Author Topic: iStock Contributors Jumping Ship?? (Read 13642 times)

vphoto1234 · « **on:** November 04, 2014, 15:25 »

Hey guys - given the pricing changes that have occurred at iStock, I was curious if this is forcing you to move away from the platform and focus more of your attention elsewhere?

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #1 on:** November 05, 2014, 07:35 »

For me yes. Not out of spite or anything. Just business. I stopped submitting new content over a year ago. Doesn't make financial sense between falling sales and one-sided contract terms constantly being screwed with. I'm experimenting with other channels.

JoeClemson · « **Reply #2 on:** November 05, 2014, 08:55 »

I too have stopped uploading there, even though I am exclusive on RF stills. I'm deactivating my non-exclusive video, except for a few old ones which I don't have on P5 or SS. I don't trust them, I think their management has sailed up a certain creek and sales of all kinds have pretty well ground to a halt. I see no reason to invest any time producing new content for iStock.

vphoto1234 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 05, 2014, 11:29 »

Thanks. Will be interesting to see if SS responds with a price cut of their own.

PixelBytes · « **Reply #4 on:** November 05, 2014, 11:59 »

Quote from: vesposito on November 05, 2014, 11:29

Thanks. Will be interesting to see if SS responds with a price cut of their own.

I don't know about video, but SS is already priced very competitively for stills. I don't see why they would lower prices and run the risk of joining the rogues gallery of sites that hurt their contributors.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #5 on:** November 05, 2014, 12:12 »

Quote from: vesposito on November 05, 2014, 11:29

Thanks. Will be interesting to see if SS responds with a price cut of their own.

SS doesn't appear to be having any difficulty selling images at their current prices - and they haven't raised subscription prices in many years. During that time the size and quality of the SS collection has grown significantly.

iStock had to tinker with prices because they had totally messed up their pricing over the last several years - most significantly with some very ordinary images selling at Getty-type prices - and had lost customers as a result. iStock is trying to win buyers back.

If you're already ahead - especially if your primary focus is converting former Getty large corporate customers - why would you cut prices? SS is already way cheaper than Getty.

You'd only respond if iStock's actions had any negative impact on your business.

Hobostocker · « **Reply #6 on:** November 05, 2014, 14:13 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on November 05, 2014, 12:12

SS doesn't appear to be having any difficulty selling images at their current prices

that's the point, they're actually SELLING and delivering and keeping the promise of microstock "sell cheap sell many times".

iStock instead is totally lacking any vision instead, and they can't compete with Getty.
basically, everything they tried in the last few years turned to sh-it.

what's the point, really, wasted time and energy, clueless managers paid 6-7 figures and now what ?

PaulieWalnuts · « **Reply #7 on:** November 05, 2014, 18:31 »

I used to check my IS stats a few times a day amazed to watch the royalty total jumping up. Now I check it once or twice a week. My total for this week so far is what I used to get in a half a day. Hanging in there a little longer to see how things shake out.

Mantis · « **Reply #8 on:** November 05, 2014, 21:29 »

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on November 05, 2014, 18:31

I used to check my IS stats a few times a day amazed to watch the royalty total jumping up. Now I check it once or twice a week. My total for this week so far is what I used to get in a half a day. Hanging in there a little longer to see how things shake out.

Same here. I really treat it like a slow site now and am not really excited or even motivated when I do check the stats. Shame.

Hobostocker · « **Reply #9 on:** November 06, 2014, 02:08 »

the irony is micro buyers are quite cost conscious and they ain't fools, they know very well the competition is cheaper and better, the only thing iStock did wel was being in the right place at the right moment but apart that what's left for the average buyers ? RF stock has never as dime a dozen as today, there's pretty much nothing IS can do to diversify and earn back some market share.

micro customers are not loyal and price is everything for them, there's little space for marketing BS in this scenario.

sharpshot · « **Reply #10 on:** November 06, 2014, 06:15 »

I removed all my best selling images years ago, now my video portfolio has gone. I'm still convinced that the best way for a site to make money is by giving us a chance to increase earnings every year. Istock made that impossible for me and I have gone from doing everything I can to increase my earnings there to cutting them to very little. As they were making 4x more money from my sales than I was, I just can't see how that has helped them. There might be plenty of people that will supply them for almost nothing but will they produce what the buyers want? I very much doubt it.

If they had gone the other way and increased commissions, going exclusive would of been a viable option for almost everyone and they would have no real rivals now. Why didn't they think of that?

ShadySue · « **Reply #11 on:** November 06, 2014, 06:23 »

Quote from: sharpshot on November 06, 2014, 06:15

If they had gone the other way and increased commissions, going exclusive would of been a viable option for almost everyone and they would have no real rivals now. Why didn't they think of that?

They would also have had to retain buyers, which they seem not to have done, except for those they converted to subs.

sasha · « **Reply #12 on:** November 06, 2014, 08:11 »

anyone else having no deactivation option? Since the site redo when i click administration the page just reloads with no admin option...is it a special bug?

ShadySue · « **Reply #13 on:** November 06, 2014, 08:19 »

Quote from: sasha on November 06, 2014, 08:11

anyone else having no deactivation option? Since the site redo when i click administration the page just reloads with no admin option...is it a special bug?

Nononononoooooooooo
It's a special 'feature'.
You have to go right up to the top left of the page after you click Administration where you will see a text link Manage Image. Hover over that and you should see the deactivation option. Yup, totally unintuitive.
If that doesn't work (I just tried it and it is working for me), you'll need to contact CR.

Difydave · « **Reply #14 on:** November 06, 2014, 08:57 »

Quote from: ShadySue on November 06, 2014, 08:19

Quote from: sasha on November 06, 2014, 08:11
anyone else having no deactivation option? Since the site redo when i click administration the page just reloads with no admin option...is it a special bug?
Nononononoooooooooo
It's a special 'feature'.
You have to go right up to the top left of the page after you click Administration where you will see a text link Manage Image. Hover over that and you should see the deactivation option. Yup, totally unintuitive.
If that doesn't work (I just tried it and it is working for me), you'll need to contact CR.

I never quite got that "feature". A bit like putting the accelerator pedal in the passenger side of a car. Not where you'd expect it to be and awkward to use!

Red On · « **Reply #15 on:** November 06, 2014, 11:36 »

My non-exclusive portfolio in IS is very limited for many reason:

1. it is a waste of time (the time to submit 1 picture on IS is the same to submit 5 pictures on SS)
2. the % is offensive
3. PP is a tricky backdoor
4. Videos' prices are insulting

I'm waiting next payment to decide if:

1. Go ahed slowly as did 'til now
2. close my account
3. stop uploading and leave the pics in

Revenues on IS for the entire month of october are less than half day on SS

Noedelhap · « **Reply #16 on:** November 06, 2014, 12:13 »

I didn't focus too much on iStock, and I certainly won't be focusing on them now, but I won't jump ship. They're still my number 2 earner, about 25% of my microstock income.

vphoto1234 · « **Reply #17 on:** November 06, 2014, 14:30 »

Quote from: sharpshot on November 06, 2014, 06:15

I removed all my best selling images years ago, now my video portfolio has gone. I'm still convinced that the best way for a site to make money is by giving us a chance to increase earnings every year. Istock made that impossible for me and I have gone from doing everything I can to increase my earnings there to cutting them to very little. As they were making 4x more money from my sales than I was, I just can't see how that has helped them. There might be plenty of people that will supply them for almost nothing but will they produce what the buyers want? I very much doubt it.

If they had gone the other way and increased commissions, going exclusive would of been a viable option for almost everyone and they would have no real rivals now. Why didn't they think of that?

This is a very interesting suggestion. A simple cost to acquire the best talent, which would really hurt the competition, much more than lowering price. With the current strategy. if IS is successful in this price cut, SS can simply respond with a price cut of their own. Right now it does not seem like SS needs to but who knows what the future holds.

KevinM · « **Reply #18 on:** November 11, 2014, 14:40 »

Quote from: vesposito on November 04, 2014, 15:25

Hey guys - given the pricing changes that have occurred at iStock, I was curious if this is forcing you to move away from the platform and focus more of your attention elsewhere?

Yep. It was bad enough to receive only 15% commission on my work, but now the lower footage prices threaten to turn the stock video industry into a race to the bottom. So I deactivated all my clips. Did a thread discussion here: http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/why-video-contributors-should-leave-istockphoto

kanvag · « **Reply #19 on:** November 11, 2014, 19:03 »

Looking at my 2014 monthly stats , made me realize that istock is transforming to SS ( at least for me as a non exclusive ) .
The sub sales ( subs + PP ) i have at istock are almost the same as the ones at SS , and my credit sales almost equal the ODD's at SS.
A few years ago i wouldn't imagine that the RPD would be better at SS.
But i 'll keep uploading , as they are about 24% of my income.
I do know it's a race to the bottom with prices , but don't get me wrong.
Reading all the threads here will give you pretty good reasons to quit XXstock for lowering prices , YYstock for misbehaving its contributors , and ZZstock because sales are slow there ...
That would leave us with one or two options ( one in particular )
Full time microstockers ( not me ) are already looking outside of micro , and the rest of us will keep on uploading until it is not viable any more.

YadaYadaYada · « **Reply #20 on:** November 11, 2014, 19:11 »

Quote from: kanvag on November 11, 2014, 19:03

Looking at my 2014 monthly stats , made me realize that istock is transforming to SS ( at least for me as a non exclusive ) .
The sub sales ( subs + PP ) i have at istock are almost the same as the ones at SS , and my credit sales almost equal the ODD's at SS.
A few years ago i wouldn't imagine that the RPD would be better at SS.
But i 'll keep uploading , as they are about 24% of my income.
I do know it's a race to the bottom with prices , but don't get me wrong.
Reading all the threads here will give you pretty good reasons to quit XXstock for lowering prices , YYstock for misbehaving its contributors , and ZZstock because sales are slow there ...
That would leave us with one or two options ( one in particular )
Full time microstockers ( not me ) are already looking outside of micro , and the rest of us will keep on uploading until it is not viable any more.

I find the same. There are top 2 good the rest will die. My IS since the last month has been improved sales, subs and pp.

runeer · « **Reply #21 on:** November 12, 2014, 11:20 »

Quote from: PaulieWalnuts on November 05, 2014, 18:31

I used to check my IS stats a few times a day amazed to watch the royalty total jumping up. Now I check it once or twice a week. My total for this week so far is what I used to get in a half a day. Hanging in there a little longer to see how things shake out.

Same here, I guess a lot of old-timers experiencing something similar?

MxR · « **Reply #22 on:** November 12, 2014, 11:33 »

September...60 sales...october... 20 sales...November 3 sales... faster end is coming!

everest · « **Reply #23 on:** November 12, 2014, 16:37 »

Unfortunately I think it will be nearly impossible for any pro to make a living from Istock alone as an exclusive. Me as a diamond making a monthly 5 figure only two years ago I am looking for other options seriously for the first time.

Copidosoma · « **Reply #24 on:** November 12, 2014, 17:11 »

Quote from: everest on November 12, 2014, 16:37

Unfortunately I think it will be nearly impossible for any pro to make a living from Istock alone as an exclusive. Me as a diamond making a monthly 5 figure only two years ago I am looking for other options seriously for the first time.

Monthly 5 figures... surely you didn't think that would last forever in a crowd-sourced industry.

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Author Topic: iStock Contributors Jumping Ship?? (Read 13642 times)

vphoto1234

PaulieWalnuts

JoeClemson

vphoto1234

PixelBytes

Jo Ann Snover

Hobostocker

PaulieWalnuts

Mantis

Hobostocker

sharpshot

ShadySue

sasha

ShadySue

Difydave

Red On

Noedelhap

vphoto1234

KevinM

kanvag

YadaYadaYada

runeer

MxR

everest

Copidosoma

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