MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => iStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: WarrenPrice on July 20, 2011, 13:31
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Rather than worry about all that is happening, I'm concerned about what is NOT happening -- sales at iStock. It was going along just fine then .... NOTHING. I seem to get plenty of views but NO sales. Haven't had a download since July 10. Is this normal? Are sales statistics posted as they happen ... or delayed? For ten days?
Just wondering if I have missed the boat? ::)
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Periodically there have been small lags where an account balance goes up but the sale doesn't show on my_uploads for 20 minutes or so, but nothing I recall of the sort your describing.
My sales are posting, so either you're in a slump or there's some sort of problem with your account in particular. Support would be the only way to check that out (although I haven't had much luck with actually getting answers - my last ticket just disappeared but was never responded to).
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It depends on what you consider to be fine ?
One guy stated recently said he use to get 150 sales a day with a portfolio half the size it is now.He might struggle to get 20 sales today.That thread was LOCKED with.... more contributors/more content/it's summer-No mention of shutterstock ;) .
Just keep uploading what you consider to be useful stock and you might start to see a steady stream of sales come into your account.The sales show pretty instantly in your balance.
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July has been famine and feast at times, but unfortunately famine is more dominant than feast.
I have the same doubt that if the sales are posted at real time these days. They seem to happen in certain time slots and then dry up.
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I was reporting this in my thread (summer slump seems to be agency dependent), but since picture tells more than 1000 words, here you go:
(http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/8672/screenhunter01jul202147.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/screenhunter01jul202147.jpg/)
3 days of no DLs and than a day with large sized DLs, all M+, one of them was a XXXL. Not a strong month on IS, even though I'm having great days like the 18th was. And yes the graph is lacking yesterday's and today's sales, which are modest and small sized, only XS and S.
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I was reporting this in my thread (summer slump seems to be agency dependent), but since picture tells more than 1000 words, here you go:
([url]http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/8672/screenhunter01jul202147.jpg[/url]) ([url]http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/screenhunter01jul202147.jpg/[/url])
3 days of no DLs and than a day with large sized DLs, all M+, one of them was a XXXL. Not a strong month on IS, even though I'm having great days like the 18th was. And yes the graph is lacking yesterday's and today's sales, which are modest and small sized, only XS and S.
Slovenian, check out my graph:
(http://i54.tinypic.com/30cp01t.jpg)
I used to have much more regular downloads with a smaller portfolio.
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Funny, my chart looks a lot like yours, except I have some DLs on Friday. Must be a site-wide thing.
Haven't had a single DL today.
I was reporting this in my thread (summer slump seems to be agency dependent), but since picture tells more than 1000 words, here you go:
([url]http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/8672/screenhunter01jul202147.jpg[/url]) ([url]http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/38/screenhunter01jul202147.jpg/[/url])
3 days of no DLs and than a day with large sized DLs, all M+, one of them was a XXXL. Not a strong month on IS, even though I'm having great days like the 18th was. And yes the graph is lacking yesterday's and today's sales, which are modest and small sized, only XS and S.
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I too have a big spike on the 18th. In fact the graph looks quite similar except for an EL. I wonder if they turned off the independent suppression filter either by accident or to see what the results would be.
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Ebb and flo, people. What the spike amount to ( in dls )?
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Interesting. The 18th was just an average day for me.
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Yes, dls in my case.
Ebb and flo, people. What the spike amount to ( in dls )?
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Ebb and flo, people. What the spike amount to ( in dls )?
Well thats one way of describing it. Another is a complete stand-still. status quo, squared by 4.
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I too have a big spike on the 18th. In fact the graph looks quite similar except for an EL. I wonder if they turned off the independent suppression filter either by accident or to see what the results would be.
It sure means something. If it's what ur guessing, than I can now see how much money I'm missing out. But OTOH DL wise it's equal to the 12th, I had most DLs on those 2 days, just earnings are over 5x higher on the 18th, due to unusual amount of large file DLs. But what's interesting is to see, that out graphs are matching. I'd like to see some exclusives screenshots or at least comments wether their graphs match ours.
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As I said, I have a very similar graph, which showed no DLs in the weekend and big spike on the 18th. I am exclusive so I don't think indies were discriminated. On the other hand, I also think it means something and is not just a normal E&F.
I too have a big spike on the 18th. In fact the graph looks quite similar except for an EL. I wonder if they turned off the independent suppression filter either by accident or to see what the results would be.
It sure means something. If it's what ur guessing, than I can now see how much money I'm missing out. But OTOH DL wise it's equal to the 12th, I had most DLs on those 2 days, just earnings are over 5x higher on the 18th, due to unusual amount of large file DLs. But what's interesting is to see, that out graphs are matching. I'd like to see some exclusives screenshots or at least comments wether their graphs match ours.
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Haven't got the article to hand, but I'm pretty sure I read recently that the Stock Artists Alliance, which is sadly closing down, did a survey a while ago where they purchased a variety of their members' images from different (macro) agencies, and noted how the sales were reported.
The results were not good - many sales took an extremely long time to get through to artist payment, and - much worse of course - many sales were never reported and artists were not paid. I believe they then confronted the agencies with their findings.
Suppose people pooling together to do something like that - taking care not to break any of iStock's strict rules - would be the only definite way to know how quickly sales are reported, and to check that royalty payments are correct, without payments to artists being missed out.
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my numbers are small - probably not statistically valid, but still curious.
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Yes, dls in my case.
Ebb and flo, people. What the spike amount to ( in dls )?
No, I meant how many dls. Like a relative spike of 4? Or 5?
Dls for me are steady and show no spikes or delays.
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I am not surprised. Another diamond friend who has a large port said the same thing.
How big is the spike? 10 Dls from nothing.
It's the smaller fish who get affected.
Yes, dls in my case.
Ebb and flo, people. What the spike amount to ( in dls )?
No, I meant how many dls. Like a relative spike of 4? Or 5?
Dls for me are steady and show no spikes or delays.
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Haven't got the article to hand, but I'm pretty sure I read recently that the Stock Artists Alliance, which is sadly closing down, did a survey a while ago where they purchased a variety of their members' images from different (macro) agencies, and noted how the sales were reported.
The results were not good - many sales took an extremely long time to get through to artist payment, and - much worse of course - many sales were never reported and artists were not paid. I believe they then confronted the agencies with their findings.
Suppose people pooling together to do something like that - taking care not to break any of iStock's strict rules - would be the only definite way to know how quickly sales are reported, and to check that royalty payments are correct, without payments to artists being missed out.
Wow, even up to 85% is not enough for some, they really want the whole 100%. Such greed really makes me sick :-X
Yeah, let's do that, I'm willing to volunteer my ports for the experiment. Everything for a good cause! ;D
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I've had sales appear in my status a couple of days late. I think they were subs, and I imagined the delay was to calculate the split. Not that I ever got a bit split. :D
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Does anyone see a spike of sales today? It is my best day for this month in DLs.
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Does anyone see a spike of sales today? It is my best day for this month in DLs.
No. I only had a measly 2 downloads today. But, it's summer, so shrug.
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Looks like mondays are the new Dl heavy days. I got a few DLs early in the morning already. And it is a first day like this since the 18th (Monday as well).
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18th, 19th and 20th were my best days this month. The 18th just slightly higher but the 19th and 20th were up by a third on anything in the first half of the month. Then it dropped down again. Some best match shuffle I suppose.
Trad agency payment systems can't be compared with microstock because the micros use a pre-paid system while the others are post-paid. Naturally, the old agencies wait until they have collected the cash before paying commission to artists. If a purchaser goes bust, neither the agency nor the artist get paid. That's not possible with microstock.
The real genius of the microstock system was the introduction of pre-paid credits which (ignoring card fraud) ensure every sale is paid for and provides the agency with an interest-free loan from every customer.
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The real genius of the microstock system was the introduction of pre-paid credits which (ignoring card fraud) ensure every sale is paid for and provides the agency with an interest-free loan from every customer.
True, and some businesses won't allow this type of purchasing, in case the company goes bust and they don't get what they paid for, so they lose some potential customers (probably not that many).
But without it, they'd have to raise prices to earn the same, so robbing Peter to pay Paul.
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If a spike of DLs on Mondays is not a coincidence, imagine what we'd earn if they moved it to Wednesday. Once-a-week boost for indies. It would sure be nice :)
But all of that is not important if monthly trends are dropping so fast. And all I get at SS is rising sales or at least from time to time a month that is a bit lower but not plunged like at IS. Even the low earners (FT, DT, 123RF) are seeing slow increases in sales.
(http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/4223/screenhunter01jul260935.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/828/screenhunter01jul260935.jpg/)
I really thought I got it in Mar-May period. I saw jumps in sales in March and was then at least being able to hold it, bad compared to SS, but at least in Apr good compared to most ppl (95%) reporting falls in sales. Now I just gave up on IS. PP earnings are in decline as well. Looks like this company is done, they'll have to fight with DT and FT for the 2nd place and it's just a matter of time before they slip to the bottom of the big 4. Sad in a way, but they really deserve it. I'm not sorry to see it at all, since SS is picking up their sales, I'm getting so much more ODs.