Many users only recognize this change when embedding the image and seeing the image replaced by the Photobucket account notification that needs to be upgraded. Retro 2 Go store, selling on eBay, is one of the most affected places. 'A short note is absurd. I deleted my account and never used Photobucket again '.
Some sellers refused to pay and adapt to this change by downloading product images with Photobucket's rival service. But the new policy also affects social media posts, blogs and forums related to Photobucket. One of them is Stampboards, a forum with more than 17,000 members discussing postage stamps and sharing pictures about them. 'They are blackmailing,' said Glen Stephens, the administrator of the site, and said it would not pay.
A marketing company said it was understandable when Photobucket wanted to rely less on advertising, but did not agree with the fee and how they made the change.
'I was very surprised,' said one blogger. 'There was no announcement, the email said it would happen, and more importantly, there was no explanation.'
One expert said that people should also recognize the threat when relying on a free photo hosting service. 'Any similar hosting site relies on advertising to provide free services and they can only continue when there is enough money to enter.' 'So if you save all the pictures on such a page or application, don't know how they make money to maintain their activities, sooner or later it turns out to bite you.'