Why you shouldn't lower your prices

[layoutcentral]

If this is the wrong place mods feel free to move it. :)

I noticed alot of people starting threads and after a few sales lowering the prices of their items, in my opinion it isn't very fair for the people that paid full price and that purchased them first.
It's cool if you haven't made any sales and then you lower the price but sometimes you have to think about what's fair for the buyer as well as what's fair to you. I know sometimes you don't get alot of sales at first but if you just wait then I'm sure you'll get plenty of buyers.
If you always lower your prices then people will just sit back and wait until you lower your prices so much that you're practically underselling yourself. I think if you are going to give a lower your price/give a discount then it's only fair for everyone to get a discount.
Same when you "throw in X amount of freebies for the next X amount of buyers". So I post this not just because it's unfair to the buyers but because it's unfair to the sellers too, take pride in your work and don't under sell yourself!

[maralee]

I give the people that payed full price a couple of customs :D which reminds me I have to do someones :P

[RKGraphics]

i agree Mon.

Most buyers know which sellers will lower their prices. So they know to just sit and wait for it to be lowered. However, if someone does pay full price and then the price is lowered, I would expect some sort of a discount if I was the one paying full price.

Some buyers have been screwed like that in the past and won't return.

And reselling packs on here is so ridiculous. There has been one pack in circulation, being resold by so many people.

[layoutcentral]

i agree Mon.

Most buyers know which sellers will lower their prices. So they know to just sit and wait for it to be lowered. However, if someone does pay full price and then the price is lowered, I would expect some sort of a discount if I was the one paying full price.

Some buyers have been screwed like that in the past and won't return.

And reselling packs on here is so ridiculous. There has been one pack in circulation, being resold by so many people.

Yeah, I think thats a little unfair in way too, like if I had 100 glitters for $25 and gave re-sell rights it would just keep going down until someone sells it for like $4. Not only would I feel bad for my buyers that had to pay $25 instead of a cheaper price, but I'd feel undersold - yes I gave re-sale rights but it's still my work being sold for pocket change.

[CharmRoyal]

I totally agree with you which I why I am not lowering my price on my current marketplace thread. If no one wants to buy it for $20 then hey... it's pretty exclusive right?

But people are selling stuff cheaper now a days so when someone posts something at a high price, they don't even want to buy anymore :(.

[Andrew2]

Exactly, I think alot of people need to be alot more flexible with their Marketplace thread. If you only make 1 sale within 48 hours don't reduce the price JUST YET...

In my opinion if people want to have their items to be on sale, You should wait a good month at least so that the original buyers who bought for the full price have "some" advantage..Or give your first 5 buyers a little discount instead of doing it the other way around :)

[layoutcentral]

I totally agree with you which I why I am not lowering my price on my current marketplace thread. If no one wants to buy it for $20 then hey... it's pretty exclusive right?

But people are selling stuff cheaper now a days so when someone posts something at a high price, they don't even want to buy anymore :(.

There are still good buyers that don't mind paying the asked price if they like your work. If you think about how long it took to make all the graphics and all the effort you put into them then you can see why you shouldn't lower your prices. I'm not saying go post 20 glitters and ask for $100 but if you have a set price that you want then you shouldn't lower it just to get a few buyers. People will buy, just takes a little time. :P

[tacoflavoredkisses]

lol i lower mine because no one buys -__-

[layoutcentral]

lol i lower mine because no one buys -__-

well it's different if you haven't got a single buyer, but if you sold to like 5 people and then the thread was slow for a day or two you shouldn't lower it.

[tacoflavoredkisses]

yeah id be pretty peeved if i paid like 20 bucks for a pack then the seller turned around and cut it in half. kinda like the iphone bullcrap but at least they offered refunds to previous buyers =]

[JazzyJazzdotnet]

I never lower my prices unless I dont get ANY buyers at all in the thread.
Which has never happened to me, except for my "buy all 850 for $100" lol
The only time I plan on lowering prices is for LARGE bulk packages :)
And I love to throw in freebies and I love to give a little discount for my ALL THE TIME buyers!

I agree with you Layoutcentral!

[Andrew2]

Not to be off topic but really fast what happened with iphone prices? o_o

[tacoflavoredkisses]

they got cut to $250 i beleive. and the customers who purchased pre-price change got the difference back in credit.

[layoutcentral]

I never lower my prices unless I dont get ANY buyers at all in the thread.
Which has never happened to me, except for my "buy all 850 for $100" lol
The only time I plan on lowering prices is for LARGE bulk packages :)
And I love to throw in freebies and I love to give a little discount for my ALL THE TIME buyers!

I agree with you Layoutcentral!
Yeah like I said if you get no buyers then it's cool to lower your price but if your thread is slow for a day or two don't worry about it. I know alot of people have to replenish their funds so sometimes the marketplace is slow but eventually everyone is back to selling and buying. :P

[Andrew2]

Holy cow. And Here I thought they were 500 still :D
I still don't want one though. I'm in love with my brick still.

[RKGraphics]

omg my buyers get so many free things from me. i dont think i've sold one thing...oh yeah, that one person that paid for something before i knew it ;)
and that other stubborn person who paid for something i told him not to.


the marketplace is definitely different today than when i first started. my very first real sales thread got me over $500 in one night. that's when you didn't see all the reselling of stuff, and buyers were given total respect. and sellers didn't give attitudes.

its a much different place now. if we can weed out the people that are here to scam and make a quick buck, then we can get our professional marketplace back, before greg decides to pull the plug on it altogether ;)

[NYCBORN]

You set your own worth. If you set a price you should stick with it. People undersell themselves everyday but then there are those who know what their value is and they push for more than what they know they are worth. It's all about selling yourself to others.

[CharmRoyal]

I also think people should think twice about offering resell rights. I mean, I have before and I regret it. I don't offer it anymore...

I think it would change a lot of things in the marketplace... :)

[DavidR]

Everything is so cheap anyway so it doesn't really matter.

[layoutcentral]

yeah id be pretty peeved if i paid like 20 bucks for a pack then the seller turned around and cut it in half. kinda like the iphone bullcrap but at least they offered refunds to previous buyers =]

Thats why I was saying it's not fair to the buyers nor the sellers, it may seem like the right thing to do at the time but if the seller would wait a bit than they could've just got the amount they wanted but instead they undersold themself.

[Andrew2]

Yeah, I pretty much think "resale rights" is just a trendy thing and people think they're making a quick extra buck or something if they offered it...But it really causes confusion and stress for alot of buyers, sellers and site owners.

[CharmRoyal]

^ I agree

and I also thinks it's stupid because you have to embarrass yourself saying "make sure you don't get doubles".

I think that makes the buyers change there mind about buying

[layoutcentral]

^ I agree

and I also thinks it's stupid because you have to embarrass yourself saying "make sure you don't get doubles".

I think that makes the buyers change there mind about buying
Me too,
I don't think re-sale rights are a good idea because you never know how much they are going to sell the items for. I wouldn't want my work being sold for pennies :(

[sshjustkissme]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I see people selling graphics for super cheap prices and since most people want cheap stuff, it makes me not even want to make a sells thread. =\

[glacialflash]

If there's no buyer I will lower my rpice, since I atleast need to get 5$ to pay back the tread money.

[Greg-J]

This is why I do not have sales and have never lowered the price of anything. Now in the spirit of full disclosure, I have given small a discount to people who have purchased 5 or more licenses at once - but I think it's justified to reward repeat customers.

In this particular business, you just don't lower your prices. In the long run it can be suicide at worst and at the very least, people are going to be less apt to buy from you until you lower your price.

If you have product, set a price and stick to it. If anything, give it to the first couple people for less and then raise the price. Reward the people who buy it immediately, not the people who wait.

[Melfina]

I agree... "resale rights" do not make any sense to me. I've seen many packs offered where for an extra $5 you gain resale rights, I don't really see it as a smart thing since for just $5 someone else can profit from your work. Of course the people that sell them after gaining such resale rights will sell them for less money than you were, most probably on the same place (this forum).

Personally I've never done it and I won't probably do it in the future, and I wouldn't be buying other people's resale rights either.

As for lowering prices, I do think it's a good idea to offer lower prices for the first or repeating customers, but not lowering the price seeing that not many people don't buy. I'd rather sell a few packs with a higher price than a lot of them for a lower one.

[Andrew2]

Yeah, reselling stuff is basically recycling it or thrifting it off to someone else.

I think the worst thing for designers is that people are offering layouts for a dollar a piece and so designers think the things they make are only worth a dollar ... so they never bother to submit anything because they feel it's not worth it. I felt like that at first, I don't think I'll ever do it again though.

[CharmRoyal]

I kinda see reducing your prices after so long as like a clearance...
You know what I mean? Like you bought that pair of pants at a designer store for $50, but the Christmas sell comes around it's half off...

Do you see what I'm saying, lol

[layoutcentral]

I can understand having a thread and then close it off and comeback with a holiday discount thread or something a month later, but I'd give the people that paid full price before hand a pack of their choice or something...

[zodiac01]

quality, and talent, and business sense - and i dont see how anyone can be affected by "someone elses" sales thread..
with talent you can set yourself apart..
with quality you can demand your own price..
and dont make business mistakes and you can keep your money.

there are a lot of talented people here for sure. but i havent seen any "real high quality art" from anyone yet...
sure some of the layouts and graphics are "zomg amazing"..
but the reality of it is that it is either some ripped off copywritten photo of say a rapper.. awesomely surrounded by "splats" blends..patterns..brushes..whatever that 90% of those too arent even made by the "artist".. and topped with some quote or popular saying that still is part of some already existing saying or whatever.. nothing original. original ideas yes. its like who can make the coolest picture with barbie sticker fun set. not trying to put anyone down at all..
but when there are people like oh say.. deacon black, popeye wong, just to name a couple.. who are true artists.. and have established themselves on their own talent. which brings to the "resale rights" deal..
resale right isnt a "trendy thing" lol
resale rights is a fundamental part of business
like i said above.. talent and quality will dictate.
you can get real works of art from either of those artists.. for under 2 bucks.
why? because they are good enough to make 1 picture.. put it on a tube site.. and 10,000+ people will end up buying that 1 piece. im sure both.."well not popeye..he gives his stuff away lol" dont throw a hissy fit because joe schmoe has used their graphics with no permission. they call their lawyer, who has made sure to tell mr black to copyright all of his creations for just such an occasion, and which he does because his art warrants copyrights. if its good.. people will steal it.
which even say popeye.. who doesnt charge for his art on his site..
im sure he makes a ****load of money doing custom work. and im sure he names his price.
not to say making layouts and whatever doesnt take talent. like i said there are some talented designers here. but cmon people can stand on their own based on their quality talent and business sense without trashing threads, offering un-asked for "design tips", blaming other people for their prices or sales fluctuating, and reselling stuff they gave resale rights for.
kinda dumb to sell x product for 10 bucks.. but 12 if you want resale. and then be pissed because the reseller is selling for 8. maybe make it to where the buyer would have to actually sell something to make a profit. again good stuff will still turn over. maybe make resale rights 5x what it would cost to buy single. then the person can immediately discern whether it is worth it.."can I sell 5 of these?"
rather than "man if i dump 2 i can get my money back"
its resale RIGHTS
keyword rights.
that means you are giving them the right to resale how they see fit.
if i can buy a pack from you for 10 bucks.. and you only think you can sell 5 packs so will only make 50 bucks.. then because you think you cant sell them offer resale.. so you can get 60-70.. and then a reseller sells for a buck and sells 100 copies.. and you get mad.. its your fault. should have sold them without resale or made it worth your while. or held your own discount before offering total resale rights. maybe dont offer resale on the first thread.. keep them unique off the bat and they will hold worth longer.. when you think you CANT sell any more.. THEN offer resale rights. maybe someone else thinks they can and will then buy for that purpose. in the end.. they paid for resale rights. dont be mad because they gave you the money you asked for to "make that extra buck". you obviously went out of your way to make extra by offering that feature. and if you dont know what resale rights meant.. shoulda done homework before incorporating that feature into your business. lesson learned.
all of the sales thread crying is petty and is all about stuff that should be in your rearview mirror for any serious graphic artist in this industry.
everyone has to start somewhere..
but if you let things like the little 5 dollar sales forum crap get to you in the early stage.. you probably wont get far.
and anyone who lets themselves be limited simply by what mspros has to offer has already lost. think big, do what you feel is right, and stick to your own guns, and dont let others drag you down and i seriously doubt anyone would have time to worry about the next guy. providing that talent and quality is present of course.

and then there are the people who sacrifice quality for quantity..
"i would rather put 10 bajillion junk glitters because its cheaper and i get more clicks..who cares if things arent spelled properly" attitude will always be around..
fast money and schemers...
sure they get more clicks.. mofos are clicking trying to get away from that crap lol
quality will bring repeat customers every time.

i think if people think their "business" is affected by someone elses thread.. they should re-evaluate their business and think what they are doing wrong themselves as to why their stuff isnt selling.
just an opinion.

ill be a seller one day.. too much goin on for myself right now but when things calm down i will sell things i have created.. for now i create for myself, custom, or for my sites..and i like to join the logo contests n **** to try and keep sharp hehe
and i dont wanna pay for anything..
and since i have been here (2 months tops) i have dumped over 800 bucks buying from the forum.. including both scripts and graphics. (think that qualifies me as a buyer) and im not even doing this resource crap for a "business". this is a hobby. lol
but as a buyer that is the stuff that comes to mind when seeing all of the "omg they are selling in the mp thread with bad business tactics and its soooo affecting my world!"

as a seller it makes the whole forum look bad when such petty crap is such a big deal.

as a buyer i am looking for professionals who have quality products that i want to buy. i dont care if your cat is sick. or if i can get more graphics for cheaper on the other page. if i like what is on your thread. i will buy it.

as an mspros member.. i own the scripts so i am GONNA be here..
notice the buyers dont have all the bickering? because they dont care they just want to buy their stuff in a safe and friendly atmosphere.. and the more the sellers fight amongst each other the better deals they can get. that is the only way i see everyone "underselling themselves"
again just an opinion..
and you know what they say about opinions..

everyone's stinks but mine :)

man i just realized how long this is lol

[Andrew2]

Does it come on cassette or in paperback?

Edit: i will read this some other time :)

Edit2: I read part of it and I think that you are misunderstanding the marketplace and the effects that individual posts have on everyone else. That's how the marketplace works weither it makes sense or not. I wish i had the energy to type as much as you did but ummmm I think I'm about ready to crash. :-O

[Sophie]

Whoever pays the full price on my graphics and if I lower the price, then I'll give them another one of my packs free :p

[CharmRoyal]

Just read that whole long post... for one it's nice of you to give such long explanations :). I'd also like to say it helped me a bit... I learned something new!

[zodiac01]

Does it come on cassette or in paperback?

Edit: i will read this some other time :)

BOTH! and for the next 5 minutes i will be having a 1/2 off sale!

<resale rights available for 1.50>

ps. please buy this i need new shoes.

omg did you see that other jerk offering this advice for free on that other forum?!


now ill never be RickLife :(

hehe

[Andrew2]

BOTH! and for the next 5 minutes i will be having a 1/2 off sale!

<resale rights available for 1.50>

ps. please buy this i need new shoes.

omg did you see that other jerk offering this advice for free on that other forum?!


now ill never be RickLife :(

hehe


BUT WAIT THAT'S NOT ALL....

YOU'VE...JUST WON YOURSELF... A BRANDDDDD NEW CAR!
:priceisrightmusic:
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/237706/2/istockphoto_237706_old_car.jpg

[tacoflavoredkisses]

lmao thats great

[not2late]

A very long time ago (almost a year) I purchased a graphic set for like $20. It was a very small amount of glitters, maybe 5. I purchased them at $20 because I thought the price was set high, so it would be much more exclusive. Dead wrong, a few days later the price drops to a few dollars so the person could get more sales.



Recently I bought something for like $58 (two packs). A few hours later the price dropped down to $20. I had the 2nd pack delivered to me after the price drop, and I have a sneaky suspicion after packs were sent out to the people who bought it at a lower price because mine was overlooked.



I could have complained to these people and whined about it but oh well. I payed a price that I thought the items were worth based on my own assumptions. I cant blame the sellers for that.

I like the sales threads that only sell to xx amount of people then stop any future sales. That way I at least know the price cant change and assume they wont sell off more packs.

[pimpyourdino]

Eh I think its the same as if you buy something at best buy for example then they have a sale 2 weeks later you don't run back to the store with your receipt complaining... its just how prices go stuff goes on sale and clearance its a part of life. Wow that was a run on sentence, just my two cents on things.

[Connections]

Its called business,

you think when you buy a computer a mobile phone or any other tangible good and then after a few weeks or months the price drops 50% then 75%, to clear stock.

IF you are not buying a exclusive product then I don't see any problem at all with price drops.

Some people on this forum need to really look at how business works.

[Andrew2]

I like the sales threads that only sell to xx amount of people then stop any future sales. That way I at least know the price cant change and assume they wont sell off more packs.

:D I always planned on this, I set the amount for 10,20,30 people etc and then I have my marketplace thread deleted after those sales were made or if I just want to close it. You give me hope :)

[CharmRoyal]

Eh I think its the same as if you buy something at best buy for example then they have a sale 2 weeks later you don't run back to the store with your receipt complaining... its just how prices go stuff goes on sale and clearance its a part of life. Wow that was a run on sentence, just my two cents on things.

^ Exactly what I said

It pisses me off but it's life :(

[spotlight-shure]

^^^ lol you do it =) hahahaha

[Ajay]

i agree,

if people are going to do the price drop nonsense, it's going to piss off people. eventually the market will weed these types of sellers out. I don't think we need any intervention in the marketplace. I understand that this thread was made to educate those sellers that are making mistakes, and such threads are good. Maybe people will realize that they are just hurting themselves.

@zodiac, i agree with the majority of things in your post, although reading all that stuff, made my eyes bleed just a bit. :~(

[CharmRoyal]

^^^ lol you do it =) hahahaha

lol yeah I have said that a few posts back
I won't anymore though :stuart:

[zodiac01]

Edit2: I read part of it and I think that you are misunderstanding the marketplace and the effects that individual posts have on everyone else. That's how the marketplace works weither it makes sense or not. I wish i had the energy to type as much as you did but ummmm I think I'm about ready to crash. :-O


read the rest lol

maybe thats how the marketplace works HERE.. and thats the problem.

lets see the marketplace.. place to buy and sell stuff right? have to pay to try and keep it half assed on the up and up right? rules made to try and keep things fair right? i think i got the marketplace.
as for the effects that individual posts have on everyone else..
i thought my book made it pretty clear that if you (not YOU, but anyone) are affected by someone elses thread then it is yourself that allowed that to happen.

i thought i used good examples lol
let's see..
tiffany's doesnt need to drop their diamond prices every time kmart has a diamond sale.
the reason? tiffany's sells quality stones. kmart has "glitter stones" that are of lessor quality.. and can be bought for pennies on the dollar.. and some 3rd world country slaps together 5000 crap clarity no papers .10 point quality rings for instance.. so now everyone can buy a diamond ring for 20 bucks.
does that mean all of a sudden diamonds are worthless?
to someone who doesnt know diamonds maybe ;)

now meanwhile kmart has opened 150 stores and 120 have gone out of business by then.. new employees every month.. minimum wage quality..while tiffany's has a corporate spot in say.. trump tower.

now being this isnt tiffany's and it is a 5 dollar sales thread.. i understand the differences. but the moral remains the same. and thats my point.
people just need to step back and ask themselves.. do they wanna be kmart or do they wanna be tiffany's?
self pride in workmanship,talent, quality goods, and business sense, mixed with some class and politeness will go a long way.
worrying about what kmart is doing will only take away from the time involved to build your tiffany's.
as a buyer i have made decisions not to buy based on personal issues in threads for the simple fact of well hell if they cant manage their own issues and their business is a last resort to scrape it up together.. how solid of a business partnership can i really expect. and this is a business forum right?

i mean if less than 100 bucks is gonna break you or rock your world THAT bad.. cmon..
small fries...
if thats the case take 500 hours out of your forum browsing/posting time and get a minimum wage job. this is a "potential" billion dollar industry.. at least act like it.
stop squabling over pennies. stand up and make a name for yourself.
not try to follow in someone elses sales thread.

<psst you are just giving them free advertising by bringing their crap to everyones attention and all the while making yourself look jealous > lol
they probably get more sales hehe
and from the looks of it the people that get *****ed at the most are making sales or more product with their time instead of spending all day posting the dumbest crap i have read on ANY forum in ages lol


there is a line between an artist and a glittergirl.. not sure where i would draw it..
but i know its there.
like i said not trying to put anyones skills down..
and there are a lot of very talented people here..
but those people really shouldnt worry about everyone elses business.

do the people complaining think the buyers are idiots who cant buy or make their own decisions? sounds like it. sounds like they are saying its the buyers fault in a round about way for trying to get the best deal or whatever.. its business.
people are treating it like an afterschool special..
friends are great. hope to make some. hope to keep a few of the ones i make. unfortunately friends and business rarely mix. ask anyone over 30.

oh damn look at me im rambling again heh

i dont post often but when i do.. man.

just saying its how you carry yourself that is the defining factor.
you can come here and conduct business and go far i believe..
or you can come here and be petty and post 20 times a day complaining about "everyone else" and making the majority personal threads and it will always just be a forum. it is what YOU make it. not what sally 10 cent glitter says.
if these people were THAT good.. they would be running a design shop and not praying they "get my 5 bucks back" from mspros forum.
step it up folks :)

[RKGraphics]

my opinion: we can say its business, we can use examples. however, in the msp world...like mentioned before, you're selling yourself as well as your graphics. you establish how you will be perceived and dealt with via your own sales.

so if you are constantly dropping your prices, expect no sales until you drop your prices as it will just be expected.

but if you want returning buyers, set your sale amount and stick with it. im sure buyers will return if you are offering a deal, but if you want respect of the buyers then playing numbers games and dropping prices is a turn off.

for me, i've only lowered my prices once, for the firesales, and i offered free packs to those who paid full price. i just thought it was fair to do that.

the only other time was my first lame pack, it was lame and nobody wanted to buy it.

[sweet2685]

I pretty much agree with everyone about this. If you want to make decent money doing this, then avoid lowering the prices. I often shop at Old Navy. I'll see a shirt I really like for $12. When I go back during major seasonal clearances, I can get the same shirt for $4. I've learned to just wait it out & save money. I think we need to take the opposite approach since we're don't need to clear floor room. ;)

[crimsonangel]

Well, I lowered mine not because I have no faith in my thread but because I will be pulling it. I waited almost 3 weeks and than I posted the lower price. I just wanted any last minute buyers to get it while they can. Oh, like some of you on here, I do give a few 'freebies" out too.
Thank You!
:)

[crimsonangel]

Well, I lowered mine not because I have no faith in my thread but because I will be pulling it. I waited almost 3 weeks and than I posted the lower price. I just wanted any last minute buyers to get it while they can. Oh, like some of you on here, I do give a few 'freebies" out too.
Thank You!
:)
Oh, and maybe I'm just a tad impatient too and ready for something new!
:yes:

[maricza]

I Did this a few times. I won't do it again :(

[goodman0000]

How come I didnt see this thread lol good post I agree with just about everyone s comment that I read

I keep my prices up there where they belong becuase of the time i put into it actually almost the same from when i first started selling here but if i do any prices dropping its before anyone purchased anything otherwise its just not fair to other buyers

yeah things are slower for us that try to maintain our prices, but you get alot post with like 1000 glitters for 10.00 lol

so if your selling lets say 10 glitters for 10 .00 they buyer is going to buy the 1000 glitters

but if things dont change im going to start my own site and make all the money hahaha

people are complaining about revenue going down ,revenue will go up when the quality of your purchases go up...usually the 1000 glitters are not going to be that quality to make your revenue go up more likey down no on will bookmark your site ...or come back or use anything


you know after combing through the mess you may have purchased for 1 cent, i do see alot of good quality go for two cheap


you can place a wallmart beside a dollar store, people will go to the dollar store basically whatever is cheaper the are going to get it

it will only change when it is realized that when you pay for quality the outcome is quality for site owers that means more money

thats my 2 cent glitter

now anyone wanna make me president lol

[offthedome]

I actually agree that prices shouldn't be lowered. It's not like phones or computers, where they're lowered because a newer, better version has come out. It's price discrimination (ECON 101), where the prices are lowered at each step when no new buyers are found, so that each buyer is charged the maximum they're willing to buy. I'm not saying that the seller has sinisterly thought that much about it .... I'm sure they just say "I just want to sell more and make more money". But it's the end result, and I believe it isn't fair to the original buyer if they weren't aware that the price was going to be lowered.

What I do is, lower the price, and if I get any new buyers, I refund the difference to the original buyers.