Author Topic: $0.25 versus $0.38 (Read 16767 times)

cthoman · « **on:** February 16, 2013, 13:42 »

I've seen the argument a lot about not wanting to undercut SS with lower paying sub sites, but how much money are we actually talking about?

If you sell at the vaunted top level at BigStock, 50K a year, you'd make $19K a year at $.38. That same number of sales at $.25 is $12500. So, it is a difference of $6500 a year or a little over $500 a month. It's a nice chunk of change that all of us would definitely like, but it's not necessarily life changing.

Of course, most of us don't have 50K sub sales a year. If you sell 2000 images a month, it's $260 a month. 1000 images, it's half that at $130 a month. And so on.

That's not really a huge difference unless you have huge sales volumes, so why are we quibbling over pennies (literally)? It seems like attacking the small, extra small and web sizes would be a much more profitable complaint area. These sizes are really undercutting your profits.

Travelling-light · « **Reply #1 on:** February 16, 2013, 14:47 »

Quote from: cthoman on February 16, 2013, 13:42

I've seen the argument a lot about not wanting to undercut SS with lower paying sub sites, but how much money are we actually talking about?

If you sell at the vaunted top level at BigStock, 50K a year, you'd make $19K a year at $.38. That same number of sales at $.25 is $12500. So, it is a difference of $6500 a year or a little over $500 a month. It's a nice chunk of change that all of us would definitely like, but it's not necessarily life changing.

Of course, most of us don't have 50K sub sales a year. If you sell 2000 images a month, it's $260 a month. 1000 images, it's half that at $130 a month. And so on.

That's not really a huge difference unless you have huge sales volumes, so why a quibbling over pennies (literally)? It seems like attacking the small, extra small and web sizes would be a much more profitable complaint area. These sizes are really undercutting your profits.

You're right, it doesn't make much difference.
The thing is, we just received the renewal notice for our house and contents insurance. We have to pay an extra $19 per month. That isn't much money either, but where is it going to come from?
Will our total earnings increase by $19 per month to cover it? Or will BS attract buyers from other sites who currently pay more?
Scott says the subscription plan is aimed at BS buyers. Are they the ones who currently result in a payment to us of a minimum 50 cents?
Maybe I'm missing something fundamental, but for years I've wondered this:-
Big corporations have to constantly increase their profits to satisfy their shareholders. They all want to drag more money out of us. If we have less money, we can't spend it.
How are we supposed to buy their products if we haven't got any money?

cthoman · « **Reply #2 on:** February 16, 2013, 15:45 »

It's definitely tough because all of us (I assume) could use the money. And, you can only really fight the battles that are in front of you. Unless, you start new battles and attack. I have to say though, I'm almost at that point. But, I'm afraid it would just be me standing by myself in a field yelling charge.

It just annoys me that we argue over these new perceived threats and pine for the old deal we used to get. But when you look at that deal, it kind of stinks too. I mean selling 50,000 files and only making $19K. That seems like a huge failure. A very impressive failure but still a failure. Shouldn't you be making at least $50K for selling 50K files? Maybe, even closer to $250K.

I can understand why guys like Jon Oringer are lauded for their business acumen because the rest of us are doing such a sorry job with ours.

Mantis · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2013, 16:34 »

It's about the perpetual critical mass of pay cuts we keep taking up the butt. One cut leads to a competitive response and some other MS site decides to do the same. Then, when they get away with it once, they get the bright idea to do it again sometime down the road. Alamy, although not MS, is a classic example. Istock with their RC system has the threat of a cut looming over us each year. So to me your calculation is flawed, because over time those pennies add up to a lot more than "just" the difference between BS & SS.

sharpshot · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2013, 16:45 »

If the difference is $130 a month, that's $1,560 a year. After 10 years it's $15,600. That's not what I would call pennies.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 16, 2013, 17:00 »

does that mean you wouldn't worry to get back to 25 cents at SS?

one penny here and there doesn't make much difference but in 35k contributors it is a lot of money (and again for the agency)

BaldricksTrousers · « **Reply #6 on:** February 16, 2013, 17:08 »

Any undercutting happens in the price buyers pay for each file they use, not in what we get paid for it.

stockastic · « **Reply #7 on:** February 16, 2013, 18:16 »

I think what you're saying is that microstock makes no sense at 38 cents a sale, and it makes less than zero sense at 25, so why should we care about the difference?

cthoman · « **Reply #8 on:** February 16, 2013, 18:28 »

Quote from: luissantos84 on February 16, 2013, 17:00

does that mean you wouldn't worry to get back to 25 cents at SS?

one penny here and there doesn't make much difference but in 35k contributors it is a lot of money (and again for the agency)

It really wouldn't be that big of a deal for me. Honestly, I gave up more eliminating each of these agencies individually (iStock, 123RF, Fotolia and Vectorstock).

luissantos84 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 16, 2013, 18:32 »

Quote from: cthoman on February 16, 2013, 18:28

Quote from: luissantos84 on February 16, 2013, 17:00
does that mean you wouldn't worry to get back to 25 cents at SS?

one penny here and there doesn't make much difference but in 35k contributors it is a lot of money (and again for the agency)

It really wouldn't be that big of a deal for me. Honestly, I gave up more eliminating each of these agencies individually (iStock, 123RF, Fotolia and Vectorstock).

indeed, I know, more to come!

Pixart · « **Reply #10 on:** February 16, 2013, 18:34 »

I have not seen much indication that Bigstock actually has customers. If they don't have existing customers to sell subs to - where will they come from?

And, when I had a 6mp camera 25 cents wasn't a dirty deal. New cameras nowadays start at 16 or 20mp don't they?

luissantos84 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 16, 2013, 18:39 »

Quote from: Pixart on February 16, 2013, 18:34

And, when I had a 6mp camera 25 cents wasn't a dirty deal. New cameras nowadays start at 16 or 20mp don't they?

the most basic SLR from Nikon (D3200) has 24.2 MP for less than 400 pounds, in the USA for less than 600$

click_click · « **Reply #12 on:** February 16, 2013, 18:44 »

Quote from: cthoman on February 16, 2013, 13:42

... So, it is a difference of $6500 a year or a little over $500 a month. It's a nice chunk of change that all of us would definitely like, but it's not necessarily life changing.

First, if you can spare $500 a month feel free to send them my way. They sure are life changing for me.

Second, this makes me think of this:
Black Books | Rip-Off | Channel 4 (The video's owner prevents external embedding)

cthoman · « **Reply #13 on:** February 16, 2013, 18:53 »

Quote from: sharpshot on February 16, 2013, 16:45

If the difference is $130 a month, that's $1,560 a year. After 10 years it's $15,600. That's not what I would call pennies.

It does add up, but compared to what you probably lose on small sized images and subscriptions existing in the first place... I can only imagine how insignificant it is.

Quote from: stockastic on February 16, 2013, 18:16

I think what you're saying is that microstock makes no sense at 38 cents a sale, and it makes less than zero sense at 25, so why should we care about the difference?

Basically.

qwerty · « **Reply #14 on:** February 16, 2013, 21:51 »

38cents is nearly 50% more than 25cents.
If this was my fulltime work it would be more than significant.

luissantos84 · « **Reply #15 on:** February 16, 2013, 22:35 »

Quote from: qwerty on February 16, 2013, 21:51

38cents is nearly 50% more than 25cents.
If this was my fulltime work it would be more than significant.

52%

RacePhoto · « **Reply #16 on:** February 17, 2013, 00:00 »

You've totally lost me. Are you comparing future sales on BS to existing sales levels at SS, at whatever level someone is on SS vs projected sales on BS? (starting at everyone at level 1, which I don't understand from them either? Or are we based on last years sales?)

Here's the catch. Our sub sales at BS are right now, $0 and have been forever $0. We have no data to work from to see how this compares.

BS is a smaller site, has less sales, will have less sales. I can't see buyers jumping over for less of the same files, because a majority of BS is the same bridge files and the same files that pretty much everyone uploaded to both sites. In other words, lower price, poorer selection.

If BS just takes subscriptions and downloads from SS, I'd agree, we lose.

But if the new deal brings new buyers and improves sales, we get out usual from SS and in increase in commissions from BS. Which is a raise, no matter how I look at it.

Somewhere people need to see how this works out, before condemning it, and complaining how it's going to hurt income, when it hasn't had one month in action yet. Is that unreasonable to ask?

Quote from: cthoman on February 16, 2013, 13:42

I've seen the argument a lot about not wanting to undercut SS with lower paying sub sites, but how much money are we actually talking about?

If you sell at the vaunted top level at BigStock, 50K a year, you'd make $19K a year at $.38. That same number of sales at $.25 is $12500. So, it is a difference of $6500 a year or a little over $500 a month. It's a nice chunk of change that all of us would definitely like, but it's not necessarily life changing.

Of course, most of us don't have 50K sub sales a year. If you sell 2000 images a month, it's $260 a month. 1000 images, it's half that at $130 a month. And so on.

That's not really a huge difference unless you have huge sales volumes, so why are we quibbling over pennies (literally)? It seems like attacking the small, extra small and web sizes would be a much more profitable complaint area. These sizes are really undercutting your profits.

qwerty · « **Reply #17 on:** February 17, 2013, 05:38 »

Quote from: luissantos84 on February 16, 2013, 22:35

Quote from: qwerty on February 16, 2013, 21:51
38cents is nearly 50% more than 25cents.
If this was my fulltime work it would be more than significant.

52%

thanks, I apologise to all the readers of this thread.
I'd hate people to to think 50% more of 25cents gives a total of 38 instead of 37.5cents
I'm so sorry !

Poncke · « **Reply #18 on:** February 17, 2013, 06:19 »

Anyone who says that 500 dollar a month "it's not necessarily life changing" and "not really a huge difference" has lost all touch with reality.

Beach Bum · « **Reply #19 on:** February 17, 2013, 06:38 »

Quote from: Poncke on February 17, 2013, 06:19

Anyone who says that 500 dollar a month "it's not necessarily life changing" and "not really a huge difference" has lost all touch with reality.

It's all relative, I guess. $500 a month would be a huge difference for me. For others, maybe not so much.

Poncke · « **Reply #20 on:** February 17, 2013, 06:45 »

Quote from: Beach Bum on February 17, 2013, 06:38

Quote from: Poncke on February 17, 2013, 06:19
Anyone who says that 500 dollar a month "it's not necessarily life changing" and "not really a huge difference" has lost all touch with reality.

It's all relative, I guess. $500 a month would be a huge difference for me. For others, maybe not so much.

It is relative, but if you can no longer see that 500 dollar a month does make a difference for a lot of people, you have lost touch with reality.

Beach Bum · « **Reply #21 on:** February 17, 2013, 07:02 »

Quote from: Poncke on February 17, 2013, 06:45

Quote from: Beach Bum on February 17, 2013, 06:38
Quote from: Poncke on February 17, 2013, 06:19
Anyone who says that 500 dollar a month "it's not necessarily life changing" and "not really a huge difference" has lost all touch with reality.

It's all relative, I guess. $500 a month would be a huge difference for me. For others, maybe not so much.
It is relative, but if you can no longer see that 500 dollar a month does make a difference for a lot of people, you have lost touch with reality.

Very true.

heywoody · « **Reply #22 on:** February 17, 2013, 10:33 »

The bottom line here is that +/- 50% is huge no matter what level you are at.

tab62 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 17, 2013, 11:08 »

"So, it is a difference of $6500 a year or a little over $500 a month. It's a nice chunk of change that all of us would definitely like, but it's not necessarily life changing."

I haven't had a pay raise in over 4 years, they are talking about a furlough this year where I have to give up 11 days pay plus a possible 5% pay cut, my property taxes have gone up each year, gasoline has gone up, my food has gone up, my medical has gone up, my kids college tuition has gone up, my auto insurance has gone up, my heating utilities has gone up AND NOW YOU WANT ME TO GIVE UP $500 a month on my SUBS in Microstock to make the MS Companies RICHER? I am trying my best to not use a COLORFUL METAPHOR on this site!

luissantos84 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 17, 2013, 11:23 »

even a person doing 5k $, 500$ is still 10%, we are the ones that need extra money not agencies

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Author Topic: $0.25 versus $0.38 (Read 16767 times)

cthoman

Travelling-light

cthoman

Mantis

sharpshot

luissantos84

BaldricksTrousers

stockastic

cthoman

luissantos84

Pixart

luissantos84

click_click

cthoman

qwerty

luissantos84

RacePhoto

qwerty

Poncke

Beach Bum

Poncke

Beach Bum

heywoody

tab62

luissantos84

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