Well that was a bit rude. email saying sorry we dont want you anymore, fair enough, then closed my account instantly, so no idea how much they owned me, IF they are planning on paying out (email them to ask), or even if they have really removed all my images instantly from sale.

Anyone else?

Site down today for you?
Cant log in says Service Unavailable Error code: 503, did I miss something?

Totally agree, now less information harder to see quickly.
Look at subs, not broken down now. More clicks to get less info, well done shutterstock. If it aint broke dont fix it.

I must be missing something, I cant even see WHICH images were sold today, just a total figure per category ie subs or enhanced etc.

CONTACT US page is blank lol, hmm I wonder why.

"With the launch of 2022, Shutterstock is hard at work improving the contributor experience, starting with the backbone � a refresh of the contributor account."

FAILED, Please dont improve anything else. Cant wait for Phase II

I think this is all about reducing backend systems overheads, reducing man hours to maintain it, therefore reducing running costs. Its nothing to do with 'contributor experience' but then, it never is, history tells us that. Its the same old story, 'move on or suck it up', wrapped up in a 'we love you' blanket.

Quote from: cascoly on January 21, 2021, 22:03

ROFL -- comparing Jan 2020 to 2021 as if all things were equal  - US has 400K dead, and a cratering economy from a global  pandemic - might that have anything to do with year to year sales

12+ million unemployed - more than double  2019

Not really when number of downloads remains consistent to last year.

Perfectly possible to compare to last year as a whole, or since June or whatever.

For most of us, sales volumes remain pretty much the same.  Its the commission cut doing it.

Well said, reasonable point but i've no doubt it must have some affect. Big jobs being cancelled so maybe larger commissions are less, certainly ive had many more smaller sale and less bigger ones, regardless of commission percentage.

Just looking at SS, pro rata previous years for fairness im looking like being about 50% down on an average January. Even though actual number of sales might be about the same as usual, i know there are 10 days to go yet, just saying.

how is this portfolio still live, over 2 months ago it was reported? should be down within a few days. Did shutterstock reply to whoever reported it?

All good points, thanks
Another tip for anyone listening, im using brightbook (free accounts software with paid features if you need them).
I gotta say its a great bit of online accounts software worth checking out. The 'real human' email support is amazing. https://mybrightbook.com/ its been around over 10 years so its reliable.

Are you using software or spreadsheet? (or what)

@Noedelhap what about if a dollar amount hits your PayPal, and you don't convert and withdraw it to GBP for 2 weeks, you cant account for the actual dollars cant you? you can only account for the converted amount in GBP?

And if thats right does it matter that you accounted for it two weeks (or whatever time) later than it actually hit your PyaPal account?

Hi
This is a discussion for more for UK based stock photographers, as its more about UK TAX and accounting.

Im interested in how other UK people organise and account for their stock earnings. No details, no personal info, just outline info. Disclaimer "Im not an accountant"

Heres mine, i'm not saying i'm right, it might help others, I'd love to know what you do.
The TAX office once told me that they wanted me to account for that overseas currency I earn (dollar, euro etc) actually WHEN I earn't it, and not when it arrived in my bank.
This is a very important point as exchange rates and transfer fees vary with time.

So I account for all stock earnings, monthly (not daily), split up by stock site.
This is also grouped by currency, ie all USD sites in one table, all Euro sites in another table etc.
Then I apply the exchange rate GBP to <whatever currency> to that table at the start of each month.
So, yes, I only use one variation in exchange rate per month.
This forms the basis of my earnings, for tax accounting purposes (self assessment)

Now, in reality, this isn't the same as my actual earnings.
In reality this is what happens.
The sites that payout every month, will be similar to what ive accounted for. Not exactly the same as exchange rates change hourly, and different organisations use slightly different rates (don't hold me to this).
Some low paying sites may not payout until for (lets just guess) 12 months.
So that money wont hit my PayPal account until long after i've accounted for it.
That also means the conversion rate (exchange rate) wont be the same as when i accounted for it originally.
But this is how the TAX man wanted me to account for these earnings, so ok, you will win some, you will lose some, as exchange rates go up and down.

Also Paypal (or whatever banking system you use) charges a 'fee' for the conversion.
That fee i haven't accounted for anywhere, and its something I think i need to account for, hence putting my ideas down here.
Paypal don't actually 'charge' a fee, but its hidden in the exchange rate. A bit sneaky I think?

For the type of businesses we are, its quite a complicated accounts process, and i've been doing this for many years.

Look forward to hearing your processes and experiences.

UPDATE
HMRC "Cash basis accounting" states quote "With cash basis, only record income you actually received in a tax year. Don�t count any money you�re owed but haven�t yet received." unquote
I was told (gov tax official) that because my stock earning, 'hit' my account, (albeit my account in an overseas stock library before i've been able to draw it down to PayPal or similar), then thats when i account for it.
It's a bit weird because I cant actually get the cash from those sites that don't allow you to draw down before you hit a certain minimum cash value.

 

Quote from: BigLeague on June 12, 2020, 07:59

Where on your SS account does it tell you what level your at, and how close you are to the next level. Or do you really have to add up each months total sales?

You'll have to add up the individual months' total downloads.  Go to Earnings -> Earnings Summary and pull each month's download count and earnings (to calculate your RPD).  I made a little spreadsheet to make comparisons easier.  Make note of your prior months total downloads so you can just check and add the current month and see how you're progressing toward the next level.

Oh well, thanks Dis...

What SS should have done is make a big thing about how they have decided to care for their contributors and nurture the creativity and really brag about how its going to support the creative artists that pool their images etc etc. how they can get the best contributors etc etc. make it all about ethics etc etc (i could write pages on how to spin it). Then show that contributors will get fairly paid, ie 50% and how its worth customers paying a fair price to support an industry that will disappear otherwise.
SS play the ethical and supportive tune instead of the corporate cut it to the bone tune that nobody will win in the end. If you have great marketing people, companies will buy into it and support someone doing something ethical.
Sometimes human behaviour just disappoints me again and again, when it needn't be like that. Corporate greed is at the core of many problems in the world.

just looking at my sales, 1st June (very early in the day) i had a $70 (ish) dollar image commission.

Ive just realised, i'll never see a sale like that again at SS.

The best you could ever get (on the new rates) is $39.80. Thats a chop at the knees.

I cant think of another industry that consistently reduces people pay. Weird, anyone who has a job, nearly always gets an increase at some point.
I would vote for a new agency that is created and owned by the people submitting, and really pushed as the only ethical way clients should by images. We always want this when every pay decrease happens. Is there enough people now to get it going/