Veer Marketplace Opens for New Submissions!

We�re excited to announce that as of today, June 8th, Veer Marketplace is now open and accepting submissions!

This means you can now sign-up and apply to become a Veer Marketplace contributor. Once you pass an �entrance exam� (submit 10 of your best shots for our editors to examine) and then complete royalty and tax information --- you�ll be ready to start uploading your full portfolio.

By submitting your content now, you�ll be sure to have completed the approval process and to be in the system so your portfolio is ready to go for the buyer-focused launch in mid-summer.

We�ve designed the Veer Marketplace ingest and upload workflow to help you submit efficiently and to help you keyword effectively.

Some of the features we�re especially eager to show you:

�   Support for FTP or advanced HTTP web-upload
�   Metadata and model and property releases can be attached to multiple images at once � real-live batch processing capability! 
�   Model and property releases can be stored in the system and applied to future image uploads
�   Powerful controlled vocabulary and keyword auto-mapping system automatically accommodates spelling variants, common misspellings and synonyms, and includes broader search terms. This gives you more efficient, consistent, and accurate keywording. For example, if a contributor adds the term �happy� to their image, the system automatically adds more than a dozen other terms such as �happiness�, �cheerful�, �emotion�, and �good mood�.
�   Automatic creation of preview images in JPEG format for images uploaded in EPS format, such as illustrations. This means faster and more accurate uploads for vector artists.
�   You�ll have the option of selecting between PayPal and Payoneer as payment options during sign-up. If you decide to go with Payoneer, in the next few weeks following sign-up we�ll send you a link to the Payoneer site where you�ll complete registration, and soon have your Veer Marketplace branded debit-Mastercard in hand for use in virtually any online, retail or ATM.
�   No categories!

This is only the beginning.
The platform needs your input � we�re actively soliciting feedback and feature suggestions to help enhance future releases.

Head to  http://contributor.veer.com  to get started now!

We look forward to welcoming you into the Veer community, and to seeing the great images and illustrations you�ve been creating over the past few months!

- Brian

Clipartof states on it�s website that it needs the same paperwork shutterstock is asking for right now.
So every contributor who is not an US-citizen MUST have this tax- formular before he want�s to apply. That�s what their website explicitly says.

Is there another illustration site which is not from the US? (I don�t want to have the hassle with all these formulars and such).

Quote from: Dennis Holmes on May 29, 2009, 04:56

You could try Clipartof.com
Go to http://www.clipartof.com/info/contributor_agreement.html

Thanks for the tip, I had not heard of this site.
Regarding the discussion of selling at this site and on microsites also, I noticed this part of the contributor-agreement page:
"ClipArtOf.com is non exclusive. Contributors are able to sell the same images on other sites, including micro stock sites, however it is recommended that a pseudonym (ficticious name) is used if the images are sold on micro sites to avoid harassment of disagreeing visitors that are strongly against micro."

The counter argument is that the photographers are indivudally doing their business with Shutterstock from their own computers in their home countries. That the business between Shutterstock and the photographer is at the place where the image is uploaded from. Shutterstock is doing business in the US - but the photographers are not.

One solution would potentially be for the photographers to issue invoices to Shutterstock. The invoice originating not in the US.

Quote from: cidepix on May 28, 2009, 02:43

Quote from: leaf on May 28, 2009, 02:21

Thanks for the info sharpshot.  So they didn't really say where to send it, I suppose just back to same email address? Can you post that email address here or send it as a PM.

And just to repeat myself, if you need the ITIN try calling the IRS and save yourself some time and paperwork
IRS number +1-215-516-6999

Leaf, it's all nice since we are in Europe, me in UK you in Norway?! We sure can get this sorted. But it is a huge problem for people who are not in countries that has a tax treaty with US. I don't think the world becomes a great place if we only think about saving our own butts. SS or any company needs a different solution.

yes i agree it is a terrible solution for those who have to have any tax withheld or have to jump through ridiculous hoops to get the papers in order.  What else could shutterstock do though besides moving their office to another country?  perhaps they should head over to Ireland like Snapvillage did.

Quote from: cidepix on May 10, 2009, 21:06

so what you are saying is, if we are already being screwed by the existing ones, we might as well get screwed by any new site and never try to change this vicious circle?...

Well it's your opinion that 35% means getting screwed. For most people in microstock, it's fair. Even istock exclusives don't get much more, and it's only those that are at the diamond level that get a higher rate than 35%. Yet people do quite well there, and few (if any) exclusives complain about the percentages.

Would I like to get paid more? Sure, who wouldn't. But your crusade against Veer is just totally misguided. I'm not sure why you think you can muscle them into a higher commission with some forum ranting, and they certainly aren't a new company as you say, so I also don't see how that would make any difference in this argument. And as mentioned countless times by myself and others, 35% isn't bad compared to many other microstock rates. So why you started your campaign for higher commissions with Veer is just bizarre.

Your "vicious circle" isn't going anywhere, and even if somehow you managed to convince Veer to raise rates you'd never succeed with any of the other companies, no matter how many people you managed to rally around your cause. Again, I'd love to make more money, as would everyone else in this business. Unfortunately, though, we're too far along in the establishment of standards and acceptable rates in microstock, and going back on those rates is just not going to happen. You might as well be arguing for 99% commissions, because this whole thing is about as silly as that would be.

One site paying 35% or less commission is ok with you, another isn't. Pretty convenient if you ask me.