Master Content Pricing and Availability
Thursday, February 21, 2008 by Phoon | Discussion: Life, the Universe and Everything
I'm not going to mention any names or provide any links for this.
If an admin would like to know about it, you can email me or message me here on the forums.
Regarding the Masters program. Do you really think it's fair that a Master offers a premium content theme on another site for a lower price than they are charging here? Seems like a big slap in the face to Stardock and an extreme abuse of having the Master priveledge here. I have seen 2 different artists do this.
I have mixed feelings on Master themes even being sold on other non stardock owned sites. (unless SD is getting a commision)
Reply #2 Thursday, February 21, 2008 12:58 PM
Since I'm a customer I get a 20% discount buying it here, which makes it cheaper than buying it at the other site. It would appear that possibly some thought went into it.
Phoon, you have a very valid question, don't get me wrong, but there could also be a very good answer to it.
Reply #3 Thursday, February 21, 2008 1:06 PM
It is the Masters Theme set and should be able to do with as they please. What If they just stopped posting them here all together and only offered them for sale at their own site? As far as I know the masters are not "obligated" to only post themes here for sale.
TSF did it for years. Built theme sets sold to all kinds of Customers. I see this as no different.
IMO I would keep my Master skins here, if I ever achieved that status. But thats only because WC is my home site and would want to support it as much as possible. But to try to restrict others, would be infringing on the authors right to distribute as they wish.
I do warn that if it becomes mainstream to Post them on other sites, policing them may become more difficult by the community. If we spot one were unsure about on another site, it will take time to contact the Master and see if it really was him posting it there.
Food to think about.
Reply #4 Thursday, February 21, 2008 1:18 PM
We're not an exclusive sales channel and we never intended to be. What we are is potentially the BEST sales channel most skinners will have access to. We also have things in the works with Impulse and our store front-end that will make the Master Program an even more attractive option.
A skinner will price their work as they see appropriate, and sell it where they wish to maximize their revenue.
Master Skins are entirely, 100% the property of the original artist. We do not buy the skins from them to sell, we in no way pay them for their skins beyond the cut of the sale made. Because of this it's up to them how they want to sell and distribute their skin beyond WinCustomize.
Reply #5 Thursday, February 21, 2008 1:25 PM
To each their own I suppose. I've always lived by 'treat people as you would expect to be treated yourself'. Much easier to sort out decisions that way... good for business too.
Reply #6 Thursday, February 21, 2008 1:29 PM
John Q should learn the concept of price shopping then.
Reply #7 Thursday, February 21, 2008 1:30 PM
If skinners start to do variable pricing, it may actually hurt them in the long run too. Lets say a user comes to Wincustomize, buys Master Skin X, finds out they paid $4 more than they could have at another site, they may never buy skins from that skinner again because they feel ripped off.
It's all about balancing out what the market will bear. It happens in just about every market too.
Reply #8 Thursday, February 21, 2008 1:51 PM
The skin in question has been up, at my site, for 3 months. I thought for sure I sold it for $8.95.
I didn't realize it until just a second ago.
I was in a hurry uploading it, working behind the scenes on other stuff plus giving the site a new face lift, and I just plain forgot. It's a one time thing. I'll look better next time.
I wish someone had emailed me, instead of going public with it.
Please, don't turn this into another conspiracy......please.
Reply #10 Thursday, February 21, 2008 2:14 PM
Personally, I wouldn't shop at that store again. It wouldn't even cross my mind to hold it against the skinner.
Reply #11 Thursday, February 21, 2008 2:21 PM
Reply #12 Thursday, February 21, 2008 3:09 PM
I really could care less where, or how much someone charges for them. I know for a FACT that one of the people in question did it on purpose.
If it's okay with Stardock that someone undercuts their price elsewhere then who are any of us to speak otherwise. Hell, I don't get the same prices at different retail stores for the same exact item.
Personally though, the Master program would be like a toy maker having the ability to sell at Toy's-R-Us instead of just a local small town retail store. Respect is what it's about.
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Reply #1 Thursday, February 21, 2008 12:53 PM
Selling at a personal site gives a seller 100% of the profits and selling here does not. Wincustomize takes a percentage for the "marketing and distrubution". I think they deserve that. So an artist might charge more here to recoup the % lost or they may charge more here because the likelyhood of an impulse buyer is higher and might pay more.
Is it a practice I would do? Probably not not. Especially if someone buys at a higher price-point in one place and finds it lower at another.
One of the nice things about the Master program is that you are not tied to Wincustomize to sell your stuff. If you make that rank, you've done your time already. Selling content here is a reward for contributions and everyone (skinner, Wincustomize, and the users) can be a winner. If a skinner was forced to only sell their work here . . . well . . I'm not sure that there would be so many winners.
An interesting question would be "what if a journeyman had a personal site where they sold content and they got promoted to Master?" Would they have to close their other site?