Implemented What you can do to make the Commercial resources developers happy

[Rigel Kentaurus]

I won't lie, I feel a little left out and disappointed with the Commercial add-ons as a forum, away way from the Resource Manager, buried beneath a list of forums, where nobody will see them, as if you didn't even care about us...

Then I realized a simple fix that you can do, right now, to make it a lot better, though not perfect

Just add a link on the subnav, that should be enough for now until we can have them along with the other resources as first class citizens

 

[erich37]

why not just have "Prefixes" for it?

Prefix: "Free Resources" or "Free Add-on"
Prefix: "Commercial Resources" or "Commercial Add-on"

 

[Rigel Kentaurus]

why not just have "Prefixes" for it?

Prefix: "Free Resources"
Prefix: "Commercial Resources"

I am sure the devs might be working in a more definitive long term solution, but an interim short one would be nice

 

[Forsaken]

Honestly... If you're selling a paid resource you should be doing so on your own site to properly manage support and licensing (Unless its a pay once never pay again sort of deal).

 

[erich37]

Honestly... If you're selling a paid resource you should be doing so on your own site to properly manage support and licensing (Unless its a pay once never pay again sort of deal).

why?
isn't Android-Marketplace or Apple also selling third-party apps?

 

[Rigel Kentaurus]

Honestly... If you're selling a paid resource you should be doing so on your own site to properly manage support and licensing (Unless its a pay once never pay again sort of deal).

Well, yes and no.

I'll give you some examples.

Pixelmator used to distribute their software through their own means. When the Mac App Store came around, they actually changed to use that as their distribution channel (as in the only distribution channel). Other software like Growl did the same, and even Adobe with Elements jumped on the wagon

There is some value to being where the customers are. The customer does not want to learn about a gazillion sites, they want a centralized place from which they can get all their add-ons, and the App Stores have proven that people are willing to pay if the purchase flow is simple and it is convenient.

This does not mean that people are not doing sites anymore. Most of them have their product sites, with information and their forums for support, but they keep the "company app store" as an additional distribution channel. Funny thing is, that even when Apple is taking a 30% cut, they are selling more. Otherwise, they would just not do it. The discovery process is enhanced if the customers can browse the addons in XF itself.

..... and last. You know about managing a site. If I understand, for Xenique you had to setup a cart, setup the permissions, handle a process for delivering the add-on to the user, handle the payment process. A bunch of things that, to tell you the truth, I don't care about. I want to code and sell my work, but I don't want to handle a full website and storefront for that.

So, while I agree there is some value in having "our own site", I also think XenForo should bite the bullet and provide us with a storefront for distributing the commercial hacks. What about my small ones? The $5 ones or even ones that I would give away for 0.99? I don't want to setup a whole site for those.

 

[Forsaken]

why?
isn't Android-Marketplace or Apple also selling third-party apps?

Luckily this isn't the android or apple marketplace .

For myself and many others (Resource providers), we will likely not use XenForo resource manager when it offers commercial support because we need to be able to handle the licensing ourselves. It is just much more logical to us to be able to handle everything from our own site than it is to offer all of the support here where it is much more likely to get lost in the everyday discussion.

 

[Rigel Kentaurus]

Luckily this isn't the android or apple marketplace .

For myself and many others (Resource providers), we will likely not use XenForo resource manager when it offers commercial support because we need to be able to handle the licensing ourselves. It is just much more logical to us to be able to handle everything from our own site than it is to offer all of the support here where it is much more likely to get lost in the everyday discussion.

I think people like yourself that are doing serious business would have no need of such a feature.

But some people just like to do small things or even one time things, and there is a need for such a channel. Charging the client and handling the distribution channel is some overhead that does need to be imposed on casual developers.

 

[Forsaken]

Well, yes and no.

I'll give you some examples.

Pixelmator used to distribute their software through their own means. When the Mac App Store came around, they actually changed to use that as their distribution channel (as in the only distribution channel). Other software like Growl did the same, and even Adobe with Elements jumped on the wagon

There is some value to being where the customers are. The customer does not want to learn about a gazillion sites, they want a centralized place from which they can get all their add-ons, and the App Stores have proven that people are willing to pay if the purchase flow is simple and it is convenient.

This does not mean that people are not doing sites anymore. Most of them have their product sites, with information and their forums for support, but they keep the "company app store" as an additional distribution channel. Funny thing is, that even when Apple is taking a 30% cut, they are selling more. Otherwise, they would just not do it. The discovery process is enhanced if the customers can browse the addons in XF itself.

..... and last. You know about managing a site. If I understand, for Xenique you had to setup a cart, setup the permissions, handle a process for delivering the add-on to the user, handle the payment process. A bunch of things that, to tell you the truth, I don't care about. I want to code and sell my work, but I don't want to handle a full website and storefront for that.

So, while I agree there is some value in having "our own site", I also think XenForo should bite the bullet and provide us with a storefront for distributing the commercial hacks. What about my small ones? The $5 ones or even ones that I would give away for 0.99? I don't want to setup a whole site for those.

The cart was pretty much install, configure Paypal options (To work with their NVP API), setup a product and open it to the public. I can have a product up in a matter of minutes with a simple blurb about it, or spend additional time to trick out the page (Supports HTML).

The cart then handles the payment through Paypal, either automatically approves or manually approves a sale and then issues a license. If someone disputes or files an issue, it unapproves the license. In a later version it'll offer coupons and services and many other things. Way more than the resource manager will allow more than likely.

I also wasn't talking about one time fee add-ons, but ones that require a yearly renewal.

I think people like yourself that are doing serious business would have no need of such a feature.

But some people just like to do small things or even one time things, and there is a need for such a channel. Charging the client and handling the distribution channel is some overhead that does need to be imposed on casual developers.

I replied to your previous post, and I obviously didn't include the one-off sale add-ons. I specifically mean ones that include a yearly fee for renewal and support.

 

[Rigel Kentaurus]

I replied to your previous post, and I obviously didn't include the one-off sale add-ons. I specifically mean ones that include a yearly fee for renewal and support.

I still think that your advanced use case does not invalidate the basic use case other people can take advantage of.

And for you, it would be an additional sale channel.

xenique.com is down right now, isn't it? If you could sell directly at xenForo.com you would be able to keep selling at this same moment

 

[Forsaken]

I still think that your advanced use case does not invalidate the basic use case other people can take advantage of.

And for you, it would be an additional sale channel.

xenique.com is down right now, isn't it? If you could sell directly at xenForo.com you would be able to keep selling at this same moment

We would still have to manually setup every license then, which our cart doesn't support during alpha 1, which is more management time.

You're ignoring that I never said it wouldn't be good for one-off sales, but anything with a yearly renewal requires that you have something to manage the license/subscription. If you do not your business will be unorganized (Business is used loosely) and will be a hassle for you and your clients.

 

[Rigel Kentaurus]

We would still have to manually setup every license then, which our cart doesn't support during alpha 1, which is more management time.

You're ignoring that I never said it wouldn't be good for one-off sales, but anything with a yearly renewal requires that you have something to manage the license/subscription. If you do not your business will be unorganized (Business is used loosely) and will be a hassle for you and your clients.

Oh... sorry about that, didn't really see that you agreed that it is good for one-off sales. That is where it has most value.

It has no use for building a long-term client base and building a brand. But I am not arguing or asking about that

 

[Morgain]

I agree with Rigel/ OP - as a client who loves your addons I don't like going to other sites.
Why on earth do I have to register, wait for confiormation, click it, go and find what I want .... buy it.
I don't want to dfo that on 3 - 5 - 10 or more other sites.

I'm an XFlady and I want to find what I want HERE.
It's not that hard. Either I find it or ask and someone tells me.
With the Resource Manager (expected any day now) it'll be even easier.

Yes I understand that you want me to go to your site if it's a renewal thing, or if I want custom work, or more than standard support.
But for one offs/ small items/ and standard usage, that all belongs HERE.
For renewal, custom, special support, I still need to start out HERE.

Call it Paid Resources please.
Money I can handle, payment/ paid says it how it is.
Commercial sounds like the corps and the big boys that exploit us all.

 

[Andy.N]

With the Resource Manager (expected any day now) it'll be even easier..

It's released today

 

[Taylor J]

I'm an XFlady and I want to find what I want HERE.
It's not that hard. Either I find it or ask and someone tells me.
With the Resource Manager (expected any day now) it'll be even easier.

You know it's been installed here right?

 

[Onimua]

Oh... sorry about that, didn't really see that you agreed that it is good for one-off sales. That is where it has most value.

It has no use for building a long-term client base and building a brand. But I am not arguing or asking about that

In the end then, if it's for small/one-time-paid add-ons I can see the RM handling that and I'm pretty sure it will in the future.

We will be adding features and fixing bugs with it over time. Most notably, it does not support any sort of payment system, so paid resources cannot be released through it (see below).

For items like larger add-ons that have yearly renewals, and additional options like branding-free, as well as other things like user group permissions/settings that would be handled on a per-addon basis, it's much better if it's managed elsewhere and not trying to cram it all on this site. It's a logistical nightmare to have all of that happening here.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Luckily this isn't the android or apple marketplace .

Speechless.
Yea, you'd hate to replicate the ultra popular, Apple Apps store. Developers are making good money and Apple is getting filthy rich.

It is just much more logical to us to be able to handle everything from our own site than it is to offer all of the support here where it is much more likely to get lost in the everyday discussion.

Xenforo customers don't want to submit their Paypal data to 15 sites.
Having your own site is a barrier to sales. Period.

 

[Morgain]

Xenforo customers don't want to submit their Paypal data to 15 sites.
Having your own site is a barrier to sales. Period.

I wouldn't say a developer site is completely a barrier to sales. Not as binary logic as that.

I like a developer site for certain things.

If I want to see a demo.
If I want to see more than a handful of screenshots.
If it's a bigger addon and I want to see support discussions on different sections of it or additional addons that piggyback on it.
If I want to compare a free, lite, or silver or gold versions of it - features.

But I absolutely detest a quick scrappy description here with a command to go elsewhere.
It totally puts me off buying to see "support given on my site" - how hard is it to keep up with your own thread here on another tab? That really comes over as arrogant as if the developer is just exploiting XF to pull me over there somewhere.

Please don't jostle for my attention with competing sites. Please list what you do HERE and let me check the standard outline, the standard screenshots - and the quality of support you give - HERE.
Once I see that is all good, I might well want to visit you for a bigger array of screenshots, a demo (user/ moderator/ admin) , categorised support sections, or comparison of versions. Or to ask about custom work.

 

[Trekkan]

I don't mind going to a developers site, so long as there's a real reason to do so. Not just a reason to harvest my email address which has been the case with some mods (meaning, no real reason other than to say "come to my site!"). But then again, there's very legitimate reasons you'd want to sign up at a developers site too.

Otherwise, what some people are complaining about (signing up on new sites) is exactly what you're asking everyone to do on your own sites. Sign up because you feel there is value there and a reason to do so.

The mod developers feel the same way about their work, even if you don't and have every right to ask you to go to their site for whatever reason. Sure, I like everything in one store, it's why we have stores that sell so many products today. However, when I want help, something specific or expect to get customer service, I go to the manufacturer because they know what they are talking about when it comes to their product.

 

[Digital Doctor]

I like a developer site for certain things.
If I want to see a demo. (doable)
If I want to see more than a handful of screenshots. (should be easy)
If it's a bigger addon and I want to see support discussions on different sections of it or additional addons that piggyback on it. (easy: it's called a forum)
If I want to compare a free, lite, or silver or gold versions of it - features. (easy)

Xenforo.com should provide these resources for addon makers.