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Agency Based Discussion => iStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: Freedom on January 16, 2010, 17:37

Title: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: Freedom on January 16, 2010, 17:37
Since the second week of January, my sales really plummeted at IS. Last week was the worst.

Just wonder if it is due to the price change, or best match change.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: epantha on January 16, 2010, 17:39
The opposite has happened for me. 2 ELs plus better than average sales and a lot of first time downloads. Heading for a BME on IS. :)
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: m@m on January 16, 2010, 19:06
better than average sales and a lot of first time downloads.

Same here!!! ;D
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: Kngkyle on January 16, 2010, 19:23
About the same for me.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: Freedom on January 16, 2010, 22:06
Glad to hear you are doing well and it's not a best match thing.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: sharpshot on January 17, 2010, 16:52
A good start to the year with istock and some of the other sites.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: nicmac on January 20, 2010, 09:55
I'm with you in regards to sales drop. December ended up at 35% of my usual sales and now January is shaping up to be even worse. I don't understand the logic behind this drop as my sales are booming at SS. Perhaps I don't have the right files fore large January sales at Istock. Any thematic trends? Winter? easter? Spring?
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: willie on January 20, 2010, 12:08
my time with IS is so recent, i don't have historical anything  ;D
but comparatively speaking extrapolating with the other of the Big 6
+3  for the similar period, my sales with IS is giving me better returns than any .
and more money per dl .
as i said i still have too little with IS to make an impression but so far it's optimistic.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: iclick on January 21, 2010, 18:05
Actually real healthy I am pleased to report ....

lots of older Files I have forgotten about getting DLs
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: madelaide on January 21, 2010, 18:07
Sales are not doing bad for me, but I noticed sales in images that had stopped selling a while ago.  One had sold reasonably well in the past, then no sales for over one year, and now sold again.  Not a seasonal image, what might explain a long gap.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: helix7 on January 21, 2010, 20:46
Better than normal for me. Should end up being my best month out of the past 8 months.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: fotografer on January 22, 2010, 03:53
Best to only say here if sales are bad because the exclusives are getting restless about the fact that buyers may be going for the cheaper non-exclusive option and we don't want them to put us further back in the search to compensate ;)
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: sharpshot on January 22, 2010, 04:12
Sales are dreadful :)
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: Kngkyle on January 22, 2010, 04:34
Sales are up. Might end with a BME.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: qwerty on January 22, 2010, 07:34
Best to only say here if sales are bad because the exclusives are getting restless about the fact that buyers may be going for the cheaper non-exclusive option and we don't want them to put us further back in the search to compensate ;)

worst month ever
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: epantha on January 22, 2010, 07:41
Things appear to have taken a turn . . . ;)
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: Beach Bum on January 22, 2010, 08:15
This is shaping up to be my worst month since Dec. 2008.  Way down from last month. 
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: gostwyck on January 22, 2010, 08:51
This is probably going to be my worse January for nearly 12 months.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: fotografer on January 22, 2010, 08:55
HaHa, same here.
This is probably going to be my worse January for nearly 12 months.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: PowerDroid on January 22, 2010, 09:11
Answers seem to be all over the map.

Count me in the "things look great" column.  Jan will be my BME.  The agencies that matter (SS, IS, DT, FT, StockXpert) all posting significant gains over Dec, while the underperformers (123, BigStock, CanStockPhoto) seem stuck in a rut.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: Beach Bum on January 22, 2010, 09:34
Out of the big 4, Istock is the only one that is down.  The other 3 are doing well.  I'll easily have a BME at Dreamstime.  SS and FT are also doing well.  BigStock has really been disappointing lately.  I guess it has something to do with the sale to SS.  StockXpert has turned into a non-factor.  It used to be a reliable earner every month. 
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: lisafx on January 22, 2010, 10:34
My sales at IS the first part of January were definitely down.  Unlike last year when January rebounded quickly from low holiday sales. 

The last week or so sales finally seem to be returning to what was my average through most of last year.  The month end totals will still be down quite a bit from what I have become used to. 
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: lagereek on January 22, 2010, 11:48
My sales at IS the first part of January were definitely down.  Unlike last year when January rebounded quickly from low holiday sales. 

The last week or so sales finally seem to be returning to what was my average through most of last year.  The month end totals will still be down quite a bit from what I have become used to. 


Hi Lisa!

Not sure but there could be a search-change going on. Ive never had a more irratic day in four years at IS, my portfolio keeps changing all the time, shots are being replaced by my other ones. Yesterday my industry-shots took up a whole first page, today that page is empty. The search-change seem to have an effect on certain categories only.
As a result my DLs, are ofcourse down by 70% from a normal days quota.
Weird!! the least I say.

best.  Christian
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: xst on January 22, 2010, 14:31
My sales at IS the first part of January were definitely down.  Unlike last year when January rebounded quickly from low holiday sales. 

The last week or so sales finally seem to be returning to what was my average through most of last year.  The month end totals will still be down quite a bit from what I have become used to. 


The best match has been yoyoing over the past couple of weeks (http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=166661)
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: xst on January 22, 2010, 14:47
My sales for January are significantly down and on track to by even lower than December’s. (Not mentioning October and November)
Also I’m getting unusual number of tech rejections in latest weeks. Most of them I have hard time to decrypt 
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: lisafx on January 22, 2010, 18:39
Thanks Christian and Mocker.  I didn't realize the best match had been so volatile lately. 
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: fotografer on January 23, 2010, 04:09
I've noticed it being very changeable.  I sold over 3 times more photos on Thursday than I did on Friday.  Friday usually drops a bit but never so drastically.

Thanks Christian and Mocker.  I didn't realize the best match had been so volatile lately. 
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: lagereek on January 23, 2010, 05:27
Thanks Christian and Mocker.  I didn't realize the best match had been so volatile lately. 

Yeah, Im afraid its the usual story. Hadnt it been for these changes I would have been excl. ages ago.

best.
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: Beach Bum on January 23, 2010, 07:38
Thanks Christian and Mocker.  I didn't realize the best match had been so volatile lately. 

Yeah, Im afraid its the usual story. Hadnt it been for these changes I would have been excl. ages ago.

best.

Same here.  This screwing around with the search engines is the reason I don't go exclusive anywhere.  It can lead to a drastic drop in income.  I don't want to be stuck with one agency when that happens.  I was seriously considering going exclusive at IS in 2008, but a best match change late that year caused my sales to plummet.  I was fortunate that the other agencies were performing well at the time, although IS did rebound in early 2009. 
Title: Re: Non-Exclusive Sales?
Post by: ap on January 25, 2010, 19:21
wow, sales are just bopping here after a virtual stop over the new year's. got my first extra large sale, so can i attribute it all to the lower non-exclusive prices? so far, BME.