All I Want is to Download

Umm.... dude... the 20 bucks is WELL worth it. All those files you wanna download, all that 'other stuff', is all part of the site that WinCustomize is. It is an idea, but I dont think its feasible to split up different types of subscriptions. If you're truly wanting to support the site, why not just go all the way and pay it? Heck, not many people use ALL the features... I dont use the premium suites. I rarely use the photo gallery. My personalized home page is a joke... I just use it for my favourite skins and such, and my watch list of authors. However, I'm still 100% confident that the WinC sub is well worth the money. The WindowBlinds skins ALONE are worth the 20 bucks. Thats my opinion on the matter...

I don't care about anything offered except unlimited access to all the files on site and unlimited downloads.

The 'photo galleries and stuff' are simply an incentive to subscribe.....but the subscription is not to pay for THEM...it's to pay for those very things you wish to have 'unlimited'.

The economic model isn't valid, and needs to change...

Price Breakdown:

Bandwidth and Servers: $19.95
Photo Galleries: $0.00
Personal Pages: $0.00
Admins and Moderators: $0.00
Skins and Themes: $0.00
--------------------------------
Total: $19.95

I respect your opinion but money is tight for us just like it is for Win Customize. If there was a $5 option, I'd pay it right now, but I'll have to think about the $20...

I'm sure there are a lot of people out there just like me.

Black Cat...if we all adopted that attitude, there'd be no place to pay the $5.00 you propose. The costs of keeping this site alive are enormous and it needs our continued support to remain viable, so dust the cobwebs off your wallet and subscribe to what you obviously derive enjoyment from.

Maybe there 'could' be a $5 option.....but not as 'unlimited, long-term access'....that wouldn't be an 'option' so much as a 75% discount....

Time-limited?....DL-cap limited?  Perhaps...

I've been a member here at wincustomize for about 4 years now (ever since I found and fell in love with Object Desktop) and I've never really had an issue come across on the site that made me feel so strongly as this one. So I'm going to share my opinion on this one and then be quiet for another 4 years.

I think four key things need to be done:

1) Merge OD/Wincustomize.com serials and put file download quotas into effect
2) Make an official paypal donation address available
3) Make the top 100 skins/themes etc. available on the WWW for bittorrenting each month with all the bug fixes in
4) Raise the cost of the Object Desktop full suite renewal to $50/year instead of $35.

Now read my reason for each of these...

I pay $35/year to keep my Stardock account up (which is bargain basement imho). Its a sweet suite of applications and I'm very happy with it (tyvm Stardock and all your skinners out there). /tips hat

However, to charge another $20 for so-called "premium access" is not a good idea. Here's why ->

The second that "premium skins" come out, they'll be leaked/pirated/ever-so-slightly-modified-and-re-released (kinda like a version of Vista in the last few days) which undermines the primary product being marketed (the premium skins).

So what should be done instead?

First, I think you guys should merge wincustomize.com and Object Desktop so that the number of downloads per Object Desktop serial number are limited on a per-day basis, and limited severely for non-paying site-goers.

Reason #1: Shared Serials

If a person started sharing their serial to friends their daily download quota would be capped and bandwidth would not be an issue.

Reason #2: Frivolous Downloads Cut Significantly

Putting quotas into effect would limit the number of frivolous downloads. If I have a cap of, say, 3-5 downloads per day (as a non-paying site-goer), there's no way I'm going to be downloading wallpapers/skins with a 3-star rating or less. Even if I'm a full-fledged paying member, if I have a cap of 30 skins/day I think that's PLENTY. If there are people who are downloading more than this I think its high time they started paying into the system.

The second thing which should be done is to set up a secure method for taking donations. I hear people saying in other threads that if there were a way to donate some money to keep you guys going, they'd fork some cash over. Let me just say that I'll do the same. Give me the official paypal address and I'll chip in. That may fix the issue right there.

The third thing you guys should do is this: every month you should create a zip file of the top 100-downloaded windowblinds skins, top 100 wallpapers, top 100 icon packages, etc. and put a couple seeds out on the web for bit-torrenting.

Reason #1: Bandwidth

Users use their own instead of your servers and your bandwidth, reducing your overall expenses.

Reason #2: Standardization

The vast majority of the skins will have all of the updates the authors plan to do and are more or less bug-free by the end of each month. Often times the community makes a skin author aware of an issue and the author goes back 3-10 days after the skin came out and fix the issues. All these fixes could go into the once-monthly torrented zip files.

The fourth thing to do is to raise the cost of OD from $35/year to $50/year. If the first three things don't take care of the problem, this would definitely be a valid option.

Reason #1 - People who use the site lots and lots should shoulder the costs involved.

Reason #2 - Many current users will want the kind of access and prestige that a full OD/Wincustomize.com membership entails (large number of daily downloads, premium skins/themes, etc.) and won't mind the $15 hike. I know I qualify as one such.

So there you have it.

/wanders off

I've been a member here at wincustomize for about 4 years now (ever since I found and fell in love with Object Desktop) and I've never really had an issue come across on the site that made me feel so strongly as this one. So I'm going to share my opinion on this one and then be quiet for another 4 years. I think four key things need to be done:

I think if you just paid $20 for a subscription it would be much easier than all you suggested. The problem doesnt lie in the " $20 " Its the fact that everyone on the Net is so used to getting everything for free that when asked for money its like WTF ...MONEY.

I think everyone best get used to it, bandwidth prices keep going up, more and more sites require paid memberships. Music used to be free too..now , I happily pay for it and think about all those " free" years.

~$20.00 ..the price of 2 cheese pizzas where I live..at least with Subscription you wont need antacid later

20 dollars a year is 1.6 dollars a month! With 1.6 dollars a month you buy just one,maybe two MC Donald burgers. It's that low. Sooo cut a burger or two each month. That's what i did.

I don't care about anything offered except unlimited access to all the files on site and unlimited downloads.

And this is why the site could go down the tubes...people wanting everything for nothing.

In my opinion, I think they should limit downloads until people cough up some money. This site "costs money to run." Exactly what part of that don't people understand.

Wincustomize works damn hard to make our PC's look primo, so all you tight wads out there, crack $20 out of your wallet and lets keep the best skinning site in the world on its feet.

Perhaps the time has come to get tough: No subscription = no downloads. Why should those of us who pay subsidise those who don't?

And if it's the 'I can't afford it' routine, remember this quote "If you can't afford something, you go without."

Perhaps the time has come to get tough: No subscription = no downloads. Why should those of us who pay subsidise those who don't?

Hear....hear!!

$20. About 2 pizza's. I trip tp McD for two. I movie for two. Thats for a year. Get the picture. Just use the money that you would spend for that or other meaningless things and get a subscription instead.

We kinda have quite a few threads/news items on this same subject....I think everyone is repeating themselves....[sure seen Ash's one before]...

Perhaps the time has come to get tough: No subscription = no downloads. Why should those of us who pay subsidise those who don't?

There's no perhaps about it....the kid gloves have to come off with those who refuse to subscribe. Heck, it's not like we're talking about over inflated $2000 software or a really expensive membership to an exclusive club, is it! If someone can afford to splurge $50 to purchase OD, it's a sure fire bet they could find the extra $20 for a WC subscription if they really wanted to. Perhaps some genuinely can't afford it in one hit, and maybe something could be done to assist those willing to subscribe, but for the most part it's self centred tight arses who 'refuse' to support that which obviously caters to their wants I say wants because they certainly don't need it, just like the pay per view TV they refuse to pay for and don't see. Like Jafo says, we live in a user pays world.

I'll have no hesitation whatsoever in renewing my WC and OD subscriptions when they are due

"All I Want is to Download" For free. Where do these people come from? Unlimited? You don't ask for much, do you?

Perhaps the time has come to get tough: No subscription = no downloads. Why should those of us who pay subsidise those who don't?

I couldn't agree more. So glad to see a "higher up" saying this. People are not inclined to pay for something they are already getting for free. It is obvious that has not been working. More visitors, but less subscriptions. There has been far too much given to those who are not subscribed.

SOS- Same old ...uh, story.
There will always be people who just don't get it. Bandwidth=$$$ and SOMEBODY has to pay.
This site is not government or ad supported so the funds have to come from somwhere.
Guess where? The CONSUMER. Which is US.