Author Topic: Sell the rights question (Read 6256 times)

Anita Potter · « **on:** September 07, 2011, 22:44 »

I received an email earlier from the DT site that a potential buyer wants to purchase exclusive rights to an image that is my best seller across nearly all sites. I've not received a request like this before so I'm not sure what to do. How much do I make it for and isn't it a 50/50 thing with that on DT whatever I set the price to I get half and they get the other half right?

I just don't know what to do what to set it for. I was thinking $6,000 so I could get $3,000 and have dental work done. I don't think I would want to price it any lower than that.

Anyone have any decent experience in this and was it ultimately worth it?

Thanks in advance,

Anita

lagereek · « **Reply #1 on:** September 08, 2011, 01:10 »

Highly debatable, 6K and dont forget its basically a micro buyer that recons he needs the copy, right? well, if the pic in question is going to show on gigantic billboards, etc, you might have a chance or else I doubt it.

Big sums, are often associated with product advertising or lets say a company that wants to include or need a pic for ther logos, trademarks, etc.

Some years back, a London merchant bank included a specific pic in their new logo, they paid a hefty 20K for this particular shot.

The DT-people are knowledgable, let them do negotiations for you as acting agents and take it from there.

Anita Potter · « **Reply #2 on:** September 08, 2011, 01:38 »

Thanks lagereek. Quick question though...how do I get DT to help with something like this? This is the first time I've done this.

Thanks.

Microbius · « **Reply #3 on:** September 08, 2011, 03:37 »

lol, I get these request all the time, I just click the can't or wont sell link.
You say anything over a couple of hundred dollars you wont be hearing back from them. Plus the fact that they probably don't get that people who have already bought it RF are still allowed to use it and will get peeved if they see the image they have paid for exclusive use of showing up elsewhere. Double plus all the hassle of pulling it from all the other sites, several of which have lock in periods (and working out if it's okay with DT that you have sold the rights for exclusive use through them but can't pull it right away from the other sites). Just too much hassle and too much of a minefield to get involved in.

If you want to be selling rights for exclusive usage, you need to stick the image in RM from the outset as far as I'm concerned.

RT · « **Reply #4 on:** September 08, 2011, 04:32 »

Quote from: Microbius on September 08, 2011, 03:37

Plus the fact that they probably don't get that people who have already bought it RF are still allowed to use it and will get peeved if they see the image they have paid for exclusive use of showing up elsewhere.

I've had two instances of this on Dreamstime and both times the potential buyer had previously contacted DT and had been told by them that they would have the exclusive use of the image from thereon in , once I explained about the point you've highlighted both the buyers pulled out. I'm very dubious of doing anything like this where DT are concerned as I'm not confident about how their staff explain the legal side of things to buyers.

Microbius · « **Reply #5 on:** September 08, 2011, 04:36 »

Wow, that's awful, talk about miss-selling. Add not wanting to be the involved in the legal test case to my list of misgivings.

cathyslife · « **Reply #6 on:** September 08, 2011, 05:40 »

Quote from: Microbius on September 08, 2011, 03:37

lol, I get these request all the time, I just click the can't or wont sell link.
You say anything over a couple of hundred dollars you wont be hearing back from them. Plus the fact that they probably don't get that people who have already bought it RF are still allowed to use it and will get peeved if they see the image they have paid for exclusive use of showing up elsewhere. Double plus all the hassle of pulling it from all the other sites, several of which have lock in periods (and working out if it's okay with DT that you have sold the rights for exclusive use through them but can't pull it right away from the other sites). Just too much hassle and too much of a minefield to get involved in.

If you want to be selling rights for exclusive usage, you need to stick the image in RM from the outset as far as I'm concerned.

Yep, this is the experience I have had a few times. And I'm not giving up rights for a best-selling image for a couple of hundred dollars. It really is a can of worms, anyway.

gostwyck · « **Reply #7 on:** September 08, 2011, 08:44 »

Quote from: Anita Potter on September 07, 2011, 22:44

I just don't know what to do what to set it for. I was thinking $6,000 so I could get $3,000 and have dental work done. I don't think I would want to price it any lower than that.

Sounds like you've already spent the money! From what the others have said you may need to limit your optimism a little. With regard to pricing I would suggest an estimated 2-3 years total earnings across all agencies on which you sell it. That's in your hand after whatever DT's cut will be (which may also be negotiable). Good luck with it anyway.

I'd certainly sell any of my images for 3x annual earnings on the basis that at any moment some other contributor could upload a 'better' image of the same subject.

lisafx · « **Reply #8 on:** September 08, 2011, 09:31 »

I agree with Microbius. Way too much hassle involved in selling the rights. Micro buyers don't want to spend the kind of money necessary to make it worth your while. Besides, it's one of your top sellers - it's still making money for you. Why sell?

Anita Potter · « **Reply #9 on:** September 08, 2011, 11:14 »

Yeah I did already have the money spent :p but I slept on it and decided not to do that. It's like an incredible hassle to do that. Maybe DT should have it set only for images that are exclusive to them for sell the rights only but eh too much to ask probably. The more I thought about it last night the more I didn't want to do it so I'm not.

Thank you all for your comments. This kind of stuff makes me nervous.

digitalexpressionimages · « **Reply #10 on:** September 09, 2011, 20:39 »

Sell the rights has always confused me as has the dreamstime level system. My sense of logic may be skewed but in my strange mind it seems an image has the most value when it's never been sold. The level, and therefore the price, goes up the more an image sells but I personally find that the more times an image has been purchased, and therefore viewed by the public, the less desirable it is. I've actually had it happen that the same photo I used for an ad for a client was also used in an ad for my client's competitor. Very embarrassing.

You'd think the price would be highest when an image is fresh and never before sold and therefore used by a competitor.

I would also never buy the rights to a photo that's already been purchased once before me. Kind of defeats the purpose.

RT · « **Reply #11 on:** September 10, 2011, 15:08 »

Sean Locke made an interesting blog post about the DT SR-EL earlier this year:

http://seanlockedigitalimagery.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/save-your-money/

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Author Topic: Sell the rights question (Read 6256 times)

Anita Potter

lagereek

Anita Potter

Microbius

RT

Microbius

cathyslife

gostwyck

lisafx

Anita Potter

digitalexpressionimages

RT

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