Here are the things that you will experience:

•   Long hours
•   Slow returns
•   Abuse from other artists, family, friends
•   Copycats to include yourself at times (yeah, you say similar while looking on the most popular page but be honest with yourself)
•   Rejections without valid merit (Most times that beautiful waterfall shot has no commercial value but they won't tell you that)
•   New friendship
•   Lost friendship
•   Frustration
•   Sleepless nights
•   Checking stats every 20 minutes (of course I don't do that)
•   Lower earnings per image each year
•   The Wall (Yeah, you rookies brag about 100% to 300% per year but it's coming sooner than you think- enjoy the moment while it last)
•   Justifying travel expenses (sure you make a ton of sales on that landscape shot when it has been taken over a few million times by local photographers)
•   Dreaming you will be the next Yuri (buy a lotto ticket you will have higher odds)
•   Offer free photos of your friends (oh, by the way can you sign this model release which I forgot to tell you until after the photo session)
•   Doing free work (Thinking you will recover the time and effort in future sales- NOT)
•   Over stating your sales to others (called self-validating)
•   Thinking you can quit you day time with this business (better hope your making minimum wage and living at home with mom)
•   I need a 50 MP camera to produce great isolated shots (Love those tomatoes and 8mp cell phone would do the job as good)

Yeah, whatever...

Having a bad day?

Quote from: emblem on March 11, 2016, 03:46
Having a bad day?

define bad day? Sales were good and I made enough to pay the rent and bills. Just want to express the truth of the business --- the new folks will know exactly what they are getting into.  Nothing less - nothing more...

Hi, I am totally new to microstock. What you have written made me smile. A friend of mine answers surveys and makes money fast with not much time wasted. Microstock is shocking. Unless you can snap a photo on a mobile without editing it's just not worth it. Is there no other way to sell photos? Pixersize buys microstock photos from Fotalia and sells them on canvas for lots of money while we get one pence.

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Quote from: HappyBunny on March 11, 2016, 11:43
Hi, I am totally new to microstock. What you have written made me smile. A friend of mine answers surveys and makes money fast with not much time wasted. Microstock is shocking. Unless you can snap a photo on a mobile without editing it's just not worth it. Is there no other way to sell photos? Pixersize buys microstock photos from Fotalia and sells them on canvas for lots of money while we get one pence.

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You're a quick study! At least you have your eyes open and know the road a head of you.

Quote from: whatever on March 11, 2016, 03:53

Quote from: emblem on March 11, 2016, 03:46
Having a bad day?

define bad day? Sales were good and I made enough to pay the rent and bills. Just want to express the truth of the business --- the new folks will know exactly what they are getting into.  Nothing less - nothing more...

•   Over stating your sales to others (called self-validating)

Quote from: HappyBunny on March 11, 2016, 11:43
Hi, I am totally new to microstock. What you have written made me smile. A friend of mine answers surveys and makes money fast with not much time wasted. Microstock is shocking. Unless you can snap a photo on a mobile without editing it's just not worth it. Is there no other way to sell photos? Pixersize buys microstock photos from Fotalia and sells them on canvas for lots of money while we get one pence.

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So? Follow your friend steps and start answer surveys.
I started with stock photography cause I love photography so I love to spend many time on it. Its a (paid) passion for me.
I already have a boring job without the need to get bored in the Free time too..

Quote from: philfreez on March 11, 2016, 13:41

Quote from: HappyBunny on March 11, 2016, 11:43
Hi, I am totally new to microstock. What you have written made me smile. A friend of mine answers surveys and makes money fast with not much time wasted. Microstock is shocking. Unless you can snap a photo on a mobile without editing it's just not worth it. Is there no other way to sell photos? Pixersize buys microstock photos from Fotalia and sells them on canvas for lots of money while we get one pence.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

So? Follow your friend steps and start answer surveys.
I started with stock photography cause I love photography so I love to spend many time on it. Its a (paid) passion for me.
I already have a boring job without the need to get bored in the Free time too..

Like many of us your boring job covers your hobby/passion. As long as you keep it in perspective that is cool.

No thanks, I don't want to fill out surveys. Taking photos for microstock takes a lot of time, time for ideas, setting it all up, buying items, taking the photo, editing, uploading.... It is not okay what they pay us. Without us they would have an empty website. Good for you if you get a few pence for your hobby, but some are professional photographers who take photos for a living.

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Quote from: HappyBunny on March 11, 2016, 14:09
No thanks, I don't want to fill out surveys. Taking photos for microstock takes a lot of time, time for ideas, setting it all up, buying items, taking the photo, editing, uploading.... It is not okay what they pay us. Without us they would have an empty website. Good for you if you get a few pence for your hobby, but some are professional photographers who take photos for a living.

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a few things- 1. For everyone of us that leaves a site we are replaced by many.  2. The companies setup their businesses for us to follow.  3. Professional photographers still make a good living in this business plus are in other areas to make money that don't include the MS business

I'd like to supplement my micro earnings.  How do you get started answering surveys?  Does it really pay worth the time?

Quote from: PixelBytes on March 11, 2016, 22:24
I'd like to supplement my micro earnings.  How do you get started answering surveys?  Does it really pay worth the time?

most of these & other 'make money from home' scams can't pay off - instead they concentrate on selling you a website or a product to sell elsewhere

Quote from: PixelBytes on March 11, 2016, 22:24
I'd like to supplement my micro earnings.  How do you get started answering surveys?  Does it really pay worth the time?

Easy to google it...no I don't think its worth it and it gets VERY boring

Most companies are bad. Some award winning companies pay £1.20 for a 10 minute long survey. They pay once you have earned £15. But most pay hardly anything. You have to invest a lot more time to get that £1.

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Thanks for the answers about surveys.  Sounds worse than micro.  I'll stick with doing this for now.

I'm sure it's hard for the vets to watch the market get saturated and see profits dwindle away compared to what they used to be.  But for someone like me who just discovered this industry in the beginning of 2015, it's still a great way to channel my passion.  I've shot and processed photos and videos for years purely out of passion (along with freelance work).  Now i have a way of working on my skill while making a monthly profit.  I then re-invest profits to acquire more equipment and increase profits.  There's no way of convincing me this is a waste of time considering i already spent my free time doing this without income.  I think it's just best to be practical about what you'll get out of it.

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Quote from: PixelBytes on March 11, 2016, 22:24
I'd like to supplement my micro earnings.  How do you get started answering surveys?  Does it really pay worth the time?

No. They pay you dollars and when you try to cash, they are survey dollars, not real money. Your pay is a sweepstakes entry. They sell your information and you get spammed. They give you a qualification survey and then say, survey is filled or you are matching the group they want. But they have that part of the data for free. You might get a free sample of something. Not worth the promises or time.

Yes, most are like that apart from a very few award winning companies.

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Quote from: YadaYadaYada on March 15, 2016, 18:22

Quote from: PixelBytes on March 11, 2016, 22:24
I'd like to supplement my micro earnings.  How do you get started answering surveys?  Does it really pay worth the time?

No. They pay you dollars and when you try to cash, they are survey dollars, not real money. Your pay is a sweepstakes entry. They sell your information and you get spammed. They give you a qualification survey and then say, survey is filled or you are matching the group they want. But they have that part of the data for free. You might get a free sample of something. Not worth the promises or time.

Good to know.  Thanks!