Thankfully the last week picked up so it wasn't a total disaster!  SS really started off slow, but not too poor in the end.

The big thing that happened this January though was FT.  My RPD in 2013 was between 42 and 67 cents.  This month with usual amount of dl's was 1.67.  It was higher than DT for the first time EVER.    Usually I only get 25 cent credit sales - which I always found suspicious, but this month I actually had real credit sales and wonder where the heck they came from.  Still suspicious, it's FT after all.

He is single guy (Playboy type) that comes from a rich family. My gut feeling is he is trying to lure some of the dancers to his pad. I drives a 911 GTS Twin Turbo Porsche and has a house on the ocean...

Oh no!  The ugly girls won't get any photos - just the "potentials"!

Yes they send to Canadians, but you can never rely on when they will arrive.  Due in Feb arrive in April kinda issue.

It WILL affect any bloggers that have remained with them.  I bet in the big picture they hope to push the bloggers to Thinkstock.  I've noticed a trend to SS these days with bloggers who actually give credit. 

I mean, logically - why give a daily user an XS when they could give them an XXL for the same price?

My husband is on the phone all the time with Apple.  Mac software never works and they constantly have to take control of his computer to figure things out.

Quote from: Aoshlick on January 15, 2014, 13:35

I am unique as i both contribute personally and buy for my company from iStock.

Our company account has spent over 10K in the past few years on images.

I just posted to their forum thread, to paraphrase "screw me personally, lose me professionally"... then i followed up from my corp account to verify that i wasn't BSing.

The equation for them in my case is, get back $40-$80, lose $5,000 in the next couple years. Let's see how incompetent their decision is, or if they even care to read it.

My company may be looking at a shiny new shutter stock or fotolia account in the coming month!
 

AIUI, you're not the only person who contributes and buys there.

I guess their total they need to claw back is more than they'll lose from your custom. They say 25,000 contributors are affected, so that would only need 20c from each clawed back to make the $5000 you're removing.
I'm not defending their gross incompetence; it's sheer Maths.

Like it or not, we agreed to recompense them for overpayments when we signed the contract
4b " In all cases, payment of royalties to the Supplier will be net of: ... (iv) overpayment of royalties in a prior period;"

I seem to remember it also said something about paying indies 20%.....

Well said Gostwyck!

Gosh, my downloads are down 100% from last year this time 

Straying off topic but I splurged on one of these this past hockey season, I cycle through about 48 AA batteries several times a week.  This recharging station is awesome.   I also has a recondition cycle that takes most of the day to bring new life to batteries that would otherwise be thrown out.  http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/883786-REG/Powerex_MH_C801D_8_Cell_1_Hour_Charger.html

I'm subscribed to receive marketing to Zazzle, Caf� Press, Wordans, Spreadshirt and a few others.  I never actually noticed how much the first two mark up their products.  When I was looking into this I was focussing mainly on t-shirts, but their gallery wraps and posters are higher than my pricing at my prolab. Spreadshirts prices are really more in line with getting a screenprinted t-shirt done locally.

I've noticed that Wordans sends an email about twice a month, Spreadshirt once a month and Caf�/Zazzle sometimes 5 times a week.  I'm surprized anyone stays subscribed to both of them - but I think I stay for the entertainment value. If Caf� Press puts out 20%off Iphone cases, Zazzle puts the same email out the same day.  They rarely ever tell you what is actually on sale.  It's "Up to 40% on almost everything in the store" but you have to go through making a product and putting it in your cart to see if it is discounted.... then just the white one will be discounted, but the pink one will still be full price.

I also know that Caf� Press for one doesn't even make all of their own products, so there is a third party between you and them - or between your buyer and you and them.  For example http://www.rpiprint.com/ do their greeting cards.  When I left Rocketlife I looked into RPI to replace them as a partner, and the were very proud of their relationship with Caf� Press.  (They likely print their posters also if they are doing cards, it is usually the same type of press).

Wordans is a Canadian company, and from what I understand is they farm all of the orders out to local private businesses who do work for them.  Their prices are not very competitive and you hear stories about terrible products and others about fabulous products - how does Wordans quality control so many independent contractors?

Spreadshirt on the other hand seems to be a one-business show.  Their prices are not jacked up crazy.  They actually screen print OR digital print.  I ordered t-shirts a couple years ago and received a personal phone call about the artwork.  If I had to trust any of these sites - Spreadshirt would be on the top of my list.

I'm also leaving over the EL's.  $12 to payout though, so at 30 cents a pop it will take at least a month likely 3.

Found it.  Caf� Press.  The "dirty girls" are not mine, and there's a few other shots- not mine but similar to mine where lazy people have obviously copied my keywords and even kept pixart in the keywords..  http://www.cafepress.ca/+pixart+gifts   some of the designs are kinda clever.  But why would anyone buy a keyring with creepy tent caterpillars, or goose cufflinks?  Or is it tongue in cheek?  And there are other photos that I can't find by my name that have sold.

If Bigstock is doing this with my old crap, maybe I should really compete with them and take 100%.  Sold 5 items since the 16th.

Lovely!  And how wonderful for your family that she is in good health after 3 years of worry.  That is an awesome Christmas gift!