Hi,

I have $27 of Unpaid earnings. I didn't have any sale since March 2017, so I in recent weeks I have been trying to request payment and close the account. Despite sending a few e-mails I didn't receive any response.

Has anyone had any luck getting a payout from them ? What can I legally do to request payout and close the account ?

Thanks!

Any news on this?

I guess it's time to bail out - I'd rather not leave my images laying around on old hard drives. Has anyone been able to get closure?

Quote from: niserin on October 17, 2018, 11:54
Hi,

I have $27 of Unpaid earnings. I didn't have any sale since March 2017, so I in recent weeks I have been trying to request payment and close the account. Despite sending a few e-mails I didn't receive any response.

Has anyone had any luck getting a payout from them ? What can I legally do to request payout and close the account ?

Thanks!

Minimum payout is $50...

More importantly....
You mean you reached payout?!

Quote from: stockastic on October 28, 2018, 20:04
Any news on this?

I guess it's time to bail out - I'd rather not leave my images laying around on old hard drives. Has anyone been able to get closure?

Still no luck on this.

No idea what I can do.

Quote from: niserin on October 29, 2018, 11:43

Quote from: stockastic on October 28, 2018, 20:04
Any news on this?

I guess it's time to bail out - I'd rather not leave my images laying around on old hard drives. Has anyone been able to get closure?

Still no luck on this.

No idea what I can do.

"GLStock will pay to you amounts earned as a Seller and Referral Commissions earned by you in accordance with clause 18 subject to the following conditions:

    If you have earned more than $50.00 in your account, then GLStock will pay a minimum of $50.00 through a Payment Agent (and in no other manner).
    Other than as provided for in clause 13, GLStock will not pay any earnings or Referral Commissions standing to your credit in your Member Account which are less than $50.00 in total but you may use this to buy Images."

https://glstock.com/member-agreement

Back when I was actually doing microstock, I always worried about giving my then-current images to small startups, because if they don't make it they could end up selling off assets which might include hard drives full of photos.  GL is the only one I stuck with and today, it's the only stock agency besides Alamy where I still have an account.

As long as the new owner kept posting here, I figured there might be hope for reviving the agency, and I had nothing to lose by leaving a few hundred old photos there.

I guess that was a bad idea, I should have followed my original instincts and not left photos with an agency that clearly wasn't going anywhere.  Now I'd be happy to just get my account closed. Of course that's no guarantee that files actually get erased, but it's all we can do..

It took me years to reach payout, after requesting $57 (I think it was) it then took them 5 months to pay me - after I eventually threatened legal action! Immediately closed my account after payout.

The concept of GL was actually brilliant! but leftovers aimed towards advertising and designers they chose micro which was totally wrong. They should have gone the RM/RF way instead!
I know these guys very well and theyre a clever bunch but unfortunately when they started micro was already on a decline!

Quote from: derek on October 30, 2018, 07:24
The concept of GL was actually brilliant! but leftovers aimed towards advertising and designers they chose micro which was totally wrong. They should have gone the RM/RF way instead!
I know these guys very well and theyre a clever bunch but unfortunately when they started micro was already on a decline!

Not actually that clever then if they made a fundamental business mistake 

Quote from: Pauws99 on October 30, 2018, 08:19

Quote from: derek on October 30, 2018, 07:24
The concept of GL was actually brilliant! but leftovers aimed towards advertising and designers they chose micro which was totally wrong. They should have gone the RM/RF way instead!
I know these guys very well and theyre a clever bunch but unfortunately when they started micro was already on a decline!

Not actually that clever then if they made a fundamental business mistake 

Nope! they are not your run of the mill owners, I know them personally and they have tons of knowledge in the ad-world, art-direction etc, etc....its like the guys of Stockxpert, one of the best agencies ever in its time then bought by Isock and it went to crap!....then these guys opened up stockfresh or something and it just never got off the ground.

Paws!!  hehe! you dont know EVERYTHING you see, you have to know the actual people in question!!

Quote from: derek on October 30, 2018, 12:56

Quote from: Pauws99 on October 30, 2018, 08:19

Quote from: derek on October 30, 2018, 07:24
The concept of GL was actually brilliant! but leftovers aimed towards advertising and designers they chose micro which was totally wrong. They should have gone the RM/RF way instead!
I know these guys very well and theyre a clever bunch but unfortunately when they started micro was already on a decline!

Not actually that clever then if they made a fundamental business mistake 

Nope! they are not your run of the mill owners, I know them personally and they have tons of knowledge in the ad-world, art-direction etc, etc....its like the guys of Stockxpert, one of the best agencies ever in its time then bought by Isock and it went to crap!....then these guys opened up stockfresh or something and it just never got off the ground.

Paws!!  hehe! you dont know EVERYTHING you see, you have to know the actual people in question!!

Knowing somebody doesn't make you smarter or more right about their business.

Yesterday I emailed GL (the support address) asking them to close my account - to my surprise I got a reply today saying it was closed and the images deleted.  So it looks like right now, someone is actively running the site and responding to email.   

They won't miss me, I hadn't had a sale in many months and most of my images were several years old.   

Quote from: stockastic on October 30, 2018, 15:02
Yesterday I emailed GL (the support address) asking them to close my account - to my surprise I got a reply today saying it was closed and the images deleted.  So it looks like right now, someone is actively running the site and responding to email.   

They won't miss me, I hadn't had a sale in many months and most of my images were several years old.

Are they paying any money they owe you?

Quote from: Sammy the Cat on October 30, 2018, 21:25

Quote from: stockastic on October 30, 2018, 15:02
Yesterday I emailed GL (the support address) asking them to close my account - to my surprise I got a reply today saying it was closed and the images deleted.  So it looks like right now, someone is actively running the site and responding to email.   

They won't miss me, I hadn't had a sale in many months and most of my images were several years old.

Are they paying any money they owe you?

My balance was shown as 0.  I think that's correct, didn't bother to check.

The site is of course being actively run.  I have not had time to actively post here or work on any significant changes to the site, but we make all payments that are requested once meeting our $50 threshold.

@ Niserin, please PM me your username or email address and I will look into your request.  It's possible that since this post we've already addressed it, but I am not finding a username under "niserin" so unsure of your account credentials with us.

@ Me - I'm sorry to hear that, under my ownership I have paid out all payments requested in a timely manner.  I don't imagine that was any time recent, but I'm happy to discuss further.

@ Stocktastic, I'm sorry to see any contributor account go, but being realistic with the nature of sales volume for many contributors, I of course understand it.  I welcome all contributors to continue uploading, or to keep their portfolios on account.  At the end of the day, even when an image doesn't sell, we incur costs of hosting the images, but that is not necessarily a reflection of the contributors work.

If anybody has any questions, you can always email me at [email protected].  I receive the emails directly to my phone and always try to respond same day.

Thanks,

Phil Shapiro

Quote from: GLStock on November 08, 2018, 16:39
The site is of course being actively run.  I have not had time to actively post here or work on any significant changes to the site, but we make all payments that are requested once meeting our $50 threshold.

@ Niserin, please PM me your username or email address and I will look into your request.  It's possible that since this post we've already addressed it, but I am not finding a username under "niserin" so unsure of your account credentials with us.

@ Me - I'm sorry to hear that, under my ownership I have paid out all payments requested in a timely manner.  I don't imagine that was any time recent, but I'm happy to discuss further.

@ Stocktastic, I'm sorry to see any contributor account go, but being realistic with the nature of sales volume for many contributors, I of course understand it.  I welcome all contributors to continue uploading, or to keep their portfolios on account.  At the end of the day, even when an image doesn't sell, we incur costs of hosting the images, but that is not necessarily a reflection of the contributors work.

If anybody has any questions, you can always email me at [email protected].  I receive the emails directly to my phone and always try to respond same day.

Thanks,

Phil Shapiro

Just to make sure, outstanding royalties will be paid out upon account closure, even when the $50 minimum isn't met?

I have also tried contacting them and have not received a reply. Had the same question, have been waiting to hit payout threshold to leave, but haven't had a sale there in over a year.

Anyone else gotten in contact with them recently?

I haven't tried contacting them, but I have a $20.80 balance sitting there with no new sales in nearly 2 years (but I stopped uploading there when sales stopped).

I was sort of hoping that if they shut down they'd pay their balances owed - it's not our fault their site is moribund and they should just pay us our earnings and shut up shop if they aren't going to actively manage the site.

They've been able to hang on to all those earnings for all those who haven't met the payout threshold - money in the bank for them to offset their operating expenses even if they aren't doing much beyond keeping the site up.

How about changing your policy on payout of balances to those closing accounts? Or reducing the threshold to $5 (to avoid nuisance payments for a few cents)?

My balance is 33 bucks. I have made 2 dollars this year. So in maybe 10-13 years I will reach payout. Not sure I will even be on this earth by that time. Maybe I can donate the balance to my creditors then.

Same for me, my balance sticks at $26 since 2017...... no sign of life (and no sign of death too)

Edit
In fact no, I have got one sale (hallelujah!)

I can see this going the way of so many other agencies....

One day you try to login and the site (and remaining royalties) are simply gone.

UPDATE: Just got an email from Phil from GL, my outstanding royalties were paid just now despite being under the threshold, and account should be closed soon.

Thank you Phil if you read this.

I had a payout this year without a problem. Surprisingly, I had 3 sales right after this. So, I am not sure, should I run next year, or abandon it, or stay.
But, what I really don't like right now, is that I wrote a letter to support two weeks ago. A simple yes/no question. And I see no answer at all.

PS: Wow, I see 5 sales already by now! They don't send notifications anymore.

I've emailed them ([email protected])twice over the last month and had no reply.

No sales for 2 years.

Of course their terms and conditions say if you close your account your forfeit all earnings under the $50 threshold

I was rather hoping to get the $30 on my account