I decided to close my account at PD.  Very few sales, virtually all for 33 cents - to me, it doesn't make sense to support them at those prices.   Closing the account was easy.  But to get my measly 12 dollars balance, I've been told I have to wait a year.  That's right, a year, and yes it's there in the fine print:

"For earnings of less than $50, you can spend your cash on any of the Envato Marketplaces. If your balance is still below $50 after 12 months, you can withdraw the balance to a PayPal account."

Apparently it won't happen automatically, and I'll have to put a Post-It on the wall reminding me to withdraw it a year from today.   What isn't clear is how I'm supposed to withdraw the balance on a closed account, to which I can no longer log in.  

You can probably pretty much imagine my thoughts on this.

At least, they are going to pay it to you. That's more than I can say for most sites.

I never understood what is the point of closing an account?

Ouch!  In retrospect, would you have waited for payout before closing your account?

Actually, no, I decided it was in my best interest to close the account.  I'm now making an occasional sale at Alamy, and some SODs at SS, and realized I was probably only hurting myself by having the same images available elsewhere for vastly lower prices, even though my sales at PD were few.   I closed at another low-earner today as well.

On the other hand, I doubt I'll ever see that $12.  The account is closed, I can no longer log in.  I wait a year and send them an email saying "my account was closed a year ago but you owe me $12 and change".   What are the odds I get paid?      



 

Quote from: stockastic on July 03, 2012, 19:49

On the other hand, I doubt I'll ever see that $12.  The account is closed, I can no longer log in.  I wait a year and send them an email saying "my account was closed a year ago but you owe me $12 and change".   What are the odds I get paid?      
 

Maybe save the correspondence you have with them about it now, and attach in a year.  If you remember or want to bother by then.  Maybe you will have made enough at Alamy to blow off the $12

Good point, I'll archive that email.

Is $12 worth that much stress ? Most other agencies wouldn't give you anything.

.

Hi stockastic,

Part of the reason for this policy is due to withdraw fees. However, if you would like to re-enable your account so you can spend your account credit on the marketplaces, you can contact our support department and they would be happy to take care of this for you. (You can simply respond to the same ticket created when you requested to have your account closed.)

Thanks! :-)

thanks for jumping in here jremick

Quote from: jremick on July 04, 2012, 00:55

Hi stockastic,

Part of the reason for this policy is due to withdraw fees. However, if you would like to re-enable your account so you can spend your account credit on the marketplaces, you can contact our support department and they would be happy to take care of this for you. (You can simply respond to the same ticket created when you requested to have your account closed.)

Thanks! :-)

Rather than all this hoop-jumping over a few dollars, I suggest just deducting an "account closing fee" and paying out the balance at closing.

+1.  And wouldn't the withdrawal fees be the same now as compared to a year from now anyway?  I can understand waiting a year with an active account, but not with a closed account.

Well, I am impressed that they will payout the $12 at the end of a year from closing an account.  Almost every site I am on would make you eat that dollar amount.  I also agree with Perry on the closing accounts thing, unless you are going to just send your images to Alamy.  You said you are keeping your focus on Alamy and SS, but SS pays typically less the 33cent (around 25cents for me).  However Photo Dune is always in my top 5 and does better then iStock.

Quote from: Moonb007 on July 09, 2012, 13:59

However Photo Dune is always in my top 5 and does better then iStock.

[OT] That was so surprising, I had a look at your iStock port. Can I say that at iStock the title and description aren't searchable? For instance, you've got this nice photo of Santa Mara della Salute #14209310, and I was surprised to see it had no dls. It turns out you haven't got "Santa Maria della Salute" which is in the CV in the keywords, so if someone wants a photo of that church, and searches on Santa Mara della Salute, they will never find your image. (You don't need 'canal' in that pic).
Also an editorial of Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, without "Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas" in the keywords, same again. (You don't need 'tourist' or 'gambling' in this image).
I know that some other sites search titles and descriptions, but iStock doesn't, it only searches the keywords.
Good luck!

thanks, I also was not aware of that. 

Quote from: Moonb007 on July 09, 2012, 13:59

However Photo Dune is always in my top 5 and does better then iStock.

[OT] That was so surprising, I had a look at your iStock port. Can I say that at iStock the title and description aren't searchable? For instance, you've got this nice photo of Santa Mara della Salute #14209310, and I was surprised to see it had no dls. It turns out you haven't got "Santa Maria della Salute" which is in the CV in the keywords, so if someone wants a photo of that church, and searches on Santa Mara della Salute, they will never find your image. (You don't need 'canal' in that pic).
Also an editorial of Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, without "Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas" in the keywords, same again. (You don't need 'tourist' or 'gambling' in this image).
I know that some other sites search titles and descriptions, but iStock doesn't, it only searches the keywords.
Good luck!

Thanks, I didn't realize that either and will have to take a look.  I send my images to several sites and I know a lot of them break all the keywords apart which makes it hard to search for images on istock.  I have never bothered to go back and do a keyword like "Santa Mara Della Salute" sense I figured the title searches too.  Guess I should fix that and see what happens.  Typical DT, 123RF and SS are my top sites.

Quote from: Moonb007 on July 09, 2012, 13:59

Well, I am impressed that they will payout the $12 at the end of a year from closing an account.

I'd be even more impressed if they'd just PayPal me the money they owe me now instead of drawing interest on it for a year and making me ask for it again.   Call me old school I guess.  

First time I've seen an ms site set a rule that contributors have to wait a year for something. I think after a year, they're virtually assured that most people won't request the money.