So my question to you is, do you like the set your own price option? Why you like or why you don't.
Tenkar already listed a bunch of fantastic products that are using this pricing option.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Friday Question: Set Your Own Price
So my question to you is, do you like the set your own price option? Why you like or why you don't.
Tenkar already listed a bunch of fantastic products that are using this pricing option.
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I don't like this option one bit. Either you pay nothing or too little and you look like a cheap jerk or you pay too much and you feel like one.
ReplyDeleteEven for a product I might want to buy I would stay away from buying it since I wouldn't know what to pay.
Yeah, I like it. I know what I'll pay for a good album or a good movie or a good novel, same goes for RPG books. I've been gaming for decades, I know what I like to spend on a well-crafted game. Some books are so great, I wish I could go back and pay the creators even more, so that they can keep making glorious things. This option actually makes that possible.
ReplyDeleteAs a creator, this is great, because I know that someone who's not familiar with my work may take a chance on it, dropping a couple dollars in the virtual collection plate, and then become a fan of my work -- or perhaps they'll shrug and say that the book wasn't that good, and they're glad they didn't spend more on it. Victory condition either way.
This has been a trend with indi music on sites like 'Bandstand' and the such. Though I applaud new artists for going this route, I do find myself in one of those dilemmas thinking, 'Am I being too mean by offering too little for all their hard work? Or am I being overly generous?'
ReplyDeleteI imagine it will be the same old scenario with the rpg items. Too little, or too much?
I like it. It gives people who are "on the fence" I chance to get in at a lower price. For smaller publishers and creators I think this will only increase exposure and overall sales, whether the ultimate amount of revenue on a product priced this way will be any different, I they there's a good chance it will increase purchase of subsequent/related products.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, but there is also a good chance that people will download for free and simply leave them on their computer without looking at them. If you have to pay for something it makes you want to get some use out of it. If you cam get it for free it goes in the cart as a 'what the hell' purchase.
ReplyDeleteI think this is just laziness on the sellers part or indecision. If you want to do a free promotion, do a free promotion, or ask .99c, but lumping it on the conscience of the consumer seems like a bad idea.
I'm with you, Tim. I don't feel comfortable with this, at all. I hate being put in a position where I have to decide what someone else's product is worth.
ReplyDeleteDon't you make that decission every time you do or do not buy a product?
DeleteNo. I can decide whether I want to buy it or not, but not how much to pay. I dislike dickering; tell me what you want for your product, don't make me guess.
DeleteReally, cost has to be a factor. I don't think anyone would pay $100.00. For an excelent 8 page pdf, but $3.00 might indeed hit the mark to compensate an author for their time and effort: no matter how good it is there is a price threshold on products that impacts the decission to buy or not.
DeleteI myself like swap-meets, yard sales, collectible shows, etc... and enjoy haggling. 3 for $5.00 hmmm.. how about $20.00 for 15 ?
Those people who don't drop any cash and walk away with it for free, would not have bought it if there was a price tag on it. Or they would have pirated it anyways.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there is no person standing there waiting to shame the buyer because they didn't pay a price that the seller saw fit for the product. The only person who is doing the shaming is the buyer. And if that is the case, they can always go back and buy another copy for the difference they feel they should have paid.
This is purely a situation of "I made this cool product, if you like it, toss some cash my way. Whatever you see fit. Or don't, that's cool too."
This has actually encouraged me to look at somebody's product and end up buying it. Just like the various humblebundle style video game sales out there. It has introduced me to so many games that I wouldn't have normally looked at, much less bought. And this style of sales for RPG books has also done the same.
I like it. I wouldn't worry too much about giving too little - you can always come back later and drop some more money. The people who decided to sell their stuff that way usually think its awesome that you want it, no matter the pricetag.
ReplyDeleteAnd it gives you the freedom to check something out that you otherwise wouldn't have bought. Even if you don't pay much, that's a great thing for both parties.
I remember Neil Gaimon doing something similar (though I think it was a first volume of a series free) and ended up picking up a lot new readers and making even more money. However, he was already an established author at that point. For someone like myself, with a readership base that hovers around 50 per product, I suppose any extra exposure is a good thing. I'm going to wait and see on this one, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan. I've patronized Pay-what-you-like/can/want businesses before. From dinners, movies, games to concerts. I find it helps to post a "suggested" price. For digital goods, it just makes so much more sense since distribution of digital goods costs so little/nothinbg, and creators _can_ really reap the benefits. It's been practiced by musicians for a few years now, from Radiohead to Nine Inch Nails to Devo, and it's been revolutionary. Physical goods are a whole different beast.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it would work if the seller has a "Suggested price" listed?
ReplyDeleteThe more I think about this, the more likely I am to go this route myself. I do agree that it forces the bulk of decision making on the consumer, but I don't see that as a bad thing. If anything, I suspect many of us make purchase decisions on this scale (a pdf vs say a car) with only a minimal of contemplation.
ReplyDeleteTrue, there are those that will suffer option paralysis, or who worry about overpaying or underpaying. But, they can always throw money at the producer's next project or just buy a copy for someone else.
Publisher's for their part, I think, will need to loosen the grip on the reins a bit and put up previews of substantial parts of the document or preferably the entire document (especially for unknown publishers) as a way to facilitate pricing decisions.
-John
Its an opportunity to get a peek at something at bargain rates pay more for future purchases if you underpaid.
ReplyDeleteMakes me think the seller is trying to unload some crap they couldn't get a decent asking price for and are just hoping some idiot overpays, but that's just me. Maybe there are going to be some real gems out there and I'll miss out on them. My loss, but I know I won't be buying anything that the seller can't be bothered to price.
ReplyDeleteJason, are you always this cantankerous? You and The Grumpy Dwarf could take this shtick out on the road ;)
DeleteI suspect the vast majority are going to pay something for work from publishers they know, and initially pay nothing for stuff they know nothing about. Of the second group, a portion will go back and pay something, and a larger portion won't.
I don't see a problem with the concept so long as the publisher knows how it changes the dynamics - more of the product in circulation for a lower average price - PWYW works on volume and a feeling of community.
The one taking the risk is the publisher - they buyer can always pay nothing up front.
The thing is, RPGnow is full of sellers trying to unload crap for money.
DeleteThe different here is that you can read it first before you pay money for it, so if it is crap, you don't have to pay for it.
Though then again, the danger in that is if you pay money for something, you are more likely to give a product a chance (since you'll be motivated to get something out of your money spent), while free stuff often gets deleted after one read or just ignored.
I think it's an excellent idea and a great tool for publishers to test the market in order to see what customers are willing to pay for their products.
ReplyDeleteWhen you've got some publishers selling 8-page products for $7 and others selling 40 or even 140 pages for $3 to $5, I think there's a great need for a reality check. This system is a such a check in my book.
Some publishers consistently charge higher than average prices for pdfs, prices that are also above my self-imposed upper limit for an electronic product. This system will enable me to try out some of these publishers who previously would never have got a cent out of me, and if I'm impressed enough they may just get more money from me in the future.
I like it myself and am looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.
ReplyDeleteTo early to tell whether this is a good thing, a gimic, or a fad. It seemed to be kicked off by Raggi at a recent Con he tried this out at and others are joining in on the idea. I find it interesting though, that even Raggi's stuff is not all PWYW on DriveThru. So, it leads me to believe that this is a way to drum up revenue on items that have stagnated in sales.I don't think that's a bad thing, but I wouldn't appreciate a publisher replacing items they would otherwise offer for free with PWYW. It is nice that DriveThru does give a recommended price to guage by. There will be more discussion to come on this subject, I'm sure, but I can't really complain about publishers attempting this approach and I don't feel it's a gamble on the buyer or sellers part with pdf's. So, that's a win.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Tim:
ReplyDelete"For me as the buyer, I like to know how much to pay. I hate haggling. Put a price on it and I'll decide."
Absolutely. Keep it simple, just put your price on the product. If people aren't willing to pay that much? Your product won't sell, and you'll know quickly enough to drop your price.
I like it. This option allows you to read the content, judge if you find it useful and pay afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI find it similar to going to a library, read a bit of an interesting book to see if you find it interesting and then go to the register. Now, a lot people will just pick them and get out, but since most of the content I've seen using this format is quite cheap to start with, it isn't really hard to just pay up afterwards.
It would be a good idea to indicate a suggested price, though.