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Agency Based Discussion => Pixmac => Topic started by: Jo Ann Snover on July 23, 2013, 20:28

Title: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: 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 (http://www.pixmac.com/picture/black+cat+by+the+stairs/000083327483)

Less Cheap:
http://www.pixmac.com/picture/black+cat+by+the+stairs/000083327483 (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 (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).
Title: Re: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: luissantos84 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 (http://www.pixmac.com/picture/red+white++blue+ribbon/000083327487)

1,3,4,5 ::)
Title: Re: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: luissantos84 on July 23, 2013, 21:22
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!
Title: Re: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: 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.

Title: Re: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: Dan 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?
Title: Re: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: Jo Ann Snover 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?
Title: Re: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: WarrenPrice on July 24, 2013, 09:11
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?   :o
Title: Re: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: Dan 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.
Title: Re: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: leaf on August 16, 2013, 08:30
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
Title: Re: Variable pricing on Pixmac?
Post by: luissantos84 on August 17, 2013, 10:36
  It  took  almost  a  year  but  i  have  my  2nd  sll  (beats .30  -1st  one).  Now  i  can  start  uploading  again.

yep, don't waste your time here ;D