after a bad month, under 100$ in January, another think go me crazy from shutterstock. Some money just disappear.
I set minimum payment 100$, so i didnt get pay in january, but now my unpaid earnings are for about 30$ less than yesterday....
someone with similar experience?

I'm same with u...almostt $30 missing..

Reset? Did you look at this page? https://submit.shutterstock.com/dashboard Unpaid Earnings?

If that's zero you have a problem.

I'm set to $100 also, I like a nice nut now and then, instead of the $35 on a bad month. 

Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

Quote from: gnirtS on February 02, 2021, 20:53
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all 

Quote from: Bad Robot on February 03, 2021, 05:33

Quote from: gnirtS on February 02, 2021, 20:53
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all 

That's because this is not a new thing. The adjustment tab has always been there for everyone who had an adjustment and it happens to contributors each month for at least as long as I have been reading the forums, which is 2,5 years.
Do you expect SS to make an announcement each month saying "As always, some contributors had adjustments made to their earnings"? Other agencies also don't do this. As far as I know, Dreamstime is the only one who sends out e-mail notifications when a customer demands a refund, but the e-mail doesn't tell you more than that a refund was issued, no explanation as to why. The other agencies let you find out about it on your own, just like Shutterstock.

I know it sucks and all, but that's certainly not a Shutterstock problem. As far as I know, each agency is allowing refunds to customers and the problem is much worse on other agencies, like iStock for example or Alamy. On Alamy I seem to have more refunds than sales sometimes and even had a negative earning balance because of that in the past. (And the customer who got a refund was still using my image online....)

.

Quote from: Firn on February 03, 2021, 06:30

Quote from: Bad Robot on February 03, 2021, 05:33

Quote from: gnirtS on February 02, 2021, 20:53
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all 

That's because this is not a new thing. The adjustment tab has always been there for everyone who had an adjustment and it happens to contributors each month for at least as long as I have been reading the forums, which is 2,5 years.
Do you expect SS to make an announcement each month saying "As always, some contributors had adjustments made to their earnings"? Other agencies also don't do this. As far as I know, Dreamstime is the only one who sends out e-mail notifications when a customer demands a refund, but the e-mail doesn't tell you more than that a refund was issued, no explanation as to why. The other agencies let you find out about it on your own, just like Shutterstock.

I know it sucks and all, but that's certainly not a Shutterstock problem. As far as I know, each agency is allowing refunds to customers and the problem is much worse on other agencies, like iStock for example or Alamy. On Alamy I seem to have more refunds than sales sometimes and even had a negative earning balance because of that in the past. (And the customer who got a refund was still using my image online....)

Well I've been with shittystock since 2009 and never saw anyone mentioning adjustments.  I just did a search on the fourm for "adjustments" and the only mentions are in January/February

But I defer to you, it must be true

Quote from: Uncle Pete on February 02, 2021, 19:51
Reset? Did you look at this page? https://submit.shutterstock.com/dashboard Unpaid Earnings?

If that's zero you have a problem.

I'm set to $100 also, I like a nice nut now and then, instead of the $35 on a bad month. 

I keep mine at $35 because I begrudge those people keeping my money for any longer than is necessary.

Plus if I had it at $100 I'd have missed several payouts since the rate cut

Quote from: Bad Robot on February 03, 2021, 09:27

Quote from: Firn on February 03, 2021, 06:30

Quote from: Bad Robot on February 03, 2021, 05:33

Quote from: gnirtS on February 02, 2021, 20:53
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all 

That's because this is not a new thing. The adjustment tab has always been there for everyone who had an adjustment and it happens to contributors each month for at least as long as I have been reading the forums, which is 2,5 years.
Do you expect SS to make an announcement each month saying "As always, some contributors had adjustments made to their earnings"? Other agencies also don't do this. As far as I know, Dreamstime is the only one who sends out e-mail notifications when a customer demands a refund, but the e-mail doesn't tell you more than that a refund was issued, no explanation as to why. The other agencies let you find out about it on your own, just like Shutterstock.

I know it sucks and all, but that's certainly not a Shutterstock problem. As far as I know, each agency is allowing refunds to customers and the problem is much worse on other agencies, like iStock for example or Alamy. On Alamy I seem to have more refunds than sales sometimes and even had a negative earning balance because of that in the past. (And the customer who got a refund was still using my image online....)

Well I've been with shittystock since 2009 and never saw anyone mentioning adjustments.  I just did a search on the fourm for "adjustments" and the only mentions are in January/February

But I defer to you, it must be true

Yes, you are right, I just checked and the forum search doesn't seem to give results before January. I don't know why that is, but I know the adjustment tab is not new and has been mentioned before. I know that not only because I have seen such posts in the past, but also because I had asked in the forum where the tab was, because I don't have it (It only shows up if you actually had adjustments).
Here is my post from last year:
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/100974-september-sales/?do=findComment&comment=1863479

I don't know why the forum search doesn't show it.

Quote from: Bad Robot on February 03, 2021, 09:27

Quote from: Firn on February 03, 2021, 06:30

Quote from: Bad Robot on February 03, 2021, 05:33

Quote from: gnirtS on February 02, 2021, 20:53
Looking on the SS forum a lot of people had "adjustments" and they appear on an adjustment tab in the earnings summary page.
There's a thread about it where a lot of people had the issue.

And shittercrapstock haven't said anything at all 

That's because this is not a new thing. The adjustment tab has always been there for everyone who had an adjustment and it happens to contributors each month for at least as long as I have been reading the forums, which is 2,5 years.
Do you expect SS to make an announcement each month saying "As always, some contributors had adjustments made to their earnings"? Other agencies also don't do this. As far as I know, Dreamstime is the only one who sends out e-mail notifications when a customer demands a refund, but the e-mail doesn't tell you more than that a refund was issued, no explanation as to why. The other agencies let you find out about it on your own, just like Shutterstock.

I know it sucks and all, but that's certainly not a Shutterstock problem. As far as I know, each agency is allowing refunds to customers and the problem is much worse on other agencies, like iStock for example or Alamy. On Alamy I seem to have more refunds than sales sometimes and even had a negative earning balance because of that in the past. (And the customer who got a refund was still using my image online....)

Well I've been with shittystock since 2009 and never saw anyone mentioning adjustments.  I just did a search on the fourm for "adjustments" and the only mentions are in January/February

But I defer to you, it must be true

Well if you personally can't find it and haven't noticed, it obviously can't exist for the rest of the world? We're all brainwashed into a false memory.

ps This has been discussed before, but it comes up so seldom, the adjustment tab is often forgotten. I never look at it or care. Oh now I'm sad that I did. The one and only.

   Refunded 9/20/18,  transaction date 6/15/17    1    -$53.39

Holy Cow, over a year later?

Here's one of the times noticed in 2019, which may have been when it was added?  https://www.microstockgroup.com/shutterstock-com/adjustment-tab/msg538287/#msg538287

And that explains why, if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there, there's no sound? If someone doesn't see the adjustment tab, it doesn't exist yet... 

I had four sales removed for the first time this month, losing out on over $100. I've never had any adjustments before, but I've only been on Shutterstock since July 2019.



Can I write this off my schedule C as a business expense?

Quote from: JohnTravolski on February 03, 2021, 17:17
I had four sales removed for the first time this month, losing out on over $100. I've never had any adjustments before, but I've only been on Shutterstock since July 2019.

I'm no longer with Shutterstock, but before they booted me (because of my fuss about their June 2020 royalty reductions) I had been with them since 2004 (I was contributor 249).

I had never had a refund in all that time - and that was the only site that never charged my earnings for refunded sales.

So this is absolutely new.

As far as taxes, this is a reduction in your income, not a business expense; all the amounts are in the same year.

If we're suddenly seeing so many of these, are we thinking that this is a change made by Shutterstock (maybe they have gotten better at determining if transactions are fraudulent) or are we thinking there has simply been a rise in fraudulent purchases recently? Any idea which one it might be, or possibly something else?

Something odd happened to me.

One sale for $48 was made on Jan. 28, on top of other sales. But my Feb payment amount is $35. How can it be?

I don't see any adjustments.

The final payment seems to be correct.

I'm with SS 6 years and I've never heard for adjustments before. As far as I know, they didn't accept refunds? At least I didn't had any so far. So thats new for me too.

Never had one of these in 11 years I've been there (2009-2020) and never heard about this though I used to visit their forum quite often. I guess lucky me then.
When you thought SS could not get any worse...

I've got the first adjustment as well since 2005. In my case it's -$23.69 this time. Who knows what the future holds though.

Quote from: Dumc on February 03, 2021, 18:01
I'm with SS 6 years and I've never heard for adjustments before. As far as I know, they didn't accept refunds? At least I didn't had any so far. So thats new for me too.

I also never had any, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. 

I did some more search via google (as the SS forum search doesn't seem to work properly) and the oldest thread about a refund I could find is from 2010:
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/46152-refund/

Well, there is something really strange for me...
It's the third month in a row in which I see the announce payout mail saying a little bit reduced amount different from the real total that I can see confirmed in my contributor area.
Few dollars less, but I have checked my returned/refunded sales and I only see few refunds in september 2020.

I wrote a mail last month asking for explanation, but never had an answer.

No problem with renewed tax form, no evidence of refunds... well. It's really strange.

For me it's a little amount difference, few dollars, but looking at how difficult is to gain with so many 0,10 sales, it would be worth to have a reason for this.

Quote from: JohnTravolski on February 03, 2021, 17:52
If we're suddenly seeing so many of these, are we thinking that this is a change made by Shutterstock (maybe they have gotten better at determining if transactions are fraudulent) or are we thinking there has simply been a rise in fraudulent purchases recently? Any idea which one it might be, or possibly something else?

That or their systems went a bit nuts with the level reset.

Quote from: JohnTravolski on February 03, 2021, 17:17
I had four sales removed for the first time this month, losing out on over $100. I've never had any adjustments before, but I've only been on Shutterstock since July 2019.



Can I write this off my schedule C as a business expense?

No, because you never got it as income.

https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/101652-massive-refunds-in-january-total-320-less/
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/101655-payment-email-with-amount-less-than-the-monthly-earnings/
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/101647-i-lost200/

Does look like more adjustments and higher amounts than we've seen before.
Either they just discovered a large scale fraud problem or they're calculation systems didnt adopt smoothly to level resets.

Quote from: Firn on February 03, 2021, 20:32

Quote from: Dumc on February 03, 2021, 18:01
I'm with SS 6 years and I've never heard for adjustments before. As far as I know, they didn't accept refunds? At least I didn't had any so far. So thats new for me too.

I also never had any, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. 

I did some more search via google (as the SS forum search doesn't seem to work properly) and the oldest thread about a refund I could find is from 2010:
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/46152-refund/

That was my point. If someone didn't see it, then it never existed. 

I'm happy to say I only had one since 2008. But the new contributor landing page had added that link, where years before it was buried or didn't exist. Meaning, we might get an email for an adjustment and nothing was accounted for on our earnings page. Refunds existed, just not openly documented.

Let me try something for those who think we should get paid commission for image theft and fraud. You work in a store and someone steals a pair of shoes. You work on commission for the sales you make. So you should:

A go to the boss and demand your commission for a sale, even though the store got no money?

B Get nothing because you didn't sell anything?

Same for image licenses. That's my point. We didn't earn anything, we didn't license an image, no money went to SS, so we get nothing as a percentage of those $0 dollars.

More accurately the shop assistant sells a pair of shows and the manager/boss processes the payment using a credit card that turns out to be stolen.
The assistant did their job so why should they be punished for it?

We don't even know if these adjustments are very new, higher than usual fraud or just their own accounting system screwing up with the level resets.  As usual SS offer no explanation.