MicrostockGroup

Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: NoNameIsGood on December 22, 2021, 06:14

Title: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: NoNameIsGood on December 22, 2021, 06:14
When it was first sale in different agencies for you?
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Firn on December 22, 2021, 06:18
I am not sure I understand the question correctly. If I upload a photo and there is a demand for it, it can sell as fast as within the first minute after being appoved.

There is no "avarage" sale time for a photo. It depends on when someone needs it, wheter there is competition for it, how good it is copared to other similar image, how the agencie's algorithm places it. An image can sell 1 minute after being approved, one week or a year later or never at all.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: ShadySue on December 22, 2021, 08:26
Quote from: Disappear on December 22, 2021, 06:14
When it was first sale in different agencies for you?
Overnight, but that was in December 2006.
It's different nowadays for many reasons, of which increased competition is only one.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: tätarätä on December 22, 2021, 08:36
It depends on the size of your portfolio.
Upload 1000 images and about 100 images will sell at least once in the next 2 years.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: For Real on December 22, 2021, 09:14
March of 2011. I dance with joy on selling a tiger lily flower on Fotolia and Shutter stock the same. Life was grand back then...
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Fred on December 22, 2021, 09:41
Quote from: Disappear on December 22, 2021, 06:14
When it was first sale in different agencies for you?

First sale was at Lucky Oliver about 2007 - took a few days at least, perhaps even a week or two but I had less than 100 images online.  When I finally got onto SS - took three attempts - selling was nearly immediate and in double digits pretty quickly. Same 100 images.

fred
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: cathyslife on December 22, 2021, 10:23
Quite a few years ago when I started, I didn’t see a sale until I had a hundred or so images uploaded. But things are way different today. There are multi-millions of images to compete with. But if you have great, sellable images, it shouldn’t take too long. Sorry, there’s no definite answer. We are in holidays now, typically it’s slower for some anyway.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Uncle Pete on December 22, 2021, 10:47
Quote from: Firn on December 22, 2021, 06:18
I am not sure I understand the question correctly. If I upload a photo and there is a demand for it, it can sell as fast as within the first minute after being appoved.

There is no "avarage" sale time for a photo. It depends on when someone needs it, wheter there is competition for it, how good it is copared to other similar image, how the agencie's algorithm places it. An image can sell 1 minute after being approved, one week or a year later or never at all.

I'd agree, it's another "it depends" kind of thing, but as recent as last month, uploaded something new and it got a download the next day. I didn't start until 2008 or so and back then, often, it was upload and wait, get reviewed, see downloads the next day.

One difference is, now we might get an image reviewed in a day or two and back then it was sometimes a week or longer.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 10:49
I've had images sold within 5 mins of uploading (the breaking news kind)
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: For Real on December 22, 2021, 11:53
Quote from: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 10:49
I've had images sold within 5 mins of uploading (the breaking news kind)

The next future Yuri! You need to tell us your secrets  :D
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Uncle Pete on December 22, 2021, 11:58
Quote from: For Real on December 22, 2021, 11:53
Quote from: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 10:49
I've had images sold within 5 mins of uploading (the breaking news kind)

The next future Yuri! You need to tell us your secrets  :D

Well here's a secret tip, if you uploaded that news story the day before it would have even better sales!  :o  (no don't correct me, it was a logic test.)

(https://i.postimg.cc/0224DbbJ/help-sos.gif)
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 13:48
Quote from: For Real on December 22, 2021, 11:53
Quote from: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 10:49
I've had images sold within 5 mins of uploading (the breaking news kind)

The next future Yuri! You need to tell us your secrets  :D

Keyword beforehand, shoot, take out laptop, run to nearest cafe and upload...earn!

It's fun but pitiful earnings for the work involved.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Level6 on December 22, 2021, 15:29
Quote from: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 13:48
Quote from: For Real on December 22, 2021, 11:53
Quote from: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 10:49
I've had images sold within 5 mins of uploading (the breaking news kind)

The next future Yuri! You need to tell us your secrets  :D

Keyword beforehand, shoot, take out laptop, run to nearest cafe and upload...earn!

It's fun but pitiful earnings for the work involved.

That's the problem right now and for editorial video as well, I can't justify the mobile data even as the earnings are so low, If I shoot something I'll upload it later but I don't even take the laptop with me anymore, in 2018 I practically had a whole ENG news setup with me.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Wilm on December 22, 2021, 16:57
Quote from: Disappear on December 22, 2021, 06:14
When it was first sale in different agencies for you?

What you are getting at with your question is clear. But no one can give a serious and useful answer. The time span ranges from one second to never.

What I can say is that in the past there were often downloads on the day the images were accepted. I suppose that is theoretically still possible today, if you upload usable image material on a very current topic. Since I have hardly uploaded any images in the past few years, I can't say much about it.

I observe, however, that even the contributors, who deal intensively with the market and produce very good image material, hardly achieve downloads with new image material. Hundreds of new images generate a handful of downloads - if at all. The market is oversaturated.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: fotoroad on December 22, 2021, 18:37
Quote from: Disappear on December 22, 2021, 06:14
When it was first sale in different agencies for you?
Hmm , I post yesterday and sol today
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on December 22, 2021, 20:14
Quote from: Disappear on December 22, 2021, 06:14
When it was first sale in different agencies for you?

If you're new to selling stock and are wondering why your images aren't selling, finding out how other people's images performed at other agencies doesn't really help answer your question. And as everyone has pointed out, there really is no way to answer that question usefully.

If you're not uploading to Shutterstock and Adobe Stock, the two top sales agencies at the moment, then you should. Chasing sales at low volume agencies when you're new is largely pointless.

If you are and you're not selling anything/much, look at your keywords and look at your competition (i.e. do searches for the main keywords of a selection of your images and see who else is offering work for those searches). Bear in mind some subjects sell more than others, so if there are only 50 images for some keyword, it may be a great niche, or it may be of little interest to buyers (or it could be misspelled :)).

18 results for Knottingley; 51,676 for Edinburgh
https://stock.adobe.com/search?dym=1&k=knottingley
https://stock.adobe.com/search?dym=1&k=edinburgh

In other words, if your Knottingley images aren't selling, it may be lack of buyer interest in the subject. If it's a picture of Edinburgh you interest from buyers, but have a ton of great images as competitors.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Pacesetter on December 22, 2021, 22:19
(https://s3.amazonaws.com/after-school-assets/cards.gif)
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Uncle Pete on December 23, 2021, 08:33
Quote from: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 13:48
Quote from: For Real on December 22, 2021, 11:53
Quote from: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 10:49
I've had images sold within 5 mins of uploading (the breaking news kind)

The next future Yuri! You need to tell us your secrets  :D

Keyword beforehand, shoot, take out laptop, run to nearest cafe and upload...earn!

It's fun but pitiful earnings for the work involved.

I actually did shoot a news story the day before. At the races, I made shots of each the cars, and then edited, added IPTC "Dateline: Name, Team, specifics, event" and saved. When the race finishes, I edit the caption to say:   race winner.  and upload. News images are sometimes a matter of who gets it uploaded first.

And yes, for the question of data limitations or speed, go park in front of a McDonald's (or any major chain restaurant) and upload the photos or video.

What used to be a limitation 5 years ago is now a benefit. Free internet is almost everywhere. (except the dam hotels is Las Vegas want to charge us to park and to have Internet in the rooms. What a crock!)
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: Uncle Pete on December 23, 2021, 08:41
Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on December 22, 2021, 20:14
In other words, if your (specific niche subject) images aren't selling, it may be lack of buyer interest in the subject. If it's a picture of (major well covered subject) you have interest from buyers, but have a ton of great images as competitors.

As A slightly edited version of your excellent answer.

Even shorter = Market Supply and Demand.
Title: Re: How fast can you expect to sell photos?
Post by: wds on December 23, 2021, 09:25
Quote from: Level6 on December 22, 2021, 15:29
Quote from: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 13:48
Quote from: For Real on December 22, 2021, 11:53
Quote from: Brasilnut on December 22, 2021, 10:49
I've had images sold within 5 mins of uploading (the breaking news kind)

The next future Yuri! You need to tell us your secrets  :D

Keyword beforehand, shoot, take out laptop, run to nearest cafe and upload...earn!

It's fun but pitiful earnings for the work involved.

That's the problem right now and for editorial video as well, I can't justify the mobile data even as the earnings are so low, If I shoot something I'll upload it later but I don't even take the laptop with me anymore, in 2018 I practically had a whole ENG news setup with me.

Plus you still have to wait for the inspection time.