Author Topic: iStock exciting news : $0.00 royalties (Read 11469 times)

Groucho · « **on:** January 17, 2021, 07:21 »

Hi all,

Royalties report for December is available.

I was surprise to discover two sales with $0.00 royalties at "China FotoPress VEER / Porta". It is not the connect royalties, it is not refunds; it is subscription sales with a $0.03 price; and 15% of $0.03 result in a $0.00 commission.
I already had $0.01 commission but I never had $0.00 royalties (excluding Connect).

However my RPD on iStock is much better than my RPD on Shitterstock : $0.62 vs $0.14 (in January). So, for me, SS is really the worst stock.

Astrantia · « **Reply #1 on:** January 17, 2021, 09:23 »

Those connect sales are a real pain in the a*- for 19 connect sales I get 0.11 cent for december 2020 *wow*
But the regular sales are still good with iStock for me: 25 regular sales for 43,85 $

My december RPD is $2,99 with iStock.... Better than any other agency.
That´s why I always forgive them those stupid connect sales......

Noedelhap · « **Reply #2 on:** January 17, 2021, 09:53 »

Just quit iStock and SS then. It's simple, really.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #3 on:** January 17, 2021, 13:17 »

If you think about it, tallying the rounding of sub-one-cent royalties on only a monthly basis is a way for Getty/iStock to keep a lot of cash they aren't entitled to.

If they were to keep a running total, accurate to many decimal places, in time they could pay out what they owe contributors. From their point of view, when you multiply the cash grab by enough contributors, it's another revenue stream. This won't save them from the debt their previous private equity owners saddled them with, but as contributors, we should be aware of every one of these accounting schemes (scams?).

helloitsme · « **Reply #4 on:** January 17, 2021, 20:42 »

You do it for "Exposure".

Sundry Photography · « **Reply #5 on:** January 17, 2021, 20:53 »

Istock is actually rounding to 5 decimal places, and the smallest royalties I saw is of 0.00002 $ (in the connect file). Also, based from the info provided, many of these ridiculously low commissions are from Cost Per View.

Copidosoma · « **Reply #6 on:** January 17, 2021, 21:27 »

On the bright side,

At least you aren't paying them for selling your images... yet.

Roscoe · « **Reply #7 on:** January 18, 2021, 04:43 »

Quote from: Sundry Photography on January 17, 2021, 20:53

Istock is actually rounding to 5 decimal places, and the smallest royalties I saw is of 0.00002 $ (in the connect file). Also, based from the info provided, many of these ridiculously low commissions are from Cost Per View.

With a counter reset per image at the end of the month, making many images don't even reach the threshold. At least, that's how I understood it.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #8 on:** January 18, 2021, 06:28 »

Not entirely sure why, but after being at iStock for over 5 years I've never once looked at the earnings reports (just the overall amount)... until I read this thread and decided to give it a try. Now I knew we got 20%, and I knew how much I was making every month, so I'm not exactly complaining... but I never knew I'd be getting as low as $0.03 for a video download! Makes Shutterstock look almost generous with their $0.26 sales!

Also makes me wish the occasional $275 sale was at somewhere with a higher royalty rate, so I was getting more than $55 for them! Ah well, them's the breaks.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #9 on:** January 18, 2021, 10:49 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on January 17, 2021, 13:17

If you think about it, tallying the rounding of sub-one-cent royalties on only a monthly basis is a way for Getty/iStock to keep a lot of cash they aren't entitled to.

If they were to keep a running total, accurate to many decimal places, in time they could pay out what they owe contributors. From their point of view, when you multiply the cash grab by enough contributors, it's another revenue stream. This won't save them from the debt their previous private equity owners saddled them with, but as contributors, we should be aware of every one of these accounting schemes (scams?).

Sorry to quote you, if this doesn't apply but when do we get credit for Connect Sales? I just see the separate reporting and never everything when I look at image sales, or am I looking at this wrong? I see a contributor share at $3.40 in one column and net earnings of $13.87 in connect.

"This won't save them from the debt their previous private equity owners saddled them with" Seems like nothing will in the near future.

My low connect for Dec. was .00005 or 5/100th of a cent.

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on January 18, 2021, 06:28

Not entirely sure why, but after being at iStock for over 5 years I've never once looked at the earnings reports (just the overall amount)... until I read this thread and decided to give it a try. Now I knew we got 20%, and I knew how much I was making every month, so I'm not exactly complaining... but I never knew I'd be getting as low as $0.03 for a video download! Makes Shutterstock look almost generous with their $0.26 sales!

Also makes me wish the occasional $275 sale was at somewhere with a higher royalty rate, so I was getting more than $55 for them! Ah well, them's the breaks.

15% for photos, 20% for Illustrations

Vadimgouida · « **Reply #10 on:** April 04, 2021, 14:39 »

What about royalty with minus. Does Istock reduce our earning?

Firn · « **Reply #11 on:** April 05, 2021, 01:19 »

Quote from: Vadimgouida on April 04, 2021, 14:39

What about royalty with minus. Does Istock reduce our earning?

They make adjustments if a person purchased a picture and got refunded or scammed iStock. Then this will result in a minus amount in your eranings the next month. But most agencies do this. It just seems to be a more regular thing there.

tätarätä · « **Reply #12 on:** April 05, 2021, 08:26 »

This 0,00x Sales has been so exiting that i canceled istock last year. Never regretted it.

marthamarks · « **Reply #13 on:** April 05, 2021, 08:53 »

Quote from: Noedelhap on January 17, 2021, 09:53

Just quit iStock and SS then. It's simple, really.

Yep. That was my solution.

I abandoned iS in 2011 and SS in 2020.

Life is too short to support shysters like Shitterstock.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #14 on:** April 05, 2021, 10:21 »

Quote from: tätarätä on April 05, 2021, 08:26

This 0,00x Sales has been so exiting that i canceled istock last year. Never regretted it.

I feel the same, and one of two things will happen. I'll stick it out, until I get to $100 or I'll just close in August so all the earnings will fall into 2021 and no more 1099 or tax problems.

Of course there could be a third, which is learn to love the abusive pay and $0.00032 credits for connect sales, and collect $50 a year (a bottle of single malt) for ignoring them. I'd have to some how get over looking, or caring, and just take the money, every couple years. (this is also known as sell out and become their willing victim)

So the personal decision keeps flipping back and forth. I ask myself around the 20th of every month... How much of an idiot am I, to sell my work and my soul for $50 a year?

oooo · « **Reply #15 on:** April 05, 2021, 13:22 »

talked with some beggars in town last time,
was told, some of the younger ones make up to 50 an hour,
but at last 50 a day.

oky · « **Reply #16 on:** April 18, 2021, 22:04 »

Quote from: Copidosoma on January 17, 2021, 21:27

On the bright side,

At least you aren't paying them for selling your images... yet.

It doesn't pay. But in essence we pay. Like Pond and Etsy, the seller pays x% when an item is sold. while at the microstock our income is taken x%. same right? the difference is the sellers in the marketplace get a bigger %. whereas we know how much we get; ")

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Author Topic: iStock exciting news : $0.00 royalties (Read 11469 times)

Groucho

Astrantia

Noedelhap

Jo Ann Snover

helloitsme

Sundry Photography

Copidosoma

Roscoe

SpaceStockFootage

Uncle Pete

Vadimgouida

Firn

tätarätä

marthamarks

Uncle Pete

oooo

oky

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