Monthly Archives: November 2017

For the benefit of Poser and DAZ content sellers, here’s some market insight into my thinking on making store purchases.

$3.95 or less:

If a very nice new (or a Wishlist) item is reduced to $3.95 or less, then it’s almost certain to go in my Checkout basket without much thought. But then I’ll go and see what else on the same store I can find for $2-3. Because if I’m going to do the hassle of Checkout and download, then I might as well do it for a couple of items.

You do have to wade through a lot of fluff at that low end of the price range (brushes, 2D backgrounds, and naff items), but there are some gems down there . Especially for people who over-paint renders, or who intend to make comics using Poser 11’s Comic Book mode. So long as the geometry is still OK, then muddy old textures can be replaced by newer ones.

Getting two quality items for less than $8 thus feels about right, and there’s always the chance of finding a couple of nice $2 items (such as the former RuntimeDNA content) and/or finding that the same vendor has more sale items available. Of course, this “two for $8-$9” impulse will be moderated if I’ve done the same in the past month. It’s certainly not a weekly thing, more like a six-weekly thing.

$4.95 – $6.95:

At $4.95 – $6.95 a desirable item is far more likely to go into my Wishlist, rather than the Checkout basket. The exception would be if that price is a result of a 70%-80% reduction, in which case it’s almost certain to be purchased (so long as I have a reasonable PayPal balance). Because the price is never going to get better than that. But even then I’ll think hard, harder than I would at $3.95 or less, about if I really am likely to use it at some point in the future.

Those who have less of a content collection may think differently, as I tend to think “I already have content X”, so the new content will fit well with “content X” in a future picture. That’s especially so of poses. If I have a creature that’s difficult to pose — a Bolladon for instance — then the Bolladon’s dedicated pose set is a no-brainer purchase even at a discounted $5.95. I also tend to have more of a future-sense than most people do, thinking years and years ahead to when I have far more time for digital painting in my retirement (and when the 3D content I’m considering buying may no longer even be available). In contrast many people will only be focused on “what’s my next picture, next weekend”.

$8.95 – $20:

Generally, I don’t like to spend more than $8.95 on any single item. Anything over that amount, no matter how nice, will almost certain go into my Wishlist long-term and just sit there. I’ll wait to see what happens in a big sale or the sale on Cyber Monday. In the hope of eventual big 65%-80% discounts. The exception might be certain types of software add-on, such as Netherwork’s Thumbnail Designer for Poser (currently stuck at $15) or the Scene Optimizer for having multi-character DAZ Studio iRay pictures render much faster (currently $25). In such cases even a 40%-50% discount might entice.

But having potential buyers add an expensive item to their Wishlist, and then leave it there long-term, poses a risk for the vendor. Because some months later the item may be reconsidered by the buyer and removed from their wishlist. Thus if the seller priced the item at $20 and stuck there, they might have sold it for $7.95 with a 60% sale discount, but then all of a sudden… they get nothing from that buyer. Because the buyer doesn’t want the item anymore. And there was no way the buyer was ever going to pay the full $20.