Is it me or its really a slow november start?

SS and Fotolia off to a flyer for me....everywhere else dead

Very slow for me too everywhere 

Ditto Sammy - pretty much dead everywhere.  Unless things pick up it's on track to be the worst month since 2012.

Too early to say since month's first week started with a weekend in the middle. So far looks like all the rest, and wait until the really slow months come after the holiday season. Dip in 2013 but higher every year since then. This year will probably be lower than 2016 because of a big SOD last Nov. Throws the numbers off for what's the usual. Dec is higher than Nov every year except 2012. Just wait for January?

Just plodding on now at 50% of my regular months before the dip. Main problem is lack of big SODs and the number of ODDs.

5 subs today. Yay.

Off to a HUGE start. go figure. October was the absolute worst.

Same here! October sucked, november is great already.

These last three days since they are toying with the new system my sales are down to almost nothing.
It will be a very slow month if they continue doing this.

Sorry, what system are you talking about?

October was fantastic but November is really poor so far.

So far november has been absolutely horrible in terms of number of downloads, really scary.
But so far saved by a few huge sales, so after all in dollar terms decent.
But what . is going on with SS? Never been so slow

Everything is absolutely normal right now, DLs come, they go, one day slow the next I get 15 ODs.

It might be normal for you, you are lucky. My sales are down to nothing starting from the middle of this week but I see a huge shift towards other two agencies. I wonder what is the buyers experience these days?

Quote from: Brightontl on November 10, 2017, 06:44

Quote from: Dodie on November 10, 2017, 04:04

These last three days since they are toying with the new system my sales are down to almost nothing.
It will be a very slow month if they continue doing this.

Sorry, what system are you talking about?

The new submission page and all the bugs it is causing.

I don't know anything about it, as I have moved to London, so been out of the loop for more than a week.
Can anybody explain me in detail?
Thanks

Is anyone else getting late sales?
For a few days now I've been getting little sales in the day then 12pm comes and I go to bed. When I wake in the morning quite a few sales have been added to the previous days  account. It's like they can't figure out what sold until a certain time and then add it to the previous day or something? Never had that before and with the site restructure I'm assuming that it's all related?

Quote from: Brightontl on November 11, 2017, 03:47

Quote from: Dodie on November 11, 2017, 03:15

Quote from: Brightontl on November 10, 2017, 06:44

Quote from: Dodie on November 10, 2017, 04:04

These last three days since they are toying with the new system my sales are down to almost nothing.
It will be a very slow month if they continue doing this.

Sorry, what system are you talking about?

The new submission page and all the bugs it is causing.

I don't know anything about it, as I have moved to London, so been out of the loop for more than a week.
Can anybody explain me in detail?
Thanks

There is plenty of detail here: https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/92209-coming-soon-our-new-content-editor/
Pull up a chair and take some popcorn too.

Thanks,
I have just mixed some margarita too.
It is going to be a fun reading

No, summer was good compared to this.

I used to be concerned when SS rejected an image for some bizarre reason....but these days I don't really care....sales are so few and far between that it just doesn't seem important any more and I rarely even try a re-upload.....
Every cloud has a silver lining.
 

You get rejections? I thought they accepted everything now. Are you trying to get rejections on purpose. What bizarre reasons?

Very slow on SS just 8 sales, (beginner 3.Months) DP nothing, 123RF confusing...
But had my first sale on Alamy for 8$ yay 

8 sales in the last 7 days (inc 1 weekday 0 - Monday), even DT beat that!!!

So far this November, I'm selling more on DT than SS. I honestly thought that would never happen. Something doesn't seem right.

Zero sales yesterday

Welcome to the club.

never, ever had a zero day in 13 years. But Ya. Pretty slow.The golden years are behind us guys. 2006/2011 If you recall. we talked about this then it was the beginning Of Hmmmm, somethings wrong some sites went way down Like DT that never came Back and the "NEW" reality and some left. and when SS bought Bigstock. BAM.  terrible. they were always very consistent. Then the famous IPO.

Great question,  I'll get the popcorn 🍿

Not flagging  illustration when it was....a photo.
Rejected for copyright when it was....detail from a vintage shawl
etc
 
And another - similars (!!!!!) when really they were not THAT similar - especially given what some people get accepted. Ho hum......

Oh those, yes there are some of those for me too, I was thinking real rejections, like focus or lighting. Vintage shawl is possible because of the no public domain or out of copyright. I have had photos rejected as illustration and illustration rejected for needs to be as photo. 

What I've noticed is, unless you have some files on the first page for Popular and Best match for main keyword, you're pretty much doomed.

What I've noticed is, unless you have some files on the first page for Popular and Best match for main keyword, you're pretty much doomed.

Not quite first page, but my top ten for popular or best match are on the couple pages, one search or the other. I use the top three keywords for each. Some didn't make top ten pages for best match but did for popular.

Question would be what's the cause? Is the rank making sales or sales making the rank? Are my sales causing the page rank, in which case the doom isn't from the rank and the rank actually shows the sales popularity for those keywords, and based on sales the correct rank. Nothing we wouldn't expect if the system is fair, right?

You are correct but I think for the wrong conclusion. Sales and popularity, means better rank for popularity and best match, not the other way around. Placement doesn't create sales, it's the result of them. Recent sales.

Search result placement is almost everything in this business.

Hopefully at least some of that comes from sales and hopefully all our files have at least a chance of being seen and getting sales.

Quote from: Dumc on November 21, 2017, 12:01

What I've noticed is, unless you have some files on the first page for Popular and Best match for main keyword, you're pretty much doomed.

Not quite first page, but my top ten for popular or best match are on the couple pages, one search or the other. I use the top three keywords for each. Some didn't make top ten pages for best match but did for popular.

Question would be what's the cause? Is the rank making sales or sales making the rank? Are my sales causing the page rank, in which case the doom isn't from the rank and the rank actually shows the sales popularity for those keywords, and based on sales the correct rank. Nothing we wouldn't expect if the system is fair, right?

You are correct but I think for the wrong conclusion. Sales and popularity, means better rank for popularity and best match, not the other way around. Placement doesn't create sales, it's the result of them. Recent sales.

Looked at my top ten, either top performers from contributor landing page or image galley stats. Then I used the Downloads per Keyword: took the top three words and used that, as suggested. All of mine are on page one or two for popular. They didn't get there because SS loves me more than you or the search is broken, but because these are  among the top selling images for those three words.

Claim that a new file has no chance doesn't appear to hold true for my newest, consistent seller. Uploaded March 2016, 234 sales, #1 for the three word search that matches my most used three words for that image. Maybe 234 sales in 20 months isn't enough for what others here call a success? But SS tells me what words are best and what buyers used and then I take that and look, and there I am, #1. Others are first few lines.

Anyone who doesn't remember me from the past, many of my images are one of a kind, where I upload one from an entire shoot or idea. I've expanded some lately and one group I uploaded four variations. Whoo Hoo!  I also look for under covered subjects and concepts. Doesn't mean I'm right or they will strike downloads, but when they do, it pays back.

I posted on SS forums a year ago that I had one of the only triple cheeseburgers on the site. (ps it either has no sales or two, so don't get excited) the point was twofold. Niche ideas and forum copy cats. There were 68 then, one page, now there are 348 and some are very well done. Mine was weak and just a joke from the start. I made it from a couple Whopper Jrs or a Big Mac and a single, all stacked up? But the idea is still there. Find things that aren't well covered and might make sales. Part two: don't tell anyone, because your best buddy will copy your concepts and bust your sales.

None of this is about the Editorial that I shoot which is a different deal and not going to make me rich. But I like what I'm doing with that.

New photos do have a chance if you shoot something useful, that buyers want, that hasn't been shot 10,000 times already! If you are going to upload 50 shots of the SOS that's been feeding Microstock for years, no wonder that your sales will drop.

Great question,  I'll get the popcorn 🍿

I think you call that a rhetorical question? Laurin probably won't answer, Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. I think we should hear the true story of how that all happened. I can't tell because I don't know the details and there are a few versions.

Quote from: JimP on November 23, 2017, 10:24

Quote from: Semmick Photo on November 20, 2017, 11:29

Great question,  I'll get the popcorn 🍿

I think you call that a rhetorical question? Laurin probably won't answer, Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. I think we should hear the true story of how that all happened. I can't tell because I don't know the details and there are a few versions.

http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/did-a-test-a-istock/

Interesting story! Do you know if he was forgiven by IS?

November, in my memory, should at least be an average month.

This November is indeed very slow in video sales for me. Any reason behind it?

Thanksgiving in the US, long weekend.

Interesting story! Do you know if he was forgiven by IS?

Yes, No. Seems they over reacted for something that we don't know happened in the first place or if he made it up. The time and number changed depending on where you read it or what version, what day. No putting together coherent story when it changed by the day. For all I know he could have made up the whole test and got kicked out for a forum claim.

Quote from: JimP on November 25, 2017, 10:01

Quote from: Orchidpoet on November 24, 2017, 12:58

November, in my memory, should at least be an average month.

This November is indeed very slow in video sales for me. Any reason behind it?

Thanksgiving in the US, long weekend.

Is it unusual to have Thanksgiving in November?

No.
It has been celebrated as a federal holiday every year since 1863, when, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens," to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.

Yes, I am also an old-timer since 2006. This November is really unusual for me.

More than a day off and they're unfortunately not shopping for stock images!  Pretty much dead everywhere.

Slightly below average for me but not much so nothing surprising...it all the minnow sites that are struggling for me. Canstock in particular has died.

Good post-Thanksgiving comeback for me on SS today! Close to $200, helped by a mega-SOD.
Overall, I'm pleased with my 4 digits month (port of ~1000 images).

Oct was my BME and Nov is getting close.  Must have been some kinda Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale because I've had a surge in sales the last couple days.  Last year the holiday months were bad for me so I shot a bunch of winter stuff to help this season.

My 30day moving average of downloads/day has doubled since 22 October. Yeehaw.

[OOOPS --- this is the Shutterstock thread. I'm not on Shutterstock. Apologies]

Quote

. I also had a surge in sales in the last few days, starting on Sunday. I don't know what SS is doing, but I was 1 download away from matching my best daily sales day yesterday. Today is also a big day and the day is not over yet. 

I've also experienced that lately. No SODs or enhanced though but a decent enough month, hopefully ending with a "golden key" (Brazilian expression)

Is a "golden key" like a "happy ending"?

Unless some Super Amazing Miracle happens today or tomorrow, I'll have a drop in DLs and revenue from last year.

However, I'm surprised to see my RPD actually went up very, very slightly. It looks like the lower SOD prices have cut considerably into the number of ODDs, but I suspect they've also shifted some former sub sales to SODs. It looks like the days of decent-sized SODs are all but over...those sales are quickly approaching subs levels.

Not great at SS - it will probably be my 3rd best earner this month. It used to easily be my best earner every month with often well over 50% of the total. For the most part this isn't because other sites have passed SS but because SS has dropped. I haven't had a big SOD in over a year (I can't remember one for more than an OD sale).

BME for me.