Author Topic: Look at Istock and buy at Shutterstock (Read 9423 times)

vonkara · « **on:** March 18, 2008, 20:19 »

I'm everytime afraid when I'm having a good day at SS and a not so good at IS that some buyers may use some sorted research for finding the same file who was at IS and download it at low price from SS. I mean if they see that anybody is not exclusive, do it's absurd to think that they may buy that way?

Phil · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2008, 21:05 »

Personally if I have a subscription at shutterstock I doubt I would even look anywhere else, except maybe very very occasionally if I couldn't get that 'perfect' image?

helix7 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 19, 2008, 00:34 »

Why would someone who has a subscription at SS be shopping at IS at all?

redbaron · « **Reply #3 on:** March 19, 2008, 02:53 »

It is a very probable event. I also did it myself but not with SS. On DT the same photos can be almost 4 times cheaper then on IS.

sharpshot · « **Reply #4 on:** March 19, 2008, 03:47 »

Quote from: helix7 on March 19, 2008, 00:34

Why would someone who has a subscription at SS be shopping at IS at all?

Perhaps because IS has lots of exclusive photographers, so they have different images to SS. If a buyer finds the image they want from a non exclusive, they could check SS to save money.

SS has lots of images that IS doesn't, so I think it is likely that lots of buyers will have accounts with both sites.

andresr · « **Reply #5 on:** March 19, 2008, 03:55 »

Buyers are not like us, we submit everywhere but they just buy at one place maybe two at the most.

I buy everything from istock even if the photos are from non exclusives, buyers don't have time to waste and go around just trying to save $1.

Jimi King · « **Reply #6 on:** March 19, 2008, 04:47 »

I have bought a lot of stuff at iStock. Most recently though I have been checking to see if I can get the same shot or similar on 123RF.

You can get twice the size and bigger (more than enough for web pages) for one credit at 123RF.

redbaron · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2008, 05:02 »

Quote from: andresr on March 19, 2008, 03:55

buyers don't have time to waste and go around just trying to save $1.

I don't think so. I'm sure that you have at least many examples as me that $1 is very often huge money for our buyers. They are ready to write long emails and phone in the middle of the night because of it

And the difference between prices of the same photo may be much bigger. For example: the same photo on IS (XL) - 15 credits, on DT - 4 credits.

sharpshot · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2008, 05:32 »

It might only be a small percentage of buyers that do this but I am sure it happens.

vonkara · « **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2008, 08:37 »

Maybe I'm wrong and it's a waste of time, but I changed my copyright name at SS just in case. I see that some contributors have doing that already.

helix7 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 19, 2008, 09:16 »

Quote from: sharpshot on March 19, 2008, 03:47

Perhaps because IS has lots of exclusive photographers, so they have different images to SS. If a buyer finds the image they want from a non exclusive, they could check SS to save money.

SS has lots of images that IS doesn't, so I think it is likely that lots of buyers will have accounts with both sites.

I doubt it. If you're paying for an SS subscription, why would you buy an image from IS that you have to pay for? Your subscription is already paid for. You would want to use it to it's fullest to get your money's worth out of it.

--

I'm surprised that people here buy from IS. I would have assumed that being contributors and knowing the commission rates, people here would buy from StockXpert or other higher-percentage sites so that the artists get more of the money.

Pixart · « **Reply #11 on:** March 19, 2008, 10:41 »

Regarding the title of this thread, I would expect it to be the opposite actually...

Shutterstock must have buyers who are "in between" jobs and subscription plans, or who have already spent the budget this month (or their quota of downloads)... they have something they need in their lightbox and go find it at Istock.

I think that SS is just harming themselves by not offering single photo sales. Even if they were for a much higher amount than Istock, they would keep their customers who don't need a new $159 package right now. What if those who stray to IS for one single photo stay there?

Waldo4 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 19, 2008, 12:20 »

Quote from: andresr on March 19, 2008, 03:55

Buyers are not like us, we submit everywhere but they just buy at one place maybe two at the most.

I buy everything from istock even if the photos are from non exclusives, buyers don't have time to waste and go around just trying to save $1.

I agree with andresr here. I'm sure that there are a few exceptions (maybe some freelancers or less professional people), but professional designers (and professional people in general) use their time to maximize their cost efficiency. If a designers time is worth 50-100+ per hour (at least, their gross pay (to the company, much more than what they actually see) + company overhead is bare minimum) in actually making money for the buisiness, wasting that valuable time to chase a few bucks in cost savings on a picture here or chasing a little refund there is just a waste of time, that time is much better spent actually designing in terms of the cost effectiveness of their time.

jsnover · « **Reply #13 on:** March 19, 2008, 13:37 »

Quote from: Vonkara on March 19, 2008, 08:37

Maybe I'm wrong and it's a waste of time, but I changed my copyright name at SS just in case

I can't see that working - your images speak for themselves. I can't count the number of times that I've seen an image somewhere (web site or print) and "recognized" it as a shot of some other micro contributor.

Yuri has a couple of different names, but that doesn't stop people from recognizing his work - or his models.

vonkara · « **Reply #14 on:** March 19, 2008, 14:47 »

Yes that true even more if the work is in the most popular. But I think that my small around 100 files folio can be difficult to find in the Shutterstock mega ocean. So just in case

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Author Topic: Look at Istock and buy at Shutterstock (Read 9423 times)

vonkara

Phil

helix7

redbaron

sharpshot

andresr

Jimi King

redbaron

sharpshot

vonkara

helix7

Pixart

Waldo4

jsnover

vonkara

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