Author Topic: New contributor referral program at The3dStudio.com - 5% for life (Read 19329 times)

The3dStudioDotCom · « **on:** August 23, 2009, 16:32 »

The3dStudio.com is a little different from other stock imaging sites, we were formed in 1996 and are well know and trusted in other media circles as one of the largest and oldest companies on the Internet offering 3D and 2D resources.

We offer both free and priced resources including 3D models, textures, tutorials, plug-ins, software, and feel we are now in a position to move into the stock imaging market. With our established website, own resources and an existing customer base, this makes us different to some of the other start-up companies that may struggle to get established.

Some of the benefits our contributing artist like include the ability to set your their own prices, no minimum PayPal payout, and our high artist commission being one of the best in the industry at 60%.

Although our stock imaging section is still very new, we’ve seen some excellent adoption rates by many great contributors out there (many from these forums) and are very pleased with how fast the stock images are be added to our library and are excited to see how fast our customers are buying up stock images as well.

We have a new program that’s coming out at The3dStudio.com right now and is being announced in our newsletter which is going out today and I would love to get some feedback from everyone here if possible since we really base our site and features on your feedback.

The3dStudio.com is proactive in talking to our artists and we welcome their feedback, one thing our artists have been asking for is a referral program.
At the3DStudio.com you will find we already have a good affiliate program, one where you can refer a Customer and get 20% of any sale, this program will not change, and the good news is after careful consideration of our artist’s feedback we are now extending our affiliate program to include artist referrals.

So what do you get? Simple…you get 5% of their sales for life. No limits, no changes, guaranteed. This example is straight out of our Help section (http://www.the3dstudio.com/help.aspx?id_help=12)...

For example, say you refer Bob to The3dStudio.com and Bob sells Stock Photos. Every time one of Bob’s photos is purchased you will get 5% of that sale. That 5% comes out of The3dStudio.com’s share so Bob still gets his full royalties.

If the average photo that Bob has sells for $12.00 then you would get $0.60 each and every time it sells, for life. If Bob sells 1000 photos per month then you would earn $600.00 in commission every single month without any limits of any kind.

The idea is that you are helping spread the word about The3dStudio.com and since that helps our business overall it seems only fair that you get paid for helping us in that way. Think about what 5% commissions for life really means if you refer just a few sellers to us, that can add up to seriously large sums of money over time.

The program is live right now and if you are interested you can go grab your affiliate links now: http://www.the3dstudio.com/member_sell.aspx
For anyone who already uses our affiliate program you are all set already and don’t need to do anything. The links you have been using have not changed and this new feature is automatically part of your affiliate efforts.

Feel free to post any feedback or suggestions right here or, as always, you can also email me (Matt) directly at [email protected] and I will be happy to answer any questions, read any feedback, etc.

Pixart · « **Reply #1 on:** August 23, 2009, 17:29 »

Adrepis, you should post your referral code here. You have been the most informative about this agency.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #2 on:** August 23, 2009, 19:36 »

I'm sorry. Even if Dave gives the thumbs up, anyone that says "For Life", I don't trust. Like when you said whatever X% royalties, "forever" in your blog, I don't buy it. Sorry. If it comes down to it, you'll adjust it. It's just the way business it.

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #3 on:** August 23, 2009, 19:48 »

Okay, for you sjlocke we'll make it 99 years if it makes you feel better

Seriously though, I know it sounds hard to believe and we gave it a lot of discussion here. Some wanted a 5 year cap on it but I like LIFE. If you join the referral program now anyone you refer will net you that 5% commission for life. Period. That won't change ever.

Now, it's entirely possible that in a few years time we decide to change anyone who uses the referral program from that point on to a 5 year limit. We don't have any plans to do that but it is possible that the plan FROM THAT POINT ON will change. Anyone who gets a referral in now keeps that referral for life. Just so I am making my point clear, if you refer somebody today using our "lifetime" plan as I mentioned in this post you keep getting their commissions for life even if the plan changes later on. It's that simple.

If there is one thing we have learned at The3dStudio.com it's that we don't lower anything for existing members, which is why we have even put a guarantee on our royalty amount at 60% (http://www.the3dstudio.com/blog_detail.aspx?id=958). Any time something is lowered we will grandfather in all existing members on whatever the program is. This is just how we operate now because it's the right thing to do. We really are trying to put our business in a glass office and be upfront and honest and really trying to do what's best for everyone involved. I realize it sometimes seems too good to be true because people aren't used to dealing with a business that's honest and open but I hope that, in time, we can change your views of us.

oboy · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2009, 20:03 »

Well, if nobody else post a referral link, then here is my affiliate link http://www.the3dstudio.com/?id_affiliate=467960

I am only with The 3D Studio for about a couple of weeks. And with only a small part of my portfolio I had two sales. I like the higher prices and commission. Upload is very easy and fast. I will give them change.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #5 on:** August 23, 2009, 21:08 »

Quote from: The3dStudioDotCom on August 23, 2009, 19:48

If there is one thing we have learned at The3dStudio.com it's that we don't lower anything for existing members, which is why we have even put a guarantee on our royalty amount at 60% (http://www.the3dstudio.com/blog_detail.aspx?id=958). Any time something is lowered we will grandfather in all existing members on whatever the program is. This is just how we operate now because it's the right thing to do. We really are trying to put our business in a glass office and be upfront and honest and really trying to do what's best for everyone involved. I realize it sometimes seems too good to be true because people aren't used to dealing with a business that's honest and open but I hope that, in time, we can change your views of us.

Yes, exactly. An online post is worth nothing. You send a notarized contract to all your contributors regarding a permanent royalty level, and then I'll buy it. Otherwise, meh. Sorry.

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #6 on:** August 23, 2009, 22:33 »

That's okay sjlocke, I figured you'd be the skeptical one in the group and it's okay if you don't want to participate. Our program isn't for everyone and our site isn't for everyone and that's okay. Just try to keep a little hope alive that not all companies are evil and out to get you and we'll do our part along the way.

I'd like to try and keep this post on topic if possible though, so if anyone has any feedback about the program itself (ideas, suggestions, what you like and don't like, etc) please let me know.

bittersweet · « **Reply #7 on:** August 23, 2009, 23:07 »

Quote from: The3dStudioDotCom on August 23, 2009, 22:33

That's okay sjlocke, I figured you'd be the skeptical one in the group and it's okay if you don't want to participate.

Sean is an istock exclusive, and I can tell you he has absolutely no interest in participating in your site. He enjoys playing devil's advocate to alert the rest of us to potential problems that we might want to investigate for ourselves. Overall this can be a helpful thing, but at times can come across a bit aggressive and pointless.

But back on topic...
Having recently been put in the position of missing out on a potentially lucrative opportunity due to contributor recruitment spamming, I think many times programs like this dilute individual royalty earnings for contributors. Those who invest a lot of time drumming up referrals are on the winning side, as is the site who doesn't necessarily care who gets the sale as long as someone does. ... But the contributors whose sales drop significantly are the ones who get the short end of the stick.

As their sales fall, does this put them in a position of having to seek alternative outlets for selling their work? And in the long run does this negatively affect the site putting bounties the recruitment of new contributors? I don't know the answer.

Adeptris · « **Reply #8 on:** August 24, 2009, 00:08 »

Quote from: Pixart on August 23, 2009, 17:29

Adrepis, you should post your referral code here. You have been the most informative about this agency.

Cheers,
My post has my reffal link in it, and my signature below, HERE IT IS

@Whatalife
Re: Refferal programs, Nearly every micro already has a refferal system in place already, and do they not reward different contributors with commission incentives, labels and tokens, microstock has been built on incentives and greed having a bad class system all of it's own, one where an asset is sold and the payment to the supplier can be 20% different, a new agency has to build thier library or collection, I would rather my assets compete and share on equal terms with people from this forum, with a flat percentage and no lower commision payout level, this is fair to everyone if you have 10 or 10,000 assets you are treated equally.

@sjloke
You can have a verbal contract just by making a promise, the fact that Matt on behalf of The3dStudio has written the same statement on the website and here for anyone to print and file should be enough.

They are not saying they will never change the T&C, but how nice to hear that if they do it will not affect any existing agreements, all the other sites should take note of how to treat loyalty, when they lower anything make that going forward for new contributors, and not retrospective for artist that have supported, supplied the assets at no initial cost, and been used to build their business.

David (just my 5%)

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #9 on:** August 24, 2009, 01:18 »

Quote from: Adeptris on August 24, 2009, 00:08

@sjloke
You can have a verbal contract just by making a promise, the fact that Matt on behalf of The3dStudio has written the same statement on the website and here for anyone to print and file should be enough.

Sure you can, but I doubt anyone is going to sue The3dStudio someday when the online terms change because a post in a blog said something otherwise. When buying things, I'm likely to ignore things like "lifetime guarantee" because you know the company will go out of business, or you'll lose the receipt or whatever. To me, things are more sensible when someone says "We'll do our best to keep this program in place", instead of "for life".

bittersweet · « **Reply #10 on:** August 24, 2009, 01:47 »

Quote from: Adeptris on August 24, 2009, 00:08

@Whatalife
Re: Refferal programs, Nearly every micro already has a refferal system in place already, and do they not reward different contributors with commission incentives, labels and tokens, microstock has been built on incentives and greed having a bad class system all of it's own, one where an asset is sold and the payment to the supplier can be 20% different, a new agency has to build thier library or collection, I would rather my assets compete and share on equal terms with people from this forum, with a flat percentage and no lower commision payout level, this is fair to everyone if you have 10 or 10,000 assets you are treated equally.

I'm not sure I completely understand your response. I'm not familiar with the practices of "nearly every micro", only the referral program at istock, which rewards people who bring in buyers. There very well may be others who reward for bringing in new contributors, but it does not change my question about the long-term effects of such a program. Maybe it works great. I don't know. I'm only voicing my thoughts based on some reports from people who have been directly and negatively affected by such a program. Maybe they are just anomalies in an otherwise perfect system.

The royalty commission structure of the sites, their greed, or your perceived "class system" has nothing to do with this topic.

Adeptris · « **Reply #11 on:** August 24, 2009, 02:37 »

Quote from: whatalife on August 24, 2009, 01:47

<...
>...
The royalty commission structure of the sites, their greed, or your perceived "class system" has nothing to do with this topic.

Hi Whatalife,
Sorry if I am reading your replies wrongly, there are lots of ways many sites use incentives to bring in buyers and contributors, by setting targets with upload or commission rewards, or just financial gain through affiliate and referal links, I do know there are some contributors on other sites that have no portfolios only affiliate accounts, and that is something you have indicated.

I could understand your points about dilution if one of the established site with millions of assets went on a drive to recruit new contributors, but this is a new player looking for contributors to build a library or collection, and we know that for any agency to attract customers it will have a target number of assets it needs to trade.

The point I was trying to make about the 'class system' is simple, a buyer will search and purchase an image, one contributors payment can be 50% less than another contributor, but the images are 'equal products' in size, quality and content, is one contributors image really worth 50% more than anothers because they have uploaded or sold more assets, I would think not, but that is for another thread.

Back on Topic:
It looks to me like The3dStudio are looking to build thier library and offering an incentive to those that are willing to network to fellow artists for them, they could have used a different approach and offered a lowered commision and used the difference in revenue to spend on direct marketing, I.M.H.O. the use of the affiliate incentive will benefit it's contributors longer term, all the website can hope for long term viral growth.

David

oboy · « **Reply #12 on:** August 24, 2009, 08:27 »

I think it is quite normal that sometimes there will be more new contributors and sometimes and as a contributor you will feel this in your sales. But as the company and pool growth, you will feel less and lesser this effect.

When I was reading first the word lifetime, I was not thinking so much of that the 5% will always stay the same, but more of that the connection between the referrer and the new buyer or contributor will stay for a lifetime. And I don't see anything unbelievable in this.

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #13 on:** August 24, 2009, 13:43 »

whatalife: I guess I am not sure what negative impacts you are referring to on a referral program. You can refer buyers or contributors (sellers). For buyers you gain a 20% commission on their entire order. For contributors, you get 5% of their lifetime sales. If there is a negative in there that I am not seeing let me know and I will try my best to clear it up.

As David suggests, what we are basically saying is that we are new to stock, we want to build up our library quickly, and to do that we know we can't recruit contributors as fast as we'd like so we want to use you as our recruiters. You have the ability to reach an audience that we cannot and you can do it on a level that is more personal and less "spammy". That's worth something to us and that's why we think you deserve the 5% lifetime commission for that work. We could blow tons of money on advertising to get these new contributors and that will have mixed results (though we obviously are doing that as well) but we'd rather "invest" the money in those that are supporting us from the start. It just makes sense to us that way. No hidden agendas, no secrets involved, just a good old fashioned grass roots effort because that sort of system just seems to work best.

sjlocke: I see your point. If I see a product that has a lifetime guarantee I may take that with a grain of salt depending on the company that backs it and I can appreciate somebody being concerned about us as we appear new in the world of stock. The difference is that we have been around for 13 years now and our entire business is based on doing the right thing and serving our customers. To some degree, we still operate on the idea that a "handshake" still means something and while I realize that's naive in today's world it's still a principal that we operate on and I just can't change that because it's what I believe in. At the same time, I can't very well go around spewing all sorts of promises and then breaking them down the road and expect anyone to stay with us. Do right by us and we will do right by you. Simply telling you that I "will do my best" isn't good enough for me, I'd much rather spell it out like I have.

oboy: Any referrals you get will remain as a lifetime connection to you (as you have stated) and they will remain at the 5% level for that lifetime as well. Now, if we stop or change this program next year then anyone that you got before that time STILL would be tied to you at 5% for life. That's the guarantee we are putting on this program.

tobkatrina · « **Reply #14 on:** August 24, 2009, 14:02 »

*dumb question alert*!!!

Youdon't just want 3D images, right? Is a full (normal) stock portfolio welcome there???

Katrina

Adeptris · « **Reply #15 on:** August 24, 2009, 14:13 »

Quote from: tobkatrina on August 24, 2009, 14:02

*dumb question alert*!!!

Youdon't just want 3D images, right? Is a full (normal) stock portfolio welcome there???

Katrina

Katrina,
Yes you are correct, they have 3D and now they are wanting stock images, just visit and look at the section for photo / images it is the third section here

I have been watching the number of assets grow!

David

epantha · « **Reply #16 on:** August 24, 2009, 14:25 »

I still can't believe the number of views you get in such a short period of time.

Adeptris · « **Reply #17 on:** August 24, 2009, 14:31 »

Quote from: epantha on August 24, 2009, 14:25

I still can't believe the number of views you get in such a short period of time.

They are real check out the second answer on this topic about The3dStudio

David

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #18 on:** August 24, 2009, 14:36 »

Katrina, the answer as David said (I can't keep up with him!) is that, yes, we want your normal stock portfolio (images/photos) as that is the newest section of our site. You can see our stock categories at: http://www.the3dstudio.com/product.aspx?id_category_0=290 (and we can add categories as needed on request).

epantha: This is mainly due to that fact that we actually have been around for a long time (13+ years now) and have a well established group of visitors / customers already. Some of these customers buy stock images as well as 3D and the other items we sell but we will also be targeting more stock customers as our inventory grows. It's sort of a situation of stocking our shelves before we can truly go after customers but some of our stock contributors are already seeing some respectable sales overall, especially when you factor in our higher prices and royalty structure.

sharpshot · « **Reply #19 on:** August 24, 2009, 17:23 »

Matt, I see we are being asked to fill out a W-8BEN form and have a U.S. Tax ID number, if we are outside the U.S. and want to use the the tax treaty benefits. Shutterstock recently asked for this but now they have a simple online form and there is no need for a U.S. Tax ID number. Veer marketplace have a similar simple form. I think you will need to do this, if you want a significant number of people outside the U.S. to contribute to your site. Getting a U.S. Tax ID number is a long process and can be expensive. As we have seen recently, lots of contributors would prefer just using the sites that don't ask for one.

Please don't say it can't be done because that is what shutterstock said, shortly before getting it done.

tobkatrina · « **Reply #20 on:** August 24, 2009, 18:04 »

Quote from: The3dStudioDotCom on August 24, 2009, 14:36

Katrina, the answer as David said (I can't keep up with him!) is that, yes, we want your normal stock portfolio (images/photos) as that is the newest section of our site. You can see our stock categories at: http://www.the3dstudio.com/product.aspx?id_category_0=290 (and we can add categories as needed on request).

Thanks! I had looked around a bit on the site and well with my Artist 5 second attention span couldn't find it. Didn't want to waste time uploading something you didn't want! LOL

Ok guys check your referrals, someone here just got another! LOL

cascoly · « **Reply #21 on:** August 24, 2009, 18:56 »

i too was surprised at the immediate thousands of reviews -- but what was more amazing were 4 sales so far this month, for about $20. i had about 300 images at the start of August, about 1000 now. with 30,000 views. upl is quick & easy. this first month they've already beat IS, FT, 123 and SX in royalties

highly recommended -- my affilaite link is below

steve

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #22 on:** August 24, 2009, 20:41 »

Quote from: sharpshot on August 24, 2009, 17:23

Matt, I see we are being asked to fill out a W-8BEN form and have a U.S. Tax ID number, if we are outside the U.S. and want to use the the tax treaty benefits. Shutterstock recently asked for this but now they have a simple online form and there is no need for a U.S. Tax ID number. Veer marketplace have a similar simple form. I think you will need to do this, if you want a significant number of people outside the U.S. to contribute to your site. Getting a U.S. Tax ID number is a long process and can be expensive. As we have seen recently, lots of contributors would prefer just using the sites that don't ask for one.

Please don't say it can't be done because that is what shutterstock said, shortly before getting it done.

Can you post a link to this on shutter, I'd be happy to take a look at what's going on and investigate what you are referring to. Of course, I can't guarantee that we can do something simply because some other company does...we have to listen to what our CPA's tell us on this issue and that's why we have the system that we have now. You can email the into to me at [email protected] as well.

Pixart · « **Reply #23 on:** August 25, 2009, 00:06 »

. Deleted cranky comment.

Adeptris · « **Reply #24 on:** August 25, 2009, 00:18 »

Quote from: The3dStudioDotCom on August 24, 2009, 20:41

Can you post a link to this on shutter, I'd be happy to take a look at what's going on and investigate what you are referring to. Of course, I can't guarantee that we can do something simply because some other company does...we have to listen to what our CPA's tell us on this issue and that's why we have the system that we have now. You can email the into to me at [email protected] as well.

Hi Matt,
Online submissions are quite common now, they will have an url or upload area where you can send an xml file in a specific format, and digital signature is also accepted, contact the IRS support desk would be better.

David

ThomasAmby · « **Reply #25 on:** August 25, 2009, 02:29 »

It does seem like you have a customer base - do you accept vectors (EPS) or do you intend to do it in the near future ?

And also, yes, you would attract significantly more european contributors with an online tax treaty form like the one they set up on Shutterstock

sharpshot · « **Reply #26 on:** August 25, 2009, 02:36 »

Quote from: The3dStudioDotCom on August 24, 2009, 20:41

Quote from: sharpshot on August 24, 2009, 17:23
Matt, I see we are being asked to fill out a W-8BEN form and have a U.S. Tax ID number, if we are outside the U.S. and want to use the the tax treaty benefits. Shutterstock recently asked for this but now they have a simple online form and there is no need for a U.S. Tax ID number. Veer marketplace have a similar simple form. I think you will need to do this, if you want a significant number of people outside the U.S. to contribute to your site. Getting a U.S. Tax ID number is a long process and can be expensive. As we have seen recently, lots of contributors would prefer just using the sites that don't ask for one.

Please don't say it can't be done because that is what shutterstock said, shortly before getting it done.

Can you post a link to this on shutter, I'd be happy to take a look at what's going on and investigate what you are referring to. Of course, I can't guarantee that we can do something simply because some other company does...we have to listen to what our CPA's tell us on this issue and that's why we have the system that we have now. You can email the into to me at [email protected] as well.

You have to be logged in as a contributor to see the form page. There is a lot of discussion about it in the forum but basically they wanted us to use the method your site uses but it caused a lot of problems for contributors and they came up with a much better solution. http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/f-18.html

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #27 on:** August 25, 2009, 12:43 »

ThomasAmby: We will be offering Vector options in the future but we want to concentrate on JPGs for now while we get started in stock.

For everyone else, we looking into the "is the ITIN" required issue again. When we first started in 3D the way this was written and the way the CPAs want this done is the way we have it. I would love nothing more than to lose the requirement of requiring a ITIN for individuals so I am seeing what we can figure out on that subject.

As for electronic submission of the W8BEN itself, I think we can likely do this one but are checking to be sure. E-signatures are fairly well accepted these days so I will see what I can find out on that. In the mean time, if anyone wants to be paid you can scan in your W8BEN and simply email it to us as well. I've even had some people take a photo of it and send the photo which is fine as well if you don't have a scanner.

I will keep this post updated with what I find and The3dStudio.com will be updated as well.

MicrostockExp · « **Reply #28 on:** August 25, 2009, 13:11 »

It would great to be able to register for this ITIN number for us, european contributors

Hope you can work something out ...
On the stats side here are mine for 3DS, I am more than happy about it so far, it really put Veer in the dust.....makes you wonder ....

1113 pictures on line, 30,364 views, 6 sales, $33.60 royalties in 3 weeks

Here is my referral link if you want to use it : http://www.the3dstudio.com/?id_affiliate=467153

L

gostwyck · « **Reply #29 on:** August 25, 2009, 13:16 »

In my view 5% is ridiculously high for a referral __ especially if it is 'for life'.

I'd find it much more of an incentive if you either upped the commission by that amount for 'self-referrals' or, probably better, put the money into increased marketing.

Unfortunately, in my experience, the higher the % commission an agency pays the fewer the sales that result. I can't see how one agency can possibly be effective in a crowded marketplace in which almost all their competitors are paying 30-40% commission. Paying 5% referrals on top of 60% commissions is just not going to work and I'd struggle to take any agency seriously that thought it was practical.

DT have always tried to be as fair as possible to their contributors but even so they have finally had to concede that they must play on a level field and have therefore reduced commissions accordingly.

cascoly · « **Reply #30 on:** August 25, 2009, 13:40 »

why would reducing artist % be the only way to compete? leveling the playing field doesnt require paying the lowest royalties - there are other ways to trim - less overhead, smaller profits for owners & shareholders [who may be passive investors], streamlined web prcessing, better marketing, established loyal customers from other ventures, etc

sites like 3d, yay, cut etc have very liveral acceptance policies - that may backfire in the longrun, but it means their current costs are lower than sites with more reviewers

steve

goldenangel · « **Reply #31 on:** August 25, 2009, 13:55 »

Quote from: gostwyck on August 25, 2009, 13:16

In my view 5% is ridiculously high for a referral __ especially if it is 'for life'.

SS pays 3 cents. I believe their percentage is even higher compared to what contributors get.

oboy · « **Reply #32 on:** August 25, 2009, 14:00 »

The 3D Studio is different the other agencies because the sell not only Stock Images. Probably the size of the company is different too, and that leads to a different structure of the business. If Matt is running The 3D Studio since 1996 then I think he has enough experience to make a calculated decision.

gostwyck · « **Reply #33 on:** August 25, 2009, 14:07 »

Quote from: goldenangel on August 25, 2009, 13:55

SS pays 3 cents. I believe their percentage is even higher compared to what contributors get.

Not the way they've written it "…you get 5% of their sales for life."

They appear to be saying that the referral is 5% of the gross sale price __ not the photographer's commissions.

SS pay 7.8% referral on my commissions for 25-per-day sales but by the time you've taken PPD's and EL's into account it is barely more than 5% of commissions. That's likely to be about 2% of total sales.

Adeptris · « **Reply #34 on:** August 25, 2009, 14:16 »

Gostwyck,
I did think about just your points for quite a while before joining up, as I only contribute to a couple of agencies and do not sign-up easy when a new offering comes up with high commission percentages , but there were some differences with The3dStudio.com that helped me decide, thay are well know and strong in different digital media like 3D and already have a following and a customer base, I looked at the other products which ranged for Free to $300+ this means the customers are not scared to spend for the right product.

Our images are not thier only product so they will have revenue streams to build the library, they do not set the prices the contributor does, they do however suggest default prices of $4, $8 and $12 which seem to work well from the reports here and my own sales, although they are new to stock imaging they are not new to the digital business and I am sure if the default pricing does not work they would let us know, the pressure might come if they over subscribe with contributors, and the less savvy contributors in an effort to grab sales lower thier prices to far.

David

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #35 on:** August 25, 2009, 16:18 »

Just so everyone understands the 5% program, you are getting that 5% from the cut that The3dStudio.com gets.

For example, our most popular photo size (large) is usually $12 (though you can set that higher). So, on that $12 sale the contributor/seller gets $7.20 in all cases. The3dStudio.com would get $4.80 as our "take".

If there is an affiliate customer referral on that order for 20%, that 20% comes out of our "take" and if there is a 5% referral few then that 5% comes out of our take as well. Meaning, the actual contributor/seller always gets their 60% all the time. I didn't want anyone to think that our program ever reduces what the seller gets.

There are many reasons we can do this, and one of them is just that we are talking about higher priced sales vs "credit" based sites that are more like micro transactions. Now, if one of our $4 photos sells (small size) the profit margin is much smaller than a $12 photo (or a $100 model) but you have to take the good with bad (so to speak) and let it average out over all sales over time.

On top of that, our customer base is made up of huge numbers of repeat customers. So, maybe it costs us $25 to $100 to get that customer to try us but once they do they likely come back and the next time our overall profit margins increase. For us, it's more about getting good and loyal customers (they are out there) and once we do that and show them our service they reward u with continued business and that's when we can start to profit.

Add all of these things up and we are able to offer higher royalty rates, avoid the credit systems and minimum purchases, offer generous affiliate referrals, and so on. The way I see it, there is no right or wrong on this stuff but simply different markets, different customers, and different ways of doing things. We've chosen a different path than what is considered normal in stock and it is (as some suggested) based on our 13+ year experience in stock 3D (which includes stock textures which are essentially stock images for a different market).

We are confident that this will be successful in the long run and also know that we have a huge uphill battle ahead of us. We're not in this to make every rich overnight, this is a long term plan that requires us to really get a lot of contributors at this early stage and then to really go after more and more customers as time goes on.

I think it will be interesting to look back next year at this time and see how it worked out because I really do believe we are going to change the industry. Of course, I know sjlocke will be ready for that comment

m@m · « **Reply #36 on:** August 25, 2009, 16:58 »

Hello Matt, I've being reading this thread with some interest, also have taken the time to visit The 3D Studio's site and it all sound very promising, I kind of like the idea of a new model to sell stock photos, specially coming from a already established company like yours, there's only one thing that turned me off about the site, and that is in the way the photo thumbnails are presented, from the small size of the thumbnails (were you can't really see what's on the picture) to the catalog look of the presentation, how can a buyer actually see and find what he's/she's looking for without hitting every small picture just to get an idea of what the photo is about? not to mention the quality...is this something that will change in the near future? or does the buyer gets a different view than what I'm looking at?

gostwyck · « **Reply #37 on:** August 25, 2009, 17:03 »

^^^ Thanks very much for the comprehensive clarification. I hope your business model works as intended & I'll be uploading to find out for myself.

Your average Large image price at $12 is still only about the same as IS and there's little to suggest that their customers are price-concious at this level.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #38 on:** August 25, 2009, 17:05 »

Quote from: The3dStudioDotCom on August 25, 2009, 16:18

I think it will be interesting to look back next year at this time and see how it worked out because I really do believe we are going to change the industry. Of course, I know sjlocke will be ready for that comment

Ok, since you asked

... How are you going to "change the industry"?

gostwyck · « **Reply #39 on:** August 25, 2009, 17:14 »

Quote from: sjlocke on August 25, 2009, 17:05

Ok, since you asked ... How are you going to "change the industry"?

I'd say having price levels similar to IS and paying 65% in commission/referrals for non-exclusive images qualifies as 'industry changing' ... if they can generate the volume of sales.

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #40 on:** August 25, 2009, 17:22 »

Quote from: gostwyck on August 25, 2009, 17:14

Quote from: sjlocke on August 25, 2009, 17:05
Ok, since you asked ... How are you going to "change the industry"?

I'd say having price levels similar to IS and paying 65% in commission/referrals for non-exclusive images qualifies as 'industry changing' ... if they can generate the volume of sales.

Isn't that what Photographer's Direct and Alamy and MyLoupe and whoever else does? That's not particularly industry changing. Or is the 'industry changing' part that somehow they are going to garner the sales that none of these existing sites have done? Alamy gets a lot of sales already. Didn't they change the industry already?

gostwyck · « **Reply #41 on:** August 25, 2009, 17:36 »

Quote from: sjlocke on August 25, 2009, 17:22

Isn't that what Photographer's Direct and Alamy and MyLoupe and whoever else does? That's not particularly industry changing. Or is the 'industry changing' part that somehow they are going to garner the sales that none of these existing sites have done? Alamy gets a lot of sales already. Didn't they change the industry already?

Well Alamy, etc aren't at microstock price levels (at least not yet!). I wouldn't say "Alamy gets a lot of sales" either. The last time I saw their figures they licensed about 20K images per month __ compared to IS who license 4x that every weekday or about 2M per month. SS is probably licensing about 3M per month and FT about 1M.

krimi · « **Reply #42 on:** August 25, 2009, 17:42 »

Quote from: gostwyck on August 25, 2009, 17:03

^^^

Your average Large image price at $12 is still only about the same as IS and there's little to suggest that their customers are price-conscious at this level.

but you can quote your own price also

Eireann · « **Reply #43 on:** August 25, 2009, 18:02 »

Hi Matt,
I like you, I like the site and I want to join.
But I'm from Ireland!
I can give you all the legal info you need, Social Security number (called PPS number in Ireland), passport scan, Paypal, etc but that ITIN number seems like hard work. A lot of running around.
Any updates for contributors outside the USA?
Many thanks,

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #44 on:** August 25, 2009, 18:27 »

m&m: If you click any small thumbnail you will see a larger images. We've tossed around the idea of offering larger thumbnails as well and it's something that will likely happen in the future as we grow that area of the site more.

sjlocke: We plan to start changing the industry we lots of big promises and talk...oh, wait, that's not right. Well, I think our system of dropping the credit based system is a big first step and that's a benefit to the customer. Second, I think we are paying the contributors/sellers a much better royalty (with no min payout each month with PayPal), and our third move is our 5% for life referral program. We're doing this all on a system where the contributor sets their price at the same time. We've got some other fun stuff cooked up as well as we go but we do this in phases. I figure that at this right we should have world peace figured out in no time...well, that's my goal at least. After that happens (the world peace) I will set my sites on getting you to sell with us as well! I won't make the argument that we are the best for everyone out there, but I think we have a place in this industry and I know we will change it.

Eireann: We are working on the ITIN issue, I hope to hear something from the CPA (tax people) in a few weeks. I can't do what shutter does simply because they do it, I have to follow the laws here and last time we went through this the law said we needed that ITIN. BUT...we're trying to clarify this and will happily remove that barrier the second we are allowed! In the mean time, you can sell without having a W8BEN on file (we just can't pay without one). Also, and I think you likely know this part already, if a tax ever is paid on your royalties it is ONLY from orders placed by USA customers. Around 25% of our business (sellers and buyers) is from the USA so we are very global at this point. I just point that out because if roughly 75% of sales are outside the USA you'd never have a tax issues on those sales regardless of the ITIN stuff.

Hope I didn't miss anyone in this update

Sean Locke Photography · « **Reply #45 on:** August 25, 2009, 18:36 »

Quote from: The3dStudioDotCom on August 25, 2009, 18:27

sjlocke: We plan to start changing the industry we lots of big promises and talk...oh, wait, that's not right. Well, I think our system of dropping the credit based system is a big first step and that's a benefit to the customer. Second, I think we are paying the contributors/sellers a much better royalty (with no min payout each month with PayPal), and our third move is our 5% for life referral program. We're doing this all on a system where the contributor sets their price at the same time. We've got some other fun stuff cooked up as well as we go but we do this in phases. I figure that at this right we should have world peace figured out in no time...well, that's my goal at least. After that happens (the world peace) I will set my sites on getting you to sell with us as well! I won't make the argument that we are the best for everyone out there, but I think we have a place in this industry and I know we will change it.

I can appreciate you're trying to make the best image marketplace you can that benefits your bottom line. Right now I see you combining bits and pieces from other sites, but as you said, maybe you've got some magical something up your sleeve that we've never seen before.

You're obviously passionate about your project, so I wish you the best of luck in building it up.

m@m · « **Reply #46 on:** August 25, 2009, 18:48 »

Matt, since I really like your direct and detail answers, the sites background and specially the commissions you offer, (and also believe in magic)

count me in as a new contributor, look forward to the larger thumbnails and many sales...

http://www.the3dstudio.com/?id_affiliate=474737

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #47 on:** August 25, 2009, 20:08 »

Thank you both!

Eireann · « **Reply #48 on:** August 25, 2009, 22:40 »

Hi Matt,
for the time being that's good enough for me.
When it comes to magic, leave it to the Irish Leprechauns. They're not famous for nothing

I'll be joining the site in the next few hours and many thanks for your quick reply.
Best wishes,

One more question regarding illustrations. I understand that at this point in time EPS files cannot be uploaded. But what about the converted, JPEG files? Are they OK to upload? Do you need such files?

RacePhoto · « **Reply #49 on:** August 26, 2009, 11:24 »

Funny how many people are finding ways to pick at this "new" agency which has been around for many years, but when the new wannabee comes along, people jump on the wagon to destruction and defend them? It just seems odd?

Oh yes, I signed up, so at least I have an account and affiliate link. (spam alert) If you don't use mine, at least find someone else from the forum and trade referrals.

3D Studio Affiliate Link

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #50 on:** August 26, 2009, 13:21 »

Quote from: Eireann on August 25, 2009, 22:40

One more question regarding illustrations. I understand that at this point in time EPS files cannot be uploaded. But what about the converted, JPEG files? Are they OK to upload? Do you need such files?

Good question, I should have pointed that out as well. YES, you can save your Vectors as JPG file as upload and sell those. We encourage that sort of use and have many doing it now.

RacePhoto: Thank you for that support, much appreciated. I'm not taking anything here as people picking on us but rather that it's general fear of the unknown. I think it's a combination of us being "new" to them along with the fact that we operate a little different than what everyone is used to in the world of stock. New and different usually has that reaction and I am glad that people at least get their concerns listed where we can go over them and (hopefully) put them to rest.

Still, I appreciate your support there and have had private messages and emails from people here basically saying what you have said as well and that they are very happy with our direction. From what I see, the number speak for themselves and we are getting tons of contributors and many via the referral links on this site and others. So, thank you all!

HermanM · « **Reply #51 on:** August 27, 2009, 17:27 »

For what I see I really like the idea of selling thru this site. The ITIN is a hassle (perhaps too big)... I will wait and see what happens regarding this issue. My porfolio is not too big (I shoot more editorial than RF) but this year I am going to work more on the RF front and I would like this site to be in my list.

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #52 on:** August 27, 2009, 18:27 »

I hope you will give us a try HermanM!

Hopefully we can sort the ITIN issue out in a few weeks. In the mean time, you can sell without having the tax stuff sorted out. Worse case, if you wanted to be paid without waiting, you could even accept the 30% tax rate without needing any ITIN and that 30% is only on USA orders. But, hopefully will know more soon on that.

Both Editorial and RF is accepted on our site as well just in case anyone else was wondering.

HughStoneIan · « **Reply #53 on:** August 27, 2009, 19:04 »

Do you have any kind of review process for photos, as far as technical quality (noise, artifacts, etc.)?

PS- Also, I'm curious as to why you decided to start selling stock photo's. Did you start to get requests from customers?

Eireann · « **Reply #54 on:** August 27, 2009, 22:46 »

Hi,
for the past 2 days I tormented myself trying to decide which referral link to use. In the end I couldn't decide between Adeptris and RacePhoto. Thank you both for your helpful posts, hopefully there will be other times in the future.

For other newbies or interested artists - I registered 6 hours ago and this is how it went:
Registration process takes less than a minute and it's the quickest around.

Upload system - you need to install a dedicated plug in but it only takes a few seconds and it's the best I've seen so far. It's fast, live, and very visual. I'm impressed.

Editing files - uploaded files are called 'objects' and need to be 'created'. All keywords are imported; you only need to choose categories, but they're not many and it's easy.
All files can be edited/deleted at any time.

Inspection times - once 'created' files go live instantly, straight up on the home page. I think they're marked 'Editorial Only' until they pass inspection. Again, this only takes minutes.

Paypal payments are automated, sent monthly with no minimum balance requirements.

Commission is 60 per cent and makes me feel valued.

Views on 25 files, 6 hours online, 127!

Stats and reports - all sorts, instantly generated.

Everything about the upload process is easy, fast and runs like clockwork.
Well done Matt, I'm impressed!

2 Suggestions - larger preview thumbnails? Community forum?
And one quesion - what kind of files are 3D artists mostly looking for?
People? Objects? Isolations? Textures? Cars and weapons? (your blog)

Tell us what to shoot or draw and let's try to make some money,
Best wishes,

goldenangel · « **Reply #55 on:** August 28, 2009, 01:51 »

I'm amazed at the number of views all my files are getting.I hope this translated into some sales in future. I could be wrong but it seems that the number of views increments when I view my own files. In any case, the numbers are still high.

Adeptris · « **Reply #56 on:** August 28, 2009, 02:27 »

I picked up another sale yesterday so that is 7 sales in the calendar month, my commission from them is $38.40, so there are customers willing to spend $4 - $12, the images are 3 people, 3 animals and 1 wooden toy, the people shots were, a bored girl, a boy in a russian hat, and a girl on a mobile, animals two big cats and a horses head, the toy a wooden train.

I think that not having to buy a credit or a subscription package that is the key to these sales and any future success I hope they get, I do not have to pre-pay or buy a package when shopping in the high street, so why do I have to do this for image purchases, as a buyer I do not like having to overspend when I want one product.

David

m@m · « **Reply #57 on:** August 28, 2009, 09:11 »

No sales yet but 1,200+ views on 135 accepted photos in 2 days, I really like the site, very easy to upload too, and some of the best support I've ever seen, I really have high hopes for 3D Studio...definitely will keep uploading everything I got to this site...thanks Matt and David for bringing this one to my attention.

http://www.the3dstudio.com/?id_affiliate=474737

HermanM · « **Reply #58 on:** August 28, 2009, 09:33 »

Took the plunge last night, 15 pics up and 40+views during the night! Now, that is something... I can wait for the ITIN thing to be sorted out, I will keep uploading from now on... The only hassle is the 25 photo limit at a time, but it is sooooo easy to do that I can live with that. Good site you've got going there.

bittersweet · « **Reply #59 on:** August 28, 2009, 10:50 »

Herman, you forgot to post your referral link. Can you please take care of that? We don't have nearly enough of them to choose from.

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #60 on:** August 28, 2009, 11:59 »

I am going to try and answer what I can in order that I see it here...

1. We do have a review process, but we aren't as strict as some other sites. In fact, I've already heard from some members that images they submitted to us and sold through us were rejected by other agencies. It's entirely possible we will be more strict as time goes on but right now we are just looking for good images and rejecting anything that we think is sub-par.

2. Our upload software will use Active X controls if you run IE or Java for all other browsers.

3. All images are set to Editorial Only when added, we then review and upgrade to RF or RF with release as needed. We have two reviewers who do this all day long and 2 more than jump in during heavy times. You can read about our process at: http://www.the3dstudio.com/help.aspx?id_help=20 and this is what Eireann has mentioned as well....thank you for the kind comments as well!

4. Larger thumbnails are likely something you will see in the future from us once we re-work some other areas but this is a common request and one I can't argue with.

5. The 3D folks usually buy 3D models but a small portion buy stock images for backgrounds in their 3D work and some will buy isolated objects/people as well. We are starting to get more of a non-3D stock audience and that's what we are working on building up over the next 3-6 months as we build our available library up. As we get more data on what sells and what is requested I will be posting this in my blog as well and we will have new reports that everyone can pull up.

6. If you view your order product it will count a view, probably something we could fix easily but we are trying to keep views to be just that...views. If you view your product twice it counts 2 views. The idea is that we have enough traffic and will be getting much more that you really can't skew the results unless you wanted to refresh your product all day long.

7. One of the biggest keys to our system being a success (we think) will be the lack of a credit system. I know many people are used to credits and have learned to accept them, but I find that system flawed. I also think $1 pictures are too cheap for the work that goes into them and thus our idea was born. Oh, and somebody asked, we started this out of both buyer and seller demand...literally being requested weekly for years and if one person takes the time to make a request there are 100-1000 more just like them not taking the time to do so. At least that's my opinion. It also just seemed liked a natural extension of what we do already.

8. Sorry for anyone who hit the 25 upload limit...that will be changed by tomorrow...it's actually just some old settings from our preview system. It will actually let you upload more than 25 now, but if you have more than 25 left in your queue it won't let you upload more in some cases. Will be fixed soon

Wow...hope I covered everything in that one! As always, we really appreciate the support of our early adopters and as we grow this part of our site I think we can all benefit nicely from it.

goldenangel · « **Reply #61 on:** August 28, 2009, 13:52 »

Thank you for your prompt answers Matt.

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #62 on:** August 28, 2009, 15:21 »

You bet, any time...I like the challenge of trying to keep up with you all

krimi · « **Reply #63 on:** August 28, 2009, 15:53 »

I like that you are giving the buyer the option of what picture might be right for them with a more lenient review process. Its disappointing and frustrating to get a picture not approved by certain agencies and have downloads with others. Opinion and taste are in the eye of the beholder.

http://www.the3dstudio.com/?id_affiliate=462746 [nofollow]

dirkr · « **Reply #64 on:** August 29, 2009, 15:37 »

Ok, I thought I give it a try...
Uploaded about 180 since yesterday night, already close to 1000 views. That's impressive, let's hope that sales will be impressive too.

dirkr · « **Reply #65 on:** August 29, 2009, 17:15 »

one more thing I stumbled across: Your regular licence has some restrictions (print run less than 500K, no items for resale) which is good, but I can't see any kind of extended licence allowing these things. Are you planning on introducing ELs or did I just miss them?

The3dStudioDotCom · « **Reply #66 on:** August 29, 2009, 22:05 »

Quote from: dirkr on August 29, 2009, 17:15

one more thing I stumbled across: Your regular licence has some restrictions (print run less than 500K, no items for resale) which is good, but I can't see any kind of extended licence allowing these things. Are you planning on introducing ELs or did I just miss them?

You didn't miss anything, there is no EL just yet. We are planning this for a future release as well as we are still researching the options of that (so we are open to feedback if anyone wants to comment there). We are a few months out from this and, as we always do, we will keep everyone update on our site, via a newsletter, and I will try to keep a post here updated as well if I can.

dirkr · « **Reply #67 on:** August 30, 2009, 16:59 »

Thanks for the update, good to hear it's in your plans.

pdesign · « **Reply #68 on:** December 10, 2009, 09:40 »

Quote from: oboy on August 23, 2009, 20:03

Well, if nobody else post a referral link, then here is my affiliate link http://www.the3dstudio.com/?id_affiliate=467960

you´re the lucky one, just signed up through your referral code

dirkr · « **Reply #69 on:** December 10, 2009, 11:43 »

Quote from: The3dStudioDotCom on August 27, 2009, 18:27

I hope you will give us a try HermanM!

Hopefully we can sort the ITIN issue out in a few weeks. In the mean time, you can sell without having the tax stuff sorted out. Worse case, if you wanted to be paid without waiting, you could even accept the 30% tax rate without needing any ITIN and that 30% is only on USA orders. But, hopefully will know more soon on that.

Both Editorial and RF is accepted on our site as well just in case anyone else was wondering.

Is there any update on the ITIN issue? Now that I had my first sale I'd like to clarify the tax situation. If you could follow the example of shutterstock and veer and fotolia with an online form without needing an ITIN, that would be perfect. I don't mind waiting a bit, if it takes time, would be a lot better than appying for an ITIN or have tax deducted...

Btw, is there any way to see whether a sale was to a US buyer (and thus withholding tax would apply) or not?

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