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Every website needs quality images that help customers feel secure using their personal information to purchase products and services. No one wants to give their credit card, or even PayPal, information to a company that uses cheesy, outdated graphics.
Hiring a photographer to take pictures for a website, however, can get quite expensive. Entrepreneurs who want to sell low-cost items online simply cannot afford to hire a professional.
Dollar Photo Club tries to solve this problem by giving its members access to professional graphics that they can purchase for just $1. Members don’t have to worry about paying royalties or licensing fees. They just find the images that they want, pay for them, and create professional websites that customers find trustworthy.
About Dollar Photo Club
Dollar Photo Club is a membership service that gives people access to stock photos without charging licensing fees. The company gets all of its images from Fotolia, which is recognized as one of the industry’s best stock photo providers.
While there are plenty of companies selling stock photos, Dollar Photo Club has set itself apart by charging only $1 for every photo it sells. That’s an extraordinarily low price that makes it possible for startup companies to make their websites look more professional.
Since Dollar Photo Club requires membership from its customers, each person has to submit an application. The company offers two membership options, which are discussed below.
Dollar Photo Club has millions of stock photos, so it should meet the needs of most website developers and similar professionals.
Top Options for Dollar Photo Club Members
You have to become a member before you can start purchasing photographs from Dollar Photo Club. The company currently offers two membership options. Before signing up, review the options to determine which suits your needs best.
Monthly Membership
Price: $10 per month
A monthly membership with Dollar Photo Club gives you 10 high-resolution images. You can buy additional photos for $1 each. If you do not use all 10 images for the month, they roll over to the next month, assuming that you renew the monthly membership.
Dollar Photo Club says that it accepts about 30% of its monthly membership applications. That means you may not get accepted. It’s unclear what factors Dollar Photo Club considers when accepting and denying applications.
Annual VIP Membership
Price: $99 per year
The Annual VIP membership with Dollar Photo Club gives you access to 99 high-resolution images. You can always buy extra images for $1 each. If you do not use all 99 images within the year, the extras roll over to the next year.
Dollar Photo Club grants automatic acceptance to anyone who signs up for a VIP membership. If you are concerned about getting accepted, you may want to use this option.
Criticisms of Dollar Photo Club
Dollar Photo Club has a dedicated following. Most professionals using the company’s services are happy with the stock photos and prices. A handful of people, however, complain that they were unfairly denied monthly memberships. An even smaller number claim that they never received membership approvals or denials.
It’s easy to understand why someone would feel slighted by a membership rejection. Dollar Photo Club doesn’t have a very transparent selection policy. This opens them to criticism of wrongdoing.
Complaints that Dollar Photo Club does not send emails to its applicants, however, seem unfounded. It’s possible that Dollar Photo Club makes the occasional mistake by forgetting to send an email. Realistically, though, most companies use automated services to send rejection and acceptance emails.
It seems more likely that applicants did not get approval and rejection emails because they did not check their spam folders. If you apply for a membership, make sure your email service knows that Dollar Photo Club is a legitimate contact that may send you important emails. If you do not hear from the company, check your spam folder to make sure messages have not gotten caught there.
Dollar Photo Club Customer Services
Dollar Photo Club has a toll-free customer service line (1-800-692-3830). Customers can also contact the company’s representatives via email at feedback@dollarphotoclub.com.
Dollar Photo Club has 22 versions of its website to meet the needs of the international community. Each version uses a different language, making it easier for people all over the world to understand what they can get by choosing Dollar Photo Club.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dollar Photo Club
Q: Why does Dollar Photo Club limit its monthly memberships?
A: Dollar Photo Club says that it limits memberships to make sure services are reserved for active artists, designers, and other professionals who will make good use of stock photos.
Q: Where does Dollar Photo Club get its images?
A: All images from Dollar Photo Club come from Fotolia. Fotolia is the parent site of Dollar Photo Club. Fotolia is a respected stock photo provider founded in 005. It has offices in New York City, Seattle, and Paris.
Q: Can members resell photos after purchasing them?
A: No, Dollar Photo Club’s licensing agreement does not let members resell images. Designers and other companies doing work for clients, however, can use the Dollar Photo Club images. Depending on what clients plan to do with the images, they may need to purchase a license. It is best to handle this case by case to avoid confusion.
Q: What image formats does Dollar Photo Club use?
A: Most of the images are in jpeg format.
Q: Is there an option to purchase an extended royalty free license?
A: Yes, an extended royalty free license typically costs $50.
Q: Do I have a chance to look at Dollar Photo Club’s pictures before making a financial commitment?
A: Yes, you can browse the company’s catalogue by visiting its website.
Pros of Using Dollar Photo Club
- Membership gives you access to millions of downloadable images
- Dollar Photo Club’s database makes it easy to find relevant images
- Extremely low prices
- Ability to rollover unused credits to the next billing cycle
Cons of Using Dollar Photo Club
- Not all applicants will qualify for monthly memberships
- Some applicants claim they never received approvals or denials
Conclusion
Practically every business needs access to high quality stock photos. Whether you build websites or design business cards, stock photos can play a crucial role in making yourself and your business look more professional. Paying a professional photographer for images, however, is often outside a small business budgetary restrictions.
Dollar Photo Club has found a way to solve that problem. Having access to millions of professional photos should make it easier for Dollar Photo Club members to create useful designs. Charging just $1 per image makes it affordable for practically anyone to choose the photos they need.
There is some concern that Dollar Photo Club may not accept your application. The company says it only accepts about 30% of its monthly membership applications. Looking at other reviews of the company, that seems like a pretty accurate estimate. Luckily, you can avoid rejection by signing up for an annual VIP membership. The VIP membership locks you in to a longer obligation, but it gives you a chance to take full advantage of the company’s services.
Overall, this is one of the best stock image providers. You should compare Dollar Photo Club with similar providers before making a final decision. Regardless, there is a good chance that Dollar Photo Club’s low prices and large library of images will bring you back. Considering how inexpensive the service is, you can’t really go wrong.
