IMHO the issue isn't really the low prices per se, but the fact that whoever is acquiring these images for basically nothing obviously intends to resell them in some form, for significantly higher prices.

By allowing giveaways like this, you're undercutting yourself and writing off future possibilities for those photos.     

I believe their terms say 45 days.   I just want to know if it will actually take some follow-up from me, or if just sending that email request to close the account will get the job done.

As soon as I saw the sales netting me 4 cents, I lost all trust in Alamy.   Obviously, under their new ownership, they're now just like all the rest.

Hi All,

The data has been pulled and looked at for the distributor in question and we can confirm they have operated within our agreement.

The images were sourced from the pool of images opted into Chinese distribution and Novel Use. The usage confirmation report included a very small % of images that had opted out or had been deleted in the time between download and use, but the vast majority of images billed remain opted into both.

The images selected have been used as part of a small business / personal template style application where users can quickly create small designs. The novel use pool was used for this as it covers low value / high volume style licence packages and our agreement with this distributor continues to limit them to the novel use pool, although there still may be some additional billing associated with images downloaded whilst opted in, that are now opted out.

These deals are done based on the fact that they are additional streams of revenue that allow our reach to grow within the market and gain ground on competitors.

The average licence price we sell for remains a significant indicator as to our approach to pricing, and the fact that it has remained stable over the last 3 or 4 years at $26-$30 in a difficult market shows a level of robustness. Competition is fierce of course and last year saw record levels of contributor registrations and image uploads. The photographers who are growing revenue on Alamy and having continued success are supplying a steady stream of fresh and on-trend content and are seeing year on year growth in earnings.

Future growth opportunities are on the horizon across all areas of our business and we'll share them with you at the earliest opportunity.

Best regards

James Allsworth

Head of Content

I totally enjoyed this blast of pure, incomprehensible corporate-speak.  And it's exciting to hear that some forms of "novel use" are so innovative that they work as a business model even without paying the photographers anything.

My big hope for the future is that Alamy honors my request to close my account, which I sent as soon as I saw these so-called "sales".

I got the email acknowledging my request to close my account; so the die is cast.  I'm out of microstock for good.

Here's my exit interview:

These agencies went along in the belief that we had no selling price resistance; we'd complain, but in the end we'd take anything, even a few pennies, on any number of sales. And especially if there was always the possibility of a bigger sale tomorrow.  It was always "a sale we'd have otherwise not gotten".  Any sale is better than nothing.

What I think they never understood is how angering it can be to see your photo "sold" for a ridiculous token amount to someone who's obviously going to make quite a bit more money on it than you just did.   It may not be rational, but it's a fact - these fake "sales" made many of us feel like chumps.   

I'm glad I won't have that feeling again.

No response to my "close account" email.

I just went to my Image Manager page, selected all my photos, deleted all the tags, added the single tag "UNKNOWN" to satisfy the editor, and hit Save. 

Hopefully that at least makes them less likely to be snagged by China Intellectual Property Inc.   If I'm really lucky, someone will get angry and close my account on the spot.

Quote from: stockastic on January 04, 2022, 19:31

Unfortunately we can't prevent them from handing our entire portfolios to these "distributors" in the days before the accounts actually close.  Or even after that...

That's really the smelliest of the many stink bombs here, isn't it?

Seems to me that an ethical company, or at least a semi-ethical company, would respond immediately when you say "I'm out."  It just can't take 45 days for somebody to flip the switch.

In hindsight I suppose we should have left when Alamy was sold in 2020.  But who knew?

Also see the fourth post in this Alamy Forum thread for a previous reply by Alamy:
https://discussion.alamy.com/topic/15195-paid-015-for-a-photo

"Our sales teams work extremely hard to negotiate on deals..."   

Yeah those guys are TOUGH.  I want them to sell my house for me.  Maybe I'll get $20!

Ok, "Bank Holiday".   I'll wait til tomorrow but if there's no response by the end of the day, that's it, I'm leaving. 


   

No one at Alamy has had anything to say about this?

I'm ready to close my account, thought we'd get some response by now despite the holiday.

Quote from: stockastic on December 31, 2021, 12:56

This "distributor" is just acquiring these for resale. It couldn't be more obvious.

I'm giving Alamy about a day to respond and then I'm closing the account. A sad end for a once great company.

office staff are off until next week, so likely will not address it in a day

What a perfect time, then, for them to hit us with this bucket of slime.   Maybe this fine  "partner" is deliberately making his move while the office is empty, and will buy as many as he can before Monday.

They don't need any office staff for this - just a public statement from one person, saying this isn't right and will be looked into. Or, a statement telling us to pound sand. I can live with either.

Is there any option to shut off this distributor channel? 

If there isn't I will probably just close the account.  I don't need to be insulted with 4 cent sales, I get enough putdowns in my daily life :-)

BBB may be a wash, who cares I guess.

But customers having been posting angrily in the FAA forum, saying they get no response from CS. Some have been contacting the photographers and artists directly which is a real PITA as we have no more leverage than the buyers.

I've been there since 2012 and while I still sell a few, it's never turned into much.  The site is now  flooded with images from big sellers like Getty and Conde Nast and the search is a hopeless mess.  They've also earned an F rating from the BBB.