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Author Topic: First Week of New iStock - How are you doing?  (Read 32136 times)

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Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #125 on: October 07, 2014, 15:01 »
+14
I'm fairly pessimistic about all facets of iStock. Credit earnings have been cut substantially for me because my vectors now sell for less. PP numbers have been dropping, I guess because they're not marketing that as much and because they're steering people towards iS subs. And so far iS subs have just eaten into my regular sales. So I took a hit when they introduced subs and another last month when they lowered my prices. Lose, lose lose for me at iStock.


« Reply #126 on: October 08, 2014, 06:49 »
0
my downloads have disappeared....

« Reply #127 on: October 08, 2014, 07:43 »
0
Not a single sale since they changed over. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch.... you get the idea. I am not sure if it is the new prices but their changes certainly didn't help me any.

wds

« Reply #128 on: October 08, 2014, 07:59 »
0
My sense so far is no major change up or down for photos.

« Reply #129 on: October 08, 2014, 08:15 »
+2
In September I was up somewhat in DLs and $$s, but I suspect this was just buyers using up credits.

October so far is about par for DLs, but the reduced RPD is hurting my $$s; last week was the first week this year when I didn't make enough for a payout.  On a positive note though, I am seeing more of my newer (less than 1 year) files being downloaded; perhaps a best match change?

« Reply #130 on: October 08, 2014, 09:14 »
+1
Before and after the recent credit changes, my RPD stayed more or less the same. But my income dropped. On average about 30%. I don't keep track of downloads on a day to day basis, so I can only imagine that is what happened. I think the problem it seems is that I no longer get the big sales of XXXL images, at the same time I can only imagine some of the small size buyers have disappeared. So I'm guessing I've lost income on both ends of the sales spectrum. I used to sell a meaningful amount of XXXL images, so the changes in credits are noticeable.

Being an iStock exclusive, it is quite demotivating to see sales month after month get smaller and smaller. I'm definitely now wondering why Yuri and Andres went exclusive with iStock. The grass does not seem greener on this side of the fence, especially after reading other posts about what people's RPI on shutterstock.

« Reply #131 on: October 08, 2014, 09:40 »
+4
I have to say that both downloads and revenue have absolutely plummeted at Istock for me since the changes. I'm seeing the fewest sales numbers on weekdays that I have for nearly 10 years (since I first began uploading). So far this month I have yet to make double figures on any day. A few years ago, even as an independent, I was selling 50-60 licenses per weekday.

On the other hand sales at SS have gone ballistic and if it keeps up then I'm on target for a massive BME. In particular sales of On-Demand-Downloads have increased hugely.

Can I be alone in wondering whether the two events could possibly be connected?

« Reply #132 on: October 08, 2014, 09:43 »
+4
I have to say that both downloads and revenue have absolutely plummeted at Istock for me since the changes. I'm seeing the fewest sales numbers on weekdays that I have for nearly 10 years (since I first began uploading). So far this month I have yet to make double figures on any day. A few years ago, even as an independent, I was selling 50-60 licenses per weekday.

On the other hand sales at SS have gone ballistic and if it keeps up then I'm on target for a massive BME. In particular sales of On-Demand-Downloads have increased hugely.

Can I be alone in wondering whether the two events could possibly be connected?

I think that almost everyone (apart from Tickstock obviously) will now agree that you were right all along with respect to that thing about eggs and baskets.

Oh well.

:-)

« Reply #133 on: October 08, 2014, 09:48 »
0
I have to say that both downloads and revenue have absolutely plummeted at Istock for me since the changes. I'm seeing the fewest sales numbers on weekdays that I have for nearly 10 years (since I first began uploading). So far this month I have yet to make double figures on any day. A few years ago, even as an independent, I was selling 50-60 licenses per weekday.

On the other hand sales at SS have gone ballistic and if it keeps up then I'm on target for a massive BME. In particular sales of On-Demand-Downloads have increased hugely.

Can I be alone in wondering whether the two events could possibly be connected?

I think that almost everyone (apart from Tickstock obviously) will now agree that you were right all along with respect to that thing about eggs and baskets.

Oh well.

:-)
I'm not sure almost everyone will now agree, almost everyone has not quit exclusivity have they?  Have you?

I haven't run the numbers too extensively yet but it looks to me like the number of essentials downloads has gone way down, at least 50% if not more for my portfolio while signature and + downloads are up on the last 4 months significantly. 

« Reply #134 on: October 08, 2014, 09:54 »
+13
I have to say that both downloads and revenue have absolutely plummeted at Istock for me since the changes. I'm seeing the fewest sales numbers on weekdays that I have for nearly 10 years (since I first began uploading). So far this month I have yet to make double figures on any day. A few years ago, even as an independent, I was selling 50-60 licenses per weekday.

On the other hand sales at SS have gone ballistic and if it keeps up then I'm on target for a massive BME. In particular sales of On-Demand-Downloads have increased hugely.

Can I be alone in wondering whether the two events could possibly be connected?

I think that almost everyone (apart from Tickstock obviously) will now agree that you were right all along with respect to that thing about eggs and baskets.

Oh well.

:-)

I think you've just invented a new acronym ... AFTO. It's much quicker than having to write "apart from Tickstock obviously" all the time.

« Reply #135 on: October 08, 2014, 10:06 »
+7
I have to say that both downloads and revenue have absolutely plummeted at Istock for me since the changes. I'm seeing the fewest sales numbers on weekdays that I have for nearly 10 years (since I first began uploading). So far this month I have yet to make double figures on any day. A few years ago, even as an independent, I was selling 50-60 licenses per weekday.

On the other hand sales at SS have gone ballistic and if it keeps up then I'm on target for a massive BME. In particular sales of On-Demand-Downloads have increased hugely.

Can I be alone in wondering whether the two events could possibly be connected?

I think that almost everyone (apart from Tickstock obviously) will now agree that you were right all along with respect to that thing about eggs and baskets.

Oh well.

:-)

I was also a keen basket case-maker right from the start, but looking back I think I was wrong . The most profitable course would almost certainly have been to be exclusive from 2006 to 2012 or 2013 and then to switch to independence. I thought it would be too difficult to build portfolios on all the other sites with a huge portfolio to upload but people seem to have been able to manage that. Oh, well, spilt milk....

PS - I agree with Gostwyck and I think that a 50% drop in "essentials" dls is a significant under-statement, 75-80% looks more like it, and that, of course, is more than enough to deliver another hit to independents' earnings (and, presumably, iStock's earnings, too -- the latest "improvement" looks like another grand disaster from the iStock management).
« Last Edit: October 08, 2014, 10:11 by BaldricksTrousers »

KB

« Reply #136 on: October 08, 2014, 10:21 »
0
My sales have upticked slightly since the change, however no more (probably less) than what would normally be expected when transitioning from the slow Summer to the more active Autumn season.

My RPD, OTOH, has dropped significantly, since a large portion of my earnings had been attributable to Sig+ sales and L and larger sales.

I was down nearly 50% in revenue in Sep compared with last year, and I expect Oct will be similar. The very definition of 'unsustainable'.  >:(

Shelma1

  • stockcoalition.org
« Reply #137 on: October 08, 2014, 11:33 »
0
I have to say that both downloads and revenue have absolutely plummeted at Istock for me since the changes. I'm seeing the fewest sales numbers on weekdays that I have for nearly 10 years (since I first began uploading). So far this month I have yet to make double figures on any day. A few years ago, even as an independent, I was selling 50-60 licenses per weekday.

On the other hand sales at SS have gone ballistic and if it keeps up then I'm on target for a massive BME. In particular sales of On-Demand-Downloads have increased hugely.

Can I be alone in wondering whether the two events could possibly be connected?


I think that almost everyone (apart from Tickstock obviously) will now agree that you were right all along with respect to that thing about eggs and baskets.

Oh well.

:-)

I'm not sure almost everyone will now agree, almost everyone has not quit exclusivity have they?  Have you?

I haven't run the numbers too extensively yet but it looks to me like the number of essentials downloads has gone way down, at least 50% if not more for my portfolio while signature and + downloads are up on the last 4 months significantly.


I thought exclusives were only supposed to have Signature files? At least that's what Bortomia's saying on the iS forums. Essentials files in an exclusives port are a mistake.

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=362716&page=86

« Reply #138 on: October 08, 2014, 11:39 »
0
I am exclusive. I have both Essential and Signature files. It is mostly Signature though. I read previously on iStock's forum that exclusive have some Essential files so that they can access a part of the market they wouldn't be able to access otherwise. The files that I have in Essential are mostly just files that don't sell well. I didn't put any of them in there, iStock did it, probably with an algorithm.

« Reply #139 on: October 08, 2014, 13:24 »
0
Newly uploaded files from Exclusives going into Essentials are most likely a mistake, but in times past Exclusives were able to nominate at least a limited number of poor sellers for the old Dollar Bin, and when that was scrapped all the files in it were reactivated and placed in the Main (now Essentials) collection.  There were also files, both Exclusive and Indie, moved to the Bin by iStock during various purges on old non-selling images.

Consequently, most of the Exclusive files now in the Essentials collection most probably arrived there via that route, in addition to any which have been moved there by iStock during and after the initial shakeout.

« Reply #140 on: October 08, 2014, 14:04 »
+1
Sales are holding steady for me so far in Oct. with a slight increase. My RPD has gone up, keep in mind I a video artist.

MilanLipowski

« Reply #141 on: October 09, 2014, 10:34 »
+1
My sales goes up. Now I sell every day something from my small portfolio and income looks much better after their changes. I feel more satified.  ;)

Beppe Grillo

« Reply #142 on: October 09, 2014, 10:36 »
+2
The only thing that has changed for me until now is that I have to login every time I access to the site

« Reply #143 on: October 09, 2014, 14:41 »
0
the more interesting question would be... are indies making more $ with IS these days... since the change.
i do not see a connection between increase in sales at ss with IS change... because ss images by tradition have always been rejected by IStock reviewers, and vice versa...esp in terms of over-saturation and over post-processing. IStock have always preferred little or no post-processing. for this reason, i cannot see clients suddenly wanting ss images which are more post-processed.
maybe they go to fotolia...as their preference to less processing is similar to IStock.

« Reply #144 on: October 09, 2014, 15:20 »
+7

i do not see a connection between increase in sales at ss with IS change... because ss images by tradition have always been rejected by IStock reviewers, and vice versa...esp in terms of over-saturation and over post-processing. IStock have always preferred little or no post-processing. for this reason, i cannot see clients suddenly wanting ss images which are more post-processed.

What utter nonsense. Rejections are a relatively rare event for any half-decent independent contributor at either IS or SS and have been for years. There's precious little difference in what sells at each agency too.

It's a fact that until a few years ago IS were the market-leader, by a country mile, in microstock. Since then sales and revenue have collapsed. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, growth at SS has been explosive and now they are now market-leader. But you don't see any likelihood of a connection between those events for the reasons you have given. Really.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2014, 19:19 by gostwyck »

Uncle Pete

« Reply #145 on: October 09, 2014, 20:30 »
+1
IS used to reject things that SS took. SS formerly took things from me, that IS refused. That's no longer true. Example would be a top ten image on SS that IS rejected, no matter what I tried to do to edit it to their satisfaction. With the new lower standards, it was accepted and now sells.  :)

I don't have identical files on SS and IS because the two of them didn't take the same things. That's no longer true for newest files. But my sales are different on the two because of what each will accept or reject. Also because of what buyers want, of what I offer.

Someone producing good consistent quality,  standard Microstock concept and styles, wouldn't have the same situation.

Now that the PP, subs and Month of Sept. is pretty much reported. BME - EVER - for me on IS. Subs and PP still stink, but commissions on standard DLs have gone back to 2009 levels. RPD is back up over a dollar like it used to be.

Yes people could have been using up credits. I'll hope that Oct. keeps going in the same positive direction.

"It's a fact that until a few years ago IS were the market-leader, by a country mile, in microstock."

100% fact and amazing how changing strategy, disenfranchising contributors, pissing off customers with confusing levels and prices, and basically, fooling with success has make them what they are today. Second best.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2014, 20:37 by Uncle Pete »

« Reply #146 on: October 09, 2014, 21:06 »
+5
the more interesting question would be... are indies making more $ with IS these days... since the change.
i do not see a connection between increase in sales at ss with IS change... because ss images by tradition have always been rejected by IStock reviewers, and vice versa...esp in terms of over-saturation and over post-processing. IStock have always preferred little or no post-processing. for this reason, i cannot see clients suddenly wanting ss images which are more post-processed.
maybe they go to fotolia...as their preference to less processing is similar to IStock.

I have not seen an increase at SS but a big decrease at IS.  Mostly exactly the same pictures on both.

« Reply #147 on: October 09, 2014, 23:23 »
0
Number of DLs at IS have gone up slightly, however more $$ per DL - so I am up by about 50% in $$s (that's not difficult as a non-exclusive IS, sales were never very high there). SS doesn't seem to have changed, but a lot more DLs suddenly from FT, DP and 123RF. Maybe the web-size former IS buyers have now gone to these agencies??

ShadySue

  • There is a crack in everything
« Reply #148 on: October 11, 2014, 16:50 »
0
After a slight uptick in the last fortnight of September, I've had 13dls in 11 days. I'm pretty sure only my very first fortnight on iS had fewer dls, and that was the last two weeks in December 2006.
I surely hope it's true that we're going to keep the 'adjustment', which for me is more than I've earned this month so far.
« Last Edit: October 11, 2014, 18:58 by ShadySue »

« Reply #149 on: October 11, 2014, 17:17 »
+4
After a slight uptick in the last fortnight of September, I've had 13dls in 11 days. I'm pretty sure only my very first fortnight on iS had fewer dls, and that was the last fornight in December.
I surely hope it's true that we're going to keep the 'adjustment', which for me is more than I've earned this month so far.

Yes, it's awful. This month the PP will become my main source of income from the iStock stable, while iS may well sink below DT (which is also doing badly) in my earnings.


 

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