Author Topic: Are you considering dropping an agency? (Read 18611 times)

JetCityImage · « **on:** December 02, 2013, 08:50 »

New year, new goals - Are there any agencies that won't qualify for YOU in 2014?

Jonathan

Mantis · « **Reply #1 on:** December 02, 2013, 08:54 »

If I do, it would be the following based solely on income:

#1: Stockfresh
#2: Canstock
#3: Fotolia

If I were to base it on ethics:

#1: Istock
#2: Fotolia

Mellimage · « **Reply #2 on:** December 02, 2013, 09:34 »

123rf is on the list.

JetCityImage · « **Reply #3 on:** December 02, 2013, 09:44 »

I don't get Fotolia at all. They hate my stuff and almost never sell product. Yet in the Top 4 here.

djpadavona · « **Reply #4 on:** December 02, 2013, 09:47 »

I've already started the process to close my account at Alamy due to uncleared payments dating back several months to a year. Bigstock and 123RF will also be dropped due to a combination of slowing sales and terrible commission rates.

fritz · « **Reply #5 on:** December 02, 2013, 09:51 »

#1. Veer
#2. Fotolia
#3. GLStockImages

....and I'll drop them very soon!

JPSDK · « **Reply #6 on:** December 02, 2013, 09:55 »

yes, 123 is on the list.
Its mostly out of lazyness i havent done it already
In 2013 i quit istock, deposit, canstock + 4-5 others I have forgotten.

Its mostly the annoy factor that does it. If they annoy me enough and dont produce results.

roede-orm · « **Reply #7 on:** December 02, 2013, 09:56 »

I'll drop Stockphotomedia as soon as possible.

disorderly · « **Reply #8 on:** December 02, 2013, 10:29 »

I don't see myself dropping any agencies. At worst I'll stop uploading, but having done all the work to get my portfolio on a site I'd rather let it earn what it can. I have a (very low) threshold for minimum revenue; sites that exceeds that will get new work. The exceptions are the PITA sites, places like Crestock that reject everything and take forever to do so, or Fotolia with their questionable business practices and repeated moving of the goalposts. They get nothing.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #9 on:** December 02, 2013, 11:17 »

I stop uploading as a first step unless something seriously damaging to me - like the Google-Getty deal with no opt out - leads me to believe leaving a site is my only option to retain control over the licensing of my work.

So I stopped uploading to 123rf as soon as they announced their paycut for contributors (the RC scheme). They've continued to earn reasonably well in spite of no new uploads, so I'll just leave the old stuff with them for the time being

I stopped uploading to Veer when the Alamy partner deal was done - even though it was undone, they wouldn't give an opt out on partner deals and they pay us at a flat rate regardless of what the partner sells for, so sometimes we get seriously shortchanged. But I'm earning more from the small fraction of my portfolio that's there than I did in 2012 so I'll leave things there too

I already left BigStock over their lack of an opt out from the insane subscription royalty scheme (I was not part of the Bridge to Bigstock, so I had no reason to wait and see and didn't want to undercut myself on Shutterstock)

I virtually left iStock (all but 109 images that I can't sell anywhere else) over the lack of an opt-out on Getty's contributor unfriendly partner deals.

I don't upload to Stockfresh because sales are so sparse, but I'll leave what I have there and collect the occasional payout

If Pond5/Pixmac ever figure out what's going on with their merger I might continue to upload to them but as it is I have two (different) small fractions of my portfolio there.

I've stopped uploading to Alamy as they are just too much trouble given the sales, but they do sell, so I'll leave what I have there. I did opt out of distributor sales there this April (or whenever the annual opt out month is) because the idea that the distributor makes more than I do for doing nothing at all just burned me. Anyone, anywhere in the world can buy from the Alamy web site, so I don't know why distributors even exist in the internet era.

I occasionally think about dropping CanStock because they appear to be stuck, but the occasional sale through their parent Fotosearch keeps me hanging around although uploading sporadically

ShadySue · « **Reply #10 on:** December 02, 2013, 11:33 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on December 02, 2013, 11:17

Anyone, anywhere in the world can buy from the Alamy web site, so I don't know why distributors even exist in the internet era.

This would be an excellent question for a future Ask James.

Beppe Grillo · « **Reply #11 on:** December 02, 2013, 12:01 »

I don't see why I should drop any agency now.

Some agencies are selling today.
Some agencies are not selling today.

But nobody can say me if the ones selling today will sell tomorrow.
And nobody can say me if the ones not selling today will not sell tomorrow.

I have files on selling and on not selling agencies, the files are there, they can stay there…
No disturb…

cthoman · « **Reply #12 on:** December 02, 2013, 12:48 »

No plans for eliminating any of them. I think I've gotten rid of enough of them in the last few years, but things change all the time. Right now though, I'm more interested in expanding.

Ron · « **Reply #13 on:** December 02, 2013, 12:58 »

I am going to drop them all, and then change my mind again...

bunhill · « **Reply #14 on:** December 02, 2013, 13:22 »

Quote from: Ron on December 02, 2013, 12:58

I am going to drop them all, and then change my mind again...

heart

spike · « **Reply #15 on:** December 02, 2013, 14:25 »

Yup, bigstock. Waste of time for me.

Elenathewise · « **Reply #16 on:** December 02, 2013, 15:03 »

I think Veer and Crestock are the saddest looking ones. To me it seems that they're managed by people who don't know how to make money in micro sector and don't even think it can be done. Wouldn't delete the port, but no new uploads for sure.

Red Dove · « **Reply #17 on:** December 02, 2013, 15:18 »

Apart from one or two exceptions I can't be bothered to do anything about, I'm exclusive to the top and middle tier these days. DP isn't responding to my increasing portfolio so I'll probably give them a rest for a bit.

MarcvsTvllivs · « **Reply #18 on:** December 02, 2013, 19:51 »

Bigstock -- low earnings, low commissions, lots of work to submit

Yaymicro -- almost never sells and if it does it's for .15

GLStockimages -- has literally never sold a single of my photos

Depositphotos -- all sales are subs, and too few to make it worth it

Leo Blanchette · « **Reply #19 on:** December 02, 2013, 19:57 »

I'd consider dropping an agency like I'd consider dropping McDonalds.

Anita Potter · « **Reply #20 on:** December 02, 2013, 20:28 »

I've got 3 on the chopping block. Just waiting to make payout on them before I turn them loose which might take another year.

ShadySue · « **Reply #21 on:** December 02, 2013, 20:28 »

Quote from: Leo on December 02, 2013, 19:57

I'd consider dropping an agency like I'd consider dropping McDonalds.

What's McDonalds?

disorderly · « **Reply #22 on:** December 02, 2013, 22:33 »

Quote from: MarcvsTvllivs on December 02, 2013, 19:51

Bigstock -- low earnings, low commissions, lots of work to submit

I can't argue with your first two points, but how are they lots of work? I can set categories and assign releases on bunches of images at one time and then submit with one more click. I assume you're inserting IPTC data before you upload and using their FTP server. If not, yeah, that would be a lot more work.

lisafx · « **Reply #23 on:** December 02, 2013, 23:15 »

I don't really drop agencies, although I wouldn't rule it out.

Looking at income, Stockfresh, Veer, and Crestock are my low earners. Crestock in particular seems to be circling the bowl. However I do occasionally have a good month at each of them, so you never know.

sdeva · « **Reply #24 on:** December 03, 2013, 03:12 »

During the course of this year I've more or less stopped new uploads to,

IS, GL, Alamy, Veer, Bigstock - reasons were either related to their operating policies or dire lack of sales (or both).

In the bright New Year my focus will be to try and spot agencies with fresh and innovative marketing approaches - that go beyond dumping rates as fast as possible to sub levels and thereby progressively destroying the entire income structure. I dont know if I'll find any - but, one day, who knows! Or perhaps one of the above existing ones will come back on. One lives in hope of better things I guess

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Author Topic: Are you considering dropping an agency? (Read 18611 times)

JetCityImage

Mantis

Mellimage

JetCityImage

djpadavona

fritz

JPSDK

roede-orm

disorderly

Jo Ann Snover

ShadySue

Beppe Grillo

cthoman

Ron

bunhill

spike

Elenathewise

Red Dove

MarcvsTvllivs

Leo Blanchette

Anita Potter

ShadySue

disorderly

lisafx

sdeva

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