As I understand it, their search engine has a bias in favor of new images.  So most of us probably saw big sales when we were first getting our portfolios up. 

Once your portfolio is on the site, you are reliant on your smaller week to week upload batches to attract buyers.  Sales were bound to drop off a bit.  Stopping uploading compounds the problem...

As I understand it, their search engine has a bias in favor of new images.  So most of us probably saw big sales when we were first getting our portfolios up. 

Once your portfolio is on the site, you are reliant on your smaller week to week upload batches to attract buyers.  Sales were bound to drop off a bit.  Stopping uploading compounds the problem...

Nope, I cannot confirm that Lisa, sales are pretty much dead here too.

My results don't follow that pattern.  I've seen pretty consistent sales month to month there, and it's not showing any particular preference for new images.  In fact,  my sales this month include 7 sales of images I shot over the past four months (3 from February, 1 from March, 2 from April and 1 from May) and 45 that I shot in September, 2011 or earlier.  This month PhotoDune is at #6 for me at 6.3% of my total, behind SS, 123RF, iStock, DT and DP.

A sale now and then,  not enough to make it worthwhile to upload any more.  I stopped when I started hearing about lots of apparently unreasonable rejections.  Supposedly PD was making changes to address that issue; has anything changed?

I normally drop an agency if it doesn't bring me monthly payout, and this is what I'm thinking for PD. Last months have been terrible.

It's the same old story.  Some people here say they are making some money with PD, we all rush and upload and the sales are diluted.  After a few months, people start deleting their portfolios.  Sometimes sales pick up again and someone mentions it here and the cycle starts again.

Well yes, but... if we're guilty of anything, it's just wishfull thinking.  Someone can create a hot new agency , make some exciting posts here and round up a lot of photographers, but finding customers turns out to be a little harder. In a few months they might have millions of photos on line, and about 1 actual  buyer for every  100 contributors, so no one is making any money. Naturally suppliers get discouraged and walk away.  To prevent this - I don't know, but shouldn't an agency operate like any other retailer, and maintain some reasonable relationship between sales volume and the number of suppliers? Otherwise it's just boom and bust - a short rocket ride followed by a lot of bad word-of-mouth from contributors.

Actually, there are very few who really make payout each month. I know that because I am in the 20-30-ish in top 50 authors, they have a list for that on site. Very very little income and not at all encouraging indeed. I agree it's dillution taking it's toll, but I expected more from Envato's market, with all its millions of users, buyers - as they advertised in the beginning, yes?

That dilution is usually a ratio of collection size to buyer.  As has been mentioned here (other forum topics) you can/will have an influx of images but getting buyers is much harder.  The more that peeps sign up and upload to to PD (or any site for that matter) changes the odds; purchasing ratio probably does not stay in sync. PD is a test for me and so is Deposit Photos. I want to see what happens in 12 months.  It's been four. I have about 2,300 images on each.

Quote from: Tabimura on May 28, 2012, 17:20

Actually, there are very few who really make payout each month. I know that because I am in the 20-30-ish in top 50 authors, they have a list for that on site. Very very little income and not at all encouraging indeed. I agree it's dillution taking it's toll, but I expected more from Envato's market, with all its millions of users, buyers - as they advertised in the beginning, yes?

That dilution is usually a ratio of collection size to buyer.  As has been mentioned here (other forum topics) you can/will have an influx of images but getting buyers is much harder.  The more that peeps sign up and upload to to PD (or any site for that matter) changes the odds; purchasing ratio probably does not stay in sync. PD is a test for me and so is Deposit Photos. I want to see what happens in 12 months.  It's been four. I have about 2,300 images on each.

I don't like the low price on Depositphotos (and low royalty of course), but the sales volume is much bigger than Photodune's. It's not unusual to get 500 sales in a month there, and they're constantly going up since I started with them.

I don't like the low price on Depositphotos (and low royalty of course), but the sales volume is much bigger than Photodune's. It's not unusual to get 500 sales in a month there, and they're constantly going up since I started with them.

Really??  I've yet to get 500 dls there in a month.  Congratulations! 

Quote from: Tabimura on May 28, 2012, 17:49

I don't like the low price on Depositphotos (and low royalty of course), but the sales volume is much bigger than Photodune's. It's not unusual to get 500 sales in a month there, and they're constantly going up since I started with them.

Really??  I've yet to get 500 dls there in a month.  Congratulations! 

Yea thanks, but it's below $200, these 500 sales.
I see you're Gold contributor, even though you sold less than me (I'm Bronze). They have their part of shady things, yes?

review process seems to have improved a bit, but sales are still poddling; submission is reasonably easy so will continue for awhile

I'll send you my profile on PM.

Great portfolio!  I can see why you are doing so well