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576
« on: November 13, 2012, 08:48 »
For some reason it always takes more time (up to two weeks)
And as for US banks ... the experiences I had with clients from 'Merica sending me money were usually horrible and surprisingly US banks are behind rest of the world with technology (the fact that in the 21st century people are willingly using paper checks just blows my mind ).
I never had problems wiring funds from the US internationally. I'd love if the agencies could pay us via bank transfer so we can cut out Paypal etc. as the middle men. I prefer to get paid via paper check because of the stupid 22transactions/$20,000 a year limit on Paypal. I can deposit checks from home with my smartphone, so I don't have to waste any time, gas and nerves to deposit them into my account.
577
« on: November 12, 2012, 22:19 »
I was searching through the DT database to see if there were images like mine already (xmas balls on the beach). There are plenty of images that have nothing to do with the beach, but include that keyword. Do you flag that? If other users flag images with appropriate keywords then you sure can flag images with keywords that have nothing to do with the image. ...or is there a backlash that people feel compelled to start new IDs to hide behind when flagging? I would strongly hope that DT is making some effort to weed out such people by matching up IP addresses etc.
578
« on: November 12, 2012, 19:54 »
Bump. Sorry, but nobody has a merchant account with Moneybookers?
I have merchant account.
Would you mind sharing if you are forced to pay fees for microstock payments into your merchant account?
579
« on: November 12, 2012, 14:47 »
I just use the personal account with them to receive all my funds. I pay, if I remember right, something like 1 something per transaction to my bank account. I thought about upgrading to merchant but have no own experience.
Got off the phone with them now and I'm being told that the personal account does not have any fees unless I exceed a $2,500 limit per month. After that they MAY apply fees to my account or/and switch it over to a Merchant Account. I know that many here use Moneybookers but this is really throwing me off. I exceed the $2,500 a month and the representative told me that at their discretion, they will either leave it at a personal account or just start applying fees to my royalty payments (and notify me of course). However, I have a Premier account at Paypal and never had any issues with monthly limits or anything. My head is spinning. And, according to the Merchant Account rep, ebay accounts have to be tied to merchant accounts as well, although the first rep I talked to said I can link my ebay account to a personal Skrill account. These guys are confusing the heII out of me.
580
« on: November 12, 2012, 14:13 »
Bump. Sorry, but nobody has a merchant account with Moneybookers?
581
« on: November 12, 2012, 13:19 »
EDIT: My original question is posted below the line. I need to know if anyone here exceeds $2,500 a month getting paid to Moneybookers and if so, are you charged any fees? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ I feel like I used up all my focus at the beginning of this year and now just cannot comprehend anything anymore. As I'm obviously moving my transactions away from Paypal to Moneybookers I was wondering if anyone is using Moneybooker's merchant account? They list fees for transactions when receiving funds: https://www.moneybookers.com/ads/merchant-account/us/fees/I know that the stock agencies pay our fees at Paypal using Masspay so we can get the full amount of our royalties but is this also the case for Moneybookers? Thanks in advance.
582
« on: November 12, 2012, 12:47 »
OK everybody, thanks for chiming in and as we can see there is a lot of confusion going on about this. For the sake of trying to clear up some things I'd like to address a few responses: Don`t use Paypal.
Although a short answer, I understand what you mean. I did have my account frozen a couple of times due to random verification procedures and not due to any suspicious account activity. The issues were resolved within 24 hours so I cannot really complain. I'm well aware that some people have had very bad experiences but we also know that we mostly only read the "victims'" versions of what happened to them. We never hear or read about Paypal's side of what happened. I don't want to protect Paypal here, I'm just speaking from experience e.g. like contributors showing up here complaining about their accounts being closed and admitting they copied other peoples work - DUH. ...But to answer the OP. The requirement for agencies is over $600 by law. They can report less if they wish, just that at $600.01 is the trigger and they must report. PayPal has a different limit and is all sources, so it's not the same thing. Does that help explain it? You could go over $20,000 and 200 transactions, with eBay and only one Micro payout, so it's not all about us, it's the whole system.
I report everything I make. However, and that was my question, how will the IRS understand which "payments" of the 1099-K from Paypal have already been reported by me and which came from other "sources" like ebay etc.? Lisa simply recommends to avoid exceeding the PP limits of 200 transactions/$20,000 a year - that way there is no way of conflicting reporting to the IRS. I don't care if PayPal wants to issue this form. They're not claiming to have paid me this money, just facilitating the transactions. The companies issuing the funds paid me. And I'm claiming all of that income, so there's no issue.
I plan to ignore this PayPal 1099. It's not telling me anything I don't already know, and it's not useful to my accountant or the IRS.
Honestly, I pretty much ignore most microstock 1099s. Every year, at least 1 or 2 of them report incorrect figures. I think they're all useless. I trust my numbers, I report accurate income, and I would have no problem backing up my returns if I'm ever audited.
I understand what you're saying and I would be jumping of joy if this is the reality. On the IRS web site I read that if you received a 1099-K form (sorry don't have the link handy) simply contact the IRS to provide the statements of already reported income that is also listed on the 1099-K from Paypal. That sounds like a half-ass audit to me and I don't like that one bit.  I've exceeded the 20K but not the amount of transactions so I will simply switch over to checks just to make PP shut up. I was just wondering if anyone here who received a 1099-K had an accountant look it over and how they did their reporting in that case. Thanks again for all your input. I'm happy to see all of you contributing to this issue.
583
« on: November 11, 2012, 21:00 »
I didn't know how to word it anymore precise than that. Please excuse if I have missed any specific information from our agencies that pay us via Paypal but here is my issue. According to various sources online including the IRS web site it appears that if I exceed the 200 transactions a year AND receive more than $20,000 a year that Paypal will issue a 1099-K for me. As far as I understand this means I will be taxed for the amount Paypal sends out on the 1099-K as well as the 1099s I will get from various agencies. Naturally, I don't want or have to be double taxed BUT how am I supposed to prevent duplicate reporting? According to this source: http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y12/m01/i02/s02specifically this part: ... If you issue a 1099-MISC to a vendor or subcontractor, youre supposed to exclude any amounts paid by debit, gift or credit card or PayPal. Thats to avoid duplicate reporting to the IRS. Payments by cash or check, however, still must be included on those 1099s. Thats going to complicate bookkeeping for coffee shops, restaurants and contractors. It could actually lessen paperwork for those who make all vendor payments electronically, Hunsberger said. I would have to tell SS to send me an updated 1099 stating I made nothing because Paypal's 1099-K will list this income already? I apologize upfront if I misunderstand something and would greatly appreciate some clarification as I'm sure it affects a few others here who do get paid via Paypal and exceed these above mentioned limits. I will consult with a tax advisor at some point but I was hoping from some aspiring pros who they handle this situation. Thanks in advance.
584
« on: November 11, 2012, 16:02 »
Obviously someone is mad that you have "taken" sales revenue from themquite possibly with your new website. Success breeds envy. ...
I don't agree. This is political and not about money. If it so happens that the eyeglass company is indeed owned by Luxottica they don't need the god-knows-how-much they could squeeze out of Yuri. It's a global leader in a market and all they want to do is make a point. I feel like Yuri has been chosen as a victim for making this point. There are thousands of photographers out there making a killing and living by shooting photos of people who happen to wear eyeglasses and out of all of them they choose the "king" of Microstock? Unless they are currently trying to sue all of the photographers with the same approach like in Yuri's case but haven't announced it publicly.
585
« on: November 11, 2012, 15:48 »
Thanks for your reply. Much appreciated!
586
« on: November 11, 2012, 14:32 »
I'm getting tired of Paypal's funky practices of threatening to interrupt my account, put money on hold (ebay) etc.
I will keep using them for some stuff but I need to know how well Moneybookers has worked for you in the past.
I'm located in the US and basically just want to get paid from the agencies through them.
Are there limits, crazy tax information procedures or anything else that's annoying?
I'm grateful for short and informational answers.
Thank you!
587
« on: November 11, 2012, 14:21 »
Just to add to this "microstock is going down-mentality".
So what?
What goes up - WILL come down.
Just because he/we is/are shooting photos doesn't mean that microstock is the only way to make money with them...
588
« on: November 11, 2012, 10:35 »
Surprise to see a list of high profile companies that have apparently purchased from Pocketstock on their front page: http://www.pocketstock.com/
Anyone on here sold a single thing with these guys yet?
I am about to stop uploading.
You're STILL uploading? I hold my horses for now until I see their newly implemented system to kick in and bring some sales. Why throwing time into something with no returns whatsoever?
589
« on: November 11, 2012, 10:32 »
Uh, no. Possession does not give you the right to grant licenses for works in your image. Sure, you can "photograph" them, but as we've mentioned, photographing is different from photographing and then licensing that image for commercial use.
Exactly. Nonetheless I wonder how that company is determining the actual damages where for instance at Shutterstock no DL numbers a provided but that's a different story.
590
« on: November 11, 2012, 10:27 »
At $199 or $299 or whatever... Whether something is expensive or not depends on the person who is about to purchase something, I'd say. People who buy Ferraris and Lambos probably would feel the same like Sean: "$150,000, $500,00 or whatever, just charge my credit card." Teach the man how to fish... Mediworm, ktools is a ready to go piece of software for photographers to sell their content. The price is set and I don't think that there will be any 40% or 50% discounts coming anytime soon. However, there are plenty of free e-commerce solutions out there that allow you to do the same like ktools BUT often require lots of customization and extra programming to make it work the way you want it. Unfortunately, if you want an easy way you're probably best off with ktools so you can focus on selling your stuff but if money is a huge issue then why not try a free solution like oscommerce, zencart, opencart or even Wordpress? Again, the free solutions won't offer as many features and tailored functions to your photographer needs but it's either pay for it or sit down and modify it yourself.
591
« on: November 10, 2012, 16:17 »
You're doing good! Personally, I'll leave it that way unless you are planning going 'postal' on your boss anytime soon. However, 8K should provide health coverage for the whole family which is one of my "must-haves". Probably you're getting that right now through your employer. Unless you have a really crappy health insurance plan I'd stick to the job until the company goes under, they fire you OR you planned on becoming a full timer in the first place! Having no "regular" day-time job will free up significant time to do your business. Assuming you might start out from home, don't forget the "downsides" of working there being "accessible" all the time. You might get spoiled being able to do whatever you want/whenever you want. A watertight schedule should be in order to keep everything on track. I do work from home so I basically work all the time, unless I hang out here or do the laundry, cook, eat, sleep and do whatever needs to be done to keep everything in one piece for the family. It's a wonderful experience and if you're beyond fed up with your job then give it a shot - 8K a month will get you through for a start. I don't think you are being ridiculous. Money worries are ALWAYS on my mind no matter how much money I make. You are concerned for your family and you want to be responsible - that's a good thing. By letting your day job go, you do lose some reliable income but it's also quite unlikely that both IS, SS and others will close up shop the same day as well - so if sh!t hits the fan in the microworld you have to find new ways eventually to maintain your standard of living! I'd say go for it if your heart is in it (has to be) - otherwise stick with the job, take advantage of the benefits (maybe even 401k etc.) and keep your portfolio growing along with your "passive income". Well done! P.S. Sorry for massive editing of my post, losing focus a bit here - have to work more to get it together again 
592
« on: November 10, 2012, 15:00 »
Interesting Video. I had not seen that and am a fan of 60 minutes. Makes me wonder ... is there an Anti-Trust suite here?
To know that this conglomerate owns all those brands, stores and even vision insurance companies turns my stomach. One day we'll find out that one head-company just owns all the companies in the world and just stages world wide economical crisis situations just to rake in more $$$.
593
« on: November 10, 2012, 14:56 »
... If the look needed requires no glasses, the person who needs glasses can't participate. Easy enough. That isn't discrimination.
If this suit would be successful, microstock is in for a treat: Remove all images of people wearing: - glasses - hats - shoes - clothes - any other accessories because the companies trademark their shapes, materials, colors and whatnot. The costs for trademarking their stuff would be so negligible knowing that they can sue for billions from photographers and agencies worldwide. It's not about discrimination I would think. It's about representing our reality and our environment.
594
« on: November 10, 2012, 14:48 »
Well at least you didn't throw the 12k into facebook stocks... - it could have been worse.
12k for a starting out set-up is quite a number.
To this day (7 years) I haven't spent this much in cameras, lenses, computers, monitors, strobes and other lighting gear.
I went through a D70 to now a D90 with a 18-200mm and 50mm prime. Got 2 strobes, a professional lightbox, umbrellas and plenty of self-made reflectors and diffusers.
I admit that I'm pinching every penny when it comes to reinvesting into my business, maybe more than others but most importantly you have to make sure that you can whip out some good images before you keep on investing into more gear...
A decent D-SLR with a good prime might run you between $2000-$3000. Get a couple of lights and build your own light panels and diffusers and reflectors for another $1000. No idea what you did with the remaining $8000.
Oh, I also got cheap a$$ radio transmitters (and receivers) to fire my strobes ($15), free shipping straight from China. Well they won't do TTL etc. but they do fire the strobes.
The way it is now, it appears you will be in the red for a few more years considering the time you put into this as well. I wish you the best of luck.
The only way to "fix" this is, is to shoot really awesome images - a lot of them.
And... never stop!
595
« on: November 10, 2012, 14:33 »
Yuri, there is a high chance you're dealing with a company that is owned by Luxottica (as mentioned before). If so and you haven't seen this short documentary (by 60 minutes) I urge you to watch it:
or (if it's blocked in your country) - http://www.styleite.com/media/luxottica-60-minutes/This company is ruthless and don't expect an easy way out of this as they took down Oakley like nothing. Their legal leverage is huge. I wish I could provide you with better support. Good luck to you!
596
« on: November 09, 2012, 17:50 »
On the one hand I would like to know the answer to that as well although I'm pretty sure that you can't sell these maps unless you created them entirely yourself - meaning you measured the streets etc.
If your map is based on an existing map (traced) it's pretty much not allowed to sell these as "yours".
However, I'm willing to learn so maybe someone knows more about this.
597
« on: November 09, 2012, 17:47 »
Why not create footage?
Buyers can create the GIFs themselves and you basically offer your stuff to a broader audience - just my 2 cents.
What kind of GIFs were you thinking of? Examples?
598
« on: November 09, 2012, 13:13 »
I simply don't understand how Envato came up with those vector prices. It's a disgrace plus you get a whopping 33% commission off of those really low prices.
It's a candy store for buyers but I can't see a professional illustrator get a decent amount of money back from them.
They do have a big marketplace which is hard to ignore.
I just sell everything on Photodune and be done with it.
P.S. Not to mention that vectors are so much more versatile over JPGs of course. It looks to me that they're putting rocks in their own way.
599
« on: November 09, 2012, 09:28 »
Hi all!
My name is Emily and I am part of the development team for The World of Pictures - TWOP.
We just released our iPhone app (seach TWOP app in the AppStore) which enables you to directly upload your photos to our Photo Agency.
You can also upload your photo directly via our web interface (probably a more enticing option for you professional stock photographers!)
Photographers receive 50% of the proceeds - at least EUR 2.50 for each photo sold, and up to EUR 25 depending on the license. We will also be offering exclusive licenses and photo assignments very soon.
You can learn more about the app on our website and our photo agency (still in beta!)
We would appreciate feedback from you so that we can make our photo agency as easy to use and as beneficial for you as possible! Thanks for listening. Hope to see your photos on TWOP!
Emily
Sorry, I didn't catch your URL...
600
« on: November 08, 2012, 21:16 »
It's still pretty a young part of Alamy so all they're interested is high volume, high quality producers and archives to get the sales going.
I'd love to sell there but I also would have to step up my game to score some sales there.
Maybe they will open shop for everyone in a year or two who knows - maybe they will announce something around xmas...?
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