Support paid add-ons - with an editable list of users

[Rigel Kentaurus]

The problem is distributing updates for paid add-ons.
So I have been thinking about an intermediate, easy to achieve solution.

For my paid add-ons, the #1 issue I have is distribution, and I am sure other paid add-on coders have too. Basically, customers have no way to download updates to the add-on, it puts the burden on me to maintain a site, or even setup my own Download Manager, maintain an access control of who could download, and many other features.

And for the customers, they need to register on my site, validate.. or use an external shopping cart. It is inconvenient.

The "first purchase" I solved with services like e-junkie, the updates, I have not solved.

So .. just give me two things:

1. The ability to upload files (attachments) to a paid Add-On in the resource manager
2. The ability to specify a fixed list of users in XenForo that are allowed to download said files

Yes, this is not a perfect solution, I still need to update that list manually, but at least I don't need to setup a whole different site just to manage the updates.

While some people might want to have a different site to deal with customer support, bug reports, suggestions, a whole fledged forum, I do not see every single add-on needing that. That's ok, I am not asking the whitelist to be the only way to distribute updates, but it would certainly go a long way into making it easier to distribute updates for smallish add-ons.

 

[Rigel Kentaurus]

Just to clarify, our digital goods marketplace is geared more towards selling of digital goods. It's not a resource manager (like you can't post articles and stuff like that... It's strictly digital goods).

That being said, it handles payments, licensing (including renewals), distribution, updates, etc. it even has a built in affiliate program where sellers can optionally choose an affiliate percent to pay out to referrers.

An Add-On would count as a Digital Good I hope? As in, actual packaged code, not a guide.
I'll give it a try, I don't mind about the 30% cut if that would solve the distribution problem.

I really like systems that alert about new updates from within the admin panel. It would be nice to see an alert on the xenforo installation. But thats a topic for a new suggestion.

vBulletin kind of had it, you could, as an add-on creator, specify a remote URL to check for the latest version I believe? (It's been long since)

 

[digitalpoint]

An Add-On would count as a Digital Good I hope? As in, actual packaged code, not a guide.
I'll give it a try, I don't mind about the 30% cut if that would solve the distribution problem.

Yes... there's a plug-ins/addon section just for them: https://marketplace.digitalpoint.com/plug-ins-add-ons.1/category with a sub-category just for XenForo.

BTW - it's not 30% (it's 20%).

As far as the distribution problem, I agree... and that is the primary reason I made the system... because *I* had stuff I needed to sell and distribute easily (most notably hundreds of the largest vB4 sites use my Sphinx Search system):

https://marketplace.digitalpoint.com/sphinx-search-for-vbulletin-4.870/item

If you look at the Versions tab (for example), you can get release notes or any old versions, licensees are notified of new versions automatically, etc.

 

[The Dark Wizard]

I think more support for paid addons would be great.

Of course only KAM knows best when it comes to their software.

 

[Morgain]

what I really want to do is distribute the paid add-ons here on XF (the updates)
And adding an AC list and a file seems so trivial that I am sure the devs could code that in a weekend time
From the user point of view, it is better to have a one-point shopping point than trying to remember "where was the site that I purchased the blog add-on...."

Absolutely - I have said this elsewhere. As a user I do NOT want to go chasing all over the place to get the files I need.
All admins work hard to keep users on site so I'm surprised KAM are content to throw users away on to other sites.

Plus support often involves compatibilty or integration with other addons. This and the close relationship with core code has always been a genius aspect of XF so I would have thought that XF would follow through on this.

The RM I installed notifies an update so is it different for paid addons?
As for the list of users who downloaded surely that is simple to code as a search?

 

[erich37]

The problem is distributing updates for paid add-ons.
So I have been thinking about an intermediate, easy to achieve solution.

For my paid add-ons, the #1 issue I have is distribution, and I am sure other paid add-on coders have too. Basically, customers have no way to download updates to the add-on, it puts the burden on me to maintain a site, or even setup my own Download Manager, maintain an access control of who could download, and many other features.

And for the customers, they need to register on my site, validate.. or use an external shopping cart. It is inconvenient.

The "first purchase" I solved with services like e-junkie, the updates, I have not solved.

So .. just give me two things:

1. The ability to upload files (attachments) to a paid Add-On in the resource manager
2. The ability to specify a fixed list of users in XenForo that are allowed to download said files

Yes, this is not a perfect solution, I still need to update that list manually, but at least I don't need to setup a whole different site just to manage the updates.

While some people might want to have a different site to deal with customer support, bug reports, suggestions, a whole fledged forum, I do not see every single add-on needing that. That's ok, I am not asking the whitelist to be the only way to distribute updates, but it would certainly go a long way into making it easier to distribute updates for smallish add-ons.

This is a very valid suggestion and I think this would be a very much required feature for a lot of webmasters here who are operating a "Resource-Manager".


Just some thoughts which came to my mind when thinking about using the RM for selling something else than "Add-ons":

for example, if I have users at my Resource-Manager who are selling for example some kind of paid "eBooks" (or any other kind of paid .pdf files), how are these suppliers going to manage their subscribers ?

Basically, the RM per its current design is only able to sell "one-time-items", but not to sell "subscription-items" (recurring subscription products).
So for example if you are selling products which are updated "monthly" (subscription-based eBooks), how are you going to inform customers and send the product to customers and also charge a customer for those monthly "updates" ?


So how would you know as "supplier" (seller of eBooks) who is your customer and who to send updates to ? I guess you would need to create a "new Resource" for each monthly eBook to make it fly. But your existing customers (the ones who already purchased 1 eBook) are gone as you can not inform them of the next eBook you have released.


As per current design of the RM, it is the customer's responsibility to "track" (watch/subscribe) to your product in order to receive information about updates of your product.

 

[Morgain]

for example, if I have users at my Resource-Manager who are selling for example some kind of paid "eBooks" (or any other kind of paid .pdf files), how are these suppliers going to manage their subscribers ?

Basically, the RM per its current design is only able to sell "one-time-items", but not to sell "subscription-items" (recurring subscription products).

As per current design of the RM, it is the customer's responsibility to "track" (watch/subscribe) to your product in order to receive information about updates of your product.

Which I agree is WRONG. Completely against the basics of marketing.

NEVER make it difficult fro a customer to buy - or buy more.​

NEVER ask a customer to make an effort, including to make contact, except where us making contact is intrusive.​

Ideally purchase is all set up for you, and it takes one click - second click confirm.
Similarly updates - notification - click - confirm click.

But RM Updates have a message form when you create them on the RM - so who does this message go to?
It should go to anyone who has a) downloaded b) clicked Like c) Rated/ done a Review d) joined the discussion.
That is shown interest in any way.
(although perhaps minor updates could be optioned to only go to downloaders)

It's possible the expected Shopfront addon may be able to link with RM about subscriptions. It certainly does subs as we checked that on its thread.
It's quiet at the moment but I think that's because the developers are working on Simple Portal as the priority project for their team.

 

[Adam Howard]

+1 for adding this

Please and thank you in advance