MicrostockGroup

Agency Based Discussion => iStockPhoto.com => Topic started by: luissantos84 on December 15, 2012, 09:27

Title: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: luissantos84 on December 15, 2012, 09:27
I am wondering how things have changed since the introduction of the RC's, don't know if there are any stats regarding how many files enter iStock every week, anyway I believe this can make an interesting poll and of course I am open for other suggestions, thanks!
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: mlwinphoto on December 15, 2012, 13:29
I would add a couple of categories:

Exclusive (plan on dropping crown and continue uploading)

Exclusive (plan on dropping crown and stop uploading)
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: Jo Ann Snover on December 15, 2012, 13:31
My situation isn't in that list - and I'm not sure if a poll is the right way to capture this as you'll have so many options it'll make people dizzy.

I haven't stopped uploading, but I don't give them new stuff ('cause it'll go straight to Thinkstock). They'll get it in time. I no longer submit vectors there (and removed the ones I had).
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: sharpshot on December 15, 2012, 14:10
My category would be "Non exclusive, stopped uploading for over a year but then thought what's the point because so many others are carrying on as if istock had done nothing".
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: cathyslife on December 15, 2012, 14:45
.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: pancaketom on December 15, 2012, 16:08
Stopped when the RC system was announced. Removed most of my files when they were going to be forced into the Pp system.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: ClaridgeJ on December 15, 2012, 16:22
Never really stopped, I removed some but never stopped. Why should I play into their hands? makes me as wonky as they are. Besides my earning there are pretty good and rising.
Any half ass can jack it all in but intelligence moves forward no matter the direction of the winds.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: disorderly on December 15, 2012, 18:27
Stopped uploading the moment the new system was changed.  Began removing all but bestsellers a few at a time.  I have removed 80% of my pre-RC images.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: lisafx on December 15, 2012, 18:44
Stopped uploading the moment the new system was changed.  Began removing all but bestsellers a few at a time.  I have removed 80% of my pre-RC images.

Very courageous to have stood on principle like that.  What kind of effect have you seen on your income, if you don't mind sharing?  Have the other sites picked up enough that you aren't hurting from losing Istock?
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: luissantos84 on December 15, 2012, 18:47
yes it very hard to do a poll regarding this matter, too many options, will try to add a few more, thanks for all replies and votes!

leaf: please re-arrange poll order (indies options and then exclusives) because I am afraid of messing up the current entries, thanks!
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: dirkr on December 15, 2012, 19:35
Stopped uploading when the RC system was announced. Removed my port when the royalty cuts became effective.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: disorderly on December 15, 2012, 19:46
Stopped uploading the moment the new system was changed.  Began removing all but bestsellers a few at a time.  I have removed 80% of my pre-RC images.

Very courageous to have stood on principle like that.  What kind of effect have you seen on your income, if you don't mind sharing?  Have the other sites picked up enough that you aren't hurting from losing Istock?

Thanks, Lisa.  It didn't take much courage.  iStock had become a smaller and smaller percentage of my total.  In 2010 they were 17.6%; in 2011 they dropped to 11.9% (a decrease of 26% in actual dollars); this year they're looking like 10.5% (up 2.1% in dollars).  By comparison, I was up 9.6% overall from 2010 to 2011 and look to be up another 15.6% in 2012.

This year iStock was flat and so was Dreamstime (up 4.3%), with Fotolia down 59.8%.  On the other hand, Shutterstock is up 23.1% (37.1% of my total), 123RF is up 74.9% (15.3% of my total), Deposit up 266.85 (7.3% of my total) and Canstock up 63.9% (6.2% of my total).

Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: lisafx on December 15, 2012, 23:15
This year iStock was flat and so was Dreamstime (up 4.3%), with Fotolia down 59.8%.  On the other hand, Shutterstock is up 23.1% (37.1% of my total), 123RF is up 74.9% (15.3% of my total), Deposit up 266.85 (7.3% of my total) and Canstock up 63.9% (6.2% of my total).

These sound a lot like my stats.  Very glad you didn't suffer a loss of total income.  :)
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: qwerty on December 16, 2012, 04:38
When the RC was announced I stopped uploading to Istock for many months. When it was clear that not enough people were boycotting I resumed uploads.
Lasted probably 3-4 months

Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: enstoker on December 16, 2012, 04:53
When the RC was announced I stopped uploading to Istock for many months. When it was clear that not enough people were boycotting I resumed uploads.
Lasted probably 3-4 months

Be serious.
Look on the right side of this page, IS is still the second Top...
I think that any comment is superfluous.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: sharkyenergy on December 16, 2012, 09:29
i stopped when i started using FTP programs..
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: ShadySue on December 16, 2012, 09:33
Your title is a leading question.
Couldn't it be Poll: Have you stopped or slowed loading at iStock, and when? which is what your poll purports to quantify.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: luissantos84 on December 16, 2012, 11:19
Your title is a leading question.
Couldn't it be Poll: Have you stopped or slowed loading at iStock, and when? which is what your poll purports to quantify.

sorry, you are right, changed the question but don't have permission to change the title
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: donding on December 16, 2012, 12:56
I left them all except Shutterstock about a year ago. Just got tired of all the BS. Found a better way to make money off my hard earned work.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: leaf on December 16, 2012, 17:18
yes it very hard to do a poll regarding this matter, too many options, will try to add a few more, thanks for all replies and votes!

leaf: please re-arrange poll order (indies options and then exclusives) because I am afraid of messing up the current entries, thanks!

I can't reorder the questions without messing up the answers.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: ClaridgeJ on December 17, 2012, 10:40
The sole reason I keep uploading is because I will probably drop three middle and onle low tiers after new year. In  bothering with micro at all, I feel that it nreally boils down to the big four. All the others dont even justify the time spent, output is far less then input.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: mtkang on December 17, 2012, 11:29
what i think is istock has very tedious uploading procedures..and IPTC data is not read for vector..

i uploaded some jpg through deepmeta.. but then need to go through every files..

I find the rejections is a lot..for reason like too simple or poor keywords and pick on pixel quality which is fine for other sites.

Generally, i am only able to get like 10 percent of my portfolio in istock..

I tried to add more..but sometimes i would rather just spend time on shutterstock and alamy, the return is higher.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: claudelle on December 18, 2012, 12:10
I'm not by any means a big player, but I've been exclusive with istock since 2006 and have made a pretty steady income with vector sales.
Through all the ups and downs and the many frustrations with the company, I've finally decided to stop uploading. In fact, I've given up microstock altogether. I may not be the most clever vector artist out there, but I'm pretty good, and the effort it takes vs the payback just isn't worth it for me anymore, sadly.
Thanks for reading. I'm sad to leave the community and wanted to say a sort of goodbye even if I don't really participate here.
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: luissantos84 on December 18, 2012, 12:28
I'm not by any means a big player, but I've been exclusive with istock since 2006 and have made a pretty steady income with vector sales.
Through all the ups and downs and the many frustrations with the company, I've finally decided to stop uploading. In fact, I've given up microstock altogether. I may not be the most clever vector artist out there, but I'm pretty good, and the effort it takes vs the payback just isn't worth it for me anymore, sadly.
Thanks for reading. I'm sad to leave the community and wanted to say a sort of goodbye even if I don't really participate here.

have you took your portfolio from iStock?
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: lisafx on December 18, 2012, 12:43
Sorry to hear this Claudelle.  Sounds as if you are not alone. 

You might want to consider uploading your existing vector portfolio to the other top micros so you can improve your earnings with the work you've already done, even if you don't plan to do any more work for micro. 

Best of luck whatever direction your art takes you :)
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: claudelle on December 18, 2012, 15:11
have you took your portfolio from iStock?

No I haven't; I'll still take whatever revenues I can get from the files I've made.

Thanks for the suggestion, Lisa. I've considered dropping exclusivity many times but I find the US tax stuff daunting (I am in Norway), especially if it isn't a long-term investment. I also tried "branching out" into the istock 3D field as a non-exclusive, but they wound't have any of it (I still feel wounded;)
Title: Re: So when have you stopped uploading at iStock?
Post by: Poncke on December 18, 2012, 15:35
have you took your portfolio from iStock?


No I haven't; I'll still take whatever revenues I can get from the files I've made.

Thanks for the suggestion, Lisa. I've considered dropping exclusivity many times but I find the US tax stuff daunting (I am in Norway), especially if it isn't a long-term investment. I also tried "branching out" into the istock 3D field as a non-exclusive, but they wound't have any of it (I still feel wounded;)


If Norway has a treaty you might not have to pay tax in the US, but only in Norway as a normal Norwegian sole trader.

http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/International-Businesses/United-States-Income-Tax-Treaties---A-to-Z (http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/International-Businesses/United-States-Income-Tax-Treaties---A-to-Z)