I'm seeing a bump since the summer ended, with almost no new uploads added to account for it. Actually got very close to a BDE at SS last week.

Quote from: ShadySue on October 14, 2013, 12:29

Quote from: ShadySue on October 14, 2013, 11:04

... watching CreativeLIVE, and seeing the reported sales on FAA, it seems that there's still a lot of discretionary money around in parts of the US.

But not if you're Banksy, apparently:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24518315

I'd be ok with $420 for less than a day of selling one color stencil spraypainted canvasses. Maybe I should go to NY and sell some "banksy's" myself...

I'd try Sydney or London to pull that scam.

I find it interesting that Japan has the highest debt per capita but doesn't seem to get mentioned much in the debt crisis news.  From my sketchy understanding of the dark arts of economics, that might be because the Japanese generally save their money and don't like big credit debts.  So the government can borrow from its own people and not have to pay another country high interest rates.

Most of Europe and the US seem to be following a policy that makes no sense to me.  Keep governments borrowing more and more and let people build up their own personal debts.  Hope the economy grows so big or the currency falls so low that the debts are sustainable.  Getting the deficit down seems to be a big achievement but until there's a surplus, the debts continue to get bigger.  The world debt is $51,988,615,154,182 but that's already out by a few million.
http://www.nationaldebtclocks.org/

I think it is very unlikely that the debt crisis in the US may be the cause of the weak sales in microstock market. Because microstock is actually a cheaper option for buyers and should be more popular especially during the crisis times. As far as I remember, in 2008, 2009 World economy was in a deeper crisis but our sales performance was better when compared to 2013.

I have been in this business since late 2006 and I think, up until 2012 buyers used to buy a lot of images and built up a quite remarkable stock in their internal drives and since then they look for only new and very interesting/high quality images.

Of course there has to be / will be also new (to microstock) customers but most of them will be more likely to be the small businesses (ad agencies) and individuals (students, teachers, company managers).

In my opinion, we have left the booming period way behind.

"A time limit" for usage (like best before in food broducts) can boost the market but I am not sure if it could be applicable?

Keep in mind that the debt ceiling is simply paying for expenses already budgeted for -- Its the country agreeing to pay its credit card bill.  Something that individuals do every month.  You spend money and then you pay the bill.

A budget is a different matter.  That is requires planning ahead and deciding if one wants to go further into debt or not.

I am having a the best month since 2011 at DT which is helping, but all the other sites are in the can - even SS isn't slipping back.

Why am I having such a good month at DT?  It sure is amazing how fast "regular" sales add up.  It makes me more and more frustrated with the whole subs scenario when you receive a healthy amount of regular sales mixed with the subs.  Makes me a little bit sick when I sell the same photo side by side and earn .35 for one sale and 6.97 for the other.   

When is this whole give-photos-away-for-nothing idea going to pass?

What fools started this full rez subscription model anyway?

I am having a the best month since 2011 at DT which is helping, but all the other sites are in the can - even SS isn't slipping back.

Why am I having such a good month at DT?  It sure is amazing how fast "regular" sales add up.  It makes me more and more frustrated with the whole subs scenario when you receive a healthy amount of regular sales mixed with the subs.  Makes me a little bit sick when I sell the same photo side by side and earn .35 for one sale and 6.97 for the other.   

When is this whole give-photos-away-for-nothing idea going to pass?

What fools started this full rez subscription model anyway?

I really wish DT would start a no subs option for some files - there's a lot I would send there, that I simply won't sell at subs rates. 20% of portfolio would be a good start.

Quote from: sharpshot on October 15, 2013, 02:18

If it is the US problems causing this, wouldn't the US have a noticeably larger drop in sales?  I did have a better day yesterday, on a US holiday.

I keep seeing references to a US holiday on Monday.  I had no idea it was a holiday yesterday, and neither did anyone else I asked.  Literally NOBODY I know was off work yesterday.   

After seeing your post I googled it and see that it was Columbus Day.  I seriously doubt that accounts for any real impact on sales.

It seems to have been a Canadian holiday yesterday too FWIW.

LisaFX - Congrats on being featured in the DepostPhotos email promotion today.

Oh, thanks!  I didn't even know it.  Thanks for the headsup!

The D-bags who should be apologizing have absolutely no shame and will never admit they're wrong.

Seems like all sides of the debate are completely intransigent. And yet it must be obvious that this is theatre and that there will be a compromise at the last possible moment so that everyone can claim victory.

Big Holiday weekend in the US especially for leaf peepers around here in New England - but my SS sales were great on Monday so there must have been a lot of people with the nose to the grind stone.

Quote from: Pixart on October 15, 2013, 11:21

I am having a the best month since 2011 at DT which is helping, but all the other sites are in the can - even SS isn't slipping back.

Why am I having such a good month at DT?  It sure is amazing how fast "regular" sales add up.  It makes me more and more frustrated with the whole subs scenario when you receive a healthy amount of regular sales mixed with the subs.  Makes me a little bit sick when I sell the same photo side by side and earn .35 for one sale and 6.97 for the other.   

When is this whole give-photos-away-for-nothing idea going to pass?

What fools started this full rez subscription model anyway?

I really wish DT would start a no subs option for some files - there's a lot I would send there, that I simply won't sell at subs rates. 20% of portfolio would be a good start.

Sub sales at DT are actually very useful in promoting your images up the Levels. A couple of 35c sub sales now is likely to lead to an extra $3-5 on later sales. It works for me anyway.

I tend to think if your images are 'too precious' to be sold at sub rates, then they shouldn't be on microstock at all. It seems to me that roughly 40% of all microstock income is derived directly through subs and, most likely, a significant majority of the other income is derived from the high sort-order position attained via multiple sub sales.

Maybe I've been doing this too long but for me a photo, pretty much any photo, is worth only what income it generates. My 'most precious' photos are those that generate the most income for the least amount of work and expense. If that happens to be an isolated tin of Spam or whatever then fine. I used to think nothing of driving to picturesque places and waiting hours for, hopefully, the right light and conditions to arrive. I wouldn't dream of doing that nowadays. I'd rather play golf and then shoot my dinner afterwoods if necessary. It'll almost certainly make more money than a landscape.

Quote from: gostwyck on October 15, 2013, 19:58

I tend to think if your images are 'too precious' to be sold at sub rates, then they shouldn't be on microstock at all.

To me, it's not really about my images being too precious. I sold at a variety of different prices for a while. What I learned was that higher prices worked better for me. It doesn't make my images special or better than anybody else's images. It just means it is better for me to sell them at higher prices and less profitable to sell them at lower prices. I'd love the option to turn off subs at a number of sites and even set my own prices. It would most likely improve my income drastically overnight.

But isn't it the fact that the 'Big 5' agencies have way more data than any of will ever have, and they also have the same desire as us to optimise prices and profits ... and yet all of them have pretty much ended up embracing subs in one form or another. Nowadays your stuff needs to be really unique and special to warrant making it unavailable on subs.