Official reply from Shutterstock:
https://forums.submit.shutterstock.com/topic/95821-crossroads/?do=findComment&comment=1718006

It was a glitch after all but they are working on fixing it right now (and it is seen on the site)

Doublespeak.

�glitch� means �oops, they are onto us.�

�If the facts don�t fit the theory, change the facts.� -Albert Einstein!

He didnt have to!

I only see "Eighth Wonder" username on top of all searches now.

Are they the same guy?

The bottom half of page one and almost all of pages two and three (plus the top of page four) in most popular search. Tell me this is a "glitch." https://www.shutterstock.com/search?searchterm=super%20santa&sort=popular&image_type=all&search_source=base_landing_page&language=en&page=2&section=1

Note: I don't mean to denigrate this illustrator in any way. The illustrations are great. Just pointing out another instance where SS floods most popular in a category with work from one person.

I removed all my clips in the beginning of last week and put them all into pond5 and Lo and behold they've already sold twice and for good money!

Yet you only seem to have two clips there, with just 1 sale on one of them, priced well below the standard Shutterstock price.   

...and 3 clips still online at Shutterstock.

Quote from: increasingdifficulty on November 28, 2018, 03:23

Quote from: derek on November 28, 2018, 02:56

I removed all my clips in the beginning of last week and put them all into pond5 and Lo and behold they've already sold twice and for good money!

Yet you only seem to have two clips there, with just 1 sale on one of them, priced well below the standard Shutterstock price.   

...and 3 clips still online at Shutterstock.

Do I?  all my clips are baked in under what we call a " factory" been for many years! and not in "clager" that should only be stills! ..well it should be!! Better check it out?...btw the ones you saw, were they old moving engineering parts?

I see, my bad. Yes, they were the engineering parts.

Do you feel one can get better exposure being part of a "factory"?

For everybody late for the party, here is a summed up with visual screenshots how SS actually works behind the scenes: https://video-stock.org/the-magic-button-at-shutterstock/

I really can't understand the link between this "magic button" for one or two contributor with the "cap theory" on other thousands of contributors.

I don't know if it's a glitch, but is perfectly legit for the agency to give more space to best sellers contributor (too much space, unbelievable space, I agree!). But how could this affect the famous "cap"? These are two really different things, and one can't work well with the other one ;-)

Quote from: derby on November 28, 2018, 06:55

Quote from: Video-StockOrg on November 27, 2018, 11:55

For everybody late for the party, here is a summed up with visual screenshots how SS actually works behind the scenes: https://video-stock.org/the-magic-button-at-shutterstock/

I really can't understand the link between this "magic button" for one or two contributor with the "cap theory" on other thousands of contributors.

I don't know if it's a glitch, but is perfectly legit for the agency to give more space to best sellers contributor (too much space, unbelievable space, I agree!). But how could this affect the famous "cap"? These are two really different things, and one can't work well with the other one ;-)

if you can be promoted like this, you can also be demoted. #justsayin

but the cap/safety net theory says you cannot go up or down. #justthesamemonthaftermonth

To me it's more interesting as to where the clips came from, as mentioned by Video-stock in the blog, it's not the usual "I got better over time" port, they seem perfectly fabricated and diverse, I wonder if their ownership was transferred from someone else.

I wonder if they were produced by Shutterstock for Shutterstock.  Do they exist at other agencies...? 

Well - this puts an end to this debate (or maybe just starting it...)
I cannot find this situation not insulting (at best) and illegal (at worst)
It's one this to create a "select" collection - many agancies did so before (P5,Dissolve)
But to throw away all other clips from the first page, a place we worked so hard for so long to get to - this is just plain disgusting.
And these clips are priced at $399 a piece.

And above all - why couldn't they just tell us the plain truth - We are promoting our "select" collection clips on the account of all others. Sorry.

Just outrageous.

Well, that was a crappy move to pull on the long time contributors who got them where they are today. Sort of like ignoring the best of their photographers when they started offset. Hopefully they can at least dial down the oversaturation of their pet content at the top of the search.