Price differential

[MicheleB]

For the second time this month, one of my images has been licensed for personal use for $10.78, my share 50%. If it says right opposite the image where it's for sale that it's $19.99 for personal use, why is Alamy selling it for half that? Seems it would be better for both Alamy and me to sell it for the price it's advertised for.

[sb photos]

2 hours ago, MicheleB said:

For the second time this month, one of my images has been licensed for personal use for $10.78, my share 50%. If it says right opposite the image where it's for sale that it's $19.99 for personal use, why is Alamy selling it for half that? Seems it would be better for both Alamy and me to sell it for the price it's advertised for.

 

I can remember seeing $19.99 listed for PU, but just now checking my last upload it shows as $9.99. I have very few PU sales, they have been for around $10, $15 and $19, and they are welcome in the current climate. Image sales usually never represent the prices listed by Alamy. A sale earlier this month for editorial web use or blog was nearly twice Alamy's listed price, I wouldn't want that reduced to $29.99. I guess the sale prices we obtain are the maximum Alamy can sell for and the market can stand, as higher prices are in everyone's interest. Not denying many lower prices are demoralising. I guess we have to sell more. BTW, all of my port are RM.

[Steve F]

5 hours ago, MicheleB said:

For the second time this month, one of my images has been licensed for personal use for $10.78, my share 50%. If it says right opposite the image where it's for sale that it's $19.99 for personal use, why is Alamy selling it for half that? Seems it would be better for both Alamy and me to sell it for the price it's advertised for.

 

 

It's £9,99 in the UK, but up to $19.99 for the US - it depends on the country.

 

Edited July 27, 2020 by Steve F

[VbFolly]

Looking at the price list in the UK, it is £9.99 currently (note pounds sterling), which is about $12. That's usually about the price I get for PU licences as most of mine are sold in the UK. I have occasionally had $19.99 for a PU sale to the US. Another factor apart from different prices in different countries is that Alamy are offering image packs for 30% off.

[MicheleB]

Thank you all for your response. I'm in the US and it says $19.99 for personal use opposite my images, which are both RM. One sale says Worldwide, but usage is partly in German, which could account for the price difference. The other says Worldwide and everything is in English, so I have no idea where the buyer is. It would be nice if Alamy would answer this question rather than us just speculating among ourselves. I emailed them both times, but received the coronavirus response that said ask the community on the forum.

[John Mitchell]

My PU/presentation sales this month are all over the place -- e.g. 6.99, 9.07, 11.06, 13.96, 19.99 (all USD).

 

There are probably all kinds of reasons for these differences. The official price here in Canada is US $19.99, which currently translates into about CAN $26. I'd say that about half of my PU/presentation sales show up at this price.

Edited July 27, 2020 by John Mitchell

[MicheleB]

It would be nice if Alamy were a little more transparent about their pricing.

[John Mitchell]

5 minutes ago, MicheleB said:

It would be nice if Alamy were a little more transparent about their pricing.

 

Image packs, distributor sales, and nonexclusive images (40% to us) all have an impact.

[MicheleB]

Yes, I know, but these two images were exclusive and not part of an image pack or through a distributor. I got 50% of a sales price that matches nothing and is a little more than half the usage price advertised. When the office reopens for questions, I want to ask again.

[Steve F]

2 hours ago, MicheleB said:

It would be nice if Alamy were a little more transparent about their pricing.

Hi Michele,

It is kind of frustrating, but it depends how you look on it. Alamy have got a basic price guide that varies from country to country. I almost never get one of the quoted basic UK prices. Because I assume most clients haggle, get some sort of discount for repeat or bulk purchases, or simply have a cheaper pricing structure in their country. And I assume Alamy's sales team work hard to get the best price they can get as it's commission for Alamy as well as the contributor. The best price they can get I'm sure is significantly influenced by the huge amount of competition from other agencies. The market is saturated and it's a buyer's market to a large extent unless you have a particularly unique image (and even that doesn't help sometimes...) I get the impression from the Forum that Alamy provides more info than some competitors, but I could be wrong.

Steve

Edited July 27, 2020 by Steve F

[MicheleB]

There are definitely a lot of bulk sales for very low prices. And you're right, they do provide quite a bit of info on usage. It does seem that it's a race to the bottom in the stock photo business. Ah, for the good old days....

[Phil Robinson]

On 27/07/2020 at 18:07, John Mitchell said:

My PU/presentation sales this month are all over the place -- e.g. 6.99, 9.07, 11.06, 13.96, 19.99 (all USD).

 

 

$11.06 is €9.99.

On the plus side, from January €9.99 will be about £28

Edited July 28, 2020 by Phil Robinson

[MicheleB]

Here's the official response from Alamy: "Our price calculator lists the 'shop front' pricing; this varies slightly from time to time depending on the territory, who a customer is and if they have their own pricing structure."

 

So, basically, the prices you see opposite your images mean nothing.

[spacecadet]

On 29/07/2020 at 08:10, MicheleB said:

So, basically, the prices you see opposite your images mean nothing.

Not much. Believe me, half the list price is a very good result these days.

I haven't looked at the list prices for years- I don't like reading sad fiction.😀