My understanding is that levels are for a la carte downloads (Non Subscription);  so for higher levels buyer has to spend more credits & contributor payout will be higher.  But I agree with you;  I've been on DT over 5yrs & have some images level 5 but don't see difference.   0.35 standard sub (0.38 during Covid) most of the time.  Occasional 2.00 Sub,   super rare EL never more than 17.

I think the level system is extremly vague anyways. The FAQ just says "When the amount of downloads per image reaches a specific number the level of the file is increased", but it doesn't tell you what that "specific" number is. Is it 5 downloads? Is it 50?

I found the information that "The prices go up 2-3 credits for each level. Level 5 images are between 11 and 20 credits", but even that is vague? Why "between 11-20 credits?" Is it 11 or is it 20? How comes no one knows?

And the same source says that the final cost of an image is determined by the credit pack the customer buys. This means you might get less for a level 5 image if the person buying the image has a 2000 credit pack than you might get for a level 1 image if the person has a 11 credits pack. So, at least according to this source (stockphotoguides.com), the levels are also for subscription sales, not just for non subscription! But I can't confirm, as no detailed information can be found on Dreamstime's site.

All very intransparent. In the end I never held much hope for the level system anyways. It might probably work if you have very unique images, but as soon as your image is more generic and there are 5873 of the same topic in the database, it might just mean that customers will serach for a cheaper image once yours costs more, so the system might be sabotaging your sales.

I can't contribute to statistical statements because my portfolio � like everywhere else � is relatively small, and because I don't have that many level 5 files.

But a few things stand out:

1. I have images that haven't had a single download, but are already at level 1. I don't know why that is. I also haven't checked how many there are.

2. Level 5 pictures: On average, I find that a high level is much more noticeable for vector files in the RPD than for photos, renderings and other CGI images. There is one exception: one vector file only earned $34 from 35 downloads, i.e. an RPD of less than $1 - the rest are significantly higher. For normal images, the best ones are in the $2 RPD range, but there aren't that many.

I haven't looked at the fine print, but basically all images start at level 1, if there are no sales after a certain time (6 mo?) thye drop to level 0. For sub sales - which are 90+ percent of all sales at DT it makes no difference anyway, but for other sales the cost goes up with higher levels and more importantly the % that the artist gets from sales of higher level images goes up with higher levels. For a while higher level subs sales cost more sub credits and paid higher, that is no longer the case.

The reason that they say a variable number of credits is because the cost varies based on the size of the image they sell. Also the $ amount is highly variable because the cost of credits varies wildly based on how big of a credit pack is purchased - and if it is purchased with a discount.

The # of sales to go up a level has dropped a lot through the years, but any benefit from this has been more than offset by the change from 50% for the artist to much less - 25% to 45% now.

https://www.dreamstime.com/sell-stock-photos-images

In the old days the levels system made a big difference but nowadays almost all sales are subs where the levels are irrelevant.  My last credit sale was in October where a level 2 sale netted me $3.45.  Unfortunately those are rare nowadays.  What I really hate is allowing TIFF downloads with subs - those should be limited to the smaller sizes to encourage credit sales.

This is like complaining about the quality of the food on the Titanic. Dreamstime is a sinking ship, the levels didn't mean much 5-10 years ago but certainly don't matter today, because the majority is sub sales anyway (not just on DT)...if you're lucky to get sales at all.

Some people might have other experience.
 Dreamstime is not a strong earner for me. But during all the years I've been doing microstock, sales and earnings there have been steady. Not much, but steady. That's not what I consider a "sinking ship". A sinking ship, for me, is an agance where earnings are constantly declining - like, at least for me, Shutterstock is doing right now.

For what it's worth my DT experience is similar;   low earner, but keeping steady and not declining.  I also find them friendly, with these contests and very simple upload interface.   SS on the other hand is in a freefall ever since new payment scheme started few yrs ago.