Payment - how long does it take to change the "Balance carried forward" to "Cleared balance"?

[RomanKybus]

I've been contributing to Alamy since 2020. I've sold a few pictures and Alamy sent me money as soon as I reached $ 50. I have sold more images since then, but the table at "Account Balance" still has "Uncleared" in the "Paid" column for all sold images since the beginning of February.

In my Account Balance I have:

Balance carried forward: $ 191.85
Cleared balance: $ 12.53
Next payment date: Not due

 

The balance carried forward gradually increases with the images sold, but the cleared balance is still the same since the beginning of February. Don't know how this is possible? How long can it take for it to change to Cleared balance? 2 months seems like a long time ...
Thanks.

[RomanKybus]

Thank you very much for the explanation.

[hotbrightsky]

Of course it would be useful if contributors could tell which credit terms applied to which sales. Then we wouldn't be kept guessing what our future income might be for 90 days or more!

[NYCat]

Go to Account balance in your Dashboard. You can choose the time period you want to see and which sales have cleared.

 

Paulette

[hotbrightsky]

5 hours ago, NYCat said:

Go to Account balance in your Dashboard. You can choose the time period you want to see and which sales have cleared.

 

Yes but this gives no indication when individual sales are likely to clear. It's a guessing game. Not acceptable in 2021.

[MizBrown]

2 hours ago, hotbrightsky said:

 

Yes but this gives no indication when individual sales are likely to clear. It's a guessing game. Not acceptable in 2021.

 

I've had payment for at least one license as late as several months after the invoice was issued.   If a company has to arrange their own payments for a book, then payment can be delayed.  If a company goes out of business, then that's not a payment that can be pursued.  Individual sales will clear when they clear. 

[MizBrown]

Further issues -- for thing in books or magazines, articles can be late, held up for various reasons (Covid probably pushed a lot of ordinary articles out of magazines and websites).  Writing is often paid on delivery or paid half on delivery and half on publication, or half on signing and half on delivery, or a third on signing, a third on delivery, and a third on publication.   Projects can be cancelled, sometimes with a kill fee, sometimes not.

 

[hotbrightsky]

On 14/05/2021 at 20:05, MizBrown said:

 

If a company goes out of business, then that's not a payment that can be pursued.  Individual sales will clear when they clear. 

 

 

On 15/05/2021 at 04:25, David Pimborough said:

 

you have to just live with it.

 

What a fatalistic approach to life. If a buyer goes bankrupt then, as one of their creditors, I expect Alamy to pursue them on my behalf.

 

After 10 years I will be leaving as soon as the 50% exclusivity commission is trashed. So no, I won't have to "live with it" any longer!

[MizBrown]

3 hours ago, hotbrightsky said:

What a fatalistic approach to life. If a buyer goes bankrupt then, as one of their creditors, I expect Alamy to pursue them on my behalf.

 

After 10 years I will be leaving as soon as the 50% exclusivity commission is trashed. So no, I won't have to "live with it" any longer!

 

If a book project is cancelled, then there's no money to chase as a book project editor or author is unlikely to be declaring bankruptcy over one failed project.   Harper Collins cancelled a number of books under contract in the early 00s because people were late turning in projects.  Books can also be cancelled because the advance orders didn't justify publishing it.

 

Newspapers and magazines can also kill articles.   Going after a minor unsecured debt can cost more than it's worth, too.   I've only had a very late payment once, as in more than six months, but it was eventually paid, and it was my second highest payment.

 

If people are not happy with Alamy, they should check out the terms with the other agencies.   Alamy was recommended to me by a net friend who had majored in photography, worked as a wedding and Bar Mitzvah photographer before going into internet technology, who is still an active amateur photographer and who has  photos with Alamy.  He only recommended one other agency.   We don't have to pay for space on Alamy's servers.

[Andy G]

You can also have personal sales that take time to clear too, I have one sold 3rd May not cleared yet and this is presumably without any credit extended to the buyer