Has anybody else had a total loss of sales over the last few months?

[AndyMelbourne]

Over the last year or so I have had regular sales of 3-4 per month but all of a sudden......zilch.

 

Since the 22nd of Feb I have had no sales except for a refund and subsequent resale for a lesser amount after I reported that the use was for print only and I found it on the web (yes, another story).

 

This is not a whinge but a genuine question to see if I am on my own.

 

Since Feb my CTR is well above average and often creeping over 1.00, I have had over 50 zooms with 5 being unique reference number and constant relevent views on searches.

Also, I have found several of my images online in uk papers including a news feed image dating early April (which Alamy even informed me of the sale and paper)

 

I have asked MS if there is a problem with the system and apparently not as it is normal for such a small collection.

I have not yet reported my own sighting to Alamy yet but I am sure when I do they will appear as if by magic.

 

In brief, is anyone else having the same problems with similar stats with similar quantity of images (c3000)

 

Any opinions welcome.

 

Andy

 

[Andrew Spiers]

I have a very similar number of images as you and have sold the following since Feb;

 

Feb: 6 sales

Mar: 0 sales

Apr: 4 sales

May: 2 sales

Jun: 1 sale (so far)

 

And I know of another 3 sales waiting to be reported.

 

Over the last year, 27 sales, averaging approx. 2 a month. My CTR has bounced between 0 and 1 over the last year.

 

Not sure how hopefully that is but it gives you some figures to compare against. Over recent months, my collection is very heavily biased towards news rather than stock.

 

Andrew

[Gervais Montacute]

Well for it's worth, I took a look at your shots and they are really good imo. Unless you've radically changed your key wording then I would have thought it was just a general downturn that happens from time to time at a guess. 

[AndyMelbourne]

Thanks Andrew,

Your figures are similar to what I used to get and although my images are heavily travel biased I am further intrigued as to why.

[AndyMelbourne]

Gervais:

My zoom ratio does not indicate a keywording problem to me and I have not changed anything from what I would normally do.

It could well be a general downturn in travel imagery combined with the vast amount images now online. If my views and zooms were down I would assign the problem to that but my stat activity suggests different. Hopefully it might be a backlog in the system and I have hundreds of sales to appear (or not!).

The stats just do not add up.

 

Andy

[Niels Quist]

I think it is the inevitable fluctiations with a small portfolio. I sometimes experience the same.

 

In June I have so far had 4 decent sales, so I am not seeing the same picture at present.

 

I have stopped worrying much about my CTR unless my keywords turn out to be totally stupid.

[wiskerke]

Andy

 

I would check all zooms you had in Google Image search.

 

wim

[wiskerke]

Edit double post due to missing button on smartphone

[CandyAppleRed Images]

It is fairly quiet at the moment, with one smallish sale in June, but so far this year I am where I was in September last year, so things are picking up generally. Zooms and CTR are ok, but then again over half of my sales this year have not come from zooms anyway.

 

I am also seeing quite a few zooms/views by Alamy reference, which is usually a good sign of things to come.

[Lynne]

Whilst I am still receiving sales, I know of more than 10 newspaper sales, 3 being 'Alamy Live news' sales from mid March which have not shown up in my account yet. I emailed Alamy when the 3 months were up and was asked to contact them again in July should they still not be in my account by then! The ones from March are newspapers sales :Telegraph and Daily Mail both print and online.

 

Anyway, this isnt a rant just trying to make the point that you may still have several sales in the pipeline and hopefully they'll drop in your account soon.

 

Lynne

[long journey]

Also a loss of sales  in past few months while CTR % and zooms are sky high. Something has gone badly awry

[Nick Jenkins]

Yes - increase in number on Alamy, very noticeable decrease in zooms (although that is not really an issue as most of my sales haven't been zoomed) and zero sales. That is why I have come to accept Alamy will never be a key earner for me but/and I ONLY shoot stock if I am already at a location anyway and I only process during 'dead' time. That's NOT me being negative, just pragmatic and business-like.

nj

[CMEckert]

I'm having the worst sales/month in 10 years. What gives?

[Duncan_Andison]

Not good.... nothing this month so far. I've rolling zooms of about 28 so I hope they are all just waiting to convert 

 

Now, if only I had the same ration of income here as I do with my microstock stuff. 70 Files with SS and more often than not I get a dollar per file each month. Maybe I should spend more time on shooting stuff for them  The $28 downloads are nice

[Craig Yates]

Glad it's not just me.My sales so far this year have declined since December. Zooms have dropped since May. Plus 4 known sales outstanding.

DEC         11

JAN            7

FEB           7

MARCH      4

APRIL         2

MAY           3

JUNE          3

 

It's as if Alamy have lost some key buyers on top of huffington post.

I had a conspiracy theory that my sales were being given to someone else in error.

 

Regards

Craig

[John Mitchell]

I noticed a change beginning in late 2012. My average monthly averages definitely seem to be declining. This month is especially bad with only one sale reported ($180) so far in June compared to 12 sales in June 2012. Perhaps this is to expected as the Alamy collection continues to grow. I don't know.

[Stokie]

June not too bad for me with 6 sales for $270.

 

Jan - 4

Feb - 8 (best ever)

March - 7

April - 1

May - 3

 

Andy, it could just be the usual ups and downs.

 

John.

[AndyMelbourne]

Thanks for all of your replies.

I understand the downturn due to the sheer volume on Alamy and if I had the odd sale then it would not bother me. It's the big fat '0' that is strange considering the considerable statistical activity, but, it probably is what it is.

This thread is not meant to be a moan about "why are my pictures not selling" but a serious request to see if anybody else out there is suffering the same problem. No sales for 4 months!??!!!

For those that do news feed....how long do you find it takes to show as a sale? I had one in the Telegraph taken early April that is not showing. I will wait the 3 months and then self report but surely to encourage news then the system should be a bit quicker.

 

Thanks again

Andy

[AndyMelbourne]

Whilst I am still receiving sales, I know of more than 10 newspaper sales, 3 being 'Alamy Live news' sales from mid March which have not shown up in my account yet. I emailed Alamy when the 3 months were up and was asked to contact them again in July should they still not be in my account by then! The ones from March are newspapers sales :Telegraph and Daily Mail both print and online.

 

Anyway, this isnt a rant just trying to make the point that you may still have several sales in the pipeline and hopefully they'll drop in your account soon.

 

Lynne

It does make me wonder how many get through without payment unless they are self reported.

Andy

[DavidC]

With less than a week to end of month 50% down on numbers and well over 50% down on sales totals - so it does look like a dry old time. At the same time copyright infringement chasing has been more successful - with Settlement Release Agreements (SRA's) signed and waiting payment at a healthy level, and invoices out to infringers with a good chance of recovery numbering over 20.

 

But heck I am a photographer not an accountant with weaseling tendecies - I really wish Alamy would get it, and make an effort themselves - every © theft from the images in their library is a potential 50% loss of fee - many of the images taken are even reproduced with a little "Alamy" tag on as  if the thief is well aware that no 'Big Bear' will be on their trail - don't see this so much with 'G's' stuff - I wonder why ? 

 

When Alamy have chased up an 'unreported image' after all of the work has been done for them by locating it, screengrabbing it, and writing to them the reward has been just a small percentage of what I could have hoped to get if I handed it to a recovery agency.

[AndyMelbourne]

With less than a week to end of month 50% down on numbers and well over 50% down on sales totals - so it does look like a dry old time. At the same time copyright infringement chasing has been more successful - with Settlement Release Agreements (SRA's) signed and waiting payment at a healthy level, and invoices out to infringers with a good chance of recovery numbering over 20.

 

But heck I am a photographer not an accountant with weaseling tendecies - I really wish Alamy would get it, and make an effort themselves - every © theft from the images in their library is a potential 50% loss of fee - many of the images taken are even reproduced with a little "Alamy" tag on as  if the thief is well aware that no 'Big Bear' will be on their trail - don't see this so much with 'G's' stuff - I wonder why ? 

 

When Alamy have chased up an 'unreported image' after all of the work has been done for them by locating it, screengrabbing it, and writing to them the reward has been just a small percentage of what I could have hoped to get if I handed it to a recovery agency.

Although creeping off topic, I have to agree. Should Alamy employ someone to do this task then surely there is enough infringements out there to self fund the position and even make a considerable profit. This would also send out a signal to future copyright thieves.

Andy

 

[DavidC]

Is it creeping off topic - is it ?

 

Or could there be an element of cause and effect coming in here - with two of my images topping a thousand 'misuses' each, the effect is geometric with each use spawning more 'misuses' ?

 

Don't get me wrong, no-one is going to achieve redress from the vast majority of blogs and far eastern web uses, but Getty have a reputation for going after image thieves - just try a few forums with the repeated bleating about the 'cruel' activities of their weasels. It has certainly concentrated some minds and educated many more.

 

Anything that has a bearing on sales in the current market situation is worth considering and evaluating.......please consider this a 'branching' rather than a 'creeping off topic".......

[AndyMelbourne]

Is it creeping off topic - is it ?

 

Or could there be an element of cause and effect coming in here - with two of my images topping a thousand 'misuses' each, the effect is geometric with each use spawning more 'misuses' ?

 

Don't get me wrong, no-one is going to achieve redress from the vast majority of blogs and far eastern web uses, but Getty have a reputation for going after image thieves - just try a few forums with the repeated bleating about the 'cruel' activities of their weasels. It has certainly concentrated some minds and educated many more.

 

Anything that has a bearing on sales in the current market situation is worth considering and evaluating.......please consider this a 'branching' rather than a 'creeping off topic".......

I agree with you wholeheartidly David.

May I emphasise 'creeping'

 

Andy

[Brighton Coast]

For what its worth June has been a lot better month with 10 sales but May was the poorest for a while with just 3 sales

Swings and roundabouts

 

[Alex Ramsay]

What appeared to be a sudden drop from the end of April - only 3 low-value sales in May and none at all in June, from 3026 images. I opted out of the UK newspaper scheme on the 25th of April, so this slump is perhaps not entirely coincidental.