Quote from: stockastic on July 24, 2013, 13:46

But we ought to come up with some zingy term that expresses our frustration with the way they currently control the market and exploit creative producers.

How about "sites I no longer do business with"? 

I'm on that train for a couple of years. But that's only because I said, "I'd rather sit for nothing than work for nothing." I'm self employed and have other income and pretty simple, I'm not needy and desperate enough for them to take advantage of me. When they pulled the rug out, changed the rules, changed the levels, and dropped commissions... AND told us the business was unsustainable with the original promised contract? For another one it was open treats towards contributors. Sorry, I won't take that.

Yes it is like drugs. Promise of happiness and escape through chemicals.

What Microstock agencies sell (with the help of people on the forums who brag about earnings, and recruited for referral income  ) is H O P E. A dose of reality and looking at financials for each individual might be good. Only you can decide if you are making money or treading water, until you drowned. That means, add up expenses and time and see how it worksvs actual income and what goes into the bank.

Making a profit? Best wishes, go for it.

Quote from: cthoman on July 25, 2013, 14:06

Quote from: stockastic on July 24, 2013, 13:46

But we ought to come up with some zingy term that expresses our frustration with the way they currently control the market and exploit creative producers.

How about "sites I no longer do business with"? 

I'm on that train for a couple of years. But that's only because I said, "I'd rather sit for nothing than work for nothing." I'm self employed and have other income and pretty simple, I'm not needy and desperate enough for them to take advantage of me. When they pulled the rug out, changed the rules, changed the levels, and dropped commissions... AND told us the business was unsustainable with the original promised contract? For another one it was open treats towards contributors. Sorry, I won't take that.

Yes it is like drugs. Promise of happiness and escape through chemicals.

What Microstock agencies sell (with the help of people on the forums who brag about earnings, and recruited for referral income  ) is H O P E.

A dose of reality and looking at financials for each individual might be good. Only you can decide if you are making money or treading water, until you drowned. That means, add up expenses and time and see how it worksvs actual income and what goes into the bank.

Making a profit? Best wishes, go for it.

Completely agree and nicely put.

I often wonder how the IS exclusives that jumped ship because of those bragging about stellar sales at SS are doing.   

Hi grsphoto,

 I find this to be a bit of a blanket view, I know some very upstanding companies out there in the stock industry that offer an opportunity to share in the sales 50/50 but without the support of photographers to make those agencies grow then we are stuck with a 80/20 deal for a long time. Keep feeding the companies that will share only 20% with you and the opportunity for change becomes increasingly difficult. Just my 2 cents.

P.S. I agree with your post about retailers selling goods. Many retailers do not pay their suppliers until they have sold their product.

Thanks,
Jonathan

^^ so some of us of maturer years may not live to see any worthwhile return.

They are on-line stores and we provide them with merchandise on a consignment basis.

They are the same as Walmart, and their goals and tactics are the same.

Something I accepted from day one believe it or not. I also like to think of it as a giant snow globe. At SS, judging by the number of "regular contributors" announcing their sales have gone to pot, someone has given the globe a shake. I wrote somewhere else if you have 28m assets it makes sense to monetise as much of it as you can; not just the oldest; not just the best selling and not just because someone has put a lot of work into their port - the site owners and shareholders don't care, it is all one big port. One big pot of money.