Author Topic: Exciting news from Envato for Stock Footage and Motion Graphics submissions.... (Read 27452 times)

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #25 on:** May 03, 2016, 14:18 »

Quote from: stockVid on May 03, 2016, 13:58

Now I'm really confused. If they are not the seller how do they 'take care of it' (VAT).

Well, as an author, you don't have the possibility to take care of any VAT issues so as far as I'm concerned, they are the seller. No matter what they say to justify their author fees...

pkphotos · « **Reply #26 on:** May 03, 2016, 16:02 »

Not sure how anyone could get excited or even contemplate offering footage to an agency with such low pricing. Be realistic, if you're not earning US$25 per download NET then you're going to struggle to be successful in the long run.

sharpshot · « **Reply #27 on:** May 03, 2016, 16:45 »

From the info I read on the HMRC website, we might not be liable to collect VAT under the EU law now they are setting prices but it would be even more unclear if we are setting prices and they claim we are selling direct. Who really wants to deal with that when there are so many sites that don't have this problem?

cobalt · « **Reply #28 on:** May 03, 2016, 17:19 »

If according to their legalese envato is not the seller, then it means every single transaction has to be verified by my accountant. That is too expensive.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #29 on:** May 03, 2016, 17:41 »

Whether they say they're the seller, they're not the seller, or they're intergalactic being from another universe... they are charging VAT because they have to. I'm not sure why everyone is so fixated on Envato (or anyone else) saying that they're not the seller, as it has nothing to do with their VAT responsibilities.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #30 on:** May 03, 2016, 17:43 »

Quote from: sharpshot on May 03, 2016, 16:45

Who really wants to deal with that when there are so many sites that don't have this problem?

By "don't have this problem", do you mean they're not charging VAT when they should be?

trek · « **Reply #31 on:** May 03, 2016, 17:49 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on May 03, 2016, 17:41

Whether they say they're the seller, they're not the seller, or they're intergalactic being from another universe... they are charging VAT because they have to. I'm not sure why everyone is so fixated on Envato (or anyone else) saying that they're not the seller, as it has nothing to do with their VAT responsibilities.

I'm fixated on their plan to 1099 us for 80% of the sale price while paying us 36%.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #32 on:** May 03, 2016, 17:51 »

Quote from: pkphotos on May 03, 2016, 16:02

Be realistic, if you're not earning US$25 per download NET then you're going to struggle to be successful in the long run.

The amount you earn per download has only a very tenuous link to how successful one is in the long run. Isn't it about $45 per download on ClipCanvas, $25 on ClipDealer? I've had one sale out of the both of them this year.

Nobody is going to argue that $25 per clip is a lot better than $4 a clip, but when it comes to being successful (financially), surely it's the total in the bank that counts, not the amount per clip? You can get $250 per HD download, but if you only sell one or a two a year then you're going to be living on a bench. Obviously I'm not saying that people who don't upload to Envato are earning less that those that do... just trying to make the point that a high sales figure isn't always the 'be all and end all'.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #33 on:** May 03, 2016, 17:52 »

Quote from: trek on May 03, 2016, 17:49

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on May 03, 2016, 17:41
Whether they say they're the seller, they're not the seller, or they're intergalactic being from another universe... they are charging VAT because they have to. I'm not sure why everyone is so fixated on Envato (or anyone else) saying that they're not the seller, as it has nothing to do with their VAT responsibilities.

I'm fixated on their plan to 1099 us for 80% of the sale price while paying us 36%.

Well yeah, that's a different kettle of badgers altogether!

LDV81 · « **Reply #34 on:** May 03, 2016, 18:47 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on May 03, 2016, 17:51

Quote from: pkphotos on May 03, 2016, 16:02
Be realistic, if you're not earning US$25 per download NET then you're going to struggle to be successful in the long run.

The amount you earn per download has only a very tenuous link to how successful one is in the long run. Isn't it about $45 per download on ClipCanvas, $25 on ClipDealer? I've had one sale out of the both of them this year.

Nobody is going to argue that $25 per clip is a lot better than $4 a clip, but when it comes to being successful (financially), surely it's the total in the bank that counts, not the amount per clip? You can get $250 per HD download, but if you only sell one or a two a year then you're going to be living on a bench. Obviously I'm not saying that people who don't upload to Envato are earning less that those that do... just trying to make the point that a high sales figure isn't always the 'be all and end all'.

Your work is fairly unique and I don't think there is big competition in your niche. Therefore you could easily charge much more and still be successful. If I had your content I would price HD at 79-100 USD and try to bring buyers to the more lucrative sites. I think you are undercutting yourself and shooting yourself in the foot. Your work is very good and most buyers would pay much more for it, if that was the only way to license it. I buy from Envato other things, but as a supplier I don't touch them with a barge pole.

cobalt · « **Reply #35 on:** May 03, 2016, 19:34 »

He is making 5 times more on envato than on places like pond5 with higher prices. And he doesn´t seem to be the only one.

It was the same with photos, the first people who offered their high quality files for 20 cents instead of 500 dollars often made 10 times more than the people that "took pride in their work" but only made a sale a few times a year. They were also forced to make their "real living" from assignments or other jobs, while the people that were selling cheap "and destroying everything" made a full time income from stock and could afford to pay for a team and employees.

Timing is everything, once there are 100 million videos and thousands of people copying space videos, he might decide to supply only macrostock sites.

The only thing that counts is how much money you make in total and some people are good with business and can identify pricing trends easily.

It won´t work for everyone, if you are producing something, the majority of buyers never need, then it is better to stick to high prices and get lucky once a year.

The internet will not disappear and people will always follow the money.

Mantis · « **Reply #36 on:** May 03, 2016, 20:26 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on May 03, 2016, 10:30

Quote from: Mantis on May 03, 2016, 08:08
Until they become an agency or a real marketplace and change their pricing forget it. The argument that they "target a different market" is hogwash. Lowball pricing is lowball pricing. It has an effect holistically if they gain share. Why? They are taking business from other agencies. So until other key business strategies change, upload ease doesn't do anything for me at least.

Lowball pricing can be lowball pricing AND they can target a different market. They're not mutually exclusive!

That is simply a guess. They target anyone who will buy their clips and at cheap seat prices, and if they happen to attract a market that demands low pricing that does not mean that market is their sole market. That means pricing is mutually exclusive because they will take what they can get at whatever price. Either way their pricing is horribly low and it only serves to further erode the video market just like in the still market. Mix that with their stupid "marketplace" model to have their cake and eat it too and you have a system that is degrading stock altogether. I have some images there but not all and I have zero video there of my 1200 clips. They will not see any of them unless their model changes. It's great that you feel comfortable selling your clips there, but I don't. We will simply agree to disagree.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #37 on:** May 04, 2016, 03:05 »

I'm meaning 'target' as in who they promote their offering to, which demographic they go after, not who they'll sell to. They'll sell to anyone, and rightly so... just like nearly every company will, but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't targeted a specific buyer or group of buyers. McDonalds target a certain type of person, and it's very unlikely they run ads in Tatler, Horse and Hound or the Michelin Guide, but I'm sure they'd be quite happy if a such buyers roll along.

I've been on Envato, either as a buyer or a seller for about seven years, and they've never reallyu marketed themselves to big production houses. Of course, they'll take their money like they will anyone else, but it's always been a market for the kind of people that set up Youtube channels, blogs and the like, low budget productions, freelancers etc. Ten/fifteen years ago... shooting, editing and publishing videos was a lot harder and more expensive. The people who did such things could afford $100, $250, $500 for once clip. Like After Effects templates... if you're the average guy or gal on the street, hoping to become the next Youtube sensation and want an intro for your vids... are you going to hire an AE artist at $100 an hour, or get a template for $20?

Although there is a lot of crossover, I'll agree, there's a bit of a spectrum when it comes to people who buy stock... and Envato are more for those near the ultraviolet. Or infrared, depending on which end we're classing as 'high end'.

Maybe they are eroding the market? Maybe the microstock people are eyeing the nanostock people like the macrostock people were eyeing the microstock people? I'm not sure. But as much as I enjoy making vfx and motion graphics stuff, I also enjoy earning money, and if Envato are earning me a decent amount of money then that works for me. You make it sound like it;s unethical to sell on Envato... but it's not like I'm running a sweatshop, destroying the environment or and promoting wage inequality. I can't see Amnesty International, The Red Cross and the United Nations banding together to highlight the plight of Shutterstock/iStock/Fotolia providers due to the erosion of their natural habitat.

urbazon · « **Reply #38 on:** May 05, 2016, 11:23 »

I've started on Envato, only because I entered the world of micro stock through AudioJungle, selling sfx.
Only after a few years I entered the video (and photo) worlds.

I am in similar situation as SpaceStockFootage, because the most of my earnings come from Envato sales.
I used to absolutely love that place. However recently they started making a lot of weird changes and it made me (and so many other authors) wonder about the whole situation.
Most notably, their efforts to highly complicate and mess up the earning structure and taxes. It used to be so straightforward: authors earned commission of certain percentage, as high as 70%, and that's it. Now you need a PhD in Quantum Mechanics to understand the whole thing

Also, anybody who spent some time on Envato knows that most of their energy is directed toward their most successful marketplace - ThemeForest - so other Envato segments are suffering a lot.

Even this upload tool you're so excited about has been announced more than a year ago, and works on it started about a year ago (with some lengthy pauses in between). A whole year! And it still seems like it won't bring all the necessary features - since the old tool will be kept to cover for those. Things are moving way too slow, if you ask me...
A lot of essential tools are missing, and it seems like nobody at Envato cares.

I always love to see progress, but it is far from an ideal picture.

P.S. And yes, we do have to wonder what will happen now when the flood gates get opened more than before

alexzappa · « **Reply #39 on:** November 21, 2016, 10:32 »

Any update on this new uploading tool for Stock Footage?

Brightontl · « **Reply #40 on:** February 01, 2017, 12:26 »

I am bumping this thread because I am interested in knowing if the new submission tool is still planned.
I have been trying to understand how their submission for footage works and I got a really bad headache

scrub · « **Reply #41 on:** July 08, 2017, 05:43 »

Any news on this new upload tool?

I work mainly in motion graphics, particularly universally usable low key seamless loop backgrounds and similar stuff, things which would presumably sell much better on markets that Envato caters to than those of my current main agencies. I suspect I could get much better sales at lower price aimed at youtubers and the like (which seems to be Envatos prime market).

However, I'm utterly put off by their ridiculous upload procedures - I have to upload, tag and submit each file individually, are you for real?!?! I've got thousands of the things! Also, I have to manually and individually prepare thumbnails and low-res previews?!?! It's just laughably ridiculous. What . is wrong with you people, you can script and automatize these things in a few days.

So anyway, uploading to VideoHive seems to me entirely too much needless work for such dubious returns. Is there any possibility they fix this along the lines of, say, Pond5 or VideoBlocks? I mean, how much work can it be?

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #42 on:** July 08, 2017, 06:46 »

Scripting and automation is what allows 1 million new files per week on certain sites... It's not a good thing. It's also the worst thing you can possibly do for SEO.

Anyway, I've been using the "new" upload system for a year now, so it's definitely out, just not for everyone I suppose.

scrub · « **Reply #43 on:** July 08, 2017, 08:57 »

So you mean that it is available to only select authors or only after your first submissions?

If that is so, than it is still ridiculous. I'm a fairly successful contributor to a range of different venues, looking to do business with Envato. One look at their upload page made me go "why bother".

If it is in their interest to have as few contributors and files available, if that's their model (and with absolutely lowest prices aimed at the widest possible market available i sincerely doubt so) then good luck to them. I know that's one company stock I'd never invest in.

No really, is there a submission page that resembles something more akin to current standards, or is that thing all there is?

Mantis · « **Reply #44 on:** July 08, 2017, 09:48 »

This is just another example of voodoo from another agency who purposely misled contributors. They need to come out and make the factual claim that $49=100% regardless of how much they actually charge a customer.

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #45 on:** July 08, 2017, 15:45 »

Quote from: scrub on July 08, 2017, 08:57

So you mean that it is available to only select authors or only after your first submissions?

If that is so, than it is still ridiculous. I'm a fairly successful contributor to a range of different venues, looking to do business with Envato. One look at their upload page made me go "why bother".

If it is in their interest to have as few contributors and files available, if that's their model (and with absolutely lowest prices aimed at the widest possible market available i sincerely doubt so) then good luck to them. I know that's one company stock I'd never invest in.

No really, is there a submission page that resembles something more akin to current standards, or is that thing all there is?

For footage, yes, it is available only to some authors, correct. I don't know about motion graphics.

Anyway, I kind of like when it's not easy for authors to upload 5,000 files in a week. That means I'm at a greater advantage if I put in the time.

Nothing is worse (for me) than 100,000 new files flooding in with a few clicks.

And regarding company stock, Envato makes more money than Shutterstock, Pond5, etc.

increasingdifficulty · « **Reply #46 on:** July 08, 2017, 15:46 »

Quote from: Mantis on July 08, 2017, 09:48

This is just another example of voodoo from another agency who purposely misled contributors. They need to come out and make the factual claim that $49=100% regardless of how much they actually charge a customer.

I think you meant to post in the other thread. But, yes, that's true.

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Author Topic: Exciting news from Envato for Stock Footage and Motion Graphics submissions.... (Read 27452 times)

increasingdifficulty

pkphotos

sharpshot

cobalt

SpaceStockFootage

SpaceStockFootage

trek

SpaceStockFootage

SpaceStockFootage

LDV81

cobalt

Mantis

SpaceStockFootage

urbazon

alexzappa

Brightontl

scrub

increasingdifficulty

scrub

Mantis

increasingdifficulty

increasingdifficulty

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