Tony ALS

I don't expect anything to improve either. New contributors might believe $0.10 is normal. As has been said here before, a race to the bottom.

As this isn't my living if they don't sell elsewhere it's not going to make any difference to me and at $0.10 per sale it might as well be nothing. It must be devastating to those who do live from stock and I would like to see Shutterstock wither and die and everybody to move elsewhere if it's possible for them to do so. AS seems to be working for some although the editorial barrier is a problem. I am new to all of this but having run my own business for 30 years it is appalling to change terms in the way it was done for contributors with almost no notice. i wouldn't attempt something similar with my clients, they would all run away! The timing given this health crises is of course making the whole situation even worse. At the end of this year switching off portfolios here might make SS sit up and take notice if enough do it. Even if there is a positive change for contributors the trust has been lost. Sad.

Don't think you're following the plot🤨. The time spent getting images onto shutterstock makes deleting the lot an annoying prospect so by deleting them gradually and having them available on other sites means at least I get something for my time but once sold they are no longer available here. By the end of this year what's left will all be deleted. Only uploading new content onto other sites and so far over 2,000 images with 1,600 not on shutterstock since March 2020. Hope you are successful with whatever you are doing Milo J but more importantly staying healthy. Best of luck.

Maybe, but then another $0.10 sale appeared so another image deleted🙄

Coincidence? Sales have dried up since I started deleting images which have sold.

I've decided like others to remove images once they have been downloaded and sold for the pathetic amount of $0.10. No point in undercutting yourself with the same images available with other agencies who pay more. I can't bring myself to delete everything as I like everyone spent time getting them onto the site in the first place. I don't have a huge amount on here but as my by best selling image just sold again for the 29th time I have removed it and a similar image. I hope the same image is now found elsewhere and I get paid a little more. I will abandon SS at the end of the year if nothing changes, which I hope is what the majority of contributors do, so that SS wake up to the mess they have created. I do feel for those who have built a business and rely on the income generated here. Seems other agencies do not have the reach of SS but that might change if the site loses thousands of contributors. Sad situation during these uncertain times.

Understandable anger where so many rely on the income from stock and I am equally shocked at the way this has been thrust upon everyone. Surprised, no because business always follows the same pattern and having used service providers for 30 years in my main business there is a reason I have switched 10 times. Greed is the dominant factor, nothing else. What will happen eventually is that the company will be sold on and the shareholding directors will make a nice profit followed by even worse terms for contributors. Change is uncomfortable but will always happen and being prepared for change is part of business. Those who wisely use several stock sites will not be immune but will at least have protected themselves from a disastrous overnight drop in income. I have been contributing for a very short period (since February 2020) and have been pleasantly surprised to see sales which have just started to increase and become regular although it's peanuts from a very small portfolio. To immediately see that the amount paid will drop significantly is my bad luck from a timing point of view. But as I am one of the despised hobby/amateur contributors the difference it will make to me is non-existent as I never expected this to provide me with any decent income. I just enjoy creating images and if anyone wants to pay for them all the better. I am already on other stock sites and will join the many who have stopped uploading here for now as there isn't much point in doing so at the rates being paid from Monday. SS are too big and this is part of the problem but is also the reason I have only so far seen any sales here. When significant amounts of money come into a company the attitude at the top changes and the founding principles get forgotten. Sad that human nature is so self destructive. I wish everyone well and to concentrate on finding alternatives as there are plenty out there. Health not wealth is so important at this time and however this affects your income, staying healthy has to be the number one priority. I couldn't resist having my say and I notice several contributors have posted on this thread fro the first time. SS take note please, it might not be too late but who is listening?

Success! So far all original art work accepted. As pointed out, the only one looking impossible is the VW Beetle. I will look into other places to give this a home. Thank you for the advice and tips.

Thanks for the links Linda. Appreciated. Have a good day.

Thank you Sheila. Comforting to hear that it's not just me!

Thanks for all the comments and advice. I've tried resubmitting the VW as editorial but appreciate it's unlikely to be accepted. I have resubmitted the windmill and others with the titles and keywords changed to see if that is the problem and removed any signatures. As a new contributor I am learning all the time! Finding the detailed information on Shutterstock for what is and isn't possible is overwhelming for someone new to this and seems a little wanting making the forum invaluable.

Thanks for the reply Sheila. Appreciated. So I can't have my own signature on my own art work? Seems an odd rule. The property releases are all correct, I have double checked so I really don't understand. The windmill has been submitted twice now and rejected both times. Is it possible to submit art work as editorial where it is a recognisable car in this instance?

A bit lost as to why my own art which consists of original paintings which I have added my signature to (only initials and year) are being rejected. Title / Keyword Trademark: Title and/or keywords contain trademark issues (e.g. brand name, company name, etc). Personal Branding / Time Stamp: Images cannot contain signatures, watermarks, personal logos, or time stamps. Both applied to a watercolour painting of a Volkswagen Beetle which I do understand contains a brand name so I need to find a way around this. But another example is a countryside scene with a windmill which also came back with the trademark rejection. Property releases to verify that the art work belongs to me were attached of course. I have seen original artwork on the site and even another watercolour of the same windmill so I must be missing something. Any advice appreciated.