Shutterstock Photographer Forum :: View topic

phildaint · Joined: 26 Sep 2011 Posts: 5

hi all, i am currently an exclusive contributer on DT and now i have nearly 1000 images with them i'm thinking of branching out (not keeping all your eggs in one basket kind of thing)

if anyone is willing to share information how are your sales/income on here per x images online

cheers, Phil

hhltdave5 · Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 5:48 pm

It varies depending on factors such as how many images you have, their quality, commercial value, how they are keyworded etc. I can tell you this that Shutterstock has been my best selling stock site since I started over 6 years ago. Over that time I make about 3 times more here than I make at DT. I have been with DT since the beginning as well.

jatrax · Joined: 07 May 2011 Posts: 242 Location: Pacific Northwest

I doubt you will get too many people to post their sales numbers but I sell about 5x more on SS than on DT. That's dollars not images.

But you would have to give up exclusive at DT, not sure if they have a waiting time to allow you to do that and then you have to factor in any royalty cut at DT if they give exclusives more.

phildaint · Joined: 26 Sep 2011 Posts: 5

1 month then I can start on other sites. Being on dt I
Sure your aware of the recent sales... I was going to say slump but it's more of a dissapearing act!

I think by the sounds of it I'd make way more being on the 2 once I have shots uploaded here...

ruxpriencdiam · Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:43 pm

SS also doesn't have the "Similar" rejections as much as they do.

darla · Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Posts: 889

Like any other site, you will get mysterious rejections, but otherwise I like Shutterstock just fine. I have been with them for years.

The important things are that support is responsive, (when you do need them, which isn't often) and payments are prompt.

Sales are good, too.

Mike Price · Joined: 06 Jun 2008 Posts: 2919 Location: South Wales

straehle · Joined: 08 Jan 2007 Posts: 527 Location: Santa Barbara, CA

I think that even after losing the exclusive premium, that you'll do better here than the other site, not to mention being on both sites. I have more images here than there by a factor of four, but with the exception of one month, I have made more any month here than in the first six month of 2012 there.
Even though average sales/dl may be higher at other sites, I have found that the number of dls is consistently higher here.
If I were to be an exclusive, this is the only site that it would be economically feasible for me to consider.

kikkerdirk · Joined: 27 Feb 2009 Posts: 14

You can check my sales at different agencies at
http://biginmicrostock.com/pages/agencies/my-experience-in-microstock.html

blahsum · Joined: 18 Sep 2011 Posts: 52 Location: South Africa

Unless you have reasons to keep an image with one service, spread as wide as the various inane submission processes you can handle. None of these sites demand exclusivity unless you agree to it with a specific image (and at a nice price).