Give it at least a week, patience my friend

I don't think it's so much a new contributor bonus as it is new image visibility.  I believe a lot of buyers keep an eye out for the latest images.  That leads to quick sales when images first show up. After that you depend on them showing up in searches, where they can take time to bubble up to the front.  It may be that your first images lost their chance to be recognized, but anything new you submit may do better.  I still see sales from new submissions, albeit not as many as I used to get.

Out of over 20 million images you only have a few hundred online!

You will need thousands to notice anything unless your images are outrageously unbelievable in which case a few 500 will do you well.

Good heavens, according to your standards a lot of us here must have a few thousand images on SS or have "outrageously unbelievable" images. Seeing that I do not have thousands and are doing quite well, I suppose my images falls in the latter category. Thank you for the compliment, I guess 

I don't think it's so much a new contributor bonus as it is new image visibility.  I believe a lot of buyers keep an eye out for the latest images.  That leads to quick sales when images first show up. After that you depend on them showing up in searches, where they can take time to bubble up to the front.  It may be that your first images lost their chance to be recognized, but anything new you submit may do better.  I still see sales from new submissions, albeit not as many as I used to get.

I believe you have the right answer. It used to be a boost because some people with subs, search for new images. There were less new images so more views and more sales. With 10,000 new a day (or whatever?) Getting noticed isn't what it was a few years ago. That and the competition isn't 3 million images anymore it's 21,468,779 royalty-free stock images / 67,095 new stock images added this week.

Then with IS and maybe SS one of the measures is/was sales for days on the site, and one sale in one week, is a huge boost. It drops fast into the realm of the usual statistics. By one month it's over the "honeymoon". No magic, just numbers.

No it is not.
When first your pictures are online and visible, you will sell.

Dont worry, ss is far better than dt.

since posting this i've had 3 sales so it looks like they are starting to come in now - i have a day off my day job tomrorow so looks like i have an action packed day submitting photos for review