Thinkstock does not look attractive to buyers yet. It looks like all SX customers use SS, FT and DT now. I notice big increase of my income at these three sites this month.

Why should you care?

- They offered a 50% royalty.

- They allowed you to opt out of subs.

- They didn't have the take it or leave it mentality.

- They were one of the fastest growing stock sites.

I'm sure there are other reasons, but that is what I could think of off the top of my head.

Thinkstock does not look attractive to buyers yet. It looks like all SX customers use SS, FT and DT now. I notice big increase of my income at these three sites this month.

Oh that's why. I noticed a huge increase on DT the first 3 days of February. That was right after the SX final email. In hindsight, I got an unusual number of ODs on SS too. Of course, it might be just a coincidence. I am looking regularly at TS in my niche, and for sure it's a crap selection. Perhaps they will iron this out in a few months, getting more content, but by that time it might be too late.

StockXpert just closed own officially today. How can you attribute a good month at other sites to StockXpert closing?

As for why anyone should care, on top of the good reasons mentioned by GeoPappas, I'd add my own personal reason: 10% of my microstock income is now gone.

Surely it hasn't gone, gone, it's just gone somewhere else.

I'm dissapointed that StockXpert is no more, but there is no point in crying over spilt milk.

If Dook is right, then I wonder what happened to "my" buyers, because I don't see an increase anywhere...  Maybe they all purchase subs elsewhere, because this is the onlu increase I see.

I'm with Geo, I will miss StockXpert a lot, it was as excellent site for me, and the one with the most fair (fairer?) rules.

I'm very bad at financial matters and have no business-management training.
I've been told many times before that 'Getty are the market leaders. They're a team of astute businessmen and know what they're doing.'
But their recent actions left me genuinely puzzled.
Cash was flowing, why kill STX?
0.5 cent? Is that it?
Are they truly going to make more money with Photos.com than they did with STX?
What about ThinkStock? Is that half-baked site going to take the subscription market by storm?
And why do they seem to be recklessly determined to undermine everything Istock stands for? Their own crown jewel, hell bent on destroying it.
I guess I'll never know.
Sad day indeed.

It's end of the world of course but suddenly 10% of my microstock revenue disappear. I do not know if or when it will resurface. Some buyers may go to other agencies I am working with. In case of buyers going to IS it would hurt me most cause my port there is 10x smaller.

I made some alright money, especially before subs and liked the site when steve-oh was around

Well, I will not start new topics anymore. My English is not that good  . I have been misunderstood completely. Of course I miss StockXpert, I lost 20% of my income. I miss StockXpert, but this was about new owners - Getty. I just tried to be optimistic.

And me too...

My conclusion is:

-will stay same number of buyers, with or without some of sites,they migrate to another sites...
- cca 600$ of my money is still on many different accounts, because of payout limits, with less sites we will have our money in our pocket sooner...
-struggle for market forced me to upload on many agencies, that mean much more effort for same money, also sometimes it is "Sizif's job" (Zymm,StockXpert,LO etc.)
-also many agencies mean more documents, more W-8EN, sometimes more fees because of different types of payments...
-more upload, bigger Internet traffic, with flat rate also mean more steering in monitor,lees shooting...
-different prices level and new sites for searching cheaper versions also can harm my earnings...
-some part of my money probably will never come on my bank account, Cres, etc.
-"Don't put all eggs in the same basket" doesn't bring me any big benefit, only losses of some money and time...

Probably I never go on Exclusive, I like different types of market, but less agencies is better...

My conclusion is:

-will stay same number of buyers, with or without some of sites,they migrate to another sites...
- cca 600$ of my money is still on many different accounts, because of payout limits, with less sites we will have our money in our pocket sooner...
-struggle for market forced me to upload on many agencies, that mean much more effort for same money, also sometimes it is "Sizif's job" (Zymm,StockXpert,LO etc.)
-also many agencies mean more documents, more W-8EN, sometimes more fees because of different types of payments...
-more upload, bigger Internet traffic, with flat rate also mean more steering in monitor,lees shooting...
-different prices level and new sites for searching cheaper versions also can harm my earnings...
-some part of my money probably will never come on my bank account, Cres, etc.
-"Don't put all eggs in the same basket" doesn't bring me any big benefit, only losses of some money and time...

Probably I never go on Exclusive, I like different types of market, but less agencies is better...

Can't say never but not for now

Kone

It's a shame they've shut, but there's nothing we can do about it, I can't see how speculating where the buyers will go helps anybody, just make sure you've got your best work spread out everywhere and then hope you pick up some additional sales.

Have to agree.

With everyone except exclusives putting the same files on 5-6 sites, some people up to 30 sites, the buyers won't have to go very far to find... the same images!

Since the buyers aren't just going to go out of business and stop buying because they can't get the photos from StockXpert, it's an easy conclusion that they will buy someplace else.

All this doom and gloom about "I just lost X% of my sales" is faulty math. All that's happened, is the same buyers will go someplace else for their needs, and since mostly the same photos are on most of the same sites, they won't have much trouble finding the same photos they were already buying.

It is nothing but a shift. Same as if you lived in the center of a circle of six drive through burger joints and one closes. You don't stop eating? You don't stop buying burgers. You just pick a new source!

With StockXpert subscriptions and credits that buyers had and the site just closing yesterday, I don't see how anyone can see any significant change in buyer behavior or movement. Same as the week after BigStock was sold, people reported changes. Now we see that virtually nothing has changed there. ThinkStock just opened, like it or not, it will take some time to see how the buyers respond.

The only thing that's for certain is change!