It's not easy to make an actual profit, especially now that the market is bursting-at-the-seams saturated. I mean, everyone is doing it these days, with new stores opening all the time.
Personally, not all of my videos make any money at all. Some don't even pay for their production cost. Others do better, but usually not something I would call a healthy profit, with a few exceptions (it kind of depends what you mean by "healthy profit"). Also, when I started, it took me 3 full years to get out of the red.
I'd say most people who sell videos break even, make a little profit, or simply lose money. Only a very few make decent money, and it really helps if you do it full-time (which I don't). I assume some of the top companies, like Tickle Abuse for instance, must make a fair profit, but again, they're the exception, not the norm. One would have to be *really* good and prolific to come close to their level of success.
I believe that going into video production for the money is a very bad idea. It can be profitable, but that's the exception, not the rule. Of course, if someone does it for the love of tickling and doesn't mind breaking even or even possibly losing money, then it's fine. Still, my opinion is that making videos as commercial products takes away a good deal of the fun of tickling. One is limited in many ways because the videos must be sold to customers, who are not always easy to please. If one can make videos for him/herself, either by working with model who are fine with doing it for free or by accepting the cost of paying for models, I'd say that's the way to go for maximum enjoyment. I've got to say that sometimes I really wish I could just do a session just for fun, without worrying about making a commercial product. As it is, my mind is too busy dealing with a variety of technical issues (lighting, limiting audio distortion when the models get loud or high-pitched, operating the camcorder in an interesting way, some model direction, making sure the bondage is comfortable and secure, thinking of neat things for the models to do as you film, etc.) and how the models are doing (how they're feeling, what they're thinking, how good or bad their reactions are, are they doing a good job or do they simply don't get it, how to deal with salaries/compensations if the models aren't quite ticklish enough, etc.) to actively enjoy the experience. Quite frankly, I tend to find shoots more stressful and frustrating than fun.
