Premium Skin Sales

from WinCustomize Forums
After the discussions about the pros and cons of voluntary donations (https://www.wincustomize.com/msgboard.asp?BID=WC&id=167122) and about the growing trend of skin sales (https://www.wincustomize.com/msgboard.asp?BID=WC&id=167514), I've decided to take a slightly different approach. This isn't yet set in stone, but here's what I propose:

1. Make skins available for free download with a single sub-style, incorporating the basic features of the skin. This allows people to test the skin to see if they like the look of it and the quality of the work.

2. Continue to produce the extra productivity sub-styles, but only make them available as part of a commercial version of the skin.

3. Offer all additional content, such as colour variations and custom colour versions as part of the commercial version.

4. Make the commercial version an executable installer, to take away all the complications inherent in setting up the productivity sub-styles. This provides for those users who want a click-and-go solution, but still allows the experienced user to fine tune things to their own liking.

How would I go about implementing this with current skins? A good example of this would be my metalX2 skin. Obviously #2 doesn't apply to this skin, as all the productivity features are included in the free download.

The standard download includes the gold and silver versions, both with green 'glass' buttons etc. The commercial version would include copper, steel, titanium and gun metal blue versions, together with alternative glass colours for each (perhaps blue and red as these seem the most popular), and a custom colour version of each metal too for those who are willing to sacrifice some detail to have the exact colour combination of their choice.

Those who have made donations so far would obviously automatically qualify to have the commercial version, and the donation links would then be removed from the documentation and skin description ready for the commercial sales.

I know there have been some heated discussions about this whole thing over the past few days, and I apologise for losing my cool on a couple of instances. I would however like to get some useful opinions on this new method of doing things.

4,010 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Oh, and PayPal would get the boot in favour of an online shareware retail provider. I'm investigating a few as I type.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I would pay for addional versions of MetalX2. This is an approach that no one has really tried yet, that I know of. It sounds as viable as any. At least with your approach, the user can actually try out the skin, in a sense, before buying it.
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Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I too would pay for addtional versions of MetalX2 (or whatever skin it happens to be)

While this is indeed an approach noone has tried, it is similar to a skin suite in which a couple of skins in the suite are released for free. Only in this case rather than a whole collection of different application skins, the focus is on a whole bunch of variations of a central WB skin
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
That sounds like a good plan grayhaze...One needs to test drive a car before buying.
I'm sure you have had many requests saying how cool MetalX2 would be in Blue or Red or Purple etc.

Offering the additional colors and options for purchase would be enticing to many users no doubt
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
This sounds like a solid plan.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
grayhaze I would be more likely to buy one of your suites. I would not be likely to buy only a skin and wallpaper.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I agree with that grayhaze. If you don't intend to create a full suite of skins, that is a great idea for making some money. Wish you the best of luck with it.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
This is a very good idea and one I would surely support (provided I like the skin).
You could also include matching wallpapers in the commercial suite. Another idea would be to simplify the free version even more by releasing it without shell style support. This way people could still "test drive" the skin without too much work involved for you (ok, I know there is still a lot of work involved but you know, it might be a little less....)
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
It wouldn't make sense to release the free version without certain standard WindowBlinds features aufisch, because I'd still need to put those features together for the commercial version. Also I'd prefer that the free version were a complete skin in its own right, as I don't agree with actually crippling a skin to generate sales. My intention isn't to offer less than the norm for free, but to offer much more than the norm for a small fee.

As for Nuryan's suggestion that someone would be more likely to buy a suite than a skin for a single application, and this ties into Frogboy's thread elsewhere, I'm not sure this necessarily makes sense. With suites you are inherently adding extra work by making skins for applications that in all likelihood the end user won't ever use. It's a nice concept that you can have a coordinated look between a range of applications, but in practise the average user is going to get far more use out of a skin for Windows itself rather than those other specific applications.

At the most I would consider a skin for WB, a wallpaper (or a few) and an icon pack. Those are the most frequently visible elements of the average desktop, so the extra work would be better spent on those elements.

This isn't to say that I don't hold a lot of respect for those who create an entire matching suite, but I myself would be just as likely to buy a 'suite' without all those extra apps if I liked the look of the WindowBlinds skin.
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Have I purchased skin suites in the past? Ahem, yes I have. But I can count them on one hand and from one master skinner. I enjoy skinning - I cannot foresee a point in time when I will charge the community to use my skins. It's my opinion. I also stay away from certain sites that have left the community for a personal profits program, which unfortuneately seems to be a growing trend. I realize all of the concrete arguments against these thoughts for 'hey! why shouldn't I make a buck, I slaved for this one and if I don't say, it's exceptionally good!' But if Grayhaze came out with all those variations for his metalX2 skin, I'd (a second ahem), buy it...
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well I'm pleased that there's a more positive attitude to this approach, and I've now got some thinking to do to decide whether to go through with the work.

Thanks for all the encouragment folks.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Also I'd prefer that the free version were a complete skin in its own right, as I don't agree with actually crippling a skin to generate sales


Wow, I am impressed by our attitude!
Thanks a lot!