Hi all!

I am considering some sugestions for FP future in order to have better sales for my portfolio here. I believe that is in best interest of all authors and buyers here.

1. Volume plan - Just 800px and 1000px images available like FP is specializing in blog/web images sales... Why not make change and introduce Credit Single Sale Subscription model? There should be quite more buyers for more resoluiton than 1000px as well I believe that there are many people who need differently sized images for different projects regaring their design customers. The problem comes with authors who are selling their full resolution images for peannuts (approximately $1 or $2 mostly)... I'd rather do some price tweaks here and make all images same price depending on resolution. For example it would be clever to have 6mpix images priced on $5 for single sale. There are other authors who overpriced their images and here they are selling them for $10 and more while they are selling that same images on other agencies for less than $1. Isn't that wierd? Volume plan should be based on minimum $50 and up with some discounts for buyers.

2. Extended licence should be simplified and match $50 - $100. Introducing EXTENDED LICENCE SUBSCRIPTION PLAN would be smart also.

3. Minimum three months period subscription and 25 downloads a day would be clever to introduce also. Better to have sales to REAL VOLUME BUYERS who pay in advance $600-$700 than to have few or none downloads for 80 cents or $1 monthly! Let them have that images on credit base with no size limit and for approximately $1/dl. I'd rather have 30-40 cents per such download if it appears to become usual and massive downloads than just few bucks a month with current parameters.

4. What with exclusivity for images and authors? Current 70% commision is kind of exclusivity anyway. I'd rather give away even 20%-30% of my earnings per image to have more sales and maybe some exclusive images under that threatmant with a bit more commission than my widely spread microstock images... Exclusivity will be the way for agency to have strong authors base with unique images not to be found on other agencies... That would mean repeated return of many buyers! Exclusive images possibility will be clever move too.

5. Mid-Stock nitche should be considered very carefully and with care. I'd introduce product brand here which could be called "Featurepics GOLD collection". That would be images of authors who do not like subscription models and they are more likely to sell on Alamy, Getty and other Huge agencies with huge pricing for their works. That kind of images should not be found on microstock agencies and that are images to be priced as close as authors wish with attaining 50%-60% commision. The point here is that any of such images submitted must be HIGHEST QUALITY and with authors mark that he will NEVER sell such image on any microstock agency under low price. Also, to become such "FEATUREPICS GOLD AUTHOR" or to have "FEATUREPICS GOLD IMAGE" there should be biography and portfolio links on that other agencies with images selling there in "FEATUREPICS GOLD AUTHOR" application. Exclusives can have their best images also considered in "FEATUREPICS GOLD COLLECTION". I'd sugest prices from $30 - $100 for single sale and 10x multiply factor for FEATUREPICS GOLD EXTENDED LICENCES for that images. No subscription for this kind of images except SPECIAL GOLD SUBSCRIPTION model with 5%-15% discount.

6. Vectors should have also forced pricing due to some authors are making fun here and on other agencies. Some of authors are selling their vector images for 3 or more times higher prices than on some other agencies. Buyers should have trust in this agency and due to that agency should introduce some trustfull policy on such and similar issues.
I'd sugest that vectors have complexity division in basic, simple, medium, high complexity and elaborate. That should make the difference and even all prices in categories. Surely all that vectors will sell for $1 in three and more months subscription plan except the ones which are accepted in GOLD COLLECTION.

7. Introducing this big changes will need time and patience as well as totally reorganizing Featurepics as agency. But, I believe that will make very positive effects for all parties interested in good and healthy business relations. The most painful period will be cutting authors commissions on below 50% for three and more months subscription models. But, after some time it will show up as very smart move.

8. Free images should be no more than 400px size or they should be excluded from sales. Also, there should be introduced weekly free image: one vector and one photo original file size and format. This is very good for advertising of agency and authors. And maybe even to be payed for such image $5 to author?

What do you think about these sugestions?

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My portfolio on Featurepics

Zeljko, I think we are on the same track.
I will send a link to this post to all Authors.
I believe our clients need a little bit more "standard" services in terms of prices and licenses.
I sent you an email with a couple of questions.
I believe we need more standard micro and "gold" prices first.

Thanks! Elena.

You're welcome Elena!

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My portfolio on Featurepics

YES... That would be middle marker to start with...

Several size ranges:
Blog size or extra small,
web size or small,
medium size,
large size,
extra large size (6mpix mark),
extra extra large size,
XXX large size...

And what about vectors? Their value is not in size due to they can fit any size you imagine?
$10 or $9 I propose now for all vectors before standardization... Is it ok?

Standardizing vectors:

simple ($5),
medium ($7),
complex ($10),
highly complex ($15),
elaborate ($20)
Also, no more full size raster download with vector file - it would need to be separated from vector. Pricing for vector raster should be the same as for photographs.

Maybe someone else has some other pricing sugestions?

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My portfolio on Featurepics

small - up to 1 mpix = $2
medium - Up to 3 mpix = $4
large - Up to 15 mipix = $8
maximum - Up to infinity = $16

?

I don't know - anybody else?
It is hard to categorize so many different sizes in just 3

[EDIT]

I have some idea:
blog - 0.75mpix =$1
small - up to 1.5 mpix = $2
medium - Up to 5 mpix = $5
large - Up to 10 mpix = $10
HIGH - up to 19 mpix = $15
MEGA HIGH - over 19mpix = $20

or something close to that ;-)

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My portfolio on Featurepics

Well, we all know what category vector we created... It is just about its complexity... But, that should be reviewer who should check that checkbox.
Also, some simple vectors can be very valuable due to their specific appearance. So, not only size matters... It also comes up with some complex vectors which are sets of this or that and they are not to be considered as complex in categorizing... Hmmm tough job in front of you Elena and rest of FP crew indeed!

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My portfolio on Featurepics

There is already happening something among authors who are enough of overpolicing agencies and managements cuting commissions. They want to make new agency ;-) It is quite hard to do it from scratch I believe... But, some ideas are to be considered with care.
I don't know if this is smart but, I would give link to interesting microstock thread:

http://www.microstockgroup.com/general-stock-discussion/contributors'-collective/

I believe they may have interest in GOLD LABEL of Featurepics...

Maybe someone can invite them here to discuss some details?

[EDIT] OK I did it!

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My portfolio on Featurepics

Ok... Awaiting other Authors thoughts anyway...

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My portfolio on Featurepics

Milinz, question!, I try to price all of my photos to a fair market price, all of my pictures here are priced at $10.00 and they're all 10.1mpxs in size, which I think is a fair price, under your proposal what would be the price of a single purshased, full size picture like mine?, since you're talking about pricing photos equaly by size. You also mention that some of us authors sell our photos elsewhere at $1 and $2, not necessarily, that may be our commission if we're lucky, but the site charges much more than that to the buyer.

Exclusivity for a month on the site, before uploading to any other has being a popular subjestion for a Gold Label deal, personaly I like the idea very much, but obviously an atractive deal would have to be in place for a large enough group of contributors to go for it, and be worth the sites while (specially the big sellers).

I don't share that opinion. It is simple: life of one stock image is about 20 years or even more if it is good enough. What is one month compared to rest of 479 months in future 20 years?
6 months would be some period for me to think about, but one month is too short time frame for exclusivity.

GOLD collection wasn't supposed to be only exclusive category. It is supposed to be HIGH QUALITY with no microstock EVER! So, there is nitche to be achieved and I am sure you can make some images for such market... That kind of images are rarely the same as microstock images and some rules are different in execution.
So, exclusive plan I meant did not meant automatic GOLD LABEL... GOLD is for really high quality images regarding subject, models, categories and so on with that authors who are on Getty or Corbis and similar to can sell their work on independent agency. Gold label would not include best sold images on microstock sites at all! Gold label would be images with more classical look and with great execution... So, Gold will be hard to enter in as well as Gold should be very expensive in comparation to microstock prices. I don't know if you've ever heard for author Rarindra Prakarsa - this is pure GOLD:

http://photo.net/photos/rarindra

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My portfolio on Featurepics

Got ya! I think that's an excellent idea...it would balance the sales by quality not by pricing...I like it! also like some of the other point you're bringing up in the proposal.

Thanks.

Wow! amazing photos by Rarindra!...Good point on the exclusivity Milinz!...now I understand better where you guys want to go with the Gold Collection, I hope I'll be able to get 1 or 2 photos in there lol...sounds to me like a great plan all together guy, I look forward to working with FP for a very long time.

Please don't blame me if it fail

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My portfolio on Featurepics

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My portfolio on Featurepics