Author Topic: Variable pricing on Pixmac? (Read 7452 times)

Jo Ann Snover · « **on:** July 23, 2013, 20:28 »

Possibly I've not been paying sufficient attention, but when I looked at Pixmac after receiving a sale e-mail, I realized that I don't understand their pricing.

After the merger, I mentally figured that everything would end up at one site - Pond 5 - so I didn't keep tabs on Pixmac. What I noticed today is that there are at least two different pricing levels - 1, 3, 4 & 7 credits and 2, 4, 6 and 10 credits. Extended licenses are the same for both.

Here are two of mine as examples.

Cheap:
http://www.pixmac.com/picture/black+cat+by+the+stairs/000083327483

Less Cheap:
http://www.pixmac.com/picture/black+cat+by+the+stairs/000083327483

Pixmac has always rated things and I wondered if that was the pricing discrepancy, but it's not. The cheaper one is rated higher than the more expensive one. I also have cheap files that are 1, 3, 4, 8 (versus 7) - perhaps because it's bigger or 1, 3, 4, 6 (a 20D image that's smaller than my 5D Mk II) for the "Full Size"?

And one of the 1,3,4, 6 priced images has an extended license for 80 credits, not 40 - cheap standard license and double the price on extended?

http://www.pixmac.com/picture/christmas+living+room/000083859743

None of this makes any sense to me - I'm not sure I like random images priced at random amounts, none of which I can control. Feels too much like Getty's "we know what's best and you have no say in the matter".

Does anyone else have multiple prices? Anyone know why?

I also thought that we were supposed to get 50% royalties now (post-merger) but I have an extended license (which is 40 credits) which netted me 11.23 credits (which I think just means US dollars and cents).

luissantos84 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 23, 2013, 21:11 »

oh never seen this before, very weird, I was now wondering if the ratings had anything to do with this but they haven't because I see higher rating pictures being cheaper

I have a 4.9 megapixels picture selling for 12 credits

can't figure this one out...

yours:
http://www.pixmac.com/picture/red+white++blue+ribbon/000083327487

1,3,4,5

luissantos84 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 23, 2013, 21:22 »

Quote from: jsnover on July 23, 2013, 20:28

I also thought that we were supposed to get 50% royalties now (post-merger) but I have an extended license (which is 40 credits) which netted me 11.23 credits (which I think just means US dollars and cents).

YEP!

Lucie · « **Reply #3 on:** July 24, 2013, 04:55 »

Hi Jo Ann, Luis,

our prices are not random. We have three price levels, they depend on the sales of the particular image. All images have level one (1,3,4,...) at first, when they are sold, they will get level two (2,6,8,...), if they sell even more, they get level three (3,9,12,...). The idea is that we make the images more expensive if they sell well and we make them cheaper again if they don't sell on the higher price level.

It should be the same with the price of the EL - it depends on the price level the image have (40, 80 or 120 credits). I have forwarded Jo Ann's image to our IT guys to inspect why it has price level one and the EL for 80 credits.

The price of the full size image depends on the size of the high-res, as you have figured out.

Dan · « **Reply #4 on:** July 24, 2013, 05:18 »

I was of the same thouht she mentioned. (partially quote --- After the merger, I mentally figured that everything would end up at one site). When will this happen if at all?

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #5 on:** July 24, 2013, 08:51 »

Thank you for the explanation. As contributors can't (as far as I can see) know how many times an image has sold, how would we know? How would a buyer know why one image is more expensive?

This model is the one Dreamstime uses, and in my experience it doesn't benefit contributors in the long run

Can I control my prices in Pixnac?

WarrenPrice · « **Reply #6 on:** July 24, 2013, 09:11 »

Quote from: jsnover on July 24, 2013, 08:51

Thank you for the explanation. As contributors can't (as far as I can see) know how many times an image has sold, how would we know? How would a buyer know why one image is more expensive?

This model is the one Dreamstime uses, and in my experience it doesn't benefit contributors in the long run

Can I control my prices in Pixnac?

Dreamstime, huh? I seem to remember a link to them?

Dan · « **Reply #7 on:** August 16, 2013, 07:26 »

It took almost a year but i have my 2nd sll (beats .30 -1st one). Now i can start uploading again.

leaf · « **Reply #8 on:** August 16, 2013, 08:30 »

Quote from: Lucie on July 24, 2013, 04:55

Hi Jo Ann, Luis,

our prices are not random. We have three price levels, they depend on the sales of the particular image. All images have level one (1,3,4,...) at first, when they are sold, they will get level two (2,6,8,...), if they sell even more, they get level three (3,9,12,...). The idea is that we make the images more expensive if they sell well and we make them cheaper again if they don't sell on the higher price level.

It should be the same with the price of the EL - it depends on the price level the image have (40, 80 or 120 credits). I have forwarded Jo Ann's image to our IT guys to inspect why it has price level one and the EL for 80 credits.

The price of the full size image depends on the size of the high-res, as you have figured out.

Thanks for filling us in