Author Topic: Top Sellers (Read 15980 times)

maigi · « **on:** November 04, 2011, 16:18 »

Hey,
I know there are couple of super sellers on Shutterstock who sell hundreds of images per day, but what do you think (or maybe somebody has some inside information?

) how many % of all artists would sell about 100 images per day? There are over 300 000 photographers, and majority of them have small portfolios, so that number can't be very big, but how big?
What would be your estimated guess?

michaeldb · « **Reply #1 on:** November 04, 2011, 16:35 »

Less than 1%. Maybe a lot less.

RacePhoto · « **Reply #2 on:** November 04, 2011, 17:16 »

How many of those 300,000 never passed the test and have no sales per day and never will?

Maybe someone who has a large number of referrals can tell us, what percentage actually have passed the test and have sales. That would be interesting. It might be telling how many people have small collections and sell small numbers?

My numbers are too small and the percentage is no one has every sold one image. Here's the really funny part. One of my Mostphotos referrals actually has some sales. That's the site that is best for backup and some fairly good people with large collections, hardly sell anything. My referral there has three sales?

Anyone willing to share the numbers?

maigi · « **Reply #3 on:** November 04, 2011, 17:30 »

I thought 300,000 are those who have passed the test and have at least one image online. Newer thought these could be only registered. Is it true?

helix7 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 04, 2011, 18:29 »

I have 3 referrals, 1 of which has images online and sells. And man, does he sell. 300+ per day on weekdays. I owe this guy a case of really nice wine for the money he's made me.

Anyway, that 1 referral is no one you've ever heard of. He rarely has any images in the Top 50, he pretty much just flies under the community radar. And yet he sells like crazy. It makes me wonder how many people like that are out there. Folks who do really well, manage to go largely unnoticed, and leave all of us thinking that the folks who can sell more than 100 per day are the super rare exception to the majority rule. Maybe they're not as rare as we think, we just don't know about them.

We probably don't know about them because they have no time to screw around in forums. They're off making awesome images.

microstockphoto.co.uk · « **Reply #5 on:** November 04, 2011, 18:33 »

Quote from: RacePhoto on November 04, 2011, 17:16

Maybe someone who has a large number of referrals can tell us, what percentage actually have passed the test and have sales. That would be interesting. It might be telling how many people have small collections and sell small numbers?

81 referrals (since mid-2007 to present)
only 7 passed the test, only 3 of which are somehow active - although not as much as I'd like;
the other 4 uploaded the test pictures, a few pictures in the following weeks and then nothing more, which really puzzles me: why passing the test at the best selling site and then not going on?
interestingly, 6 out of 7 passed the test in 2007-08 and only 1 in 2010: probably because the test is now more difficult

Quote from: maigi on November 04, 2011, 17:30

I thought 300,000 are those who have passed the test and have at least one image online. Newer thought these could be only registered. Is it true?

I don't know for sure, but I guess 300,000 includes all, counting those who never passed the test as well

Slovenian · « **Reply #6 on:** November 04, 2011, 18:40 »

I think there should be quite a few ppl that sell 100/day constantly, if I sell 25/day constantly and I'm a no one, I have neither the quantity or the quality (at least outstanding).

heywoody · « **Reply #7 on:** November 04, 2011, 19:40 »

There's a thread over in the SS forum - looks like the vast, vast majority of the 300,000 have 0 images and most of the rest are pretty small time.

RacePhoto · « **Reply #8 on:** November 04, 2011, 23:21 »

Quote from: heywoody on November 04, 2011, 19:40

There's a thread over in the SS forum - looks like the vast, vast majority of the 300,000 have 0 images and most of the rest are pretty small time.

Two things, does anyone really know? That's why I asked, I can't seem to see any way to know ranks or anything, but I never dove into SS.

Second if I ask, I suppose I should have included my information. (DOH!) Seven referred photographers none show any images. I don't really peruse this, just have the Sig here and one other site.

Just like IS numbers it's my understanding (and I may be wrong?) that the number is registered photographers, all time and may include people who signed up and never even tried to pass the acceptance exam. Real numbers on IS from the de stats, correlate to the sales and data on IS. 38,000 active contributors. Might be harder to get in and there could have been less interest. SS should have about 50,000 just because of age and early standards.

That still doesn't mean anything in 2011 because people could have uploaded 200 pictures to SS, found they didn't strike it rich and they collect their $100 a year. They are part of that 50K. People can get accepted and lose interest when it's difficult to get future pictures accepted. Never cashed and never will. Then there are the ones mentioned above who just work, produce, collect money and never come to a forum.

I'll confess I do more in the Winter, because I have more free time. From Mid-April until Nov. probably add almost nothing new to Micro.

alids · « **Reply #9 on:** November 05, 2011, 05:55 »

Quote from: heywoody on November 04, 2011, 19:40

There's a thread over in the SS forum - looks like the vast, vast majority of the 300,000 have 0 images and most of the rest are pretty small time.

The thread over in shutterstock forum links to website with shutterstock portfolio sizes (website is in russian, so will need to google translate), quick look through shows:

Just over 16000 contributors with over 100 images on shutterstock.

and only about 33000 contributors with one or more images on shuttertsock.

Link to shutterstock forum thread is:

http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=114136

Some intersteing facts on portfolio sizes and images added in last week / month,but no indication of sales.

RacePhoto · « **Reply #10 on:** November 05, 2011, 12:23 »

Quote from: alids on November 05, 2011, 05:55

Quote from: heywoody on November 04, 2011, 19:40
There's a thread over in the SS forum - looks like the vast, vast majority of the 300,000 have 0 images and most of the rest are pretty small time.

The thread over in shutterstock forum links to website with shutterstock portfolio sizes (website is in russian, so will need to google translate), quick look through shows:

Just over 16000 contributors with over 100 images on shutterstock.

and only about 33000 contributors with one or more images on shuttertsock.

Link to shutterstock forum thread is:

http://submit.shutterstock.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=114136

Some intersteing facts on portfolio sizes and images added in last week / month,but no indication of sales.

Thanks I need to go translate and read and see what I see.

IS by the way, 13,141 people 100 files or over. 37,500 active contributors. (some have one file and joined in 2004, no sales... if anyone wants to quibble about what is active? I'd probably agree that, I'm counting people who aren't uploading and haven't for over five years. But one is enough to be counted, so there we are.

) Interesting how close the two are is some ways.

nicku · « **Reply #11 on:** November 07, 2011, 04:53 »

I see that John T Takai (the best seller on SS) sells only there; although SS do not offer any type of exclusivity... interesting....

Wim · « **Reply #12 on:** November 07, 2011, 05:45 »

He's not just on SS, google his name m8

Microbius · « **Reply #13 on:** November 08, 2011, 06:18 »

Quote from: nicku on November 07, 2011, 04:53

I see that John T Takai (the best seller on SS) sells only there; although SS do not offer any type of exclusivity... interesting....

This confused me for a while. The tables don't have anything to do with sales I think, just portfolio size!
I was looking at the number of images thinking "wow the sales volumes tally really closely with size of portfolio" for a second before I realized this.
Is this correct, there's no info about sales right?

nicku · « **Reply #14 on:** November 08, 2011, 07:11 »

Is really confusing that statistic or inaccurate.... here is the port. of John T Takai on SS

http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?safesearch=1&search_type=gallery&submitter_id=388663#page=1

nowhere close to 60k of files uploaded.... and Yuri have only 5K of pictures on the site....
http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-2700p1.html

hmmmmm....

I am relative new on SS if is possible to have pictures in multiple archives/ galleries than i am wrong.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 08, 2011, 07:20 »

Quote from: nicku on November 08, 2011, 07:11

nowhere close to 60k of files uploaded.... and Yuri have only 5K of pictures on the site....

Yuri has 534 x 100, which means under 53400 files
Takai has 672 x 100, which means under 67200 files

Quote from: nicku on November 08, 2011, 07:11

I am relative new on SS if is possible to have pictures in multiple archives/ galleries than i am wrong.

no, not possible

helix7 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 08, 2011, 07:32 »

Quote from: nicku on November 07, 2011, 04:53

I see that John T Takai (the best seller on SS)...

Best seller according to who?

Microbius · « **Reply #17 on:** November 08, 2011, 07:40 »

Quote from: helix7 on November 08, 2011, 07:32

Quote from: nicku on November 07, 2011, 04:53
I see that John T Takai (the best seller on SS)...

Best seller according to who?

That is what my comment was referring to. I think the table has been misread as a league table of performance rather than just a list of portfolio sizes.

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #18 on:** November 08, 2011, 09:43 »

If the member numbers are sequential the 300,000 figure must refer to those who have passed the test because I have a referred member with a membership number around 700,000.

RacePhoto · « **Reply #19 on:** November 08, 2011, 10:10 »

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on November 08, 2011, 09:43

If the member numbers are sequential the 300,000 figure must refer to those who have passed the test because I have a referred member with a membership number around 700,000.

Not sure that we can assume that, but I'll wait for an answer from someone else. But "If the numbers are sequential" we don't know and what if everyone who signs up is given a number, when they first register... then we don't have any idea how many passed the test, and also how many dropped out, after passing the test, plus the larger number who seem to join and never upload one image.

I wish the stats had a way to show sales, but I suspect we'll never see that. Just having the number of active members and files in there collection is good reading for me.

668 x 50 = 33,400 I'm pretty happy with that number for now. Maybe sergeblack can explain how he came up with the information and we'll know? I know you understand this kind of thing, so I'll post it in the clear:

There are 33 390 authors in the base in all. It is 10.17% of all registered.
The size of the base is: 16 339 644. Data precision: 2.6%.
The largest portfolio: 67 116 works. The author - John T Takai.
Latest update: November 05, 2011.
The earliest information was received on September 16, 2011.

Somehow I think he's figured a way to see who is active and who has images, and ignored the rest?

Like this...

In 2004 104 authors were registered, it is 0.31% from the total amount.
In 2005 4 598 authors were registered, it is 13.77% from the total amount.
In 2006 3 851 authors were registered, it is 11.53% from the total amount.
In 2007 3 698 authors were registered, it is 11.08% from the total amount.
In 2008 5 570 authors were registered, it is 16.68% from the total amount.
In 2009 7 342 authors were registered, it is 21.99% from the total amount.
In 2010 5 162 authors were registered, it is 15.46% from the total amount.
In 2011 2 031 authors were registered, it is 6.08% from the total amount.

(someone who's bored can check all the math)

1 018 authors have portfolio with more than 3 000 works, is 3.05% from the total amount.
1 687 authors have portfolio with more than 2 000 works, is 5.05% from the total amount.
3 493 authors have portfolio with more than 1 000 works, is 10.46% from the total amount.

4 549 authors have portfolio with more than 750 works, is 13.62% from the total amount.
6 340 authors have portfolio with more than 500 works, is 18.99% from the total amount.
10 090 authors have portfolio with more than 250 works, is 30.22% from the total amount.
16 063 authors have portfolio with more than 100 works, is 48.11% from the total amount.

20 685 authors have portfolio with more than 50 works, is 61.95% from the total amount.
12 705 authors have portfolio with less than 50 works, is 38.05% from the total amount.

What I left off was 4000 and over which represents the other 10%, roughly adding. More interesting to me was 48% (16,063 people) have more than 100 photos. Or maybe that 61%, (20,685 members) have less than 100 to look at the other side of that number.

Yes I believe the 2.6% accuracy came from something other than an imaginary number grabbed from space. Until sergeblack explains these things, it's only an optimistic viewpoint on my part.

These numbers seem to compare fairly closely to the IS stats for files and percentages.

Yes I'd love to see sales, but I think that's not available and never will be. Remember when we had our own stats on some external software and could see daily downloads and things, then it got blocked? Without logging in as a member, the sales data is unavailable. (as far as I know?)

RacePhoto · « **Reply #20 on:** November 10, 2011, 12:31 »

Oh good, the author posted the link to the English version that was in beta.

English version - http://www.microstocktime.com/tool/stats/ss/

It's top uploaders, not necessarily top sellers.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #21 on:** November 10, 2011, 12:55 »

very cool, thanks

Serge.Black · « **Reply #22 on:** November 10, 2011, 15:31 »

Good afternoon, colleagues.

My English is very bad, I write with the help of Google)

From what I understand. The imprecision of 2.6% is considered to be so - the declared size of the base image on the site Shutterstock divided by the fact that we are summing the portfolio evaluators all authors in our database.

Precision: 2.6% - incorrect translation, data imprecision: 2.6%!!!

p.s.: If you have any questions for me, please write as simple words and short sentences. Thank you.

RacePhoto · « **Reply #23 on:** December 16, 2011, 11:27 »

1   Helga Esteb   67228   573   1054   98% photo, 2% illustration   09.03.2010
2   John T Takai   67268   35   139   100% illustration   05.05.2009
3   Netfalls   53446   150   668   99% photo, 1% illustration   21.12.2005
4   Yuri Arcurs   53388   0   0   99% photo, 1% illustration   05.02.2005
5   wavebreakmedia ltd   49800   857   4010   99% photo, 1% illustration   21.09.2006
6   P.Uzunova   47322   0   2   86% illustration, 14% photo   07.06.2005
7   Featureflash   39058   6740   15042   80% photo, 20% illustration   11.08.2011
8   lineartestpilot   39234   1752   7107   97% illustration, 3% photo   21.09.2009
9   Gregory Gerber   40744   545   1153   98% photo, 2% illustration   12.06.2008
10   Elnur   38439   623   2091   98% photo, 2% illustration   08.07.2006

Yuri is number four now. See what happens when you run a three year photo school?

Anyone recognize any of the others?

#1 is Red Carpet, celeb images, maybe an agency? #2 is 100% illustration. #7 another celeb collection.

http://www.microstocktime.com/tool/stats/ss/

Morphart · « **Reply #24 on:** December 16, 2011, 16:38 »

Quote from: maigi on November 04, 2011, 16:18

Hey,
I know there are couple of super sellers on Shutterstock who sell hundreds of images per day, but what do you think (or maybe somebody has some inside information? ) how many % of all artists would sell about 100 images per day? There are over 300 000 photographers, and majority of them have small portfolios, so that number can't be very big, but how big?
What would be your estimated guess?

I sell 100 images a day (or 3 000 per months) on Shutterstock with a 3 000 files portfolio, but my portfolio is not necessarily a quality portfolio, it's a variety portfolio which some image has a very small niche.

I have around 300 nice vectors and 3D, but for the most I have a WIDE range of subject and categories in a small niche of Vintage images, so for me I need a lot of images to make a good portfolio giving a decent income, but I am sure a good photographer or vector artist with half my potofolio size with quality content can get the same results.

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Author Topic: Top Sellers (Read 15980 times)

maigi

michaeldb

RacePhoto

maigi

helix7

microstockphoto.co.uk

Slovenian

heywoody

RacePhoto

alids

RacePhoto

nicku

Wim

Microbius

nicku

luissantos84

helix7

Microbius

BaldricksTrousers

RacePhoto

RacePhoto

luissantos84

Serge.Black

RacePhoto

Morphart

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