MicrostockGroup
Agency Based Discussion => Shutterstock.com => Topic started by: aphotostory on May 16, 2013, 02:49
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I am a Shutterstock and IStock contributor, when I want to become IStock Exclusive, I know I must delete all my files in any other agent.
When I delete all my files in Shutterstock, How long those files will really to be deleted? Bigstockphoto will take three months, Shutterstock will also wait for three months?
Thanks.
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You could also consider just opting out of everything on your Shutterstock profile page. That will remove them from the searches and give you a quick way back if you change your mind.
And the neccesary question... are you sure you wan't to go iStock exclusive??
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Thanks, I am a newbie, I haven't upload my photos in Shutterstock yet, because I'm worry about when the files upload I can't delete them.
Because the time is short, I don't know the income in IStock, perhaps sell my files in more agent will make more income? can you give me some advice?
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Things move so fast in micro that who knows what might happen to/in either agency in three, six months time.
Nowadays, it seems to be sensible for newbies to spread their files across agencies to see how they perform. Some people here report great things of SS, but non-standard portfolios don't seem to do very well there (from off-forum conversations), because the low prices rely on bulk sales.
If you are already on iS and doing well there, it might be that your port would benefit from exclusivity. But they are totally rudderless, switching from pillar to post desperately trying to find some way of maintaining their sales/profits.
The real trouble is in the first paragraph: Things move so fast in micro that who knows what might happen to/in either agency in three, six months time. so it is really impossible to plan for the future. Some would therefore say that spreading the risk is the only sensible strategy.
Essentially, we all have to work out our own way through the morass, but it's only a guess and we can never know for sure whether or not we made the right decision - without even the possibility of eschatological verification.
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Thank you very much, the high quality portfolios and Vetta Collection can help increase sales and prices in iStock. I understand, thanks for your help.
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But you might want to surf around here under the istock category and read some threads about their business practices before jumping into exclusivity. They are a very unethical company.
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I have deleted a few editorial pictures from SS and BigStock (last week) which went off a few days after
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Dreamstime is the one to avoid they make you wait 6 months.
actually I have deleted (disabled) some from 02/10/2013, so just 3 months
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SS takes 24-48 hours to delete an image
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Dreamstime is the one to avoid they make you wait 6 months.
actually I have deleted (disabled) some from 02/10/2013, so just 3 months
It's not relevant if you can delete some it's only relevant if you can delete all. AFAIK they always let you delete some but you had to keep some percentage on for 6 months, even one image on Dreamstime means the OP can't apply for exclusivity.
That's right, from the time someone decides they want to go exclusive elsewhere, they would have to wait at least half a year if they have images on DT. You can only disable a certain percentage of your port immediately. Nice. ;)
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I have deleted a few editorial pictures from SS and BigStock (last week) which went off a few days after
SS is within a few days. With BS if the image has already been online for at least 3 months, then if you request deletion it will be deleted within a few days too.
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You can just opt all your files out. I've just done the same. I have been independent only a few months, but have closed all accounts except for iStock, Alamy, GL, and Getty. My main site for new work is Stocksy, which I look forward to being my uber-agency. Even as an independent iStock continues to make me far more than all the other sites including SS or Fotolia combined. I realize I had less files up than on iStock, but watching files go out for pennies was brutal. the ROI just isn't worth it IMO.
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Even as an independent iStock continues to make me far more than all the other sites including SS or Fotolia combined. I realize I had less files up than on iStock, but watching files go out for pennies was brutal. the ROI just isn't worth it IMO.
Of course Istock earns you more. You only ever uploaded about 100-odd images to SS, which weren't remotely your best-selling stuff anyway. It is hardly surprising that your 8000 images at IS, well-established in the default sort-order, continue to make more than a tiny fraction of those images recently placed elsewhere. It is hardly a fair comparison.
In contrast I have had virtually identical portfolios at IS and SS for several years and my monthly SS earnings are now nearly 3x those at IS. If you took your current IS earnings and doubled them then that is approximately what you might expect to earn at SS ... if you uploaded the majority of your portfolio to them.
NB: The Poll Results statistics (on the RHS) is a pretty accurate representation of earning potential for a given portfolio at each agency.
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gostwyck - I'm sure you are right when it comes to your work. but I had almost 500 images up on SS before cancelling my account, as well as the same files everywhere else. I'm not claiming anything statistically relevant. but the rate of sales and the income per sale, I simply don't see how you're possibly earning more at SS than at iStock at such a piddly amount per image. same goes for the others, and frankly fotolia was the absolute worst.
I much prefer keeping my stuff with the agencies I have chosen for various reasons. to each his own, no skin off your back, right?
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You can just opt all your files out. I've just done the same. I have been independent only a few months, but have closed all accounts except for iStock, Alamy, GL, and Getty. My main site for new work is Stocksy, which I look forward to being my uber-agency. Even as an independent iStock continues to make me far more than all the other sites including SS or Fotolia combined. I realize I had less files up than on iStock, but watching files go out for pennies was brutal. the ROI just isn't worth it IMO.
Sorry but you're very green on how to get the most as an independent contributor. If you want good ROI, but are hedging your bets with just a few sites and ignoring a site like Shutterstock, then I believe that you will eventually find that going independent may not have been worthwhile (assuming you did it to earn more money). Go and get the most out of your port, I'm not saying you have to submit to every site, but certainly a considerable amount. Looking at what individual sales can get you is not nearly as important as looking at what a site can earn for you.
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^ yes, I'm green at independence, but certainly not in the industry. within my frame of reference, I'm just not going to sell my images for pennies on a regular basis in hopes of volume accumulations. I simply don't want to work that way, slinging my wares on every little and big site out there. not trying to convince anyone else, just how I choose to work.