Author Topic: Which agencies have you stopped contributing and why? (Read 14433 times)

davidbautista · « **on:** December 13, 2018, 17:35 »

Hello. I was wondering about what agencies have you contributed your assets and after some time you stopped to do so or actually deleted the account? Why such decision?

pancaketom · « **Reply #1 on:** December 13, 2018, 18:12 »

stockxpert, Istock, Veer, 3dstudio, photodune, bigstock, 123RF

Mostly because they lowered my take beyond my threshold or threw me out or were closed.

Brasilnut · « **Reply #2 on:** December 13, 2018, 19:22 »

Canstock. Canva and 123rf are on my "delete watch list"

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #3 on:** December 13, 2018, 20:11 »

The list is long, but many are ages old (such as Albumo or Gimmestock) where they looked promising but turned out to be a dud.

In general, the ones I've left have either done something scummy, not sold anything/enough, or cut royalty rates significantly.

123rf is an example of cut royalty rates - I was willing to see what happened with their tiered royalty rates based on sales, but left when their sales declined so much that I dropped one level (with a portfolio that was essentially the same as at SS but at the time, SS sales were growing and 123rf was shrinking). It seemed that their inability to sell my images would end up rewarding them with a higher share of whatever sales they did make and that p1ss3d me off, so I closed my account.

CanStock, ScandinavianStockPhoto, Veer, Pixmac are examples of declining sales.

I left BigStock when they introduced cheap subscriptions and would not let contributors opt out. I all but left iStock (I have about 100 files still there that contractually I can't license anywhere else that keep my account open) in February 2013 over the Getty/Google Drive mess - again they wouldn't let contributors opt out of a deal that was seriously unfavorable.

I left Envato when they dreamt up a lunatic new idea that a sale was between us and a buyer even though we never were paid the whole amount; I didn't want to deal with the tax issues for such a piddly agency. I left Creative Market when they changed license terms to allow items for resale in a standard license. To their credit they did engage in a discussion with sellers about the change, but it didn't work for me.

Canva left me when Lee Torrens blew a gasket because I was posting here about the progress on promised guidelines for contributors on wanted/not wanted content. This was when they started deleting approved content that had been selling and I had asked for some idea of what, if not the fact that buyers wanted to license the content, constituted acceptable images.

I haven't left GL Stock, StockFresh Pond5 or Dreamstime but haven't uploaded there in several years. I hope for change, but I think that's wishful thinking on my part

I did sign up with PhotoCase, but couldn't figure out what they wanted (tried two or three batches I thought might work for them but they were declined; they didn't give any specific reason) so that wasn't really leaving - more like annulling a marriage that was never consummated

davidbautista · « **Reply #4 on:** December 13, 2018, 21:39 »

Quote from: pancaketom on December 13, 2018, 18:12

stockxpert, Istock, Veer, 3dstudio, photodune, bigstock, 123RF

Mostly because they lowered my take beyond my threshold or threw me out or were closed.

What happened with 123RF? I actually stopped to upload new assets there.

@Jo: 123rf is an example of cut royalty rates <- I agree. The RPD is veeery low there.
I did sign up with PhotoCase, but couldn't figure out what they wanted <-- Apparently no one knows.

@Brasilnut: what happened with Canva? Not enough sales? I think they take too much to review.

Jo Ann, great answer. But I wonder now, in what agencies do you contribute? I only can imagine SS, AS and Alamy?

In my side, I started to upload in 123RF but now it's just a waste of time. Including you HAVE to e-mail them to review your assets which I find odd.

AlessandraRC · « **Reply #5 on:** December 13, 2018, 21:57 »

Zoonar no sales

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #6 on:** December 13, 2018, 23:38 »

Quote from: davidbautista on December 13, 2018, 21:39

...But I wonder now, in what agencies do you contribute? I only can imagine SS, AS and Alamy?

I have some or all of my images at SS, AS, Alamy, EyeEm (and thus many are at Getty). My portfolio isn't being added to, but is at DT, Pond5, GL Stock, Stockfresh and FineArtAmerica (I stopped paying them, so I can't upload more as I'm over the 25 images you get for free), iStock, Society6, Redbubble and my own site (which happily accepts whatever I choose to upload

)

dpimborough · « **Reply #7 on:** December 14, 2018, 01:55 »

Deleted: Zoonar, YAY, Panther, iStock

Stopped uploading: 123rf, Depositphotos, GL, Canstock, Bigstock

Went bust or closed: Veer

Harvepino · « **Reply #8 on:** December 14, 2018, 03:32 »

Stopped uploading: GL, Bigstock, YAY, Panther, Crestock, Stockfresh, Feature Pics,... and few years back some agencies that never produced a penny: Clipdealer, Cutcaster and some that don't exist anymore.

Canva accepts some 1-2% of my uploads, so thats close to not uploading at all.

I was kicked out Photodune back in time.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 14, 2018, 03:38 »

Quote from: Harvepino on December 14, 2018, 03:32

Stopped uploading: GL, Bigstock, YAY, Panther, Crestock, Stockfresh, Feature Pics,... and few years back some agencies that never produced a penny: Clipdealer, Cutcaster and some that don't exist anymore.

Canva accepts some 1-2% of my uploads, so thats close to not uploading at all.

I was kicked out Photodune back in time.

Your list is very similar to mine apart from Stockfresh...but I stopped sign elements too. I still upload to Bigstock from some sense of misplaced optimism.

Steveball · « **Reply #10 on:** December 14, 2018, 05:29 »

Photodune, Stockfresh and Yay for the same reasons as above. Still waiting for final payment from Yay after a month, anyone have problems getting paid from them?

davidbautista · « **Reply #11 on:** December 14, 2018, 06:26 »

Quote from: Pauws99 on December 14, 2018, 03:38

Quote from: Harvepino on December 14, 2018, 03:32
Stopped uploading: GL, Bigstock, YAY, Panther, Crestock, Stockfresh, Feature Pics,... and few years back some agencies that never produced a penny: Clipdealer, Cutcaster and some that don't exist anymore.

Canva accepts some 1-2% of my uploads, so thats close to not uploading at all.

I was kicked out Photodune back in time.
Your list is very similar to mine apart from Stockfresh...but I stopped sign elements too. I still upload to Bigstock from some sense of misplaced optimism.

I saw everyone dropped Bigstock... But it's one of my favorites

Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk

Pauws99 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 14, 2018, 07:32 »

Quote from: davidbautista on December 14, 2018, 06:26

Quote from: Pauws99 on December 14, 2018, 03:38
Quote from: Harvepino on December 14, 2018, 03:32
Stopped uploading: GL, Bigstock, YAY, Panther, Crestock, Stockfresh, Feature Pics,... and few years back some agencies that never produced a penny: Clipdealer, Cutcaster and some that don't exist anymore.

Canva accepts some 1-2% of my uploads, so thats close to not uploading at all.

I was kicked out Photodune back in time.
Your list is very similar to mine apart from Stockfresh...but I stopped sign elements too. I still upload to Bigstock from some sense of misplaced optimism.
I saw everyone dropped Bigstock... But it's one of my favorites

Enviado desde mi ALP-L29 mediante Tapatalk

Which proves almost every site works for someone

Brasilnut · « **Reply #13 on:** December 14, 2018, 08:17 »

Quote from: davidbautista on December 13, 2018, 21:39

Quote from: pancaketom on December 13, 2018, 18:12
stockxpert, Istock, Veer, 3dstudio, photodune, bigstock, 123RF

Mostly because they lowered my take beyond my threshold or threw me out or were closed.
@Brasilnut: what happened with Canva? Not enough sales? I think they take too much to review.

Their best sellers tend to be backgrounds, wallpapers type shots, which aren't my strength. I do have some (below) on there but just those small 35c sales most of the time.

I'll hold onto to them and try to capture more backgrounds and just give them what their buyers want.

rene · « **Reply #14 on:** December 14, 2018, 08:22 »

Long time ago for poor results:
Lucky Oliver, Yaymicro, Featurepics, Crestock, canstock, Pantermedia, Scanstockphoto,, Mostphotos, Bigstockphoto
2 years ago Dreamstime after revealing real contributor name scandal.
Recently 123rf for commission cut & slow sales.

davidbautista · « **Reply #15 on:** December 14, 2018, 08:34 »

Quote from: Brasilnut on December 14, 2018, 08:17

Quote from: davidbautista on December 13, 2018, 21:39
Quote from: pancaketom on December 13, 2018, 18:12
stockxpert, Istock, Veer, 3dstudio, photodune, bigstock, 123RF

Mostly because they lowered my take beyond my threshold or threw me out or were closed.
@Brasilnut: what happened with Canva? Not enough sales? I think they take too much to review.

Their best sellers tend to be backgrounds, wallpapers type shots, which aren't my strength. I do have some (below) on there but just those small 35c sales most of the time.

I'll hold onto to them and try to capture more backgrounds and just give them what their buyers want.

I see. They are kind of special because they don't accept much. I had a lot of flower photos that they accepted but now I take more editorial and science photos and they reject them all lol. Maybe some backgrounds would pass. Have you ever had a biggest sell? (not the 35 cents).

JAFO · « **Reply #16 on:** December 14, 2018, 08:35 »

Quote from: rene on December 14, 2018, 08:22

Long time ago for poor results:
Lucky Oliver, Yaymicro, Featurepics, Crestock, canstock, Pantermedia, Scanstockphoto,, Mostphotos, Bigstockphoto
2 years ago Dreamstime after revealing real contributor name scandal.
Recently 123rf for commission cut & slow sales.

Real contributor name scandal? I dropped Deposit because of the many times they try to cheat us in different ways.

davidbautista · « **Reply #17 on:** December 14, 2018, 08:36 »

Quote from: JAFO on December 14, 2018, 08:35

Quote from: rene on December 14, 2018, 08:22
Long time ago for poor results:
Lucky Oliver, Yaymicro, Featurepics, Crestock, canstock, Pantermedia, Scanstockphoto,, Mostphotos, Bigstockphoto
2 years ago Dreamstime after revealing real contributor name scandal.
Recently 123rf for commission cut & slow sales.

Real contributor name scandal? I dropped Deposit because of the many times they try to cheat us in different ways.

What happened with Dreamstime?

Alex M · « **Reply #18 on:** December 14, 2018, 13:42 »

Depositphotos - poor sales and high maintenance, buggy interface. They would often reject files that other agencies approved without a problem.

spike · « **Reply #19 on:** December 14, 2018, 14:41 »

Stopped uploading everywhere except for SS, Fotolia (AS) and P5.

Deleted account: BS, Photodune.

Maybe I can't do anything about the race to the bottom as an individual, but the amount of effort needed to submit files to other agencies wasn't worth the hassle, so I dropped them. Maybe if enough people follow suit, other agencies start giving contributors better terms. But I doubt it, with the factories and poor *insert country* contributors.

mindstorm · « **Reply #20 on:** December 14, 2018, 14:55 »

Quote from: davidbautista on December 14, 2018, 06:26

I saw everyone dropped Bigstock... But it's one of my favorites

I dropped BS because of their bug in uploading. If you select more than one image to set the categories on, then ALL metadata gets changed to the first image. The title, description, keywords ALL CHANGE when you only wanted to set the category.

I told them of the bug close to a year ago. Their response was "yes, we know about the bug and are working to fix it. In the meantime, just edit one at a time." That was a year ago, and the bug still exists...

BS sales are so pitifully small that I am not willing to put in that effort only for them.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #21 on:** December 14, 2018, 15:14 »

Quote from: Alex M on December 14, 2018, 13:42

Depositphotos - poor sales and high maintenance, buggy interface. They would often reject files that other agencies approved without a problem.

Though they are now accepting them after several years! I assumed they'd deleted apparently not!!!

davidbautista · « **Reply #22 on:** December 14, 2018, 18:28 »

Quote from: mindstorm on December 14, 2018, 14:55

Quote from: davidbautista on December 14, 2018, 06:26
I saw everyone dropped Bigstock... But it's one of my favorites

I dropped BS because of their bug in uploading. If you select more than one image to set the categories on, then ALL metadata gets changed to the first image. The title, description, keywords ALL CHANGE when you only wanted to set the category.

I told them of the bug close to a year ago. Their response was "yes, we know about the bug and are working to fix it. In the meantime, just edit one at a time." That was a year ago, and the bug still exists...

BS sales are so pitifully small that I am not willing to put in that effort only for them.

Also when some file mysteryously uploads with some issue, it's a nightmare to delete it.

stockshots · « **Reply #23 on:** December 14, 2018, 18:45 »

For me it was Istock (getty) convoluted upload system, no support, and the effort was just not worth the rates.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #24 on:** December 15, 2018, 02:57 »

Quote from: davidbautista on December 14, 2018, 18:28

Quote from: mindstorm on December 14, 2018, 14:55
Quote from: davidbautista on December 14, 2018, 06:26
I saw everyone dropped Bigstock... But it's one of my favorites

I dropped BS because of their bug in uploading. If you select more than one image to set the categories on, then ALL metadata gets changed to the first image. The title, description, keywords ALL CHANGE when you only wanted to set the category.

I told them of the bug close to a year ago. Their response was "yes, we know about the bug and are working to fix it. In the meantime, just edit one at a time." That was a year ago, and the bug still exists...

BS sales are so pitifully small that I am not willing to put in that effort only for them.

Also when some file mysteryously uploads with some issue, it's a nightmare to delete it.

I had one with wrong title and keywords to be honest I can't be bothered to mess with it...DP for me is a site I upload and forget.

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Author Topic: Which agencies have you stopped contributing and why? (Read 14433 times)

davidbautista

pancaketom

Brasilnut

Jo Ann Snover

davidbautista

AlessandraRC

Jo Ann Snover

dpimborough

Harvepino

Pauws99

Steveball

davidbautista

Pauws99

Brasilnut

rene

davidbautista

JAFO

davidbautista

Alex M

spike

mindstorm

Pauws99

davidbautista

stockshots

Pauws99

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