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Agency Based Discussion => Shutterstock.com => Topic started by: philfreez on May 24, 2018, 03:37

Title: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: philfreez on May 24, 2018, 03:37
Hello guys,
since one month and an half I've noticed two unusual (for me) facts:

- sales from my new images are dropping down in a way that I never experienced from 3 years of activity or so;
- on the other hand, some old photos* that maybe did not sell almost anything have suddenly started selling modestly like never did before..

I've changed nothing in my production 'style', neither in keywording, quality and quantity. The only different thing I've done since dec 2017 is to start with footage uploads..
I know that in recent times SS has made some changes to their algorithm and the first thing I've noticed is the disappearance of the "relevance" tab in the search engine.
Maybe I've posted only bad subjects for more then a month but it still looks strange for me, the other agencies (9) are keeping their usual sales levels with the same portfolio and the same new pictures...

Maybe the problem is just me but I'd like to know if something similar happened to you too


*oh, and my old best sellers still sells really good
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: CrFx on May 24, 2018, 03:58

- sales from my new images are dropping down in a way that I never experienced from 3 years of activity or so;

*oh, and my old best sellers still sells really good


Are you happy or sad?
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: philfreez on May 24, 2018, 04:09
Quote
Are you happy or sad?

Well I am.... normal?  :D
my final monthly income in $ has not had major changes (thanks to the best sellers and the new footage activity)
but I am just a little worried about my new content cause new content means growth.. I'm simply trying to understand the reason
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Video-StockOrg on May 24, 2018, 05:42
lucky you all who were selling new stuff.... what can we say about our footage that starts selling after about a year. For many years now. It is like if we are doing future footage. Annoying though.  ::)
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Dumc on May 24, 2018, 08:38
Quote
Are you happy or sad?

Well I am.... normal?  :D
my final monthly income in $ has not had major changes (thanks to the best sellers and the new footage activity)
but I am just a little worried about my new content cause new content means growth.. I'm simply trying to understand the reason

1.367.365 new stock images added this week

Here is your reason.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: BalkanskiMacak on May 24, 2018, 10:30
Actually, I noticed it as well, but I noticed too that some files from a few months ago are getting dowloads now, so I guess they changed their algorithm to reduce the frenshness parameter.

On another subject, I got a lot of bulg purchases, more than before, so they must have done something about this as well.

In the end, like most of the people, I didn't see a huge change in the dynamic.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: IvonneW on June 19, 2018, 02:30
I have a portfolio of 30.000 images. My income is rather bad, because I am selling less and less, every month. I upload about 30 new images, every week, but at Shutterstock I almost never sell new images. Just old stuff. It's rare. At Fotolia I sell them both, old and new.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Steveball on June 19, 2018, 04:17
Same here, AS outselling SS by at least 2-1.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: derek on June 19, 2018, 04:31
Yep at this moment Adobe is outselling SS by far!
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: gnirtS on June 19, 2018, 04:41
New stuff is really being de ranked in the searching again it seems.
Usually uploading a modest number of new you'd expect a decent number to pick up sales.
Lately that just isn't the case.  New stuff sits there whereas old stuff (sometimes really old and having never sold in years of being there) with the same keywording sell.
Im in the process of clearing a backlog of 9 months of images and uploading, added about 1000 in the last month.  Sadly, with the algorithm at the moment its making no difference - all my sales are still the older images.
Looks like i picked exactly the wrong time to update my portfolio.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: panicAttack on June 19, 2018, 06:14
yes, new images just dont sell anymore.

it isnt just 1 million weekly thing, it was like that 4-5 months ago but new images did sell, now for last few months, and also when relevant search was removed, new images don't sell anymore.

Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: derek on June 19, 2018, 07:22
Uploading right now is fatal!  it will just sit there not selling and then it falls down in rank and finally just vanishes never to be seen let alone sell. Thats the new name of the game!
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: BikeTourist on June 19, 2018, 13:12
What I wonder is . . . What's the reasoning behind it? Why does SS's algorithm greatly favor our old stuff? How does SS benefit?
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Pauws99 on June 19, 2018, 13:58
What I wonder is . . . What's the reasoning behind it? Why does SS's algorithm greatly favor our old stuff? How does SS benefit?
I think people greatly overestimate SS's ability to manipulate their algorithm without messing it up....after all they can barely keep the site fully functional. It may favour items that have actually sold which would favour older established material though I am often surprised by some of my old rubbish that never sold suddenly getting a sale or two.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: pancaketom on June 19, 2018, 14:49
What I wonder is . . . What's the reasoning behind it? Why does SS's algorithm greatly favor our old stuff? How does SS benefit?

Maybe using the older search algorithm settings shows too much of the new dreck, so they turn the settings back to favor older sellers and that makes the search look a little less messed up - the casualty is any sales on recently uploaded images. If they aren't going to quality control at the submission point then it is hard to put a lot of recent uploads in the search results without showing a lot of images with little quality control. I am guessing that in their A/B testing this puts off buyers so they change it. In the long run having no newer images seen in search will put buyers off too, but it won't be immediately obvious like overloading the search results with lots of recent lousy images does. Good or bad, if an image is buried immediately then there will be no data to use so the good images can rise in the search over time.

Buyers can choose "new", but that is probably even worse for many search terms.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: gnirtS on June 19, 2018, 15:58
They've admitted on the forums they trial different algorithms with random groups of buyers and people then evaluate after a while the income, number of sales and so on.  Its so big and complex that cant know how it works so live tests are the only option.  Remember also their goal is more sales or more income, the individual contributor income is completely irrelevant to them.

SS used to favour new stuff but potentially too much - a crap new image would rank above a really good, really well selling older one no problem.
Its gone too far the other way now, made worse i suspect by image dilution from the sheer number of substandard images being accepted on every topic imaginable.

They used to provide the "earnings from new content" on the dashboard.  I suspect they axed that as people would clearly see that graph dropping like a stone.

We used to have buyer options for "relevant", "never sold" and so on as well.  Those have now gone as options.  I doubt any buyer selects "new" either - they'll just leave it on popular so get old tried and tested images for the first 20+ pages

Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: jonbull on June 19, 2018, 17:43
They've admitted on the forums they trial different algorithms with random groups of buyers and people then evaluate after a while the income, number of sales and so on.  Its so big and complex that cant know how it works so live tests are the only option.  Remember also their goal is more sales or more income, the individual contributor income is completely irrelevant to them.

SS used to favour new stuff but potentially too much - a crap new image would rank above a really good, really well selling older one no problem.
Its gone too far the other way now, made worse i suspect by image dilution from the sheer number of substandard images being accepted on every topic imaginable.

They used to provide the "earnings from new content" on the dashboard.  I suspect they axed that as people would clearly see that graph dropping like a stone.

We used to have buyer options for "relevant", "never sold" and so on as well.  Those have now gone as options.  I doubt any buyer selects "new" either - they'll just leave it on popular so get old tried and tested images for the first 20+ pages




i made two set in catalog manager one last year for image made in 2017...barely 1600 images, today after one half year they have rip of near 2, 4 dollar....this year in the first 6 month i uploaded 1600 images, who i consider better and more oriented to stock than last year...after 6 months, the 2018  set mae 87 dollar.....probably on perspective after 1 year and half   no more than 0,2 dollar per image at this pace...and last year was   still a year of 1 million image per week growing....so don't know what to think. in the last month i saw an increase in new image sales, but nowhere near last year. ù
in addiction last sale above 70 dollar...in january.. first two weeks of janaury had three 70 and more sale...after 15 january the biggest sales in ss is 14 dollar.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: namussi on June 19, 2018, 20:18




i made two set in catalog manager one last year for image made in 2017...barely 1600 images, today after one half year they have rip of near 2, 4 dollar....this year in the first 6 month i uploaded 1600 images, who i consider better and more oriented to stock than last year...after 6 months, the 2018  set mae 87 dollar.....probably on perspective after 1 year and half   no more than 0,2 dollar per image at this pace...and last year was   still a year of 1 million image per week growing....so don't know what to think. in the last month i saw an increase in new image sales, but nowhere near last year. ù
in addiction last sale above 70 dollar...in january.. first two weeks of janaury had three 70 and more sale...after 15 january the biggest sales in ss is 14 dollar.

이해가 안되는데요.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: YadaYadaYada on June 19, 2018, 22:29
Seems like anybody can find whatever they want and make up some private theory. Old don't sell like they did, new don't sell like they should, income drops because of lower RPI, and the search is broken, they changed their algorithm, they are favoring new people, low level are forced to front, they favor old files. Everyone here and I mean everyone is making up answers but they are all personal without any proof or data, just ideas and wild guessing. Same people will say the opposite next week. No one knows except what we do know is 1.2 million new images a week, buyers can't see our new uploads, we hardly have any exposure even if they looked at new, our new would be buried in hours, unlike taking days or weeks before.

Anybody can find anything they want to see from their own but the real answer is 200 million image database and 1 million new a week. The answer is right there in front of your eyes and obvious. No need for conspiracy, complicated plots against us, plain as day, too many files, new and old, slice of the pie keeps shrinking. The time has changed the pay for cheap micro is lower while the return for new work keeps dropping because there's more new work then buyers. Demand can be the same but products keep coming in new at 1 million a week.

What would you expect if supply of anything else on a market was 10 times the demand? Lower and lower sales profits and income. The value of our work has been deflated and is decreasing. Over supply kills profit. Stop blaming the agency or quality, it's simple economics.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: derek on June 20, 2018, 00:50




i made two set in catalog manager one last year for image made in 2017...barely 1600 images, today after one half year they have rip of near 2, 4 dollar....this year in the first 6 month i uploaded 1600 images, who i consider better and more oriented to stock than last year...after 6 months, the 2018  set mae 87 dollar.....probably on perspective after 1 year and half   no more than 0,2 dollar per image at this pace...and last year was   still a year of 1 million image per week growing....so don't know what to think. in the last month i saw an increase in new image sales, but nowhere near last year. ù
in addiction last sale above 70 dollar...in january.. first two weeks of janaury had three 70 and more sale...after 15 january the biggest sales in ss is 14 dollar.

이해가 안되는데요.

I know! its terrible!
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: gnirtS on June 20, 2018, 04:19
Stop blaming the agency or quality

Well the lack of quality control is largely responsible for the massive above linear increase with library size and that is the agencies decision.

They've also publicly stated they vary the algorithm and test it with randomly selected groups (its on their forum) so thats not some conspiracy theory.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Pauws99 on June 20, 2018, 04:33
Stop blaming the agency or quality

Well the lack of quality control is largely responsible for the massive above linear increase with library size and that is the agencies decision.

They've also publicly stated they vary the algorithm and test it with randomly selected groups (its on their forum) so thats not some conspiracy theory.
Of course they vary the algorithm I don't think anyone said otherwise....the idea that they vary it to penalise certain contributors is the question.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: leremy on June 20, 2018, 04:58
If I were to choose, I'll pick old images to sell better because we got more old images than new images. And yeah, our new images will become old anyways, someday.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: pics2 on June 20, 2018, 05:11
If I were to choose, I'll pick old images to sell better because we got more old images than new images. And yeah, our new images will become old anyways, someday.
If only time freezes and there wasn't competition. One day buyers will realize that there is an agency or few of them out there with good choice of quality new images, and SS offering 10 or 15 years old stuff will not be attractive any more. At least I hope there will be competition.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Uncle Pete on June 20, 2018, 08:56
Stop blaming the agency or quality

Well the lack of quality control is largely responsible for the massive above linear increase with library size and that is the agencies decision.

They've also publicly stated they vary the algorithm and test it with randomly selected groups (its on their forum) so thats not some conspiracy theory.
Of course they vary the algorithm I don't think anyone said otherwise....the idea that they vary it to penalise certain contributors is the question.

They don't care about us as individuals, there's the flaw in the logic. Sure the QC has fallen, so how does that hurt me? I don't care, my images are better. Sure they change and test the search, so they can make more money, not to penalize me or anyone else. Why do people here think it's all about them or us? This is not personal, the agencies don't care about us, they only care about making more money and what the customers will pay for.

Yes the obvious the massive acceptance of new photos will hurt, but some people claim that the quality of these images is the problem, when buyers will buy what they need, and not bad or low quality. Back to what I just wrote, the agency doesn't care if I make 100 sales a month or 1,000 there's no reason for them to care, just like they don't target us as individuals. Just that some people on the forums seem to think SS actually knows who we are and cares which of 100,000 contributors get capped. What persons photos get pushed to the back. NO THEY DON'T CARE!

How does that work? Why is my cap different from anyone else, why don't we all have the same caps if we have the same number of pictures. Something wrong with the controlled income theories, all kinds of something logically wrong. I say we can only make what the portfolio demand limit is, then no more sales. My portfolio is capped by my content, not the agency.

Yes any income growth is nearly impossible now, new images that are just like hundreds of thousands of other similar images, get lost before they get seen. The market is flat or declining. Not because of caps, manipulation or artificial control, but because the flood of competition. I don't consider poorly reviewed, weak images or things that should have been rejected, as competition. No buyer should want some junk, instead of one of our good images. Some of the new images are good enough and that's going to take away our sales.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: gnirtS on June 20, 2018, 13:33
With the subscription sales i know people who pay and use them and usually they are happy with "junk".  Most have deadlines and just need a picture roughly related for it, they dont have the time or the will to wade through 20 pages to find a "good" one.  They'll select the first on the page that'll do the job regardless.
Certainly EL and higher licence sales may look for searches but for most people subs are their main income source and number of sales and in that one the search being overwhelmed by new images that arent great but are on the same topic as searched will reduce their chance getting seen unless they do now start uploading in huge quantity....and the only real way to get the quantity required are large numbers of similar images which usually means a lower quality - ie the bar lowers.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Pauws99 on June 20, 2018, 17:21
Quality in business terms is "fit for purpose" if someone wants a picture to be glanced at for 10 seconds on a web site it doesn't need to be a technical/artistic masterpiece...increasingly that's where the Mstock market is. I think the agencies realise this but went from being too stringent to in some cases letting even risible work with no definable purpose through.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: epixx on June 22, 2018, 05:21
Something new has happened. There have been sales drops before, but nothing that resembles this. Images that are 10 years and older (just sold one with number 1,1xx,xxx) are selling better than before, while new photos don't seem to sell at all, particularly the last 6 months.

Even some editorial categories where I have little competition have died more or less completely for recent photos, categories that have sold well since I started this. It's all in the algoritms of course, and they must have changed them in a way that doesn't match previous patterns. This is happening while my Adobe/Fotolia sales is showing a healthy increase along with some of the smaller agencies. Even iStock, where I haven't uploaded in years, is improving.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: dpimborough on June 22, 2018, 13:47
Something new has happened. There have been sales drops before, but nothing that resembles this. Images that are 10 years and older (just sold one with number 1,1xx,xxx) are selling better than before, while new photos don't seem to sell at all, particularly the last 6 months.

Even some editorial categories where I have little competition have died more or less completely for recent photos, categories that have sold well since I started this. It's all in the algoritms of course, and they must have changed them in a way that doesn't match previous patterns. This is happening while my Adobe/Fotolia sales is showing a healthy increase along with some of the smaller agencies. Even iStock, where I haven't uploaded in years, is improving.

Well considering SS only have two search categories now "New" and fake "Popular" it's hardly any wonder
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: rinderart on June 22, 2018, 16:51
Something new has happened. There have been sales drops before, but nothing that resembles this. Images that are 10 years and older (just sold one with number 1,1xx,xxx) are selling better than before, while new photos don't seem to sell at all, particularly the last 6 months.

Even some editorial categories where I have little competition have died more or less completely for recent photos, categories that have sold well since I started this. It's all in the algoritms of course, and they must have changed them in a way that doesn't match previous patterns. This is happening while my Adobe/Fotolia sales is showing a healthy increase along with some of the smaller agencies. Even iStock, where I haven't uploaded in years, is improving.

Couldn't agree More. and Im doing tests. I sell the exact same amount everyday 7 days a week and basically the same 6/8 Year old Images. new stuff?. very, very Rare. so why upload. and yes adobe is coming On strong.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: rinderart on June 22, 2018, 19:56
Also, I don't think in 13+ years That has ever happened, I think mathematically that would be quite Impossible Unless my sales are manipulated.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Zero Talent on June 22, 2018, 21:05
Something new has happened. There have been sales drops before, but nothing that resembles this. Images that are 10 years and older (just sold one with number 1,1xx,xxx) are selling better than before, while new photos don't seem to sell at all, particularly the last 6 months.

Even some editorial categories where I have little competition have died more or less completely for recent photos, categories that have sold well since I started this. It's all in the algoritms of course, and they must have changed them in a way that doesn't match previous patterns. This is happening while my Adobe/Fotolia sales is showing a healthy increase along with some of the smaller agencies. Even iStock, where I haven't uploaded in years, is improving.

Couldn't agree More. and Im doing tests. I sell the exact same amount everyday 7 days a week and basically the same 6/8 Year old Images. new stuff?. very, very Rare. so why upload. and yes adobe is coming On strong.

AS is doing better, indeed. But not by as much as some try to suggest.
I am selling about 10-15% more per week than a year ago, but my weekly rank hovers around similiar levels.
This is telling me that AS has grown by 10-15% in a year. And this means that they still have a long way ahead, before catching up with SS.

As for SS I already exceeded June 2017 and I still have a full week ahead to dig deeper in the 4 digits revenue realm.

Btw, my new stuff is selling. Did you consider that maybe your new stuff is not as good as the work you produced when you were better motivated? All this negativity is not conducive to creativity.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: epixx on June 23, 2018, 00:07

AS is doing better, indeed. But not by as much as some try to suggest.
I am selling about 10-15% more per week than a year ago, but my weekly rank hovers around similiar levels.
This is telling me that AS has grown by 10-15% in a year. And this means that they still have a long way ahead, before catching up with SS.

As for SS I already exceeded June 2017 and I still have a full week ahead to dig deeper in the 4 digits revenue realm.

Btw, my new stuff is selling. Did you consider that maybe your new stuff is not as good as the work you produced when you were better motivated? All this negativity is not conducive to creativity.

My current images are higher resolution, my post processing skills are much better and the number of relevant keywords twice as high as they were 10 years ago. Much of my material is editorial, and when photos from an event in 2008 are outselling better and more relevant photos from the same event in 2018, I find it worrying. This is not about negativity, but observing a trend that has been going on for a while and that affects my, and apparently other's, bottom line negatively.

I'm uploading more and better images than I have in many years, and I see a positive effect with several agencies, even Bigstock, but no effect at SS. Quite the opposite actually.

There might be more than one reason for this. One thing I and others have observed is what I call "image spaming", several nearly identical images with the same search words that effectively move to the next pages other photos with the same theme from other contributors. In many cases, some of the keywords used aren't even correct, but will still place the image earlier in the queue than correctly keyworded images.

Example:
If you search for "singapore airshow a380 interior", you get 96 images of which 76 are not from Singapore Airshow, all from the same contributor, many of which are effectively duplicates. The photos are taken on a Sydney to Singapore flight. A380 was not on show at Singapore Airshow 2018. The result is that the honest contributors with A380 interior images that are actually taken at Singapore Airshow are pushed down to the bottom of the page.

Ironically I earn from this phenomenon also. I have lots of photos from floodings in Thailand 2010 and 2011. They sell well simply because they rate high on the "Popularity" search, but in reality they should have been surpassed by newer flood photos. When that is said; many of the newer photos I find are crap, pure and simply. This may be one of the reasons why customers search for "Popular" rather than "New". Under "New", they would often have to go to page umpteen to find a usable photo.

I'm actually consentrating more on Alamy these days. Less money, but less annoying also.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: YadaYadaYada on June 28, 2018, 06:57
AS is growing and getting better. SS is peaked. I thought the problem was new images are stealing our income from old images, or was that last week? I can't see losing money to the dope guy or the bookshelf thousands, I don't have either. I also think they aren't making money. Or did that switch back from quality not quantity like old and new. Now it's quantity makes money, this week? People will find whatever they want to see for answers to what we can't see or know. Then they make up these fantasy theories why or how the sales are a big game, not really sales to people who license our work. All luck, controlled, capped and manipulated. That makes everything easy to explain, when we don't have real answers.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: chess1master on June 28, 2018, 07:54
I have portfolio over 8000+ images, many years of hard work, days and nights, good and bad times. I never ever had 40% of monthly decrese - this month is horrible.
I am selling new content from 2018 only 3-5% :(  So I decide won't supply them longer
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Zero Talent on June 28, 2018, 11:11
A photo I uploaded late January was sold about 280 times, so far. This means ~56 times a month, for the past 5 months, only on SS.

Isn't this proof enough that new stuff sells and maybe even that it can sell rather well?
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: chess1master on June 28, 2018, 11:36
Wow, then you are very talented guy, congrats. I have also well earners from 2018, but the trend is decreasing (for me).
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: hatman12 on June 28, 2018, 18:43
Almost nothing I've uploaded in the past month has made a sale.  Everything appears to have disappeared into a black hole.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: steheap on June 28, 2018, 19:13
Quote
I have portfolio over 8000+ images, many years of hard work, days and nights, good and bad times. I never ever had 40% of monthly decrese - this month is horrible.
I am selling new content from 2018 only 3-5% :(  So I decide won't supply them longer

If you don't mind me saying, that is exactly what you should not do. Although part of me says that the more experienced contributors leave a site the better for those that remain!

This is just the latest iteration of SS's algorithms. Perhaps they will change next month and favor newer work - who knows. The only answer is to continue to upload to all agencies so that the one that takes the lead for a time has your images.

Steve
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: mindstorm on June 28, 2018, 21:23
That has not been my experience. I sell old stuff (as far back as 2010 when I first started uploading) and new stuff (sold within a few days of uploading).  In fact, my sales are all over the map, both in terms of timeframe uploaded and in terms of subject matter.

I am selling landscapes (one uploaded last August has sold continuously 40+ times per month), butterflies (uploaded in my very first batch in 2010), India street scenes (uploaded May of this year), scenes of Broadway lit billboards (uploaded also in May), eagle hunters (uploaded last Fall), Galapagos birds (from 2005), Dubai camel race training (again May this year), Panama hat making (2016), Icelandic horses (2015), lots of Cuba cars (last December), etc, etc.

No rhyme or reason that I can see, and no pattern of age...
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: dpimborough on June 29, 2018, 04:42
A photo I uploaded late January was sold about 280 times, so far. This means ~56 times a month, for the past 5 months, only on SS.

Isn't this proof enough that new stuff sells and maybe even that it can sell rather well?

One swallow does not a summer make
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Zero Talent on June 29, 2018, 07:37
A photo I uploaded late January was sold about 280 times, so far. This means ~56 times a month, for the past 5 months, only on SS.

Isn't this proof enough that new stuff sells and maybe even that it can sell rather well?

One swallow does not a summer make

Not even that huge pterodactyl?
Swallows are not worth mentioning  ;)
But I just saw a couple of them this morning, in case you really want to know.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Artist on June 29, 2018, 08:37
Not all new images gets sale. I uploaded few holiday theme and some of them got sold and there were 1-2 new images which were getting downloads like crazy around 10-15 per day..
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: namussi on June 30, 2018, 21:17
Stop blaming the agency or quality

Well the lack of quality control is largely responsible for the massive above linear increase with library size and that is the agencies decision.

They've also publicly stated they vary the algorithm and test it with randomly selected groups (its on their forum) so thats not some conspiracy theory.

No. That's a NEW conspiracy theory :-)
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Zero Talent on June 30, 2018, 21:31
Stop blaming the agency or quality

Well the lack of quality control is largely responsible for the massive above linear increase with library size and that is the agencies decision.

They've also publicly stated they vary the algorithm and test it with randomly selected groups (its on their forum) so thats not some conspiracy theory.

No. That's a NEW conspiracy theory :-)

A/B testing. Everybody is doing it. SS would be stupid not to test what works and what not. That's not a conspiracy. It's normal practice.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: rinderart on July 01, 2018, 00:39
What I would Like is Like we have on SS A link to look at the work by a person posting. I Always find that very helpful. Posting words is one thing seeing someones work speaks Volumes. at least for me.https://www.shutterstock.com/g/rinder99?language=en (https://www.shutterstock.com/g/rinder99?language=en)

Also I never understood being anonymous. what are you afraid of? someone Like a possible client or buyer Finding you. I get emails constantly wanting to do business Privately. Anytime.I have a very Old client that found me here a LOOOOng time ago.They keep me very busy.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Zero Talent on July 01, 2018, 08:11
What I would Like is Like we have on SS A link to look at the work by a person posting. I Always find that very helpful. Posting words is one thing seeing someones work speaks Volumes. at least for me.https://www.shutterstock.com/g/rinder99?language=en (https://www.shutterstock.com/g/rinder99?language=en)

Also I never understood being anonymous. what are you afraid of? someone Like a possible client or buyer Finding you. I get emails constantly wanting to do business Privately. Anytime.I have a very Old client that found me here a LOOOOng time ago.They keep me very busy.

You can go to your forum profile to add usernames for the main agencies you work with. Then links to your port will become visible to others.

As for being anonymous, better ask those forum members who dared to speak up and criticize agencies (like FT or IS) only to see their ports booted and the privilege of selling through them denied.

Additionally, sharing your port while bragging about good sales will definitely inspire many to copy your ideas and/or style.
Inspiring or helping your competitors to better compete with you is no different than shooting yourself in the foot.

So, if you only come here to complain about poor sales, you can always post links to those images nobody wants, as long as you don't blame your agencies for your lack of success.
 :P

Otherwise, it is better to stay anonymous and rely only on your brains to debate arguments and filter the information shared here.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: namussi on July 01, 2018, 08:34
Stop blaming the agency or quality

Well the lack of quality control is largely responsible for the massive above linear increase with library size and that is the agencies decision.

They've also publicly stated they vary the algorithm and test it with randomly selected groups (its on their forum) so thats not some conspiracy theory.

No. That's a NEW conspiracy theory :-)

A/B testing. Everybody is doing it. SS would be stupid not to test what works and what not. That's not a conspiracy. It's normal practice.

I think you took my comment a bit too seriously.

Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Phadrea on July 02, 2018, 05:22
What I would Like is Like we have on SS A link to look at the work by a person posting. I Always find that very helpful. Posting words is one thing seeing someones work speaks Volumes. at least for me.https://www.shutterstock.com/g/rinder99?language=en (https://www.shutterstock.com/g/rinder99?language=en)

Also I never understood being anonymous. what are you afraid of? someone Like a possible client or buyer Finding you. I get emails constantly wanting to do business Privately. Anytime.I have a very Old client that found me here a LOOOOng time ago.They keep me very busy.

They are full of words of criticism, perceived wisdom but with nothing to back them up as they hide behind their anonymity. I would just like to see their ports as a reference.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Zero Talent on July 02, 2018, 08:43
They are full of words of criticism, perceived wisdom but with nothing to back them up as they hide behind their anonymity. I would just like to see their ports as a reference.

... said someone who "hides" ;D behind his/her anonymity!
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: YadaYadaYada on July 02, 2018, 13:26
They are full of words of criticism, perceived wisdom but with nothing to back them up as they hide behind their anonymity. I would just like to see their ports as a reference.

... said someone who "hides" ;D behind his/her anonymity!

I don't think Marbury actually hides, just doesn't make himself easy to connect.

I asked for no more anonymous, yes I am, to give the forum credibility, I'd come out as who I am. If writing lies and hate messages about some agency might get retaliation, maybe it's better to not write, or at least be cautious with accusations. FT isn't the same idiots anymore that tried to ban people for what we wrote on a public forum. Professional forum that's mostly trolls and no way to connect the truth with make believe. I'd rather have real people if we're supposed to take any of this serious. Until then, playground with liars, trolls, con men, bullies and all the multi account people.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: increasingdifficulty on July 02, 2018, 13:33
While I competely get WHY someone with a public portfolio seems more trustworthy, it's just utterly ridiculous to value someone's posts and opinions based on what they choose to share.

It's incredibly easy for ANYONE to pretend to be pretty much any microstock contributor with links and all. It proves absolutely nothing.

A reasonable individual values posts and opinions based on what and how the person writes. That's simply all we have to go on here. That cannot easily, if at all, be faked. It's also very easy to identify forum posters with different names on different forums based on the way they write, and see what they're all about.

That is all.  ;)
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Zero Talent on July 02, 2018, 15:23
They are full of words of criticism, perceived wisdom but with nothing to back them up as they hide behind their anonymity. I would just like to see their ports as a reference.

... said someone who "hides" ;D behind his/her anonymity!

I don't think Marbury actually hides, just doesn't make himself easy to connect.


Who is "Marbury"?
I can find this when googling "Marbury shutterstock": https://www.shutterstock.com/g/hubballi (https://www.shutterstock.com/g/hubballi)

Not that it matters, but how can one tell that Marbury's port on SS (aka hubballi) is the same as Herg's?

... and btw, who si YadaYadaYada?
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: rinderart on July 04, 2018, 16:25
I just Like to see the work. call me crazy. people can write till there blue. oh, on a good Note and Bad note June was my Best month On SS in 27 Months. good but sad.Vast majority was 6/7 year old stuff.Im weening Myself off of uploading so much. In my case It doesn't seen to matter. ever think that you have gone beyond what really sells? Im sorry But I simply couldn't do what Im seeing Most of anymore.I don't know how and I sure don't wanna learn. Maybe 60 Years ago......LOL

I did a Album Cover a few months ago for a Old friend Now Im getting a Lot of calls to do more. I like doing them. I've done 42 so far But that was a Long time ago... 70's and early 80's.Strange thing is the Pay is about the same as It was then.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Uncle Pete on July 05, 2018, 10:29
They are full of words of criticism, perceived wisdom but with nothing to back them up as they hide behind their anonymity. I would just like to see their ports as a reference.

... said someone who "hides" ;D behind his/her anonymity!

I don't think Marbury actually hides, just doesn't make himself easy to connect.


Who is "Marbury"?
I can find this when googling "Marbury shutterstock": https://www.shutterstock.com/g/hubballi (https://www.shutterstock.com/g/hubballi)

Not that it matters, but how can one tell that Marbury's port on SS (aka hubballi) is the same as Herg's?

... and btw, who si YadaYadaYada?

Or She? I say knowing who someone is and seeing their work, can lend to their credibility. And yes increasingdifficulty someone can pretend to be someone else, but they will be found out just as easily to be a fake. You can look at my name and my work and find that there's an overlap and it confirms who I am and what I do. With some anonymous poster here, we don't know if it's six of the same person, or someone with ten photos on Crestock. There is some value to knowing the source and their experience. Anonymous people and be anyone, anywhere, with a hidden agenda, disgruntled troll that hates a particular agency, someone who just doesn't like Microstock, and we'd never know.

In real life you tend to trust information or at the least evaluate the credibility, based on the source. An anonymous source has no base credibility or authority. Who, What, Why, Where, When and by what authority. Basic news or reporting, also how people view information. Of course this is the Internet, where anyone can write anything and get gullible people to believe it's real.  ;D

One person says new images have a huge drop. Someone else says, new images are stealing the downloads from old images. Welcome to microstock, where anyone can make up any fact they want and some people here on the forum will believe them. Some have made puffed up personas and history, with exaggerated skills and history, and people on the forum believe that too, without checking.

What we used to call hitting the wall, is now controlled sales or an income cap. Same as before, just a new name, with dark implications. Makes for a good conspiracy, blaming the agency manipulation for low sales, instead of the market, over supply and limited demand. Then there's always new users, bad reviews, biased search, and all kinds of other things. Blame, conspiracy, accusations, but nothing to back up the claims except "it's obvious I can see it". Right and I can see that the Earth is the center of the universe, it's obvious because everything circles around us.

Well in marketing and microstock, everything does not circle around us, as some might imagine as obvious. There's a whole big market, buyers, agents, supply, demand, prices and twisted search systems, very little if not NONE, has to do with any of us personally or as individuals. Agencies don't care if I upload this month or not. There are no tricks, or magic wheel of fortune. It's not a game and not just blind luck.

Produce good needed work and you'll get sales.

Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Zero Talent on July 05, 2018, 10:51
I just Like to see the work. call me crazy. people can write till there blue. oh, on a good Note and Bad note June was my Best month On SS in 27 Months. good but sad.Vast majority was 6/7 year old stuff.

Pretty much the same for me: June was my best month on SS in 20 months, except that my new stuff has a decent selling rate.

And no, you are definitely not crazy. I also "like to see the work".
What I don't like is to share mine.  :P
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Uncle Pete on July 05, 2018, 11:13
I just Like to see the work. call me crazy. people can write till there blue. oh, on a good Note and Bad note June was my Best month On SS in 27 Months. good but sad.Vast majority was 6/7 year old stuff.

Pretty much the same for me: June was my best month on SS in 20 months, except that my new stuff has a decent selling rate.

And no, you are definitely not crazy. I also "like to see the work".
What I don't like is to share mine.  :P

There's another place I can agree. I sure enjoy that most popular on SS is totally absurd and wrong. At least someone can't go look at my best sellers and start making copies or better versions. That's why I don't post my latest great seller or best earning shots. I'm not inviting 100 thousand people, scuffling for quarters, to come copy my ideas.  ;D

New images will struggle up hill against the flood of new images coming down. I've pointed this out before but for some reason people don't see the serious effects.

2010 10 million images, sales were still reasonably good.

2012 (when the big earnings drop started) 20 million images

Now 200 million images and 1 million or more, new a week. How many buyers are there, what's the demand or need? That would have also needed to grow 100 times and even then, ratios don't explain that the market is just not big enough to sell like it did, with less competition. I'd have to upload 100 times my total, every year, just to keep up. Or we'd need 100 times more buyers every year?

Slice of the pie is going to be smaller. No way around that. The growth of earnings in Microstock has stagnated, for many regressed.

Every other "general" agency is the same or worse. Maybe, a select few agencies are still growing because they are selective, concentrate on video, or have a specific market.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: alexandersr on July 05, 2018, 13:53
Sales are not good for me. :(
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: jonbull on July 05, 2018, 14:26
I just Like to see the work. call me crazy. people can write till there blue. oh, on a good Note and Bad note June was my Best month On SS in 27 Months. good but sad.Vast majority was 6/7 year old stuff.

Pretty much the same for me: June was my best month on SS in 20 months, except that my new stuff has a decent selling rate.

And no, you are definitely not crazy. I also "like to see the work".
What I don't like is to share mine.  :P

There's another place I can agree. I sure enjoy that most popular on SS is totally absurd and wrong. At least someone can't go look at my best sellers and start making copies or better versions. That's why I don't post my latest great seller or best earning shots. I'm not inviting 100 thousand people, scuffling for quarters, to come copy my ideas.  ;D

New images will struggle up hill against the flood of new images coming down. I've pointed this out before but for some reason people don't see the serious effects.

2010 10 million images, sales were still reasonably good.

2012 (when the big earnings drop started) 20 million images

Now 200 million images and 1 million or more, new a week. How many buyers are there, what's the demand or need? That would have also needed to grow 100 times and even then, ratios don't explain that the market is just not big enough to sell like it did, with less competition. I'd have to upload 100 times my total, every year, just to keep up. Or we'd need 100 times more buyers every year?

Slice of the pie is going to be smaller. No way around that. The growth of earnings in Microstock has stagnated, for many regressed.

Every other "general" agency is the same or worse. Maybe, a select few agencies are still growing because they are selective, concentrate on video, or have a specific market.

this is a finished business for contributor. still there is some spare mont to be done, but how many contributor earns to make a real living n a modern country? micro can be a good side line earning. primary income is and will be soon impossible. 1millon  images added per week, and it' only the beginning. we soon see 2 3 4 5 10 million per week. there are thousand of potential contributor living in poor country where e en 50 dollar can make a difference at month. personally i'm earning more this year but the work put to earn a 5 % more is abysmal, and not rewarding. i still have a long backlog to upload but i am more interested in rm and small boutique agency.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: alexandersr on July 05, 2018, 15:10
I just Like to see the work. call me crazy. people can write till there blue. oh, on a good Note and Bad note June was my Best month On SS in 27 Months. good but sad.Vast majority was 6/7 year old stuff.

Pretty much the same for me: June was my best month on SS in 20 months, except that my new stuff has a decent selling rate.

And no, you are definitely not crazy. I also "like to see the work".
What I don't like is to share mine.  :P

There's another place I can agree. I sure enjoy that most popular on SS is totally absurd and wrong. At least someone can't go look at my best sellers and start making copies or better versions. That's why I don't post my latest great seller or best earning shots. I'm not inviting 100 thousand people, scuffling for quarters, to come copy my ideas.  ;D

New images will struggle up hill against the flood of new images coming down. I've pointed this out before but for some reason people don't see the serious effects.

2010 10 million images, sales were still reasonably good.

2012 (when the big earnings drop started) 20 million images

Now 200 million images and 1 million or more, new a week. How many buyers are there, what's the demand or need? That would have also needed to grow 100 times and even then, ratios don't explain that the market is just not big enough to sell like it did, with less competition. I'd have to upload 100 times my total, every year, just to keep up. Or we'd need 100 times more buyers every year?

Slice of the pie is going to be smaller. No way around that. The growth of earnings in Microstock has stagnated, for many regressed.

Every other "general" agency is the same or worse. Maybe, a select few agencies are still growing because they are selective, concentrate on video, or have a specific market.

this is a finished business for contributor. still there is some spare mont to be done, but how many contributor earns to make a real living n a modern country? micro can be a good side line earning. primary income is and will be soon impossible. 1millon  images added per week, and it' only the beginning. we soon see 2 3 4 5 10 million per week. there are thousand of potential contributor living in poor country where e en 50 dollar can make a difference at month. personally i'm earning more this year but the work put to earn a 5 % more is abysmal, and not rewarding. i still have a long backlog to upload but i am more interested in rm and small boutique agency.
I live in Venezuela, that true, $100 it's good money. You can live for a month with that $100.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: alexandersr on July 05, 2018, 15:19
I would like to make for month in Shutterstock a least $100.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: jonbull on July 05, 2018, 15:26
I would like to make for month in Shutterstock a least $100.


well shoot the revolution, the warn the street and sells to real magazine. you can earn much more but is dangerous.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: madman on July 05, 2018, 18:23
I am on the same situation, it's not just shutterstock, it's everywhere like this, I dont understand why new images doesnt sell, it seems we are struggling for nothing after a point, I am not aware of this situation at all, the files I uploaded a few years ago are being sold, but there is no activity on the newly uploaded files.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: LouisPhotos on July 13, 2018, 08:55
they probably change the searching system. New image dont appear on the best result now
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: YadaYadaYada on July 13, 2018, 14:23
I just Like to see the work. call me crazy. people can write till there blue. oh, on a good Note and Bad note June was my Best month On SS in 27 Months. good but sad.Vast majority was 6/7 year old stuff.

Pretty much the same for me: June was my best month on SS in 20 months, except that my new stuff has a decent selling rate.

And no, you are definitely not crazy. I also "like to see the work".
What I don't like is to share mine.  :P

There's another place I can agree. I sure enjoy that most popular on SS is totally absurd and wrong. At least someone can't go look at my best sellers and start making copies or better versions. That's why I don't post my latest great seller or best earning shots. I'm not inviting 100 thousand people, scuffling for quarters, to come copy my ideas.  ;D

New images will struggle up hill against the flood of new images coming down. I've pointed this out before but for some reason people don't see the serious effects.

2010 10 million images, sales were still reasonably good.

2012 (when the big earnings drop started) 20 million images

Now 200 million images and 1 million or more, new a week. How many buyers are there, what's the demand or need? That would have also needed to grow 100 times and even then, ratios don't explain that the market is just not big enough to sell like it did, with less competition. I'd have to upload 100 times my total, every year, just to keep up. Or we'd need 100 times more buyers every year?

Slice of the pie is going to be smaller. No way around that. The growth of earnings in Microstock has stagnated, for many regressed.

Every other "general" agency is the same or worse. Maybe, a select few agencies are still growing because they are selective, concentrate on video, or have a specific market.

this is a finished business for contributor. still there is some spare mont to be done, but how many contributor earns to make a real living n a modern country? micro can be a good side line earning. primary income is and will be soon impossible. 1millon  images added per week, and it' only the beginning. we soon see 2 3 4 5 10 million per week. there are thousand of potential contributor living in poor country where e en 50 dollar can make a difference at month. personally i'm earning more this year but the work put to earn a 5 % more is abysmal, and not rewarding. i still have a long backlog to upload but i am more interested in rm and small boutique agency.
I live in Venezuela, that true, $100 it's good money. You can live for a month with that $100.

Good to hear that there are still some who benefit from this work. Keep growing. I hope micro makes your life better.

New images make sales, the search changes all the time, maybe by day, I have old that sell and sell, I have some new that caught on and get many sales. I don't think of new vs old I think of what is the image. Age shouldn't matter. I mean to say, people see trends and old vs new, next week they will see new vs old and say old don't sell. They can see whatever they want to see, because there's always change.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Phadrea on July 15, 2018, 05:26
It’s absolutley dead. I have never known it this bad. Completley flatlined.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: ShadySue on July 15, 2018, 05:32
.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: namussi on July 15, 2018, 07:28
.

?????
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: cathyslife on July 16, 2018, 02:41
.

 ??? ??
She posted, changed her mind, but you can’t delete a post.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: namussi on July 16, 2018, 03:59
Uploading right now is fatal!  it will just sit there not selling and then it falls down in rank and finally just vanishes never to be seen let alone sell. Thats the new name of the game!

Please name at least one uploader who has died. :-)
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: namussi on July 16, 2018, 06:48
.

 ??? ??
She posted, changed her mind, but you can’t delete a post.


Ooooo.  I wonder what was posted.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: ShadySue on July 16, 2018, 09:13
.

 ??? ??
She posted, changed her mind, but you can’t delete a post.


Ooooo.  I wonder what was posted.

Wonder on.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: rinderart on July 16, 2018, 16:06
Yep at this moment Adobe is outselling SS by far!
[/quot+1000 so..why is SS rated so High.I come back here every week or so Just to see the Poll Numbers. and  It just doesn't change.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: rinderart on July 16, 2018, 16:09
New stuff is really being de ranked in the searching again it seems.
Usually uploading a modest number of new you'd expect a decent number to pick up sales.
Lately that just isn't the case.  New stuff sits there whereas old stuff (sometimes really old and having never sold in years of being there) with the same keywording sell.
Im in the process of clearing a backlog of 9 months of images and uploading, added about 1000 in the last month.  Sadly, with the algorithm at the moment its making no difference - all my sales are still the older images.
Looks like i picked exactly the wrong time to update my portfolio.

Same here. everyday. 6/7 Year old stuff and VERY strangely the same Images. Talk about Manipulation.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Stockmaan on July 17, 2018, 07:31
SS and Dreams ok, Adobe and 123rf dead.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Phadrea on July 17, 2018, 10:16
SS is dead, Completely flatlined since Friday. It's over folks.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Uncle Pete on July 17, 2018, 10:33
SS is dead, Completely flatlined since Friday. It's over folks.

At least your view of Micro hasn't changed in 7-8 years?

Still absolutely dire. Really really awful sales. I am on target to earn the lowest amount in nearly 2 years. I have pretty much written Istock off as they have basically destroyed most of what was good about them.
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: MysteryShot on July 17, 2018, 11:53
Im having many "sold for the 1st time", bad old stuff
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: Phadrea on July 17, 2018, 13:43
SS is dead, Completely flatlined since Friday. It's over folks.

At least your view of Micro hasn't changed in 7-8 years?

Still absolutely dire. Really really awful sales. I am on target to earn the lowest amount in nearly 2 years. I have pretty much written Istock off as they have basically destroyed most of what was good about them.

If I didn't know any better I would think you were a stalker. Have you got a file on me ?
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: dpimborough on July 17, 2018, 13:58
Im having many "sold for the 1st time", bad old stuff

Same here stuff I uploaded in 2013 that never sold is beginning to have "sold for the first time today"

What a crock :(
Title: Re: huge sales drop for new images
Post by: YadaYadaYada on July 20, 2018, 13:36
SS is dead, Completely flatlined since Friday. It's over folks.


At least your view of Micro hasn't changed in 7-8 years?

Still absolutely dire. Really really awful sales. I am on target to earn the lowest amount in nearly 2 years. I have pretty much written Istock off as they have basically destroyed most of what was good about them.



If I didn't know any better I would think you were a stalker. Have you got a file on me ?


He doesn't have to, http://www.microstockgroup.com/profile/?area=showposts;u=4579 (http://www.microstockgroup.com/profile/?area=showposts;u=4579) plus you wrote something, what's wrong with someone quoting you?

Terrible month. Photo sales have dropped every month this year so far. Dec up to now is even worse. Absolutely awful.