New payout level comes at a cost !!?

[Semmick Photo]

Do you realise that if you make 2000 dollar on Alamy you are now going to pay 68 dollar to get that money.

 

It seems the discussion has shifted to attacking people who are upset by this change. 

[woody]

Getting regular payments via paypal from 5 agencies and have had occasional one-off payments from a number of others, some for tiny amounts.  I've never paid a cent in charges - I'm pretty sure that charging for paypay transfers would be unique, regardless of the amount. 

[Stephen Rees]

I've always found Skrill gives me more money when I have to convert from dollars.  Even with the small withdrawal fee, it works out cheaper than PayPal.  There's no need to use the Skrill card, I just transfer the money to my bank account.

[Stephen Rees]

Getting regular payments via paypal from 5 agencies and have had occasional one-off payments from a number of others, some for tiny amounts.  I've never paid a cent in charges - I'm pretty sure that charging for paypay transfers would be unique, regardless of the amount. 

No not unique, there's several sites I've used that have a PayPal fee.

[Alamy]

Do you realise that if you make 2000 dollar on Alamy you are now going to pay 68 dollar to get that money.

 

This is incorrect. Paypal typically charge a 2% fee but depending on where you are and the currency you deal in fees are capped. Alamy do not dictate these fees.

 

Fee information is here:

 

http://www.alamy.com/contributor/help/sales-payment.asp

 

We have also sent an email out regarding this change. If you haven't got it, the wording is here:

 

------------------------------------------

We’ve made some changes to our Contributor Contract.

 

 

The key changes are listed here. You can read the full contract here.

 

 

The reason we’ve changed the contract is because we’ve lowered the payment threshold from $175 to $100.

 

 

The changes take effect on 30th November 2013.

 

 

We don’t need anything from you but we recommend you keep a copy for your records once you’ve read it through.

As always, email us if you have any questions. 

 

 

Thanks,

[Alamy]

A previous mail also stated:

We know our payment threshold has been a frustrating subject for you guys, so we’ve decided to lower this from $175 to $100.

If you’re based in the UK or US and get paid by bank transfer, or get paid via Skrill we’ll continue to absorb all the transaction fees that go with paying thousands of photographers.

If not, unfortunately there’ll be a small charge - we thought the benefit of getting paid quicker outweighs this and there’s an option to avoid paying these regardless of where you live - see the image below;

 

 

We’ve added this to your Contributor Contract. The key changes are listed here. You can read the full contract here. We’ll also be sending you a formal notification by email, mainly because our legal people say we have to and we don’t want to upset them.

The changes come in on 30th November 2013 so if you have $100 or over cleared in your account by December 1st you’ll get paid in the December pay run.

As always, email us if you have any questions.


Thanks,

[Steve B]

When you get into photography it's very hard to do anything free of charge. 

 

Kit = cost

website = subscription

software = subscription

plugins = cost

selling kit on ebay = fees

Alamy = 50% fee

 

How do we expect other business' to provide a service like wire transfers for free? Alamy absorb the cost of UK and US transactions because that's likely bringing in a boatload for them so absorbing the transaction costs makes sense. I do feel there should be an option for people in the EU. Stay with the £175 or lower it and get a fee via the transaction vendor. 

 

Closing accounts and leaving Alamy isn't really going to hurt Alamy much, however, blaming Alamy for lack of sales, fees, transaction costs isn't going to provide an answer to why portfolios aren't selling well. That responsibility lies with the person behind the camera. 

 

A shocking truth and I'll incur a few red ones for that but it's the truth. 

A greenie from me.....

[ManWay]

Yeah, thanks Alamy.

 

So if you owe me $175 I end up paying an additional  $3.10 for my Euros to EU bank transfer  . That's another 1.8% you've taken off me together with the 17% for the USA office and the 6% for the German thing.

 

We should be able to opt for a higher threshold and not incur these fees.  

 

RW

[Steve B]

Alamy is a UK company and much of its business is in the US so why should it bear the cost of paying into euro accounts?

Another thing, it's rather bad form to run down your agent on a public forum. Alamy is not our employer and we don't have to use it. If we do, we abide by the contract.

Definitely agree about not running down Alamy on a forum for all to see as it's  bad practice......, I have worked for myself for 35 years and lately  with 50 % of my time doing photography and the other 50 % doing my other trade sub contracting where I have to take various tests get certificates to carry out works which I have to pay for, pay for tools, pay for vehicles and fuel and public liability insurance and then at the end of the day I get a small percentage of what the company charges me  out for... now if I kept on moaning about how they are making all of that money out of me ( with all of their high overheads buildings permanent staff costs  etc ) I know what their answer would be ... Take it or leave it....it's your choice.

[John Mitchell]

A previous mail also stated:

We know our payment threshold has been a frustrating subject for you guys, so we’ve decided to lower this from $175 to $100.

 

If you’re based in the UK or US and get paid by bank transfer, or get paid via Skrill we’ll continue to absorb all the transaction fees that go with paying thousands of photographers.

 

If not, unfortunately there’ll be a small charge - we thought the benefit of getting paid quicker outweighs this and there’s an option to avoid paying these regardless of where you live - see the image below;

 

 

We’ve added this to your Contributor Contract. The key changes are listed here. You can read the full contract here. We’ll also be sending you a formal notification by email, mainly because our legal people say we have to and we don’t want to upset them.

 

The changes come in on 30th November 2013 so if you have $100 or over cleared in your account by December 1st you’ll get paid in the December pay run.

 

As always, email us if you have any questions.

 

 

Thanks,

I am based in Canada, but I have a US$ bank account at my Canadian bank, so bank transfers from Alamy are US$ to US$. Am I now going to be charged additional fees by Alamy even though there is no currency conversion involved? My bank already charges me US$15 for the incoming transfer from Alamy. Thanks.

 

P.S. Pardon my ignorance, but what does "ROW" stand for?

[Jose Elias]

This means that I'll be paying $3.10 for the bank transfer that until now was free.

 

Picking up an idea read elsewhere why should I, and many other contributors I'm sure, who have uploaded thousands of images which actually sell and meet payout every month suffer, simply because some contributors uploaded a couple of test images that were approved because they were sharp and got an occasional sale but never get to the payout limit?

 

Is this the way alamy treats the most committed contributors to this agency, that despite the brutal fall in sales volume and rate value still upload and are able to make a monthly payment?

[Gervais Montacute]

I am in the UK and don't sell enough images to worry about it one way or another at the moment.

 

But I can't stand Paypal in anyway, shape or form. It's almost to the point of revoltion afaik. Terrible company.

[photocatseyes]

I knew I was going to be glad with a dead sparrow. I for one am one of those people who sell occassionally, so for me the lower level of payout is welcome. That is until I saw that I will have to pay extra to get paid via paypal... I do pay paypal already 3 percent on getting my money, and Alamy is already getting a big chunk of my sold photograph, which they got money for almost immediately BTW. My money has been stashed in their account for months now (139 dollar - can't live of it but it's nice to have) so I thought it was wonderful that I was finally going to see it... 

Now I reread the mail and it starts in November 2013, which will probably mean that I will get my 139 dollar in december, minus the 3 percent for Paypal and the charge that Alamy charges me... Hopefully that won't be 138 dollar or I might have to pay them actually...

It's very hard to be motivated to keep posting between QC and the waiting time of our money. Sigh... The water in the end always runs to the see doesn't it... There I was, happy for five minutes at the thought of finally getting some payment, untill I realised that it will be another two months before it is in my account... Sigh again. ;o(((

[Niels Quist]

Take it or leave it....it's your choice.

 

Yes, you are right, and this may very well be the latter........

[Jose Elias]

"Definitely agree about not running down Alamy on a forum for all to see as it's  bad practice......, I have worked for myself for 35 years and lately  with 50 % of my time doing photography and the other 50 % doing my other trade sub contracting where I have to take various tests get certificates to carry out works which I have to pay for, pay for tools, pay for vehicles and fuel and public liability insurance and then at the end of the day I get a small percentage of what the company charges me  out for... now if I kept on moaning about how they are making all of that money out of me ( with all of their high overheads buildings permanent staff costs  etc ) I know what their answer would be ... Take it or leave it....it's your choice.

Alamy is a UK company and much of its business is in the US so why should it bear the cost of paying into euro accounts?

Another thing, it's rather bad form to run down your agent on a public forum. Alamy is not our employer and we don't have to use it. If we do, we abide by the contract."

 

Steve B,

 

This forum is the tool alamy provided for contributors to communicate between each other, but more importantly, as a way for the generality of the contributors to communicate with alamy itself, as recognized, in an interactive way that cannot be achieved by mailing the Services.

 

If this forum is public it's a decision made exclusively by alamy, and if the critiques received prove to be too unpleasant, all it takes for alamy to do is to close the discussion, eventually ban a member, or make this a private forum, which I don't think it would be a bad idea.

 

If your way to do business is to accept everything anyone wishes to give you, and you don't feel the right to negotiate and make the work even if you just get paid a handful of peanuts, that's your problem. As a matter of fact, it's being discovered some farms in Spain using Slave Labour. I can try to discover the address since it's ok for you to work with payment others decide to give you and not protest...

 

I, not being consulted in this decision and not having any chance to negotiate, only have left the possibility to express my views in this forum. Despite the incredible unbalance between me and alamy I still feel we're partners and before anyone decides to leave I think we have the right to speak what we think to our other partner.

 

If it's public, again, it's a decision made by alamy and many times commented. Honestly I think some members are more worried about this issue than alamy, who could take measures at any time all along these years. Unless you believe they don't know how to make this forum private...

[DavidC]

John ROW = Rest of World

[John Mitchell]

John ROW = Rest of World

OMG am I ever out of the loop! Thanks.

 

Skrill, here I come, by the sounds of it.

[Mark]

 

 

 Take it or leave it....it's your choice.

you forgot the "or change it" bit that is usually in that sentence 

 

Our low-earner friends managed to have it changed downwards didn't they? I am fully against this change, since it creates more transactions on lower license payouts, increasing total admin costs for alamy (who are likely to transfer this cost elsewhere, as we observe). With interest rates and inflation where they are today (some countries excepted!), a quick look at the numbers tells you that leaving the money at alamy for a few months (or even a year depending on country), and then no fee charged when paid out would be way better, particularly for low-$ payouts.

 

GERMANY INFLATION RATE: 1.43%

UNITED KINGDOM INFLATION RATE: 2.70%

[Niels Quist]

 

 Take it or leave it....it's your choice.

you forgot the "or change it" bit that is usually in that sentence 

 

Our low-earner friends managed to have it changed downwards didn't they? I am fully against this change, since it creates more transactions on lower license payouts, increasing total admin costs for alamy (who are likely to transfer this cost elsewhere, as we observe). With interest rates and inflation where they are today (some countries excepted!), a quick look at the numbers tells you that leaving the money at alamy for a few months (or even a year depending on country), and then no fee charged when paid out would be way better, particularly for low-$ payouts.

 

GERMANY INFLATION RATE: 1.43%

UNITED KINGDOM INFLATION RATE: 2.70%

 

+1

[Bill Brooks]

Many members asked for a lower payment threshold, so this change comes under the category of "be careful what you wish for".

 

The change costs me more money, because I always got paid at the end of the month, even when the threshold was $350. Because the threshold was lowered for photographers that have trouble taking pictures that sell, and because I reside in Canada, I will have an extra charge at the end of the month.

 

I am sure that Alamy is not profiting from this change, but Alamy has to keep the overall cost of paying all photographers at the same level. Hence I have an extra charge at the end of the month so Alamy can pay poor sellers faster.

 

There should be a provision for non US non UK "foreigners" to opt for a higher payment, no charge, threshold.

 

Alamy should stop listening to some people on this forum.

[Ace]

A couple of thoughts for Alamy from me.

 

I think there could be a choice of thresholds for people to opt into either $100 or $175 as others have suggested to keep everyone happy.

 

I can see the benefits of a lower threshold for new contributors to Alamy (But not necessarily new the stock business) so that they can `grow` their portfolio / collection and get paid in the early days as it grows.

 

Whilst this business has been around for some years Alamy will rely in the future on new photographers learning the business as the older ones die off or retire.

 

This model of business will be around for many years to go , ok fees will reduce as they have over the past few years, however, if people keep uploading excellent images theirs should be found and rewarded

 

 

On another note, my other business is in Sports retail. I have stock, rent/lease, staff, Barclays bank charge me to allow people to pay me through cash, cheques, credit cards, i have an online shop where

 

i let people pay me using paypal. I pay a fee to them as well. I am the first in the last out usually and the last to get paid every month. Take the least holidays etc etc

 

( In this business If all i had to do was worry about losing a couple of percent through paypal i would be a happy man ;-) )

 

But as said, perhaps a choice of threshold should keep most people happy it seems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jill Morgan]

 

Do you realise that if you make 2000 dollar on Alamy you are now going to pay 68 dollar to get that money.

 

This is incorrect. Paypal typically charge a 2% fee but depending on where you are and the currency you deal in fees are capped. Alamy do not dictate these fees.

 

I have a business account with Paypal, and I don't pay any fees to send money, only to receive money. So why is Alamy being charged to send money?

 

This means I am paying both ways, to have it sent and to receive it.

 

Jill

 

 

[John Mitchell]

I still think that a "payout on demand" model would have been the best way to go. That way people could have chosen their own thresholds. Too late for that now, though. Hopefully, Alamy won't lower the new $100 threshold any further now that additional fees -- be they necessary or not -- are involved.

[LiT]

....

[Michael Willis]

I think the fairest option all round would be to have a higher (say $300 or so) completely fee free payment threshold, but for a small charge also allow contributors to request a payment when their balance is below this level.