I agree with JPSDK.
I took my IS port when they decided to cut the already measly 20% commission and I have no personal interest in IStock at the moment, but I agree with JPSDK.
Bugs are annoying and make for a difficult buying experience, but that's not all.
The collection has to have something to do with it.
They simply don't have it anymore. Prices are too high for images that can easily be found on on the other, more contributor and buyer friendly sites (or very similar).
Blind arrogance and bad karma also have an important role in IStock's decline.
I'm not feeling sorry for them because all this is their own fault.
Time to pay.

Best,

Absolutely guys. You're right, do what works better for you.
In my case though, I contribute to other agencies which sell my files for even cheaper prices and pay me even less than DepositPhotos.
For some reason I do well at DepositPhotos (September was my BME), I like doing business with them, I am close to the next level and I have no intention of giving them up.
But I understand your point of view and respect it.
Good luck,

Hi Allsa,
I am sorry you're having such a negative experience with DepositPhotos.
In my case I have to agree with the contributors who do well there.
My port on Deposit is around 605 images (vectors and photos), and for the past 6 months or so I have managed to either reach payout (set at 50 dollars), or get very close to it.
In September, (last month), I made 80 dollars, a BME for the agency.
As a comparision, on a normal month at BigStock I barely reach 6-10 dollars, or less.

Noodle above me is right though. They are selling our images very cheap.
However, there are others, Fotolia comes to mind, where I am bronze level and still get paid less than DP.
Most of my subscription sales at DPhotos are for 0.30 cent. At Fotolia I get 0.27 cent and I still submit to them too.
Not to mention IStock's famous 0.5 - 0.7 cents. (took my port down when commission went to 15%)
There are other things about DepositPhotos that are attractive to me too. They're easy to deal with, upload, inspection, payouts, all smooth, fast and no drama. I like that and I will not give them up anytime soon.
By the way, I am at 996 downloads and still on Green level. It has something to do with subscription sales.
Allsa, can you give them one more chance?
They sell cheap, it's true and unfortunate, but they are not the cheapest and offer other advantages.
The decision is yours, good luck whichever way you decide to go
Best,

Hi there,
yes, your understanding that SS is the best selling agency is right on the money. They indeed are.
And these are my stats :
- contributor since around September 2009
- started with 10 images - growing port as time went by
- port size at the moment - around 590 images (not counting the vector - JPEG duplicates)
- payout set at 100 dollars monthly
- making at least payout almost every month for the past 1 year
- September 2012 (this month), total earnings : 210 dollars. It was a good month, but not my BME.

One thing to keep in mind : I am not a photographer, I am not an illustrator and I am not a graphic designer. I work for a small printing company and I know how to use Photoshop and Illustrator That's about all I know
One other thing for your info : I sell vector files a lot more than photos. That's mostly where my payouts come from.
Good luck with SS and give yourself a bit of time. You're doing great so far and it will only get better
Best,

Hi there,
BigStock contributor since sometime August 2009.
Current port - 620 images or so.
Lifetime earnings - 287 dollars
Normally less than 10 dollars a month (sometimes less than 5 dollars)
But this month I agree with those who have had a BME.
I've had a BME too. 
For some reason this month was very good for me.
It may well have been a fluke, but I will take it and hope it continues

Best,

Hi there,
not that it matters or that anybody cares, but I for one am firmly standing for Team Sean Locke.
I am taking sides. I always did, on every matter, that's how I am. Opinionated.
There are other reasons for supporting Sean, besides his fascinating good looks, (after all, Yuri is gorgeously handsome too).
Sean, you might find the following amusing, keep reading
I remember years ago when I first started reading this forum and Sean's posts.
I immediately fell into the same trap many other people did and still do.
I could not think of another, more caustic, despicable person walking the surface of the Earth than Sean Locke.
I was wrong. Very wrong, and it took me years to finally be able to crack his carefully built appearance.
I will give you a few reasons for changing my mind and standing by his team today.
Sean Locke is fair.
He is also brave enough to stand up for the 'little people', even when he has nothing to gain by doing so.
About 2 years ago IStock decided to implement the canister changes.
It was a miserable move and Sean didn't like it. He wasn't personally affected by it, but his sense of right and wrong was powerful enough to make him take a stand against it.
Some time later IStock decided to cut independents' commissions to an unheard low of 15%.
Again, Sean wasn't affected by the change, but again he stood by us, independents and voiced his disapproval.
Did he really do that solely for us, independents?
Not entirely.
He didn't like the general direction things were going and he tried to make his point clear and defend his own future and the future of the industry.
But what did he actually do that was so great and worthy of praise?
He complained and posted a few times on Istock's own forums.
That's not much indeed, but it is a lot more than Yuri ever did.
I have never seen Yuri fighting for us, contributors, or taking anybody's side, (except his own) in conflicts with agencies.
You can do easily do it, Yuri!
You've got the whole world at your feet, you're young and handsome, you're rich, you're famous and you're powerful. Use that power to change things for the better. You would be remembered and respected for something else beside the money you've made.
And one more point for Sean.
Since Yuri mentioned charities, what about charities? I have no information about Yuri giving money to charities but I know Sean did.
About 2 years ago, around Christmas Sean set up a charity - can't remember the name or the exact details, but I know for a fact that he gave away a percentage of his total earnings for the month of December 2011 to help children(?)
Sean is a gentleman and he may decide to keep quiet and not give us any more details about his charity, but I know for certain that he had set up a charity and gave part of his money away.
LisaFX also participated to something similar, Adelaide did too, so did I and many other photographers on this forum, but I'm sorry, I can't remember anything about Yuri.
So, to answer Yuri's question: - 'did Sean ever give money to charities'?
Yes, he did.
I'm sure Yuri did too, a lot more possibly, it's just that I don't know about it.
Charity or no charity, it's irrelevant and we shouldn't be talking about this kind of things anyway.
Meanwhile let's try to stick together and stop agencies from forever lowering our commissions and paying us 5 cents per download like IStock is so fond of doing. LisaFX has many times tried her best to stop them, so did Sean.
Let's hope Yuri will be joining them soon.
Best regards,

Hi Wut,
I'm (very) sick and can't be much active on this forum, but over the time I have read your posts and I've learned a bit about your port, the country you're coming from and your opinions.
You like telling it like (you feel) it is.
I'm going to play by that rule and hope you also accept it when other people do the same.
You like to use, and over-use, the word 'pathetic'.
Dreamstime is pathetic, Fotolia is pathetic, 123RF is pathetic too, BigStock, Deposit Photos, Veer and so on, are all pathetic. So is Alamy.
Hidden behind your anonymity you like to criticise the agencies and the work of other photographers, but you can never muster the guts to come out in the open and give your criticism a real face.
That policy is almost acceptable when it comes to agencies, but not so when you start crapping the ports of other people.
As a general rule, try not to talk about other people's work if you're too scared to show yours.
Your opinion becomes null.

Going back on topic, 'Crap doesn't sell at IStock', I have a few things to add.
You're wrong.
IStock sells plenty of crap. Just as much crap as all the other sites.
The difference is that IStock preferantialy sells their own, exclusive crap.
The image is exclusive, it wears a pretty crown made of pixels, but it's still just plain old crap.
And by the way, the vast majority of those crappy IStock exclusive images wouldn't even be accepted by the other sites today.
That's how really crappy they are.

You're planning on going exclusive at IStock.
(and now suddenly, they don't sell crap anymore!)
Your decision is based on earnings. Money is all that matters.
You don't take into consideration any other factors.
'I want money! Today!' - is all that counts to you.
That kind of attitude is doomed to fail. In *any* business.
Looking at the broader picture, taking into account everything that makes IStock today, considering their precarious future and the ownership of ghosts companies, in my opinion, IStock Photo is *the* most pathetic agency of them all.
By far.

Now, having said that, you're right.
IStock is the perfect place for you. It will fit you like a glove.
Looking forward to seeing you wearing a crown, and best of luck,

Hi,
I'm sorry, but we're all different.
I don't think Deposit Photos is 'small' anymore, I don't think they rip me off more than other sites (IStock for example), and I don't mind them deactivating my images instead of deleting them.
It's a feature that in my opinion has the potential to come in handy at some point.
I do not worry about Deposit Photos being somewhat shady, illegal or looking to grab my images and run.
In fact, I like doing business with them.
Solid, good commissions, growing sales and easy to deal with.
There you go.
As I said, we're all different
best,

Aww, they're so cute.
I wonder who writes this stuff for IS? The Pink Fairy?
And I wonder, will they be sending this email to Caspixel?
Perhaps together with an apology for the way they treated her?
In any case, I haven't used IStock in ages, but this is what I want:
- back to 20% commission minimum for independents
- 0.30 cent/sale ThinkStock
- do away with RC system, be fair and keep your canister promises
- do away with complicated CV searches
- stop clogging searches with expensive but mediocre files
- diversify the collection. It's getting thinner and thinner ...
XOXO IStock.
Forever hearts.

Hi TV ,
I agree with Michael and Click-Click.
I too like your site .
It's simple, functional, clean and easy on the eye. Nice
I like your site, I like your prices and I love, (love, love), your commissions
I've seen Cory's illustrations there, and I've decided. I want to participate, I want to upload my vectors, but there's a problem.
Just like Anita, the upload system via DropBox seems a bit unfamiliar to me. I already have a DropBox account, 2 GB free hosting, (by the way, get an account there Anita, it's free and it can be useful), and I'm going to spend some time reading your instructions.
Hopefully it's not a very complicated procedure.
I'm not only thinking about me.
I'll give it a try, but if we want to support your site and attract as many vector artists as possible, we need an upload system that is easy. A few clicks here and there, - done!
In my experience that's an important factor.
But you're only at the beginning, there's still time.
I'll give it a try, in the next few days.
Thank you for the fair artist commission and good luck

Wow!
People from around the world, IStock - the new El Dorado!
Hahaha!
Gotta love the way they voted

I have a different point of view, and I'm sticking by it.
I upload to AYCStock not because I'm looking for 1 dollar or 10 dollars a month. After all, I barely make 10 dollars a month on Fotolia, and I've been their contributor for 3 years.
I upload to All You Can Stock because of their commissions and a hope in the future.
I want agencies that offer this kind of deal to succeed and I want to help them.
Uploading my images is all I can do.
The rest is up to them.
As long as the upload system is easy, and at AYCS it is, I am willing to spend some of my time and give them my images.
It may never come to anything, but at least I tried.
On the other hand, I never uploaded to Crestock and I never will.
Just a different point of view.

Hi there,

I said it before and I'm going to say it again : I have never ignored anyone and I never will.
I don't see the point.
You go ahead guys, write your posts, I'm here, trying hard to read them all
Sometimes however, I do scroll over certain posts. I find those irrelevant, lacking real info or repetitive, but I do not ignore them. 

I have a theory of why so many people use the 'ignore' button. It will most probably increase my own number of people who ignore me, but I'm a veteran, I'm used with it.
In some cases, (NOT all), people use the 'ignore' button looking for a sense of power. It makes them feel smarter, more in control, powerful.
-'Today I have ignored 3 idiots on microstock forum!' - they tell to themselves and suddenly, their day looks shinier, and they grow in height.
It's an illusion of course, and it has a lot to do with the search for power.
But are they right in doing so?
Let's take Luis's case as an example.

Luis,
is one of the most helpful, truly useful member on this forum.
Ask a question, any question related to microstock, and if he's around, you will get a honest answer.
He is also one of the very few who have the guts to post real numbers, real dollars, real downloads. In fear of God knows what, almost nobody else does it.
His English is not perfect and his style is abrupt, but he's a treasure of information.
Clear, concise and genuine.
Ignore him at your own peril.

Suljo,
the reason Suljo is ignored by so many people is IStock.
Suljo doesn't like IStock. At all. For years he has been complaining and making fun of IStock. Sometimes he calls them names, other times he draws cartoons about IStock's HQ or IT team.
He's very passionate about it and his English is a bit shaky, but in most cases, fundamentally, he's right. 
I assume some IStock exclusives who believe their pixel crowns are pure gold and they're too smart to read anything someone like Suljo has to say, happily use the ignore button.
They believe they're much too intelligent to even look at his posts.
But are they?

Don't you worry, Suljo, I, for one, find you funny and I will always enjoy your posts

I agree with Wut.
Some of us obviously worry too much about this kind of stuff.

In my case, I have no idea how many people are ignoring me right now, but a few months ago the number was high, lots and lots.
I'm up there with you guys, Luis, Lisa, Suljo and others
Unfortunately my life is not a happy one, I have other, much more important, vital problems to deal with, and I was forced to learn to let the little things go.

If it makes you feel better, ignore away
You're welcome,

Well, we're all different ...
I like DepositPhotos, I always have.
I like the video too, good job Elena! Young, smart, enthusiastic and cute

The upload process is a breeze.
Inspection is fast and reviewers are consistent.
Payouts are fast too.
My commission is better than most and royalties are decent.
Sales are forever growing. 
These guys are hungry, aggressive and I like that.

With a port of 570 images I sell around 3 - 5 images a week at Fotolia. A week. This rate stayed much the same for the past 2 and a half years. It never grows. At Fotolia I sell nothing but the same images, again and again, and occasionally, some very old stuff I forgot I uploaded.
At Fotolia I get 23 cent / subscription.
I sell a lot more at DepositPhotos for a better commission and more money.

DepositPhotos sells our images for very low prices?
But I believe Fotolia, (and others), sells them even cheaper - partner sites.

All in all, DepositPhotos is not perfect, (no agency is), but there are many good points about them, I like them and I'm going to stick with them.

Good job on the video Elena, and good luck

Vectors Simon, absolutely vectors.
At SS, (and not only), vector files sell better, (and in some cases for more), than the JPEG version.
Go ahead, upload your vectors. Well worth the time
Good luck,

Hi there Gti ,
this comes from my experience with Fotolia, where, over the past 3 years, I have one of my highest rejection rate.
655 files submitted
554 accepted
(many vectors - vectors always get in easier).
This is what Fotolia accepts in my case:
- anything isolated over white, be it an onion or a person.
It doesn't matter, as long as it's a true isolation over white, it gets in.
- people - both portraits or 'in action', doing something
Again it doesn't really matter what the model is doing, as long as you have a human being in the photo, it gets accepted
- vectors.
They're getting stricter on vectors, but they used to accept almost anything in vector form. Be warned: this is not valid anymore. However, vectors still have an easier time than photos.
And that's about it.

If you're going to upload landscapes, architecture, nature, and the such, unless your images are extraordinary, expect lots of rejections.
At least that's what happens to me

Hope I've been of some help, good luck

9 here.
Well... 10 actually.
A few days ago I started with 'All You Can Stock' - but at the moment I only have 20 images there. I plan to upload the rest though, so, yes, 10.
I had 1 more on my list - Panthermedia, but their upload system drove me mad, so I gave them up after a few tries.

@w7,
Deposit Photos worth uploading?
Absolutely, yes. Go ahead, it's easy and sales keep on growing. Well worth it.

Hi all,
as promised, yesterday, Sunday, I started uploading. About 20 images, random, vectors and photos. 
I used the on-site, web form. 
It's easy.
No categories, no unecessary steps, no clutter, it's simple and it goes faster than you expect.
But you can only do it one by one.
FTP is a must for larger uploads.
One more good point - review times.
They're fast
On weekend, Sunday evening, it only took them a couple of hours to review all the images.
That's nice, good job All You Can Stock

The site feels somewhat 'unfinished' to me, but the thumbs preview is large and beautiful and everything seems to be working as expected.
The 75% commission is, of course, great.
I'll upload more and let's see sales.
All in all, not bad All You Can Stock
I like you guys, you're easy to work with and I wish you best of luck

@Anita,
thank you
I knew I could trust in your help, as usual
Missed you lots, but I'm still struggling, in and out of hospitals most of the time, difficult to be active on microstock.
Today is a good day though. I'm enjoying it
Alright girl, I'll follow your example.
10 dollars most of the vectors, with a few price differences on selective work. Up or down.
Deal, this sounds good to me.
I'll start uploading the rest of my vectors these days and I'll price them accordingly.
Thank you again, Anita, much appreciated
See you soon,

Alright guys, so you like them?
Thanks for all the info, I looked around and I'm going to give them a try right now.
I love the 75% commission
Sounds fair, for a change
Let's see their upload system and sales.


Anitta, how do you price your vectors?
All 5 dollars?
What's best to do when it comes to vectors?

@Digital,
you mean to say that by trying to be selective when uploading to sites that pay very low commission, you'll be starving?
Is that so?
We're talking about a couple of images here, the ones that don't sell much anyway. Not your whole port.
But if you, or others, (almost everyone here, actually), can't do it, I understand.
Going hungry is not something to be taken lightly.
I understand.

Good luck

@Velo,
there you go.

@PixelArt, Chromaco and others thinking alike,
see?
This is what I meant by not having much hope.
This is the exact mentality that has brought us here, at the rock-bottom and the 0.7 cent sale from IStock.
Nevermind that, arguing it's futile and a waste of time.  
However, if, against all hope, things start moving and organizing, please remember that I want to be counted in.
It's my choice to believe in the step forward, and I'm standing by it.
I'll give my support with money and images.
That's all I can do, and all that matters to me.
best,  

Hi all,
I agree with Chromaco, PixArt and others.
I can't say that I'm holding my breath (I've seen these kind of good ideas being abandoned many times before), but for what is worth, consider me in.
We have to think of the future and do 'something' to stop the race to the bottom.
The first thing we need is organization and leadership.
Without it, all this is nothing but smoke and empty words.
We need someone to take charge, dedicate his time and efforts and start organizing things.
It's not easy, but it's a potential avenue to great success.

I agree to offer financial support and participate with all my images.
For what is worth, I'm in.

I'm not holding my breath, but hope never dies
Good luck

Hi Velo ,
this is a brilliant idea and a good compromise.
It's also easy to put in practice.
If you can't take down your port, if can't even stop uploading, at least be selective.
Upload only generic stock stuff, the stuff that sells the most anyway, to 'bad' agencies and keep your most creative, unique stuff for the good guys only.
Give it time, be united, and collections will start showing differences and attracting buyers.
Easy enough, right?
Wrong
Hahaha!
Look at the number of replies you got - zero
You forgot one important factor - greed.
Somehow, it looks as if every single contributor, (or most of them anyway), is facing starvation.
They have children, parents, hospital bills, education bills, a 'roof to put over the heads', food on the table and all sorts of other, dire financial difficulties to solve.
Whether they barely make 50 dollars a month, or 5000 is all the same.
A sale is a sale and 0,5 cents (or 0.7 cents to be precise, from IStok the bestest), is better than nothing.
They cannot stop uploading and they never will.
It's the face of pure greed.
And look where it brought us. Commission cuts everywhere.
I fully expect Shutterstok and Dreamstime to follow the same path soon.
And why not?

Well, anyways.
Going back to your idea, I love it and I'm in.
Don't get too excited though
My port is around 550 images, not much to talk about and by myself I won't make any difference. 
I have already deleted my port on IStock, and I agree to be selective with my uploads to Fotolia / 123 RF from now on.
On one condition though - contributors to be united and join in. In an organized, open manner.
All of us, or at least most of us.
Including and especially the high performers.

But Velo, we both know that this is never going to happen.
So back to uploading everywhere, and thank you for a good idea.
 

Hi,
I agree with Chromaco and Ibarn.
No point in waiting for the JPEG to be accepted. This is what I do :
- upload your JPEG version
- go back to 'Pending Files' - Management area
- click on your image, a new field is now available - 'Upload additional file format'
- browse for your vector file
- submit


Dreamstime does it a little bit different than the other sites, but it's not that bad and soon you'll get used with their system.
JPEGS always get reviewed first.

Good luck and welcome to Dreamstime

Hi Marius,
I agree with Michael and Lisa.
Congratulations on your new milestone, Deposit Photos!

Not only you have more and more files, but sales are, and in my case have always been, consistently growing. Up and up and up they go
Thank you Deposit Photos for working hard for us, for the easy upload system, the fast, fair and consistent reviews, a decent artist commission and the speedy payouts.
It's been great working with you, thank you