MicrostockGroup

Agency Based Discussion => iStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: tundracamper on December 09, 2013, 11:39

Title: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: tundracamper on December 09, 2013, 11:39
I have had a relatively great year, at least until Thanksgiving.  Starting Thanksgiving day (approaching two weeks), my sales are down by 60% for each week for those two weeks.  In fact, the week after Thanksgiving was by far my worst week of the year.  I am sure hoping sales pick up before the end of the year, but am wondering if there is something else going on.  Did I miss some big change or something?
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: mlwinphoto on December 09, 2013, 11:46
SS continues to go well by my standards, iStock continues to sink further into the abyss.
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: tickstock on December 09, 2013, 11:52
.
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: Asthebelltolls on December 09, 2013, 13:20
Generally speaking Shutterstock is staying the course. Not up and not down. But combining all five agencies sales are way up. Surprising since I don't have anything "seasonal" to offer buyers. Goes to show the only thing predictable about microstocking is unpredictability.
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: dingles on December 09, 2013, 13:26
As far as image SS is steady and strong. iStock image sales are very few and very far between..however the Partner Program has had strong sales...seems like iStock is just a bridge for the PP program and Getty sales as they seem to perform better than iStock sales.
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: Shelma1 on December 09, 2013, 13:42
Sales for me took off on Shutterstock last month and stayed fairly steady at iStock. They dropped at both agencies after Thanksgiving (which I expected, based on what I was selling), but so far I think Shutterstock sales are a little higher than they were in October.
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: Red Dove on December 09, 2013, 14:30
Very sluggish - the lowest earner in the Big 4 so far this month. Hopefully the PP will produce some treasure as per November.

Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: tundracamper on December 09, 2013, 15:28
So perhaps I am not the only one.  It seems this week might be picking up a bit (Wednesday-Wednesday), but unless things change in the next day, this will be my second worst week of the year, running a second only to last week.  I realize it is hard to predict trends based on one or two weeks, but except for this short recent period, my income at iStock has been up over previous years.
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: leaf on December 09, 2013, 15:58
Pretty average for me.  I usually see a bit of a drive upwards up until the last weekend before Christmas.. then everything drops off a cliff.
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: lisafx on December 09, 2013, 17:09
Pretty average for me.  I usually see a bit of a drive upwards up until the last weekend before Christmas.. then everything drops off a cliff.

Same experience here.  Sales had been about average (the new average).  Today they are booming across the board. Hope that does continue for the next week or two. 
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: wordplanet on December 09, 2013, 18:39
Steadily picking up for me since early November on SS and DT - even had 2 sales on alamy and one on redbubble this week. Fingers crossed it keeps up  8)
I have very few Christmas images - biggest sellers for me this week have been lighthouses and other mostly summery travel and backgrounds which sell steadily all year long.
Nearly all my sales on iStock have been PP since they demoted my + images to Main - in October PP sales gave me my BME there - about even with what I earn on SS and DT - so hoping that's the same for November but who knows.
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: BoBoBolinski on December 10, 2013, 06:27
Yet more IT problems at IS today ( unresponsive scripts, white pages) again making sales even less likely than usual. Why don't they sack the entire dev team ( assuming it is actually a team) and start again *.
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: wordplanet on December 10, 2013, 12:50
Unpredictable is an understatement. Last year I sold a ton of New Years Eve images on all the micros in November and December. This year they're selling but not as much while my lighthouse photos are selling constantly - who could predict that?
Title: Re: Holiday slow down worse than normal?
Post by: Noedelhap on December 10, 2013, 14:25
SS is way up, IS is way down.