The poll results on the right are always a great indication of where it is worth uploading to. Start at the top and work your way down. Also depends whether you are concerned with getting a fair cut of each sale or not.

in fact my question is also based on that poll results....iv heard so much about people declining fotolia and istock! and those two are on the top four, thing i dont understand much...what would you peeps advice??

They still sell well compared to most other sites, but the stem of the complaints is how badly they treat contributors.

It depends what your individual portfolio is, and what particular way they treat contributors you find unacceptable.
Everyone's port is different; everyone's tolerance / point of unacceptability is different.
Easier to make the moral choice now, before you start (a LOT of reading to do); thereafter you just have to see how your portfolio fares on the agencies you choose. What works for others may not work for your port, and vice versa.

Since you're an illustrator, the poll on the right doesn't apply. For the most part, anyway. Shutterstock is a top site no matter what your portfolio looks like. For me, Fotolia was never a top-tier site. Middle tier at best, and low in that tier really. Given the current state of things there, I wouldn't bother with them. I actually deleted half of my portfolio.

Veer is surprisingly decent for illustrations. GL used to be, but not so much lately. Still worth a try, though. They pay a fair commission, so they're worth supporting.

Clipartof is a site that I can't get into myself but wish I could. I've heard it's a pretty good earner.

"what would you peeps advice??"

Don't get into microstock.

That's the advice I was thinking.

"what would you peeps advice??"

Don't get into microstock.

Sad answer. If it's so bad, why are you still uploading?

Don't listen to these stupid advices.
I say focus on SS and IS which are the ones that really bring in the money.

And avoid DP, they are scammers.

Quote from: Sean Locke Photography on June 10, 2014, 07:03

"what would you peeps advice??"

Don't get into microstock.

Sad answer. If it's so bad, why are you still uploading?

Don't listen to these stupid advices.
I say focus on SS and IS which are the ones that really bring in the money.

And avoid DP, they are scammers.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but for the most part I'm not. At least not at the major sites. I recently rejoined some sites I previously left and the results at most of them were poor in comparison to the old days. And that was with a large batch of already completed images. I can't even imagine starting entirely from scratch today. I'd probably lose interest quickly and find something else.

Unless you find some new hidden gem, you probably aren't going to have success. I'm sorry if that is a pessimistic view, but I think it is a reality that most new contributors will face. Normally, I'm a glass half full kind of guy, and I wish new contributors the best. That said, I think they should prepare for the worst.

1. Shutterstock
2. Shutterstock
3. Shuttererstock
4. Shutterstock
5. shutterstock
6. Shutterstock

1. istock

For new files?

"Sad answer. If it's so bad, why are you still uploading?"

I didn't suggest that I should stop.  I was telling the OP not to start.  I know enough about how things work to get by right now, thanks to experience.

I guess it all depends on where are your $$ expectations.
With U$ 500 / month people can live very well in most of the world.

Most of the world. Sorry thats very far from the truth. You cant live of 500$ in North America, Europe, parts of Russia, Australia, parts of the Middle East and parts of China and Japan. So leaves you with South America and Africa.

Quote from: Nikovsk on June 10, 2014, 14:34

I guess it all depends on where are your $$ expectations.
With U$ 500 / month people can live very well in most of the world.

Most of the world. Sorry thats very far from the truth. You cant live of 500$ in North America, Europe, parts of Russia, Australia, parts of the Middle East and parts of China and Japan. So leaves you with South America and Africa.

And swathes of Asia.

OTOH, whether sales in these areas are buoyant, I couldn't say, which might be relevant if local content is what you plan to offer.