View Full Version : The Clips4Sale Thread
Bootsie
04-17-2016, 03:44 PM
Me too, and I'm starting to wonder if there's just too much competition.
Lots of categories have flooded. Several more categories seem to have shifted focus in terms of what sells in them. I had several of my old standby categories dry up for me with an influx of girls (lots of love to people who post in forums saying "oh category X is easy just do this, this, this" and then it floods with so many clips like that and guys give up until it simmers down and the crappy samey stuff stops getting posted), and a few categories just shifted so much in content and focus that what I was making no longer matched with what was selling. Go to the categories you have done well in previously and look at the top 50 clips and top 50 studios to see what is working in those categories. Run reports on your best-selling clips and come up with new spins on things that have worked before. You might be surprised at things on that list (I know I was, a few sleeper hits that sold really well over time but seemed like flops initially).
Everyone says this all the time, but keep on keeping on.
Classy_Katy
04-17-2016, 09:58 PM
I am not getting custom requests like I used to. My sales have slowed to a halt and my hits are really low compared to what they were before. Middle month slump???
My sales normally increase at this time...I'm putting it down to site changes.
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-18-2016, 09:37 AM
As I see it, the current changes are only a step to set the site up for the final version, but I hope they make more steps soon, because right now, without order numbers as default, my store is ugly and inconvenient. I did notice that my visitors in google analytics went up by 30% since 3 days though, so something is going on.. finger crossed that the final result of that "something" is going to be good.
I have confidence though, because we can always voice our concerns and get a reaction. The thing about the stores (using order numbers) looking messed up (with different file versions that ought to be at the back of the store) should be fixed soon.
As I see it, the new search function is just set to the wrong default sorting...
and then there is the attempt to display category-relevant clips by search terms, not by category. i.e. visiting my pee store now opens my whole store, but filtered by the word pee. Normally, it would open my whole store, but filtered for all clips posted in the category "pee". I think the current "solution" is only an intermediate step that will soon be followed by something better / more towards the final version.
So, patience, I guess. And time to work more on the new website look for adult-income.com, which I have been developing in the background ;)
EllieGold
04-18-2016, 10:34 AM
Even my category Lactation got flooded big time. Everyone thinks because if they have milk, they can bank. I did notice a few stores copied what I made and hey if it worked for them, then that's great for them. I have not broke 1000 a month since i slowed down in Lactation.
lSexyS2
04-18-2016, 12:18 PM
Why was my clip turned on its side after upload? What do I do?
LustyLark
04-18-2016, 12:56 PM
If anyone is wondering about how long it takes cheques to arrive I just wanted to say I got my March cheque (1st month) in the mail this morning. I am in Western Canada though.
Kayden
04-18-2016, 01:12 PM
What to do!? What does this mean?
Email:
A new user has just subscribed to www.[redacted].c4slive.com
Buyer: [redacted]
Plan: $12.95 USD
Expires: 2016-05-18
In my admin panel under "Members" I see a whole of $7.77 my cut for access to my entire catalog? Wtf? I NEVER enabled any "members site" option, is this normal, sorry I'm freaking out...
NervousBeaver
04-18-2016, 01:16 PM
If anyone is wondering about how long it takes cheques to arrive I just wanted to say I got my March cheque (1st month) in the mail this morning. I am in Western Canada though.
I am in Montreal, Quebec and haven't received my check yet. I usually get it around the 10-12. I'm afraid it got lost in the mail. I'll wait a couple more days.
SophiaSylvan
04-18-2016, 02:24 PM
NervousBeaver I got mine not far north of you on the 12th or 13th. Hope yours shows up soon.
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-18-2016, 02:46 PM
What to do!? What does this mean?
Email:
A new user has just subscribed to www. (http://www.)[redacted].c4slive.com
Buyer: [redacted]
Plan: $12.95 USD
Expires: 2016-05-18
In my admin panel under "Members" I see a whole of $7.77 my cut for access to my entire catalog? Wtf? I NEVER enabled any "members site" option, is this normal, sorry I'm freaking out...
Quickly go to members (it's a tab like "home" and "clip store" in your backend) -> members settings and increase the price to max allowed, then save, then check out what is going on:
Visit your own members site. There is a link to it right there which says "Visit www.XXXXX.C4SLive.com"
Are there clips in your members site?
If there are, which clips?
Go to these clips in the "clip store" tab -> list clips. Edit the clip. Check if you accidentally activated the third option from below "Make the clip available in my members area". If you did, do not uncheck. It doesn't help.
If you DID NOT, then something strange happened. Contact studio support.
To delete all clips from your members site (read all of this before you do that!!):
Go to https://storeadmin.clips4sale.com/members/members_gallery.php (you must be logged into your admin for the link to work) and select all files (these are the clips that were transcoded to your members area when you saved them originally with the "Make the clip available in my members area" option checked when you were adding them to your clipstore)
Click select all at the bottom of the list. Click delete all. This won't delete your original clips in your clipstore. This will just delete the transcoded files in your membes area.
Note: This will result in your "member" to not have anything to look at. So that might get you a chargeback / refund.
Alternatively, you can just up your price to $149.99 and "sit out" this one month with the one member and hope no one else signs u. Then contact c4s and ask them to close your membersite. They can open it at a later time.
I would recommend to have a look at how many of your clips are actually in your members area (see list at the link I provided). If all of them are there, ask c4s to shut down your members area immediately and refund the guy. Tell them you didn't know that you had this members area.
Why?
Because, if it's a bad guy and the chances are sadly pretty high, he can download all your clips (and has probably already started to do so).
If you only have like 10 clips there, I would risk it and just up the price, then close the membership site after the guy has had his subscription end (ends automatically after 30 days).
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-18-2016, 03:12 PM
Why was my clip turned on its side after upload? What do I do?
Did you film it with a cellphone?
Kayden
04-18-2016, 03:33 PM
^Thank you so much, Sinna, I deleted the 1st batch I will wait a couple minutes just to be sure I didn't delete them from my actual store (I'm used to it taking like 5 minutes for any edits to appear in my store...)
My "membership site" looked absolutely crazy - clips that I had privated/hidden literally years ago visible there! Showing "views: 1" for those unpublished clips. Under "Members" in earnings at first I had "Hits: 1" but then "Hits: 31" looking at clips that I had hidden, that no one should be able to see...!
I msg'd support a while back, they asked me for a bunch of details including what bank account I have, now I'm not even sure if I can give that to them cause I'm in this weird studio set-up (a guy logs into my account and sends me money weekly, long story...) and those details are not accessible from admin but I'll let them know...
Anyways thank you, I will look out for deleting all of them, even though I have never ticked the box "make available in my members area"...
SophiaSylvan
04-18-2016, 05:20 PM
Kayden sounds like your studio manager set up the membership site...
Bootsie
04-18-2016, 06:50 PM
^Thank you so much, Sinna, I deleted the 1st batch I will wait a couple minutes just to be sure I didn't delete them from my actual store (I'm used to it taking like 5 minutes for any edits to appear in my store...)
My "membership site" looked absolutely crazy - clips that I had privated/hidden literally years ago visible there! Showing "views: 1" for those unpublished clips. Under "Members" in earnings at first I had "Hits: 1" but then "Hits: 31" looking at clips that I had hidden, that no one should be able to see...!
I msg'd support a while back, they asked me for a bunch of details including what bank account I have, now I'm not even sure if I can give that to them cause I'm in this weird studio set-up (a guy logs into my account and sends me money weekly, long story...) and those details are not accessible from admin but I'll let them know...
Anyways thank you, I will look out for deleting all of them, even though I have never ticked the box "make available in my members area"...
They ask all of us for that "bunch of details" whenever we are asking stuff that affects money things to confirm we are the owner of the account. There was a hack with password issues so they made a LOT of stuff only changeable by support. (Ask me about the VERY BEST TIME support fucked up changing the payment details and I had to chase my money 2 months in a row.)
It sounds to me Kayden like Sophia is right and your "studio" made a membership site.
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-19-2016, 03:48 AM
^Thank you so much, Sinna, I deleted the 1st batch I will wait a couple minutes just to be sure I didn't delete them from my actual store (I'm used to it taking like 5 minutes for any edits to appear in my store...)
My "membership site" looked absolutely crazy - clips that I had privated/hidden literally years ago visible there! Showing "views: 1" for those unpublished clips. Under "Members" in earnings at first I had "Hits: 1" but then "Hits: 31" looking at clips that I had hidden, that no one should be able to see...!
I msg'd support a while back, they asked me for a bunch of details including what bank account I have, now I'm not even sure if I can give that to them cause I'm in this weird studio set-up (a guy logs into my account and sends me money weekly, long story...) and those details are not accessible from admin but I'll let them know...
Anyways thank you, I will look out for deleting all of them, even though I have never ticked the box "make available in my members area"...
I won't question your setup as long as you get most / all of the money YOU earn.
Seems to me though that you should call the guy, because if you didn't set up the membership - who did?
The "guy" with your login could have watched your clips there, hence hits: 1.
When you were looking at the hidden clips and noticed AFTERWARDS that your hits had changed to 31, that was because your own "hits" are being counted as well :) So that was you, looking at your own clips.
Shutting down the members area should not prompt them to ask you about the payable name on the account - but maybe that is different with your setup of things.
So, first thing I would do is call the guy.
Classy_Katy
04-19-2016, 06:06 AM
Sinna, do you, or anyone else think it's a good idea to go through clips and delete ones that have never sold? Especially ones over a year old. I have multiple formats/sizes so wondered if this would be a good idea.
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-19-2016, 02:45 PM
Sinna, do you, or anyone else think it's a good idea to go through clips and delete ones that have never sold? Especially ones over a year old. I have multiple formats/sizes so wondered if this would be a good idea.
I have thought about it, but I think it's better to leave them. Most of your users (90%+) will only stay on your site for a very short time. If they buy something, it's mostly going to be from your first page. People that start searching and browsing and spend more time on your site won't be hindered by any of your old clips being in the store. Best case, they buy one of them.
You also have to calculate the time it costs you to remove the clips versus the value of that action. It would have to give you quite some extra sales to be worth doing that, instead of promoting and making new clips.
My opinion was always that it would be very nice to have a clean store, yes, but looking at the amount of work it would just not be worth it. The value added by that, if it even were to improve sales in any way, is probably very small.
DonaDiabla
04-19-2016, 05:45 PM
Actually, Classy_Katy, I would leave them but you could marketed them again differently. Strangely, I found my clips that did not sell on Clips4sale....could be best sellers on Niteflirt or ManyVids :)
Sinna, do you, or anyone else think it's a good idea to go through clips and delete ones that have never sold? Especially ones over a year old. I have multiple formats/sizes so wondered if this would be a good idea.
ROSIECAM
04-20-2016, 02:54 AM
Actually, Classy_Katy, I would leave them but you could marketed them again differently. Strangely, I found my clips that did not sell on Clips4sale....could be best sellers on Niteflirt or ManyVids :)
This is what i am doing taking clips that have not sold on to another site,so hope fully I will get some sales with them this way
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-20-2016, 03:23 AM
Wow, I might take that back...
I just got the reply from support that the new sorting (after clicking on a store link in the categories) is the new, desired behavior. That means everyone with several file versions in their store has their store looking messed up by default.
I told them I would want to set the default sorting behavior myself, as I would need Default: Ascending for my store to work correctly...
Years of putting in order numbers and now that. Funny thing is, I had just reached order number 0 and was contemplating what to do anyway.
I hope they'll think about it and let us set our own sorting behavior. For now, I'll have to find a solution (either educate the customers or remove some of the newer clips' fileversions so that at least page #1 looks nice, or..)
Classy_Katy
04-20-2016, 04:01 AM
That's crazy! C4S were saying that they wanted us to have just one clip at the front and the multiples at the back. I haven't done this myself though as I have my own numbering system that I didn't want to change.
LazyCat
04-20-2016, 06:17 AM
Wow, I might take that back...
I just got the reply from support that the new sorting (after clicking on a store link in the categories) is the new, desired behavior. That means everyone with several file versions in their store has their store looking messed up by default.
)
I just got that reply from support also -- they said the "programmers" (like they should be making decisions LOL) say that is how it is supposed to work. Clearly the PROGRAMMERS don't actually sell clips.
IF THIS AFFECTS YOU I HIGHLY URGE YOU TO OPEN A SUPPORT TICKET!
http://support.clips4sale.com/
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-20-2016, 06:37 AM
That's crazy! C4S were saying that they wanted us to have just one clip at the front and the multiples at the back. I haven't done this myself though as I have my own numbering system that I didn't want to change.
Yes, they did and I told them in my reply that c4s were actually advising us to use order numbers - now they overwrite our own choice (note: clips were always sorted by date by default. All the way at the bottom on the edit clipstore page, we could actually change the sorting behavior). Now they overwrite our own choice - why? It doesn't make sense and my sales have probably been affected by it - which I can understand, because from the customers POV, my store looks like a mess.
LazyCat
04-20-2016, 07:30 AM
Yes, they did and I told them in my reply that c4s were actually advising us to use order numbers - now they overwrite our own choice (note: clips were always sorted by date by default. All the way at the bottom on the edit clipstore page, we could actually change the sorting behavior). Now they overwrite our own choice - why? It doesn't make sense and my sales have probably been affected by it - which I can understand, because from the customers POV, my store looks like a mess.
What is our escalation path here? Straight to Neil?
SophiaSylvan
04-20-2016, 08:17 AM
Are they trying to discourage having multiple versions of clips then?
Classy_Katy
04-20-2016, 09:47 AM
It's probably worth contacting Neil...when they changed the site recently, Neil said we had to choose between having a gif or a preview for each clip. They thought gifs and previews provided the same thing and I pointed out the differences. The programmers managed to find a way for us to have both.
What the FUG? The new layout is terrible, the customer service replies with "bla bla your issue has been escalated to the programmers to look into further" to all tickets. The removal of clip order was so stupid. Why they removed this cool feature? Almost all categories are overflooded with new studios opened by amateur couples who copy each other and spam clips all day everyday and it's hard to get good traffic without uploading clips in multiple formats. There are problems every 2 days. Just an hour ago the list of Top50 studios dissapeared from all categories...
Natalie0523
04-20-2016, 10:46 AM
I hope this new layout goes in a positive direction because as of right now I do not like it. Especially how when I click on my store from a certain category, it takes me to all clips with that "keyword". So annoying. Obviously the person is in that category because they want clips primarily associated with that specific category. Then if they are searching for all clips with a specific keyword there should be a link for that (which there is).
I had messaged support a couple days ago regarding this new feature and giving my opinion and this is the response I received…
"Yes, they post on the blogs any new info or updates ... I know it seems backwards and it did to me at first too and I also asked but it sort of makes sense for the customer if they are searching for a particular category, it will show them more of your clips that may include what they are looking for ... most studios will have different things going on in the clips and a part of the clip may include a particular fetish the customer was looking for but would not be able to see if it was under just the category results since the keyword was used to describe some other parts of what is in the clip."
I do like some things though like that drop down box on the top of the page where the customer can get more specific with what types of clips they want. Long/short clips, low/high price, etc. I think that's good.
Hoping it's for the better...
LazyCat
04-20-2016, 11:50 AM
What is our escalation path here? Straight to Neil?
when I pushed back they said they are going to contact the "owner" of the site.
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-20-2016, 06:47 PM
Neil, the owner of the site, is already informed and looking into it. I sent a suggestion to have us store owners choose the sorting of our store, like it used to be (from the bottom of the edit clip page) and have that overwrite the site-wide default. I hope they are going to do that.
Neil, the owner of the site, is already informed and looking into it. I sent a suggestion to have us store owners choose the sorting of our store, like it used to be (from the bottom of the edit clip page) and have that overwrite the site-wide default. I hope they are going to do that.
Awesome news! :)
misspandora
04-21-2016, 05:59 AM
Sinna, do you, or anyone else think it's a good idea to go through clips and delete ones that have never sold? Especially ones over a year old. I have multiple formats/sizes so wondered if this would be a good idea.
I think it's best to leave them. I've had an old old ass worship POV clip I did AGES ago start selling again. Like, maybe someone reviewed it on a niche forum or something..who knows
NervousBeaver
04-21-2016, 06:12 AM
I was randomly browsing my store yesterday and I selected one of my main categories in the menu. And it said I had 0 videos in that category! This morning I just went throught all the categories and I found 10 categories that were empty and are not supposed to. I'll send an email to support about this. Just wanted to share because others might have the same problem.
It has been said before but is so annoying that when you select a category there is so many clips appearing that have nothing to do with the category. If you have the keywords in the description it will appear. If you are like me and always put some "clips you might also like" at the end of a clip description, and those clip suggestions titles have the keywords, then the clips that may have nothing to do with the category will appear. Very stupid. I'll complain about this to the support too. If everybody does maybe they will finally listen to us and change that.
LazyCat
04-21-2016, 06:29 AM
Neil, the owner of the site, is already informed and looking into it. I sent a suggestion to have us store owners choose the sorting of our store, like it used to be (from the bottom of the edit clip page) and have that overwrite the site-wide default. I hope they are going to do that.
I hope he agrees! Nothing good is coming from the change they made -- it literally makes ZERO sense and shows that whoever is coding this mess isn't actually talking to any of the customers, they are just trying to "pretty" it up and get the site to look like it wasn't coded in 2003 (because it was LOL)
LazyCat
04-21-2016, 06:36 AM
Neil, the owner of the site, is already informed and looking into it. I sent a suggestion to have us store owners choose the sorting of our store, like it used to be (from the bottom of the edit clip page) and have that overwrite the site-wide default. I hope they are going to do that.
I hope he agrees! Nothing good is coming from the change they made -- it literally makes ZERO sense and shows that whoever is coding this mess isn't actually talking to any of the customers, they are just trying to "pretty" it up and get the site to look like it wasn't coded in 2003 (because it was LOL)
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-21-2016, 10:13 AM
Top50 studios dissapeared from all categories...
Maybe a quick "fix" to the store sorting issue. Or another step towards the bigger plan?
Sophia, I don't think they try to discourage multiple clip versions, but I know that c4s is aiming towards a system where we only upload 1 file and the site distributes other versions to the customers on demand when they choose to buy the clip. So maybe all this is just a rough development towards the new system.
Edit: Just a minute after posting this, the top studio lists were back. More evidence for bigger changes?
Classy_Katy
04-21-2016, 11:22 AM
I hope they're going to sort out the many duplicated categories if we're only going to be uploading one version of each clip.
I keep having problems with my store info showing...sometimes I don't have the scroll bar, sometimes my twitter link at the top isn't visible, each time I change my store I have re-upload my photo.
Bootsie
04-21-2016, 12:03 PM
I hope they're going to sort out the many duplicated categories if we're only going to be uploading one version of each clip.
I'd love it if they could get some of the categories pared down and merged. I mean come on, how many boob bouncing categories do we really need?!
I like Kinkbomb's system better. You upload a clip and pick the main category and a few subcategories and when you post the clip it shows up on all the category pages. Not only that but the buyer can pick what format they want to buy the clip in. It's a great system. It's just too bad they suck when it comes to traffic.
TXCamgirl
04-21-2016, 01:40 PM
I hate to go off topic but what does everybody think is better as far as lighting goes.... dramatic lighting (with shadows, not evenly lit) or like studio lighting (the whole screen and body is lit the same)?
LazyCat
04-21-2016, 01:50 PM
I hate to go off topic but what does everybody think is better as far as lighting goes.... dramatic lighting (with shadows, not evenly lit) or like studio lighting (the whole screen and body is lit the same)?
Better for what? to drive sales? to be artistic? What type of scene? For POV stuff I'm starting to prefer a relatively evenly lit subject with relatively distant darker background.
TXCamgirl
04-21-2016, 01:59 PM
Just in general I suppose... or really what would sell better because isn't that the whole point of making clips in the first place? :) I kind of feel like studio lit is prettier but a bit generic. Dramatic lighting is harder to pull off but when done right it can be very breathtaking... but I wonder what sells better?
Sinna (2pee4you)
04-21-2016, 02:47 PM
I like Kinkbomb's system better. You upload a clip and pick the main category and a few subcategories and when you post the clip it shows up on all the category pages. Not only that but the buyer can pick what format they want to buy the clip in. It's a great system. It's just too bad they suck when it comes to traffic.
As far as I know, that is exactly what c4s wants to achieve in the future.
MissJu
04-21-2016, 02:51 PM
well i have different lighting, depends what are you filming. some vids better to film with studio lights, some things like shinny clothing better with dramatic/spot lights thats it. some simple stuff as if you humiliate people-who the fuck cares if light is dramatic?unless you are doing some roleplay.
boyru
04-22-2016, 06:04 AM
Kinkbomb does not accept new studios from russian owners...
EllieGold
04-23-2016, 09:40 AM
i love clips over camming? I update, then I am on page 1 where it shows me as the latest in updates. Put me effort into camming and it doesn't equate like clips does.I need to just quit camming eventually and be full time with clips.
MissJu
04-23-2016, 10:12 AM
i love clips over camming? I update, then I am on page 1 where it shows me as the latest in updates. Put me effort into camming and it doesn't equate like clips does.I need to just quit camming eventually and be full time with clips.
I would not recommend to have only 1 source of income.
but yes, clips does pay better. you make a clip and it will sell many times, camming you are going online you may earn may not plus you get recorded.
justsometwat
04-23-2016, 11:21 AM
I retired from camming over a year ago and make enough to live on full time. Granted, some months I don't earn nearly as much...I would say cut down camming to once a week or so and keep that as a backup. Lots of girls sell videos full time and don't cam. I mean, you could always offer one-on-one sessions if you're comfortable with that. I am not, I hate having to talk to one person, feels weird. Otherwise I would do skype sessions and whatnot.
SuperPookie
04-23-2016, 02:59 PM
How do you report a studio on C4S? Normally I'm pretty big about minding my own business but there's this chick swallowing goldfish and that's fucked up.
SuperPookie
04-23-2016, 03:01 PM
This is the studio http://clips4sale.com/97553/15559446