Dave Colman Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Got my first 'big' image sale @ $26.26, then I looked at my account. Alamy commission 60% $9.45, distributor commission 40% $10.50. Is that right, I get hardly anything from the sale ? My last 2 sales were $1.91 and 80% commission of $1.53 taken. Barely seems worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve F Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Hey Dave, yes that's right unfortunately. Distributor sales take a large chunk out of what you get. It sounds like you're in the Silver tier for commission if Alamy is taking 80%. I'm surprised then that they only took 60% from the distributor sale - but I guess it might be a pre-commission switchover sale. I'm not sure many of us are just doing it for the money these days, with the drop in sale prices generally, but more as a hobby / sideline that brings in some income. I'd advise you to increase your portfolio size so you can hit the gold commission tier ($250 gross annually is the threshold). I'm not sure how typical I am in terms of sales and portfolio size, but as an example, I have approx. 4000 images and I'm on $1,293 gross so far this year. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Morrison Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 28 minutes ago, Steve F said: I'm not sure many of us are just doing it for the money these days, Well, everybody else in the stock image industry is “doing it for the money”. It's only the contributors who are now expected to provide top-quality images as some kind of hobby… 😕 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Crean Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 54 minutes ago, John Morrison said: Well, everybody else in the stock image industry is “doing it for the money”. It's only the contributors who are now expected to provide top-quality images as some kind of hobby… 😕 Truth! And that's why we ought to be complaining about the ridiculous low fees whenever they occur. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Colman Posted July 23, 2022 Author Share Posted July 23, 2022 I'm not doing it for the money, have only been on stock sites just over a year. At the moment it gives me a reason to go out and something to concentrate on as I recover from long covid. I enjoy taking photos and this just gives me another option on what to do with them. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 50 minutes ago, Dave Colman said: I'm not doing it for the money, have only been on stock sites just over a year. At the moment it gives me a reason to go out and something to concentrate on as I recover from long covid. I enjoy taking photos and this just gives me another option on what to do with them. Something you might come to wish you'd kept to yourself. Most contributors here are working professionals, some with decades of experience, whose livelihoods are being wrecked in no small part due to hobbyists like yourself happy to work for next to nothing. Sorry but best to call a spade a spade. Stock photography is not therapy. 1 2 3 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Colman Posted July 23, 2022 Author Share Posted July 23, 2022 5 hours ago, spacecadet said: Something you might come to wish you'd kept to yourself. Most contributors here are working professionals, some with decades of experience, whose livelihoods are being wrecked in no small part due to hobbyists like yourself happy to work for next to nothing. Sorry but best to call a spade a spade. Stock photography is not therapy. Not happy to work for nothing hence the thread querying figures. As for wrecking peoples livelihoods, that's a bit dramatic considering I only started last year and from what I gauge in these forums money has been going down for years. Stock photography may not be therapy for you and many others but it is for me at present due to my situation. I have spent many years in photography from retail management with Jessops to freelance and professional work. I know people on these forums that I sold camera equipment to and advised in the past. I think you will find I have helped more than I have hindered. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meanderingemu Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 6 hours ago, spacecadet said: Something you might come to wish you'd kept to yourself. Most contributors here are working professionals, some with decades of experience, whose livelihoods are being wrecked in no small part due to hobbyists like yourself happy to work for next to nothing. Sorry but best to call a spade a spade. Stock photography is not therapy. Though i understand where you are coming from, please do not dismiss any activities' therapeutic impact, and what works for each person. 1 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now