.... as you don´t like bugs to be published, I sent you another mail (in privat) - Keith, but it doesn´t change the mentioned, please be fair, if there are bugs, there are bugs. And it doesn´t make sense to slag Miklav, or any other user off. I´m also a new user on your site, I also want to give a trial, which really goes wrong – similar to Miklav´s experiences. Seems to me you don´t really belief, that something went wrong.

So we all should keep cool, because it was a trial went wrong for the first time – and there will be another chance.

and the site is still down.

1) somtimes you cant log in
2) no art manager
3) no e-mail notifikation
4) severly slow
5) the changing of keywords seems not to work, as i changed every of my uploaded pictures to english keywords, with the effekt to get a mail that there are a high percentage of german keywording.
6) can´t find the realesed pict with the search engine
7) seems to be the private platform of Lynx (searchengine only find pict of this contributor)

.... and above all the rejections are very high, despite these picts are accepted at every other side i contribute to.

I am a pit astonished to read how fine this site works ...?!!!

see reply 13#

how will they manage this.

....and it seems everbody knows, but nobody act.

...so in the end we have to realise that Microstock market ruins the picturemarket – because they want high-end quality to sell for 0,31 credits.

...to avoid this fact is,
1) to differ Quality (fotografers shouldn´t sell their very best at microstock sites, for other not that high quality picts it´s ok to be sold there for a lower price. There must be a reason for lower pricing.

2) not to obey the agencies selling concepts, if they bring disadvantage for us fotografers.
3) avoid subscription as tip of the iceberg.

....and so its also in our hands not to ruin the market.

Thats the point, it should be the business of the agencies to afford these matters for the customers (quick finding, quality sorting, etc. ) but not making the prices. The prices of a picture should be in the fotografers (producers) hand – if it´s to expansiv nobody wants to buy it, thats market.

But for the time being it is the agency who beats down the prices, not the market.

It doesn´t mean that I am unhappy with MS pricing, but I think as fotografer you have to stand against agency´s selling policies if it makes a disadvantage to you and your work is given away for nothing – more frustrating if these are picts from very talented fotografers and we should not be the slaves of any agency, or customer. For shure I´d like also to get for example my food for free, but it don´t work – why should it work in picture markets?

Besides I have no problem to sell my not highend picts at MS sites. For me it is the place where they should be sold. Best Quality Fotos should be sold at a higher price at all. Quality counts.

and now the other way round. Both picts are from different fotografers, on of these is exclusiv, both are in Fotolia.

....that´s the question about exclusivity in microstock market. What sense makes exclusivity for the customer? Whats about similarity? Have the agency the right  to do things that fotografers aren´t allowed to do? Whats about partner sales and exclusivity?

to Fred:
do you think these two are similar? But they are from the same serie, same motiv and same fotografer

I am at IS, too, but not enough sales there to become exclusive yet.

Thats right, but where is the border whats similar and what´s different – there are no guidlines. Of course I know this fact, so the pictures vary in lightning, perspektive, Backgrounds, etc., of course.

...and there is the next question about Exclusivity – isn´t it against the spirit of royalty free status?

Thats right, but they got good sales for me, the point is only the price policies. For me the subscription problem exists not only at fotolia, it´s a problem of microstock-market at all. I´m not willing to give my picts away for nothing or 0,31 credits, because it takes time to shoot them, to work them out and finally to make them useable for stockagencies.

It makes no sense to make customers believe, that the picts are not worth to pay a fair price. Remember that worth defines over the price.

Thats not the problem, because my very best picts are not for sale as microstock, only these which are not that high quality at all. Besides I shot series, so that I am able to deliver a similar pict (not the same) to other agencies.

As you know, Fotolia (FT) is one of the cheapest fotosellers on the web, and their greed will not end. It is good for customers but bad for photografers. 

Me, as a fotografer, annoys that FT bit the hand that feeds them.

for eg.:
Substcribtions:
you can´t choose if you want subscribers (except you load up exclusive) or not, so by example it is possible that you get 0,31 credits for a XL pict placed on a cover of a Magazin. FT mentioned that they will get new customers that way – but why on the back of us fotografers? This is really an unfair point of their selling strategie, besides the prices of the fotos they sell, are rather cheap at all.

...so there is only one way to avoid this fact: you have to upload exclusiv picts, to stop subscription. By the way you are able to rise the price of you picts up because the are exclusiv.

I´ll give you a small example:
My last 10 downloads at FT where 60% subscriptions (L or XL) so I lost about 1,4 credits (1,75 for a XL or 1,56 for L) per download or 8,6 credits for 10 downloads (average). Thats to much for customer relationship.

For an exclusiv file I´ll get 4,16 credits (before 1,56) for a Large – thats far better (+350%). Same for extended license: 20 credits (6.6 for me) before now 50 credits (16.6 credits for me).

So I ask you why should I give my fotos for 0,31 credits away? Think customers will understand that they should pay for a good foto.

....what do you think?

@peter ...if you want really sell your picts for 0,31 Credits, fotolia is the right place for you. For me it isn´t – definitly not

Fotolia really sucks!

...till they introduced subscription downloads. Last 10 downloads there I've 6 subscription downloads for 0,31 credits for L or XL. That means 60% subscription DL and a loss of 10 credits (average) per 10 downloaded Picts. What a fake!!!

Think I'll cancell the account there or use it as my phototrash.

Fotolia really sucks!

...till they introduced subscription downloads. Last 10 downloads there I've 6 subscription downloads for 0,31 credits for L or XL. That means 60% subscription DL and a loss of 10 credits (average) per 10 downloaded Picts. What a fake!!!

...so it seems to me not the credits problem is the really trouble, inspite it´s unfair – but the fraud is elsewere.

Think I'll cancell the account there or use it as my phototrash.

It depends how it will be produced, if it´s printed with a plotter you only need 72 dpi (better result with 150pi) if you print it offset it should have a minimum 200dpi.

I am really astonished as I got for a Large 0,31 Credits (normally got 1,3) because it's an abonnement download – thats ridiculous. Think about to leave FT because of this - whats your opinion in that case?

I am not your opinion about snapvillage. They do sell nothing. It´s slow, also by uploading, no ftp. With Safari you can´t even upload images - it don´t work, so they exclude Mac user.

It is realy amazing how, the people her are distrustfully. Why? Besides I´ am not anybody else and I´ve only the one account her, why should have more. Goone 4 is only another user of zoonar, who like it - Thats the fact.

Thats right that Zoonar is in the beginning, an that´s the reason why there is not as much selling traffic as at the Big 5. But I only have to sell one pict there when you guys have to sell 70 pix at the Big 5.

In germany, Austria and swiss zoonar is well know, despite of they even started. And the quality of the pix are much better as in one of the Big 5. There I have to search through aload of rubbish to get an result after an hour. This is different at Zoonar, because they had a better searchtool as the most other sites.

Besides I´am an Austrian, Goone 4 is German I think. My post has the only aim, to tell the forum here about this new opportunity to sell an buy pix – that´s it. I have nothing to do with Zoonar itself, I only use it – and like it. If you don´t like it , it is your own opinion the same as I like it.

Would be nice to stop your assumptions.

For Freedom fries and the others:


http://www.zoonar.de/gustyx

Do you know www.zoonar.de? really good agency, very good searchresult, very good availability, good prices for photografer and fair prices for customers. Easy up and fast download - upload via ftp. Site in german and english available.

I looked and serve a lot of microstock sites, but this small german (Hamburg) one was the best I´ve seen till now, in this segment.

look at: www.zoonar.de

for me a real upstarter in the beginning