Just wanted to share that Dreamstime keeps the remaining balance at account closure. Really shifty policy considering their payout threshold is 100$.
Sales were so poor I wasn't going to get my money until next year anyway.

Quote from: thx9000 on June 24, 2019, 14:00

Just wanted to share that Dreamstime keeps the remaining balance at account closure. Really shifty policy considering their payout threshold is 100$.
Sales were so poor I wasn't going to get my money until next year anyway.

Odd because when I closed mine, I politely requested payment and account closing, they paid me after a few months. I was not at threshold. Times change so maybe that did too. But I wrote first and they sent the money, I didn't just delete everything and ask for money.

I disabled all my images first and then emailed them. It shouldn't make any difference. They already took their share of the sales. Keeping that money is just a low blow.

How to close dreamstime:

System 1

1-. Wait for more than 100 dollars
2-. deactivate images
3-. request paymente
4-. when you havce money, close account

System 2:
1-. apply for exclusive
2-. Dont be real exclusive

Quote from: Uncle Pete

Odd because when I closed mine, I politely requested payment and account closing, they paid me after a few months. I was not at threshold. Times change so maybe that did too. But I wrote first and they sent the money, I didn't just delete everything and ask for money.

Was that recently or a few years ago?

I see that your question got included in a quote and I missed it.

More than a few years ago.

All I was trying to point out was, I asked, I got the money, after that I disabled everything. If someone disables and closes their account and then asked for payment, DT might have a different answer. I wanted the money before I shut down.

Who knows, they might have changed the policy and they just keep artists money if someone doesn't make the threshold. Or maybe they like me? 

So my addition to the caution and warning is, get the money first!

But Pete�s advice is still sound...always cash out, then close your account.

Comparing with Depositphotos, last year when I asked them to close my account I had some measly ~19$ on my balance. I didn't even care about that money but they were the ones insisting of sending them to me. Several years ago when I closed at Veer they also sent me the remaining royalties despite being under the threshold. I mean that's how you deal with contributors if you have some minimum of decency. Dreamstime is just a cheap agency run by cheap people.

Quote from: Fairplay on June 27, 2019, 07:48

The thread is about Dreamstime! Your payment is from Deposit where the limit is $50.

Sorry wrong closing.  I'll have to search a different computer, further back in the past.

Just saying, they did pay me 2009 or 2010, below threshold maybe $20 total, and I think it took over 60 days to happen, because they wanted all sales to clear.

DT also has that percentage deletion rule and they had my photos for months, after my account closed. I was able to rejoin in 2018 and I have about 100 files there, kind of, just in case place.

Quote from: gillian vann on June 27, 2019, 21:58

i've been trying for months to get them to pay me, that whole ID thing is ridiculous. I wasn't going to close my account but I think I will after I get my money.

Didn't SS and IS (or the rest) require a photo ID to create an account? What kind of extra ID is DT asking for that's upsetting people. I don't get it? I'm pretty sure that the IRS requires accountability, but what's the issue?

Yes Did...Shutterstock no longer do it as part of their "strategy"of allowing anyone to join with the minimum of vetting or quality control.....no wonder its flooded with poor quality work and stolen images.

You do have to fill in a Tax form at SS which has to be approved to get any payment. I have to enter my Tax Id number given by the UK govt...whether they validate this I can't say. I suspect like many things SS do it gets them off the hook should there be an issue.

Quote from: Pauws99 on June 30, 2019, 15:02

You do have to fill in a Tax form at SS which has to be approved to get any payment. I have to enter my Tax Id number given by the UK govt...whether they validate this I can't say. I suspect like many things SS do it gets them off the hook should there be an issue.

Exactly. Plus for me at least the name matches that of my PayPal ac. and in my model releases.
So why does DT require an Id. now in order to release payment. They were paying me since 2007 without one. SS have never asked me for an id. since I joined them in 2007 and the other sites don't require one either.

Interesting, as I had to upload an approved ID to many sites, before they would allow me to upload and sell images. I guess times change? First must have ID, then not. I know I did for SS and IS and that was 2007.

I still go back to security and taxes. If someone hacks into an account and tries to claim your money, then the screams are, why don't they have better security.  How does the IRS audit who owes them money if anyone can make up a name and paypal account and get paid?

This no ID news is great for image thieves, no accountability and if one account is closed, they can just make up a new name. 

Yes Did...Shutterstock no longer do it as part of their "strategy"of allowing anyone to join with the minimum of vetting or quality control.....no wonder its flooded with poor quality work and stolen images.

LOL Microstock agencies always thinking of our best interests?

@Uncle Pete

It's not like you can have dozens of paypal accounts, unless you have dozens of bank accounts. A usable paypal ac. has to be connected to your bank and your bank knows who you are. They have seen your id. when you went there in person to open an account.

However, I'm not going to send one to a stock agency online, because I trust them way less than banks and I especially don't trust Dt.

Don't you remember when they made their users private information available for public viewing, without informing them first. I know of contributors who closed their accounts because of what they did. Dt soon reversed the action.

"Dreamstime recently made the unusual move of showing publicly some of its users confidential information, it was a test run for what they hoped would be a site wide change (for all users, sellers and buyers)."

http://www.microstockposts.com/dreamstimes-identity-crisis/

I know their email database was in all likelihood hacked because for around a couple of years, I kept on getting emails from someone claiming to be from dt and asking to click on something. However, the emails weren't from dt. There are threads about this in their forum, a lot of dt contributors received these emails. How did this person get hold of Dt users emails? Dt have never made an announcement like other sites do when they know that users information has been stolen.

And they want me to send them my photo id? No chance. Recovering from identity theft could cost be more time and money than it's worth.

Well I'm not a fan of old FT. Part of the reason I left was the explicit threats to artists, if we posted something they didn't like on social media or a forum like here, they would close our account. Someone here who's anonymous was IDed by another forum regular and the second person reported the guy to FT, and the account was closed. For what the first guy posted here?

Yeah, by the time DT got to the public information fiasco I was gone. I never understood why an agency would want to show private information.

I haven't gotten an email from Nicole Kidd (Dreamstime) EMail:[email protected] - the ACH form scam. Anyone who's reading this should make a note, Nicole was a real person who worked there, might still be, but these emails with a fake DOC file attached are a scam. What we don't know is, why do they always come from the same person? Did someone get into that email account and that's how they can find users? I've written to DT, others have too, we reported the fraud attempt, and no one I know of or here, has ever gotten an answer. Maybe someone did?

So bottom line, and other issues over the years at DT, you're preaching to the choir. 

I'll go back to the OP and the fair Subject. Use caution when closing your DT account, or you could lose your earnings. Minimum payment is $100, I closed my account and they paid me. It was less than $100. No story there.

Now about the ID thing. I can't tell you what to do. Seems like you have two choices, 1) kiss your money goodbye or 2) provide suitable identification and get your money.

I'm also surprised that agencies are opening accounts with no IDs to prove age, identity, real names, or documentation for the tax agencies including the US IRS. Pretty hard to say "we paid someone $X and collected taxes on that, but we really don't have a clue who it is, where they live or anything else." 

Just to accent this part, if you get an email from Nicole Kidd (Dreamstime) EMail:[email protected] - the attached ACH form is a scam. Someone is using the name of an employee or former employee at DT.

Quote from: gillian vann on June 27, 2019, 21:58

i've been trying for months to get them to pay me, that whole ID thing is ridiculous. I wasn't going to close my account but I think I will after I get my money.

Didn't SS and IS (or the rest) require a photo ID to create an account? What kind of extra ID is DT asking for that's upsetting people. I don't get it? I'm pretty sure that the IRS requires accountability, but what's the issue?

I'm sure I had to show ID when I joined (a million years ago). They want ID to pay me. I don't recall having to do that ever before. I sent through my ID but perhaps because it's changed from the original one? they declined it. Ridiculous. It's just an excuse to not pay me.

and to update, I still haven't managed to get payout approved, it's been 6 months now.

Why not just simply forget about your account?(That's what I'm about to do having more than 3000 photos there)