How to Choose a Stock Photo Bank for Image Purchases

Today, I would like to continue the previously started topic the pros/cons of purchasing images from stock photo agencies and discuss the existing sales models for images, making it easier for buyers to choose the right microstock for their needs.

Returning to what was previously written, let me remind you that you can buy photographs, illustrations, videos, flash from stock photo agencies through two sales models. For example, if you only need a few photographs or illustrations, you should focus on stock agencies with a pay-per-image sales model. This means you pay the stock agency a certain advance, which represents the cost of credits (the local currency unit of a specific stock agency), and you can buy a certain number of images from the stock agency. The largest stock agencies with pay-per-image sales are Dreamstime, Fotolia, iStockphoto, BigStockPhoto, and 123rf.

However, if you need a large number of quality images or if you constantly require new images, then stock agencies with a subscription sales model will definitely suit you. This will be a very profitable option, as stock agencies sell images on a subscription basis at wholesale prices.

The most famous stock agency operating on a subscription sales model is Shutterstock. For comparison, let me mention that in Shutterstock, with one of the subscription plans, you pay the stock agency $249, and within 30 days, you can download 25 images of any size daily from the stock agency. As a result, the final cost of one image under this plan will be 33 cents. Agree that this is quite profitable. Yes, and if you purchase a larger package, for example, for a year, the final cost of one image will be even lower.

In principle, almost all popular stock agencies offer subscription sales models, but undoubtedly, Shutterstock is the leader in this sales segment.

Considering our specifics and the great attention to various types of confirmation documents, it can be critically important for making purchases of images through accounting to have the necessary package of documents (invoice, license agreement, acceptance certificate). In this case, try using domestic stock agencies. The leader among stock agencies in the former Soviet Union is the microstock LORI, which provides buyers with all the necessary documentation.

Many people wishing to buy photos or vector illustrations from foreign stock agencies may face a language barrier. It is clear that stock agency owners primarily created them in English. However, recently, owners of foreign stock agencies have been paying enough attention to buyers who do not know English, and gradually, Russian-language interfaces are being implemented on stock agency websites. To date, iStockphoto, Shutterstock, Fotolia, and Depositphotos can boast of a Russian-language interface.

Basically, stock agencies accept payments from buyers made using payment cards from the largest global payment systems: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. If you do not have a bank payment card from the listed payment systems or your card does not allow you to make such purchases, you can try paying for images on the stock agency through the Webmoney payment system. However, only Fotolia and Depositphotos accept payments through it. Residents of countries such as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania can make payments through PayPal.

If you do not have a bank payment card and do not have an account with the Webmoney payment system, you can take advantage of the unique offer from Depositphotos. The Depositphotos stock agency offers the opportunity to buy images from its database using a mobile phone by sending an SMS to the number specified on the stock agency’s website.

When buying images from a stock agency, many buyers wonder how many times a given image has already been purchased. Such statistics are displayed in the image parameters on some stock agencies. However, since the same works can be sold through dozens of stock agencies, it makes sense to pay attention to exclusive photographs and illustrations that are sold only by one particular stock agency.

The best base of exclusive images is presented at iStockphoto. Exclusive images always have sales statistics, so you will know exactly how many times a given image has already been sold by the stock agency.

Yes, if you are looking for unique images that have never been sold before, then micropayment stock agencies are not suitable for you. Purchasing unique images under the RM license is possible on macrostock sites, where prices for such images are in the hundreds and thousands of dollars.

By the way, it has been verified: the more credits you purchase at a stock photo site at one time, the cheaper the cost of one photo becomes due to the lower unit cost of one credit.

To assist you, I offer a comparative table of the best micropayment stock photo banks for purchasing photos and illustrations:

If you are interested in the possibility of purchasing images from a stock photo bank, you can go to the “Purchase Images from the Stock Photo Bank” tab and choose a stock photo bank that suits you in terms of price and conditions.