im browsing SS, i would say on  some keywords there is more then  50%  Vector Illustrations showing in result.  SS is flooded with vectors. i dont like it.

Thanks!

When I started with microstock a lot of vectors like labels, logos, icons were submitted as "package" (more of them in one single file).
Now it seems than more and more are submitted one by one (one icon, one file).

It results a big incrementation of the number of files on the site(s).

(From the point of view of the contributor, is it a good strategy or not?)

I noticed that on Shutterstock there was a trend of people putting a hundred of icons or illustrations in a single file.

I don't know if that is still a trend...I see that trend on places like CreativeMarket, where they put two hundred logos or graphics and then sell the whole bundle at a discount of 89%..
Is the buffet mentality, pay a small price and eat all you can...

Shutterstock encourages single icons, while Dreamstime rejects them. Depends on the site.

Top 100 on shutter stock. Vast majority of vector and Illustrator Folks.

http://www.microstock.top/index.phtml?p=1

I can't see me getting any of those simple poor quality icons accepted so I assume there is an understanding to pad out the collection size. Maybe they are automatically buried in the search?

Top 100 on shutter stock. Vast majority of vector and Illustrator Folks.

http://www.microstock.top/index.phtml?p=1

I think this Top 100 is composed of group of vector addicted artists working 24 hours a day and 7 days a week that's why they are so productive

Top 100 on shutter stock. Vast majority of vector and Illustrator Folks.

http://www.microstock.top/index.phtml?p=1

All contributors over 1 k port are on that list but vector artist and illustrators have the most sales indeed (not all of them).
I can understand that, it's much work. God, I envy their talent!

Quote from: hartlet12 on May 06, 2016, 01:15

Quote

Top 100 on shutter stock. Vast majority of vector and Illustrator Folks.

http://www.microstock.top/index.phtml?p=1

I think this Top 100 is composed of group of vector addicted artists working 24 hours a day and 7 days a week that's why they are so productive

It still doesn't make sense. I mean some of these people have a STR of like 0.5%. That means they have sold 500 of their 100000 icons. That would be $190 at the top .38c rate, which actually they will never reach (you can bet they aren't getting ELs on that stuff).

It can't make sense financially anywhere in the world. You couldn't even keep your computer equipment up to date. It can only be a deliberate strategy to inflate the database size either for marketing reasons or to keep the shareholders happy.

I agree. Im at 79.9. some huge Players have 5% the top guy and has always been the top guy is our old friend Andres.

It's increasingly difficult to find the right application vectors to buy for some specific keyword at any site because of the proliferation of icon sets - where every individual icon's keyword is included. Search for any individual icon keyword and you are typically presented with huge icons sets which possibly (but not reliably thanks to spamming) contain that one specific thing you are looking for.

It would be very much better if there was a way of linking the search result for a keyword directly to the specific icon which actually matches that keyword. Only then, if that icon looked like it might be okay, we could then look at the rest of the icons in the same style set.

SS is uploading huge illustration ports all in one day. Why you would do that I don't know. It results in a flurry of sales on a few images initially, then your sales drop off a cliff. Something to keep in mind if, for example, you plant to leave exclusivity somewhere and a site offers to upload everything for you all at once.

Portfolio size has nothing to do with the number of sales you make nor money earned. Some people have relatively few high-quality images and make a lot of money, some have huge ports that make almost nothing, and everything in between.

Quote from: Shelma1 on May 10, 2016, 07:39

...Portfolio size has nothing to do with the number of sales you make nor money earned. Some people have relatively few high-quality images and make a lot of money, some have huge ports that make almost nothing, and everything in between.

Agreed. It's just different ways of playing the game. I think a lot of people want to uncover some sort of pattern or constant in this business. Like there's a formula for success. The reality is, people just do what works for them personally. For some that's volume, for others it's high-quality, and in between there are infinite strategies and methods of building a portfolio.

A big portfolio with high quality images is surely better than a little portfolio with low quality images.
So the portfolio size can have a lot to do with the number of sales…