Is it just me?
Since I opted out of the dollar bin a few days ago, my regular sales have increased a bit and my subs have decreased noticeably.  I'm getting more revenue on fewer sales, so I'm happy with my decision.  I only have about 350 files left after D-day, so my results may not be typical.  Anyone else with a larger port seeing this too?

Initially this might be the case, but the only way they are getting the sales growth on Dollar Photo Club is by getting there Customers/Clients to switch sites, eventually there will be no need to have Fotolia as a site.

Once they have transposed all there customers to DPC there properly shut Fotolia down, why keep it open.

I am wondering what their strategy is. I wonder who this is aimed at. Are they really trying to make this pay long term or are they hoping that another company with money will buy them out and shut them down. It seems like a hustle.

Quote from: Noedelhap on May 02, 2014, 12:24

this new venture is intended to gain market share at the expense of its contributors and the microstock industry as a whole.
Using an aggressive pricing strategy and a low commission structure, contributors are being treated as third-country workers who only get paid a couple of pennies for each image sale

The shareholders strategy is always the same, how much money can I get, they will be pushing for as much cash as they can force out of the site, no interest in the fact that they are Agents for selling Stock.

Long term strategy doesn't exist - its called sweating the assets.

These are not clever people, greed is there overriding concern, the fact that they will destroy the site and stand a good chance of oppressing the market for some time do's not even occur to them.


This is exactly analogous to what was said about microstock.

Quote from: H2O on May 03, 2014, 10:38

Quote from: Noedelhap on May 03, 2014, 09:34

Quote from: H2O on May 03, 2014, 06:44

The people to contact and inform about what Oleg Tsheltzoff and his DPC site are doing, are the Advertising and Design Agency's, who use the content.

Deleting and Opting out is not enough the people who buy the content should be informed, they are creatives like us, they wont be happy about exploiting other creatives.

The quickest way to inform them, is through the Advertising and Design Press.

This would stop Oleg Tsheltzoff and his DPC site selling the content.

I don't think you'll be able to convince ad agencies to stop buying there. It's a cheap deal for customers, so why should they care about our commissions? You need to inform contributors. Without contributors, there will be no (or less) content, and then customers will stay away as well.

Convincing advertising and design agencies is a good idea because if they stop buying that hits Dollar Photo Club, and if they buy more it hits the contributers who are going to see an increase in 25 cents commissions.

This is a Win Win for US the contributors, as all those who get these low commission are going to start to ask some serious questions and be altered to this problem.

It really needs a big push to publicize this to the Advertising and Design Press to get the message out their - which ever way the agencies jump as a whole it will be a win.

The quicker the better.

Seriously? Big business doesn't care. It just wants cheap and Oleg thingy knows that. You go round agencies and tell them that they are going to hurt artists by getting the cheapest deal on the market and they will be queuing to sign up. Business isn't full of nice people. Take it from someone who's seen an oil industry chief exec boast to a central banker about getting Nepalese workers to take $200 a month.

The message to business/agencies needs to be that all the best images have fled from DPC because it is such a rubbish return for artists that only the dross is left. If they want anything half-decent they need to go up-market.

That is the strategy that iStock used so effectively in promoting its exclusives as providing the best imagery on the net. And you know what - true or not - it worked.

I agree with you about Big Business doesn't care.

All I'm saying is inform the Advertising and Design Media if Agencies do sign up to Dollar Photo Club all the contributors will soon get the message and quit.

Its called shooting yourself in the foot and Oleg (not very clever) thingy doesn't know that.

Quote from: H2O on May 03, 2014, 06:44

The people to contact and inform about what Oleg Tsheltzoff and his DPC site are doing, are the Advertising and Design Agency's, who use the content.

Deleting and Opting out is not enough the people who buy the content should be informed, they are creatives like us, they wont be happy about exploiting other creatives.

The quickest way to inform them, is through the Advertising and Design Press.

This would stop Oleg Tsheltzoff and his DPC site selling the content.

There's the risk that this would just bring more buyers to DPC, as it is a pretty good deal for them.

A boycotte by the Major Advertising and Design Agencies would lend a great deal of weight to stopping this exploitation by Oleg Tsheltzoff.

I believe in the spirit of human nature and Dollar Photo Club is just wrong in so many ways, most people who buy in the Agencies would stop buying.

It makes me feel very despondent towards FT their supposed to be our Agents and looking after our best interests, not sweating the assets ('US') their supposed to get 'US' the best deal.

Shareholder considerations should come second to contributor, unfortunately FT have mortgaged the future revenues for a quick return to there shareholders who are always going to ask for more.

They are abusing there position and ripping us.

They should cut the revenue to the shareholders and increase our commission.

This is the way to move the 'Agency' forward and in the long term increase the revenues for FT, building a business that will last.

The way they are operating at the moment is classic late twentieth century capitalism which just doesn't work.

I ask myself do they care and the answer is no.

What is this deal?