropoff.jpg)
I've seen two fall-off-a-cliff declines - one before I left for iStock and one since. Each time, when I saw things drop I uploaded a bit more (with things that I know sell as they're selling elsewhere) and when things just kept dropping anyway, I suspended uploading as a waste of time.
In the first dropoff, Achilles had responded to a forum post where there were complaints about sales declining saying that it was odd to see as my portfolio had gotten better (but he didn't offer any sort of explanation). I know people have posted about DT's model of sharing the wealth by rotating who gets sales when, but who knows what they're doing.
What I can see is that images sell at some agencies or don't at others. My income grows at some agencies or doesn't at others. If my images were crap they wouldn't sell anywhere. Bottom line is that I think the decline is entirely down to problems at DT.
The other observation is that for all their pricing games, I had a better Q4 in 2006 than I did in 2014 (for revenue). The complexity of pricing hasn't helped them or me IMO.
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Still dead and annoyingly only $3 away from payment threshold of which will take weeks to achieve.
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DT rating on the right keeps on dropping (by about half compared to the previous month if i'm not mistaken), but downloads keep on growing - 6$ in the first week of July for me vs. 7$ for the whole June (248 images online), or is it something very very temporary? ;D
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DT rating on the right keeps on dropping (by about half compared to the previous month if i'm not mistaken), but downloads keep on growing - 6$ in the first week of July for me vs. 7$ for the whole June (248 images online), or is it something very very temporary? ;D
If found DT the most variable with periods of inactivity then a group of sales...long term I think its in decline. Maybe you have found what DT customers like to buy
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i got the first payout after....mmm.. 1,5 years with tha same images that are providing me a little bit more than payout/month on is/ss/fotolia
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As I'm the original Op...I think DT read this post and punished me...not a single sale this month.
Why?
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Relax, from what I see DT punish everyone... 3 sales this month for me...
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As I'm the original Op...I think DT read this post and punished me...not a single sale this month.
Why?
Because they have to punish you!
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As I'm the original Op...I think DT read this post and punished me...not a single sale this month.
Why?
Because they have to punish you!
The OP didn't mean to ask "why", it's their signature ;D
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...
I've seen greater growth this year on Alamy and on POD sites than I have on microstock, as I think many others have.
Can u tell how much images u have at Alamy?
Thanks
I have about 900 images. A small port but fairly steady sales since I hit about 600 images.
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Well still at $96 and hanging so no chance of cashing earnings for a long long time as I need $3. This is just tragic when I have 1225 images (that sell well on SS) :-\
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.
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Anyone still make anything on DT these days? I was paid $0.35 after a three month hiatus. That was almost two weeks ago too.
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From the 1st of July I stop uploading there. I made about 3,6 $ this month, no more words. I also stop uploading on Istock due to last "god news" http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/getty-e-mail-about-istock-'contributor-facing-changes'/ (http://www.microstockgroup.com/istockphoto-com/getty-e-mail-about-istock-'contributor-facing-changes'/).
Let's see what's next..
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Anyone still make anything on DT these days? I was paid $0.35 after a three month hiatus. That was almost two weeks ago too.
They are definitely slow but I still get sales there and not too far off the usual monthly average. The ones that have almost totally died for me are BS, CS and DP, plus Alamy - they are always variable but nothing on Alamy since February. Compared to the others DT is hanging in there. FT also has dropped the past couple of months and SS is really struggling so it's looking to be a very bad month overall and much worse than the usual summer slowdown.
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DT still dead and hanging at $96 so will never be able to cash my earnings for a very long time. They are pathetic and I will not be bothering to upload anymore.
IS have done much better for my images this year as well as SS.
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Just over $4 for this month from 7 sales, happy I'm no longer exclusive. Using most of my time to upload my port on to other sites. Already got my first sale on SS and FT
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;D I think this chart says all:
(http://www.dreamstime.com/stats_4_update.php?timeframe=last12&d_ol=n&d_rf=n&d_dl=n&d_rv=y&d_rr=n&d_ex=n&d_ms=n&d_display=curves&d_sl=y)
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;D I think this chart says all:
([url]http://www.dreamstime.com/stats_4_update.php?timeframe=last12&d_ol=n&d_rf=n&d_dl=n&d_rv=y&d_rr=n&d_ex=n&d_ms=n&d_display=curves&d_sl=y[/url])
My chart looks almost exactly the same. Since they changed the default search result to 'best sellers' a couple of months ago my sales have dropped by half.
And notice how they have dropped significantly down the poll result, indicating that most people are experiencing a drop in sales and income.
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The problem also is their long review process that can take up to a month. What is the point to adding new content if it raches DT when it is already old content on the other sites?
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Absolutely stone dead. For weeks I have been hanging at $98 which makes me unable to withdraw my money. I never upload anymore now.
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Dropped off a cliff for me so far this month :-(
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Absolutely stone dead. For weeks I have been hanging at $98 which makes me unable to withdraw my money. I never upload anymore now.
Same here - stuck at $92 for weeks.
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Me too this August - nada!
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Hooray ! Just reached my payment threshold so made a request. I have a feeling that will probably be my last payout from DT.
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I made 2.94$ in July and 9.66$ in August
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Please remove this post.
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$1.40 for me so far in August :/
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I am at $98.23. $1.05 so far for August. Hoping to cash out by Labor Day.
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I'm exclusive with DT and my sales have fallen to about a third of what they used to be until a couple of months ago. At first I thought it was because of summer, although last year I didn't see a seasonal decline. Only recently did I realize that the drop coincided with a little change DT made to its search engine: the default buyers now see when they search for images is "Best selling" instead of "Most relevant." I think that benefits mostly old images, which have had time to sell a lot, and I've only been a DT member for a couple of years.
I'm thinking of not only dropping exclusivity, but leaving DT altogether. I really don't have time to upload to many sites, so I'm considering trying to become exclusive at iStock, but I've been doing research and iStockers don't exactly seem like happy campers either, and the announcement that you'll have to ask permission to delete your photos from iStock seems shady as hell... On the other hand, sales have to be better than at DT. I'm just not sure if it's worth the hassle of disabling my 3,000 images at DT (which of course you have to do one by one :-[) and starting all over at iStock.
Sigh.
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I'm exclusive with DT and my sales have fallen to about a third of what they used to be until a couple of months ago. At first I thought it was because of summer, although last year I didn't see a seasonal decline. Only recently did I realize that the drop coincided with a little change DT made to its search engine: the default buyers now see when they search for images is "Best selling" instead of "Most relevant." I think that benefits mostly old images, which have had time to sell a lot, and I've only been a DT member for a couple of years.
I'm thinking of not only dropping exclusivity, but leaving DT altogether. I really don't have time to upload to many sites, so I'm considering trying to become exclusive at iStock, but I've been doing research and iStockers don't exactly seem like happy campers either, and the announcement that you'll have to ask permission to delete your photos from iStock seems shady as hell... On the other hand, sales have to be better than at DT. I'm just not sure if it's worth the hassle of disabling my 3,000 images at DT (which of course you have to do one by one :-[) and starting all over at iStock.
Sigh.
Do not become exclusive at Istock. You will regret that more than DT. If I were you I would drop exclusivity and get approved at Shuttterstock at the least. In the whole scheme of things you will make more money with SS than any other micro. Istock has treated contributors horribly and with the new Getty transition you no longer have the option to pick and choose what images you may want to delete later unless there is a legal reason. The only other way will be to close your account with them. They have two lawsuits against them with hefty claims that, if awarded as sought, will put them out of business.
This isn't to say that SS is all peachy. They are having lots of turnover and technical issues reminiscent of Istock of the last 5-6 years. They in effect cut commissions on EL's but did allow contributors to opt out, which many did.
Best of luck in your decision.
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I have to agree. I know everyone has different experience but in general ss is a must. I used to be exclusive with dt also but i never made as much as on SS. If i would be working with one agency then shutterstock. You will get more from it.
Best things of ss is fast review....often witthin hour...
Regular sales.
They approve as good as every subject as long legal, techincal and composition are fine.
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You would have to be nuts to go exclusive with istock. If upload time is the issue bear in mind you can upload to all the other top sites combined in the time it takes to upload just to istock.
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I'm exclusive with DT and my sales have fallen to about a third of what they used to be until a couple of months ago. At first I thought it was because of summer, although last year I didn't see a seasonal decline. Only recently did I realize that the drop coincided with a little change DT made to its search engine: the default buyers now see when they search for images is "Best selling" instead of "Most relevant." I think that benefits mostly old images, which have had time to sell a lot, and I've only been a DT member for a couple of years.
I'm thinking of not only dropping exclusivity, but leaving DT altogether. I really don't have time to upload to many sites, so I'm considering trying to become exclusive at iStock, but I've been doing research and iStockers don't exactly seem like happy campers either, and the announcement that you'll have to ask permission to delete your photos from iStock seems shady as hell... On the other hand, sales have to be better than at DT. I'm just not sure if it's worth the hassle of disabling my 3,000 images at DT (which of course you have to do one by one :-[) and starting all over at iStock.
Sigh.
Do not become exclusive at Istock. You will regret that more than DT. If I were you I would drop exclusivity and get approved at Shuttterstock at the least. In the whole scheme of things you will make more money with SS than any other micro. Istock has treated contributors horribly and with the new Getty transition you no longer have the option to pick and choose what images you may want to delete later unless there is a legal reason. The only other way will be to close your account with them. They have two lawsuits against them with hefty claims that, if awarded as sought, will put them out of business.
This isn't to say that SS is all peachy. They are having lots of turnover and technical issues reminiscent of Istock of the last 5-6 years. They in effect cut commissions on EL's but did allow contributors to opt out, which many did.
Best of luck in your decision.
I agree to that. Don't even think about Istock I am independent and reached the status of black diamond and I am lucky if I get three downloads per day. About DT I am sure they will be the next agency to fold.
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Thanks a lot for your replies, guys. Your feedback is much appreciated! I do have to say I'm kind of surprised by your comments about iStock. As I said, I've done my research, so I knew contributors weren't happy with the way they were treated, but I thought that at least exclusive contributors were making good money. And I thought that because the poll on this site told me so. ??? Is it terribly outdated or am I missing something?
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Thanks a lot for your replies, guys. Your feedback is much appreciated! I do have to say I'm kind of surprised by your comments about iStock. As I said, I've done my research, so I knew contributors weren't happy with the way they were treated, but I thought that at least exclusive contributors were making good money. And I thought that because the poll on this site told me so. ??? Is it terribly outdated or am I missing something?
The polls are only indicators and the n value for Istock exclusives is probably very low. Anyone can post anything, there are no facts to back up what anyone puts in the polls. There are some exclusives who seem t be doing okay but most I speak with have left exclusivity. There are a lot of threads on the topic of Istock that discusses the frustration of exclusives, except maybe for one or two on this forum who clam exclusivity works for them.
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Thanks a lot for your replies, guys. Your feedback is much appreciated! I do have to say I'm kind of surprised by your comments about iStock. As I said, I've done my research, so I knew contributors weren't happy with the way they were treated, but I thought that at least exclusive contributors were making good money. And I thought that because the poll on this site told me so. ??? Is it terribly outdated or am I missing something?
The polls are only indicators and the n value for Istock exclusives is probably very low. Anyone can post anything, there are no facts to back up what anyone puts in the polls. There are some exclusives who seem t be doing okay but most I speak with have left exclusivity. There are a lot of threads on the topic of Istock that discusses the frustration of exclusives, except maybe for one or two on this forum who clam exclusivity works for them.
What Mantis says is true. I would also like to add that it all depends on what you shoot etc. I am still exclusive and it works for me, but in honesty sales have dropped significantly over the years, but I do believe that has happened across the board on all agencies. For me exclusivity still works as I get a better than average royalty rate so dropping exclusivity would instantly cost me $$$ in dropped revenues, and at this point I am not 100% convinced that doing 10 times as much work uploading to get where I'm already at makes sense. My suggestion is if you are at a lower royalty rate on IS then don't waste your time going exclusive, it simply is not worth it financially speaking, you'd be better off to mix it up with multiple agencies and hope for he best. I also happen to know several exclusive photographers that don't even drop in on this forum and they are pretty much in the same boat as me, for them it's not worth it to drop exclusivity - yet. I would also ignore the polls as they are by no means accurate.
Good luck in whatever you choose.
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Exclusives work for one rf agency and so use all their energy to it. I believe if someone invest that time only to ss they could be better of.
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Still absolutely DEAD!
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There is a thread going there " one month without a sale" check it out please. The only people shouting bme or good sales are the lower level royalty members. Embarrassing actually since they must take us for complete fools.
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Exclusives work for one rf agency and so use all their energy to it. I believe if someone invest that time only to ss they could be better of.
That's not true across all genres.
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There is a thread going there " one month without a sale" check it out please. The only people shouting bme or good sales are the lower level royalty members. Embarrassing actually since they must take us for complete fools.
But DT royalty levels are by image, not by member/contributor?
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Thanks, Rose Tinted Glasses. I think you and other people on this thread saved me from making a big mistake (joining as an exclusive at iStock) so I'm really grateful.
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There is a thread going there " one month without a sale" check it out please. The only people shouting bme or good sales are the lower level royalty members. Embarrassing actually since they must take us for complete fools.
I couldn't find the thread, but that hasn't been my case. My sales over the past couple of months have been bad, but not that bad. I've had sales every week, but almost all of them are 42-cent subscriptions and it's not like they are adding up quickly.
But the change in the search engine must benefit some contributors, so I wouldn't be surprised if people who've been at DT a long time have seen a spike in their sales.
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I have been hanging at $99.40 for over two months, and today I made it over $100.00. I cashed out immediately. Whew! I finally made it. Good luck to every one else who is close to a payout.
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I've been there a pretty long time and my sales improved the last couple months. Not BMEs but better than the last year or so.
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I've been there a pretty long time and my sales improved the last couple months. Not BMEs but better than the last year or so.
That's what I figured: that the change in the search engine would benefit images/contributors who've been at DT a long time. Good for you, bad for me. ;)
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If I recall correctly, a year or so ago DT was standing in the 18-20 area in the Poll. It has gradually deteriorated and now stands way down at 7. With 158 people having 'voted' their earnings, I think this is enough to prove that there has been a widespread overall drop in sales and income for many people. Whether that is due to the search change implemented a few months ago, or some other reason, is open to speculation.
In my own case, with a reasonably large and diversified portfolio, my sales and income have fallen about 50% compared to a few months ago.
I'm not impressed with DT. The quality of the portfolio isn't up to the better standards, the web site doesn't appear to have been changed in years, and they send out silly emails like 'let's blog', the content of which is right at the amateur end of the scale. I suspect the fault lies with management, who simply don't appear to have the positive successful entrepreneur spirit of others, and for this reason I suspect their position compared to other agencies will continue to decline.
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Correct DT is somehow stuck. They spend more time about this blogg business and sending out silly mails about files haven't sold for a year or something. I think this is all to deviate from the real problem: no sales and agency is in decline and of course newish members will fall for this and forget the downhill slope.
Another look at Adobe-FT when they first merged it was like a dream sales were falling from the sky every minute but now they're back to the old tricks of promoting sub-packages, high value portfolios are shunted back and seems closed for hours. In spite of SS all hickups they are the only one left with any selling power.
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I no longer upload to DT anymore and cannot understand why they are rating in the top tiers here. Absolutely dead.
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2 Months Now ....Coming Back from the grave for me. Pretty darn Decent compared.
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Relatively speaking, I had a great month on DT. Getting really close to that $100 payout...only a couple dollars away.
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the funny thing is every time i log in to their forums i see people bragging on having sales .so this agency must work good for some people
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Dont know how long you've been around but DT was a major Player back In the day. top3. 3 Payouts last Month compared to one every 3 Months. 8/9 was normal 7/8 years ago.On 1/4th the Images. Like SS and FT. 123RF was very good also. Pond 5 was amazing every once in awhile.
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Last couple of months DT and SS were within a few dollars of each other for me. DT is slowly moving up the last couple of months - not back to old levels, but at least a reasonable amount considering I haven't uploaded anything new there in ages. August was better than September for me across the board (other than for my own site/direct licenses) which was surprising. I am hoping that an infusion of holiday themed images will help sales grow in October and November.
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If I recall correctly, a year or so ago DT was standing in the 18-20 area in the Poll. It has gradually deteriorated and now stands way down at 7. With 158 people having 'voted' their earnings, I think this is enough to prove that there has been a widespread overall drop in sales and income for many people. Whether that is due to the search change implemented a few months ago, or some other reason, is open to speculation.
In my own case, with a reasonably large and diversified portfolio, my sales and income have fallen about 50% compared to a few months ago.
I'm not impressed with DT. The quality of the portfolio isn't up to the better standards, the web site doesn't appear to have been changed in years, and they send out silly emails like 'let's blog', the content of which is right at the amateur end of the scale. I suspect the fault lies with management, who simply don't appear to have the positive successful entrepreneur spirit of others, and for this reason I suspect their position compared to other agencies will continue to decline.
Now DT is showing down at 4.8 or so in the poll. That's down from 18-20 area a year or so ago. It might be picking up for some, but the poll shows that most people have seen a serious decline in sales.
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I actually saw a pick up in the last couple weeks and even an EL sale - my first there. I'm hoping it becomes a trend. Time will tell if it is more than just a temporary blip.
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I no longer upload to DT anymore and cannot understand why they are rating in the top tiers here. Absolutely dead.
Which prompts the plea: Dreamstime! Lower your minimum payout limit!
It takes me 6 days to reach my Shutterstock payout requirement. I'm sitting at 3 months with Dreamstime and still $40 to go. $100 is ridiculous especially if you're an agency sitting on the lower end of "middle tier"!
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I no longer upload to DT anymore and cannot understand why they are rating in the top tiers here. Absolutely dead.
Which prompts the plea: Dreamstime! Lower your minimum payout limit!
It takes me 6 days to reach my Shutterstock payout requirement. I'm sitting at 3 months with Dreamstime and still $40 to go. $100 is ridiculous especially if you're an agency sitting on the lower end of "middle tier"!
It has been brought up many times on DT forums. DT refuses to even discuss the matter. Cash flow problem?
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D I A B O L I C A L
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Looking at my stats, I noticed that Q3 2010 beats Q3 2016...Pathetic.
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160 portfolio only and $10.78 in sales :o
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I have been hanging at $99.40 for over two months, and today I made it over $100.00. I cashed out immediately. Whew! I finally made it. Good luck to every one else who is close to a payout.
Same here, stuck at $99.xx for months.
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Made payout for the first time a few days ago. Not sure if I should cash out or leave it there and let it keep accumulating.
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Whats the point of leaving it. Never know, someday you might be hacked or sth...
Anway, DT is totally dead for me.
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Whats the point of leaving it. Never know, someday you might be hacked or sth...
Anway, DT is totally dead for me.
Took me too years to get there. Not sure when is the next time I'll make payout again. It's only $100. If they get hacked, it's not a big loss.
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Whats the point of leaving it. Never know, someday you might be hacked or sth...
Anway, DT is totally dead for me.
Took me too years to get there. Not sure when is the next time I'll make payout again. It's only $100. If they get hacked, it's not a big loss.
Two years!! In that case it might take me ten, haha!! What size portfolio do you have? I have 450 but have been slowing adding to it. They really should reduce the payout figure, even Alamy have reduced theirs.
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DT was Ok for some years but today they are a victim of " playing it too safe" trying to satisfy ALL members and giving everybody a bite at the cherry. Business dont work that way! in stock-photography the commercial producers are the survivers but DT forgot that and spread all earnings. The good or big guys are either leaving or non caring and today they are stuck with apples and oranges.
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I actually saw a pick up in the last couple weeks and even an EL sale - my first there. I'm hoping it becomes a trend.
There are no "trends" at DT. There are "cycles", the search results change on a rotating basis. My monthly sales are similar to a sine wave (sinusoid). Some periods your stuff gets promoted and appears on the first pages, other periods you get pushed back. That's the way it goes at this agency.
I don't have problems reaching payouts, as a matter of fact right now I am accumulating earnings and don't cash out yet. I will cash out next year for tax reasons. I suppose the likelihood that they will go bankrupt in the meantime is rather low.
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Made payout for the first time a few days ago. Not sure if I should cash out or leave it there and let it keep accumulating.
I guess I'll cash out because the USD went up significantly. Another sale: now it's $99.91.
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Made payout for the first time a few days ago. Not sure if I should cash out or leave it there and let it keep accumulating.
I guess I'll cash out because the USD went up significantly. Another sale: now it's $99.91.
So, only a few more months, and you'll be able to cash out...
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I'm on 50$ until next payment.. I believe that I'll catch the next election here in Romania, meaning another four years until I'll reach 100$...
>:(
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(http://www.dreamstime.com/stats_4_update.php?timeframe=last12&d_ol=n&d_rf=n&d_dl=n&d_rv=y&d_rr=n&d_ex=n&d_ms=n&d_display=curves&d_sl=y)
:)
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Made payout for the first time a few days ago. Not sure if I should cash out or leave it there and let it keep accumulating.
I guess I'll cash out because the USD went up significantly. Another sale: now it's $99.91.
I was stuck at $99.xx for a whole month. Hopefully you'll see payout next month.
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Whats the point of leaving it. Never know, someday you might be hacked or sth...
Anway, DT is totally dead for me.
Took me too years to get there. Not sure when is the next time I'll make payout again. It's only $100. If they get hacked, it's not a big loss.
Two years!! In that case it might take me ten, haha!! What size portfolio do you have? I have 450 but have been slowing adding to it. They really should reduce the payout figure, even Alamy have reduced theirs.
I have 70 images at DT. I haven't been uploading to DT much and focused all my efforts on FT, SS and 123RF. I feel like 30 minutes spent on the other agencies is 10 times more valuable than 30 minutes spent on DT.
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I stopped uploading almost entirely when they started their strange rejections years ago. The decline in earnings has been steady and they are doing better than FT for me.
It was easy to predict the decline in DT when they started rejecting images that were selling very well on other sites. I have no idea why they did that, it seemed obvious that buyers can decide for themselves what they want and leaving that decision in the hands of low paid reviewers was madness. All it did was annoy contributors, who had lots of their rivals to upload to. Then they cut commissions and that was the only thing that might of kept me uploading.
If they went back to 50%, they might still have a chance. If it works for Pond5 and Alamy, there's no reason why they couldn't make it work as well. There's an opportunity now a lot of us are going to be leaving istock but I don't think DT would be brave enough to take it.
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DT is alive! what the heck is happening?!? i have more donwloads in the last 20 days than in 2 years :D
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Made payout for the first time a few days ago. Not sure if I should cash out or leave it there and let it keep accumulating.
I guess I'll cash out because the USD went up significantly. Another sale: now it's $99.91.
I was stuck at $99.xx for a whole month. Hopefully you'll see payout next month.
Thanks, I finally reached payout.
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Made payout for the first time a few days ago. Not sure if I should cash out or leave it there and let it keep accumulating.
I guess I'll cash out because the USD went up significantly. Another sale: now it's $99.91.
I was stuck at $99.xx for a whole month. Hopefully you'll see payout next month.
Thanks, I finally reached payout.
Here's my latest sale after I cashed out and close account two years ago. .08, that's 8 cents. They don't answer how I could have a sale on a closed account. Reminds me why I dropped them.
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How do you know, you had a sale if you don't have account there?
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maybe he is a psycic :D