Author Topic: SS Sales (Read 11227 times)

beisea · « **on:** September 19, 2006, 17:21 »

I know I don't have a big portfolio, so maybe the scenario is more like isolate.

I started one month ago with 250 images, and I am getting around 30 downloads per day, so the first half month of August, I finished with 321 downloads and 1 extented sale.

now going into Sept, I have been continuously uploading, as of today, I have 440 images online, but my download is going down, from average 27 per day to average about 13 downloads per day, so with double the image, but less than half the downloads?

The good thing is I am still making good money there, I have two extended sales today, one yesterday, so that will make up for the shortfall of downloads.

Anyone have experienced such uneven pattern?

Striker77s · « **Reply #1 on:** September 19, 2006, 17:50 »

It is common to get a large amount of downloads when images are first uploaded. About a month after an image has been uploaded the download rate drops by more than 50%. I guess their system encourages new uploads and rewards photographers that continually upload.

Mark

beisea · « **Reply #2 on:** September 19, 2006, 17:55 »

Thanks for the quick response.
I understand the initial batch of 250 approved got me a huge boost, there is one day like 50 downloads, but since then I average 50 uploads a week to keep it up, but the overall download has gone down to half as much.

Striker77s · « **Reply #3 on:** September 19, 2006, 17:59 »

I forgot to explain why. Their search engine traditionally displays the newest images first. Hence the newer the image to more likely it is to be seen an bought. I have't checked but apparently they changed the default search order but buyers can still choose the option to sort by the upload date. Good luck.

Mark

StockManiac · « **Reply #4 on:** September 19, 2006, 18:21 »

Quote from: Striker77s on September 19, 2006, 17:59

I have't checked but apparently they changed the default search order but buyers can still choose the option to sort by the upload date.

Yes, the default search order is now "Most Popular" (which is a time-based sort). It looks at how many sales an image has over how long it has been online.

beisea · « **Reply #5 on:** September 19, 2006, 18:24 »

Thanks for your response, Mark.
That is an interesting thing, has anyone experience a change in their download pattern?

Maybe for people with large portfolio, if they change the search order, you will have a total difference in sales, the persons with a huge portfolio, but not necessary a lot of uploads recently will most likely see an increase in sales, while the person doing lots of uploads recently not getting the new images pops.

beisea · « **Reply #6 on:** September 19, 2006, 18:33 »

Sure, they changed the search order for now, that's why my two hundred images just uploaded never got the boost it ususally will, but time will tell.

Maybe this is one of the reason that I got three Extended sales in two days, ( got 1 in August ) because I do have some images have been selling pretty well, it's in the first page as most popular:)

StockManiac · « **Reply #7 on:** September 19, 2006, 18:51 »

Quote from: beisea on September 19, 2006, 18:24

Maybe for people with large portfolio, if they change the search order, you will have a total difference in sales, the persons with a huge portfolio, but not necessary a lot of uploads recently will most likely see an increase in sales, while the person doing lots of uploads recently not getting the new images pops.

Actually, I have seen just the opposite. Quite a few people complained about SS changing the sort order from Most Downloaded to Most Popular. Many older images that had a lot of downloads lost sales because they couldn't compare with the "download pop" that the newer images have. For example, an image that has 100 downloads and has been on the site for 1 year (365 days) has a DL rate of .274/day, but an image that has been download 10 times in 10 days has a DL rate of 1.0/day (or about 4x higher). So the newer images have a much better chance of being at the top of the new sort order.

IMO, this was a good change because images that were in the Most Downloaded were skewed to images that had been on the site for a long time. And it isn't fair to give weight to an image just because it is older. Whereas, the new sort order takes into account what is hot at the current moment.

But in my opinion, SS should have kept both sort orders, the Most Downloaded and Most Popular, so that buyers have more options.

dbvirago · « **Reply #8 on:** September 19, 2006, 19:19 »

My portfolio has been steadily since I joined in the spring. There I upload 5 at a time, as soon as they are approved, I upload the next 5. I only have 125 images on SS, but my sales have steadily grown since I started. Not just there- I have had steady growth every month across the board.

September seems to change that. I will probably have a steady month, but slightly down. SS for me is way down. I am 50% down from where I was this day last month and 25% down from July. On other sites I am about where I should be. Not sure what is up. I expect fluctuations, but I thought sept would be better than Aug.

Bateleur · « **Reply #9 on:** September 20, 2006, 02:38 »

Quote from: StockManiac on September 19, 2006, 18:51

[ Quite a few people complained about SS changing the sort order from Most Downloaded to Most Popular.

What's the difference between 'Most Downloaded' and 'Most Popular'?

Does 'Most Popular' mean images that have been viewed the most times?

If it does I'm gonna log on to SS anonymously and spend the whole morning looking at my lovely piccies

leaf · « **Reply #10 on:** September 20, 2006, 02:47 »

most downloaded = the most downloads
most popular = the most downloads/day average

so most downloaded gives obvious preferance to images that have been on the site for ages.
Most popular shouldn't play favorites, and if it does slightly, it would favor the new images.

CJPhoto · « **Reply #11 on:** September 20, 2006, 02:51 »

Note that with the most popular, they have a "new photo adjustment" so that a photo that gets a few downloads in the first day doesn't go to teh top of the list. they have never disclosed what this adjustment factor is and for how long it applies.

My sales are trending up slightly which is what I would expect as my number of photos is trending up slowly.

beisea · « **Reply #12 on:** October 12, 2006, 20:22 »

SS sales really slows down the last two month, ( this is my third month ) 1st month is the best, I have the record sales of 50 DL one day with less than 250 images, now this month I have over 630 images, but I have been average 12-15 per day, not even a 20 dl day.

Anyone else experience slow down at SS?

dbvirago · « **Reply #13 on:** October 12, 2006, 20:30 »

September I was down 60% from August, but still in 2nd place. This month, SS is in 5th place!

sharpshot · « **Reply #14 on:** October 13, 2006, 01:04 »

My SS sales have been great in October. I have been uploading all the time and I am sure that helps. This week I have averaged 50 downlaods a day with 650 photos in my portfolio.

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #15 on:** October 13, 2006, 05:52 »

HI Beisea,

that could be because you just joined 3 month ago. In the first month you will get a lot of sales, later they will drop p/image. But I am surprised they dropped for you so much since you have almost 3 times as much photos..

Quote from: beisea on October 12, 2006, 20:22

SS sales really slows down the last two month, ( this is my third month ) 1st month is the best, I have the record sales of 50 DL one day with less than 250 images, now this month I have over 630 images, but I have been average 12-15 per day, not even a 20 dl day.

Anyone else experience slow down at SS?

CJPhoto · « **Reply #16 on:** October 13, 2006, 05:54 »

My level of DL is pretty consistant over the past few months. I only add 10-20 per month so the new photo effect isn't a major for me.

beisea · « **Reply #17 on:** October 13, 2006, 11:25 »

Well I do think the new search order is having an impact on my portfolio, of course out of the 630 images, one hundred just added 1 day ago, another 100 added a week ago, maybe not enough time passed to judge the result since you no longer get the new upload rush as I had experienced in August.

sharpshot · « **Reply #18 on:** October 13, 2006, 12:35 »

I am still getting a new upload rush. I had a couple of low sales weeks last month, so perhaps the dips and peaks are to be expected. There was a day last month when I had very low sales and other people were saying it was their best day.

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Author Topic: SS Sales (Read 11227 times)

beisea

Striker77s

beisea

Striker77s

StockManiac

beisea

beisea

StockManiac

dbvirago

Bateleur

leaf

CJPhoto

beisea

dbvirago

sharpshot

Freezingpictures

CJPhoto

beisea

sharpshot

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