I made some good sales in the past few months and now I have several hundred dollars waiting to be cleared.  The question is why does it take soooooo long to clear?  

Are customers allowed to return images up to 45 days from purchase?  

Returns are allowed (don't know the grace period), but they also have a 'try before you buy' system for trusted buyers.

Also customers often have a long billing period, i.e. they may only get a bill every so often (as negotiated with Alamy), then they may have an other 90 days grace above that to actually pay. UK newspapers for example have a 3 month billing period, and this is tied in with the way their arrangement has been worked out with the UK tax office.
Being able to pay in arrears, e.g. quarterly,  may be precisely why a buyer has chosen e.g. Alamy over a micro. Some accounting systems won't allow for paying for 'credits' in advance ("what if the company disappears before you use up the credits?").

In addition, if the sale has been made through a distributor, you can have two delays: the normal buyer's delay, then the distributor will only pass the money on every so often. So it depends when the sale was made on each cycle. Anyway, that's what I was told the last time I queried a particularly long delay (10 months). Oddly on the few times I have queried a long overdue payment, I get a reply explaining that's how the system works and I just have to be patient, but the money comes in within a few days. Coincidence?

I wouldn't query inside six months for an Alamy sale or nine months for a distributor sale - after that a light 'prompt' can't go amiss.

Same within all RM/RF agencies, funds need to be cleared, has always been like this and it cant change.

Of course it can and could change. Everything changes ("nothing is permanent").
But I agree that it 'probably won't' in the near future, as it is a good selling point.

Same problem here: I've got an uncleared sale on 12 december, but also all the next sales are still uncleared.
Do I have to wait for that 12 december clearing before seeing the money of other sales? Are sales cleared chronologically or are they independent one from another?

No, (presumably) they are different buyers with their own schedules, so can clear in any order as they are paid.
Three months isn't a lot: after six months, try an email to Support.
The Balance of Account could be made simpler. I've got one showing as 'cleared', but not 'paid' ('o') (not sure what that means!) since 21st October, and one as 'uncleared' ('x') since 21st Dec, with some 'paid' ones in betweeen.

I don't like this "risk-free" approach to business at all. If my client doesn't make a payment - it's only my problem, I have to pay to programmer and other suppliers by agreed time anyway. It would be easy to say: "I'll transfer money right after I get money from client but it may not happen" - but I'm afraid that I wouldn't find anyone who would like to work for me.

My problem, at the moment, with Alamy, is that they say that you will be paid within 5 working days of the end of the month, they deduct the money from your account, and then every month it seems to take longer to actually get the payment.  

Here we are on the 7th, they claim to have paid me on the 1st, and yet I still have no money.  

Hmm weird, I'm with Bank of America and got my money from them on the 3rd this month.

Write to Member Services and ask if they have experienced this issue with certain banks or if your specific transfer was actually initiated a bit later this time.

Edit: Alamy sends out the payment statement right at the beginning of the month automatically. Has nothing to do when your money is actually coming in. Same thing like with SS, they send out the payment amount via email days before the money comes in (...just to let you know...).

My problem, at the moment, with Alamy, is that they say that you will be paid within 5 working days of the end of the month, they deduct the money from your account, and then every month it seems to take longer to actually get the payment.  

Here we are on the 7th, they claim to have paid me on the 1st, and yet I still have no money.  

+1...
 I asked about that on their forum but no answer...

Also IS has delayed Payoneer payout again...

Quote from: click_click on March 07, 2012, 12:56

Hmm weird, I'm with Bank of America and got my money from them on the 3rd this month.

Write to Member Services and ask if they have experienced this issue with certain banks or if your specific transfer was actually initiated a bit later this time.

Edit: Alamy sends out the payment statement right at the beginning of the month automatically. Has nothing to do when your money is actually coming in. Same thing like with SS, they send out the payment amount via email days before the money comes in (...just to let you know...).

Thanks for the info.  I did know the payout statement was automatic, but the delay in payment seems excessive.  I am with Paypal, not bank transfer.  Maybe I should switch.  I am with BofA too, so I guess I would already have my money if I had opted for bank transfer. 

I switched from bank account to Paypal because is cheaper... Last payout I received on second day in December...
Today still noting!

I switched from bank account to Paypal because is cheaper... Last payout I received on second day in December...
Today still noting!

My paypal payment arrived today, so yours probably will be by the end of the day. 

Quote from: borg on March 09, 2012, 04:35

I switched from bank account to Paypal because is cheaper... Last payout I received on second day in December...
Today still noting!

My paypal payment arrived today, so yours probably will be by the end of the day. 

+1 Thanks!

I've got sales from Oct and Nov of last year. The Oct one just cleared about two weeks ago but the one from Nov is still pending. I think that is a bit long to be sitting in the pending pot. That's 3 1/2 months ago. I'm hoping maybe the end of this month it will finally clear. But I'm afraid if I hold my breath I might die...lol

3 1/2 months is still a puppy. I had some from July take until December.

It's not Alamy that's slow to pay it's the customers.

I don't know why Alamy doesn't start a pay as you go or Net 30 payment plan. But 3-4 months is nothing to get excited about.

... PayPal doesn't have any provision for money receiving, so is there any fees for money transfer from Alamy to your US bank account?
If any fee is there, I have to switch back to Paypal...
Thank you in advance!

I'm in the US and a customer of Bank of America. I always get the full amount from Alamy! No fees!

Hm! Payoneer's bank is "First Century Bank"...
It seems that will be some interbank fees...  So probably I need to sacrifice one transaction to check it...

As you mentioned, Payoneer's US Payment Service allows you to receive ACH/Direct Deposit transfers from select US corporations (Alamy included).  There is normally no added fee for direct deposit (US ACH) transfers, as they're local bank transfers, however it would depend on the sender.

If you have any questions regarding our US Payment Service, or if anyone would like to apply, I'd be more than happy to assist.