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A small group of members have suggested we outright sell designs in order to increase revenue. Their proposal is to add a Buy Now / Shopping Cart to every design posted. That's a lot of work! So volunteers are most welcome. As curator, I will begin the project, however, as I am very involved with Fast Search this new project will drag along. Most important is that it cannot actually go into effect until it is nearly completed. Once there is a fair amount of designs posted to sell then I can create a subscriber's account for this new membership type. These people will be permitted to enter our secured areas but NOT be able to take files freely as members do now, yet still be able to buy the designs which are for sale. BEWARE: If and when YOU come across these buttons within the Board, do not click on them. You need not buy designs YOU get for free. Will this actually bring income and thus lower our access fees? There are folks out there who do say they would join if fees were lower. There are folks out there who ask for one of our secular designs (such as State Seals) every so often. I haven't charged them because some are a once in a life time thing. Creating this Buy Now button will allow those folks to join for like $6 per year and then buy the designs they need when they need them. And it allows them to see what we have. Something only members can review. Enough income like this will lower everyone's access fees and maybe - maybe - afford us the income to do all kinds of projects we often turn down due to lack of revenue. Should I change my membership status to this new Buy Now? That's exactly why these 3 members devised this project. One lady sez she downloads less than 5 designs per year. Therefore, if you find that your monthly/yearly access is more costly than paying $6 monthly and buying a design every so often, I encourage you to switch. How will the designs be priced? Like a politician remarks to give it a little more time to think; Good question! Firstly, and at the moment, I have to contact Moses, Bill, Cameron, Mark, Hugo, Eddie, Derick, Kimon, Liz and anyone else who's designs are posted here and see if they even want to sell the designs. I expect it will not be an outright sale. More like a lease permitting the buyer to use the design ONLY while a member in this new account type. Some of the artists will baulk at the idea. I don't blame them. We'll see. Secondly, I can probably figure the price of my own designs. When I design I charge $200 an hour, but often do from one to eight drawings within that time. That's why the members and I settled on my pay to be $150 per week. Because I can usually draw up one design per week and do all the administration and website work within 45 minutes. So I can eyeball a design and pretty-much come up with a fair price for it. But another artist's efforts might be best assessed by them. Some, like some of Bill's work and a few of Kimon's I would - my personal opinion - say are priceless! I have 65,000 of my own creations here at the Board, but all put together I'd guess they dwarf the value of Bill's. Thirdly, The Board will need to get a percentage of the sale of all our designs. Me or another here will have to set this all up, handle the sales and send the design(s) to the buyer. The details to all that are unknown at this time. FEED BACK from all of you is most welcomed. Hey, we tried everything from Online CAD, to finished product sales, to Virtual Office, to Online Conventions, we may as well try this too. I wonder of this will end atop that trash heap also? Lastly: Some of you know, and are involved in dialog with agents from the Smithsonian Museum and the Library of Congress. I and said parties are tweaking another project whereas the Board will become a National Archive. How this new Buy Now project affects that, I do not know at this time. |
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