Please read Alamy contributors forum. You will find all the answers, no point in reporting here what I read there.

Got a link, thread title, or something other than, it's someplace else, go find it?

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The low prices go to buyers who have worked out a deal with Alamy. There are also certain regions that tend to get discounted prices, too, like the Russian Federation. Don't know how it all works, but occasionally on Alamy's forums someone will complain about it.

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Photography by Karin Lau | SmugMug Pro Account | Shutterstock | Mostphotos | StockXPert | Dreamstime | iStock | 123RF | BigStock

Here it is with the spoon:

Alamy stock photography - Discussion Forum
Alamy stock photography - Discussion Forum
Alamy stock photography - Discussion Forum

It didn't explain the discounts except for a general, large volume customers getting preferred rates.

What would worry me is if no one paid the standard prices. From these messages, it looks like the exceptions are causing the complaints, not the ones getting standard sales.

I did find all the usual whining, threats of starting their own agency, and dissatisfied specialists, including a 181 pound sale that the photographer felt should have been ten times that. But I didn't find ALL the answers, just some complaints.

Would a silver spoon have made it taste better than the plastic one?

Thanks!

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As I said, you need to read their forum, and not expect someone else to come here and serve you links. It looks to me as if you are not really interested. No offence intended, just the way I see it.

And of course the meaning was that there are no certainties. If you do it as a job, you need some certainties. If you sell one RM photo for ten pounds and afterwards an advertising agency wants to use the same image for a worldwide exclusive campaign, maybe for five thousand pounds, but then realize it has already been used, you loose your chance for ten silly pounds. That is bad. There should not be any discounts to anyone, otherwise it just becomes a lottery.

As if it wasn't though enough already, they add inconsistent pricing on top of that.

Yup, nope not that interested, I agree. Yup, yup, yup. Yes...

I was serious when I said thanks. That was enough to cover the issues on the surface.

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