0 sales per month for the first time in 10 years. Elements income dropped by 95%. And it doesn’t matter whether there are new works or not. It doesn’t change for the better at all. Why won’t anyone explain to us the real reasons for such a huge drop in the entire history of Envato, only standard replies like “everything will be fine”. Apparently, we shouldn’t expect anything good anymore. Is this the end of the story? They should have written that this is it, guys, this is a new reality.
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World crisis and generative alogritms. Not much Envato can do in this case. Eventually the Elements will die too.
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I’ve been on Elements since day one. And on Envato for 10 years.
My fee drops by 10 to 20% every year even though I have almost 100 new works every year. Tragicomic, right?
In the last 3 months EVERY Adobe InDesign template has been hard rejected without explanation, even though I have 800 approved works.
Many of my works have been analyzed on the Envato blog as “a example of great design, balance and use of fonts” which means that I didn’t do my first design 10 days ago.
Something happens and every year is worse than the previous one, but we hope, no one tells us anything, it seems that we have to understand by ourselves that the end of the Envato company has come and to withdraw in time.
Very bad attitude towards the authors who earned a billion dollars with their efforts and resources (to the owners, of course).
I am very angry and frustrated, I am looking for an alternative, this is a humiliation of the author!
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While I get the sales decline is a serious situation and not taking anything away from that - as per previous threads, if you are breaching your author agreement then you cannot expect items to be approved. It’s a two way street. Continuous hard reject of my templates!
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Hi!
I guess there’s not much the staff can really add about the current situation. And to be fair, when Elements was introduced, pretty much everyone saw this coming. Same pie, more and more people at the table, and a massive oversaturation of items.
Personally, I decided to take Envato as a modest side income. I compose when I can, and I’ve been focusing on other areas like custom works, sound design, teaching again, some location sound… that kind of stuff. Do I miss the good old main income days? Hell yes. But they’re gone for good.
That said, I still enjoy carving out time to upload something now and then and I still get a kick out of checking CID reports, which have been consistently better than my Envato earnings for quite some time.
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For me, Elements was the main source of income for several years, and since January of this year it has suddenly turned into a modest additional income, which is striving for 0, I want to believe that everything will get better, but most likely this is the end, but in any case I am grateful to Envato for everything
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Can someone tell me what is happening to elements ? My earnings really dropping. Very concerned as my only real income stream.
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Elements daily calculation (today) was March 16 which is a Sunday so that may be a reason for a drop in revenue.
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AI is the main ‘Villain’ for this situation!
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We’re definitely in an era where AI is changing the game 
not just for graphics but even for templates now. AI can generate designs and templates at a speed and cost that’s hard to compete with, and this trend is likely to grow. It’s not just about the graphics, but everything AI is quickly taking over tasks that used to require human effort. As creators, we have to adapt by offering something unique that AI can’t replicate, like personalized service or high-end designs that cater to specific client needs.
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The dates in earnings aren’t based on the sales made that day so what day of the week it is doesn’t matter. Earnings are calculated based on the date the purchaser’s subscription was started. So you can upload something on April 20, have someone download it on April 25 but see it in your dashboard’s earnings for April 10 because the buyer’s subscription was started on the 10th of the month several months/years ago.
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I understand you will answer our questions? What will be the strategy, will things be better on Envato or will we bury the company?
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If you are asking me that question, I am just a fellow author. I have no insight into how the company runs or its plans for the future.
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I believe AI is good for ‘Learning purpose’, not for creating elements or replacing ‘Human Arts’.
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Whatever AI is, my earnings are shockingly low compared to my average.
Having said that, I had an unusually large payment spike on the 28th Feb which was a lovely surprise. Did anyone else get a big payment that day ?
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Lately, things have been quite slow on Envato, and it’s becoming harder to stay optimistic. Many of us are quietly hoping for new opportunities and looking forward to a fresh, more supportive marketplace experience.
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My sales have also plunged by 90%. I used to sell 2–3 items per day; now I’m at zero. I don’t believe this decline is due to AI. Rather, Google’s recent search-algorithm changes cut many sites’ traffic in half, which directly hurt sales. On top of that, since Envato was acquired by Shutterstock they’ve refocused on Elements subscriptions and stopped actively promoting certain items, further contributing to our drop in revenue.
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I completely understand your frustration and confusion. It’s heartbreaking to see such a dramatic decline in sales, especially after years of consistent success. The sudden shift you’re experiencing is certainly unsettling, and it’s difficult when you feel like you’re not getting clear answers from Envato.
There are a few potential factors that could be contributing to the drop in sales, even if you continue to release new work:
- Market Saturation: Over the years, the marketplace has likely become more competitive with more contributors joining, leading to greater saturation. This makes it harder for individual items to stand out, especially if there are more similar products being released.
- Changes in Consumer Behavior: Buyer preferences evolve over time, and what was in demand ten years ago may not be the top priority for buyers today. There may be a shift towards other types of assets or even new platforms, and the marketplace may have changed in ways that aren’t immediately clear.
- Platform Changes and Algorithm Updates: Envato might have made changes to its algorithms or the way it promotes products, which could impact visibility for your work. These kinds of changes can result in fluctuations in traffic and sales that aren’t always explained clearly by the platform.
- Economic Factors: Broader economic conditions, like recessions, changes in industry trends, or global crises (such as the pandemic), could impact the demand for digital assets. Clients may reduce their budgets or move to other solutions.
- Quality and Pricing Competition: There’s always the possibility that pricing pressure and the increasing amount of free or low-cost alternatives could be pushing buyers away from premium content.
As for the lack of detailed communication from Envato, I agree it’s frustrating when you’re not receiving answers that help explain the situation. Standard replies like “everything will be fine” don’t offer the concrete insights needed to navigate such a major shift. However, it’s important to stay adaptable and keep a close eye on any updates or changes they may eventually announce.
Is this the end of the story?
It might feel like it right now, but it doesn’t have to be. The marketplace landscape is constantly evolving, and what works today might not work tomorrow, but new opportunities will arise. Diversifying your approach (perhaps exploring new platforms or marketing strategies) could help regain some traction.
Next Steps:
- Reach Out for Direct Support: Try reaching out to Envato support for more transparency on what’s happening specifically with your account or sales trends.
- Diversify: Explore other marketplaces or create your own platform where you can directly connect with your audience. Building a personal brand outside of Envato could offer more control.
- Experiment: Consider experimenting with new types of content or assets that may better align with current trends in the market.
- Look at Analytics: Dive deep into your product’s analytics to see what is or isn’t working in terms of keywords, search trends, and customer feedback.
It’s incredibly hard to see a massive drop like this, but you’ve survived ten years already, which shows incredible resilience. I know it’s tough, but keep pushing forward. You might just find a new way to thrive in the ever-changing digital marketplace.
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Elements income is crashing hard ((((((
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