No, There is Nothing Wrong With Selling Skins!

Published on August 18, 2008 By Island Dog In OS Customization

Over the weekend we had a little flamefest going over a skin, and one of the comments was basically trying to trash people for selling their skins. Now since I posted a warning about a 3 month ban from WinCustomize if any other trolling was going to continue, a certain person decided to go to my personal blog and send me an e-mail to my personal account about it.

The e-mail:

“So you think that there's nothing wrong with selling skins between $4 and $5 a pop, uh. Everyone of you is ripping off the the american public. Do you know how much money it takes to make a simple song? Do you know much mp3 files cost? I get them for 10 cents a piece, and yet songs take a hell of a lot more time and money to make, than your skins, and your selling them for more than what a gallon of gas costs. You need to wake up, and look around you. You obviously don't know what the hell is going on in this country right now. You got the nerve to sell some desktop skin for the price your selling for. You Spencer Scott are very little piece of the problem we have in this country, you Spencer Scott, are very good example of an asshole.”

My first reaction at this e-mail was a very good chuckle. I then read it again and wondered what this person was really thinking. Trying to compare .mp3’s to skins really made no sense to me, but then I realized probably what they were saying, and then once again realized this person had no clue about skinning. Let me explain something to this person specifically. Making skins is not easy, and making professional-type skins is much, much worse. A high-quality WindowBlinds skin can easily take months to complete, so what really is the PROBLEM with selling a skin? Nothing at all, that’s what!

I work with many of our Master Skinners here on WinCustomize, and I think every one of them also creates plenty of free content that is also released, so not only do I not have a problem with someone selling skins, I encourage people to buy them as well and support these works. WinCustomize will continue with the Master Skins programs, and if you have an issue with it, you can contact me via the WinCustomize or Stardock e-mail.

Better yet, lets have a discussion about the selling of skins. What is your opinion about it? Do you buy skins? So instead of following me around the internet, step up and post some reasons why someone should not be allowed to sell something they have worked countless hours on. I really can’t wait to read the communities opinions, especially from this commenter (which I do know who you are ).

Comments (Page 2)

starkers

on Aug 18, 2008

I bought a few Master Skins but do I feel ripped off? Nope, not at all!

Did I get value for my money?? Yep, sure did... each and every one is a treasure!!

Did anyone twist my arm to buy them/part with my cash??? Nope, I liked what I saw and was more than happy to pay the going price.

Will I buy any more? Hell yeah, there's quite a few I've had my eye on and I will eventually get them all.

Do I appreciate the skinners time efforts and talents?? Sure do cos I'm still cutting my 'skinning' baby teeth and know that countless hours of time and dedication go into the learning process, long before even the first freebie skin can roll off the production line... much less a professional quality skin for sale, some many years down the track.

So should skinners get paid for professional/quality works?? Absolutely! Doctors, lawyers and countless other professionals get paid for their time and efforts, talents and dedication, etc... and so should skinners.

jobdiesel

on Aug 18, 2008

I haven't the time or the talent to make my own skins; other people's are certainly going to be better than mine! So I don't mind paying. Someone has obviously done some work so why should they not charge? It's not like it's hugely prohibitive for most parts of the world with computers and you shouldn't need very many anyway - one usually suffices for a while at least. Perhaps a legitimate gripe is that the skins included with OS are not that great. But then again, if they included some better ones that would undoubtedly cost and a new OS costs rather a lot already. If you didn't like a packaged skin, you'd then be complaining that you have paid for something you don't want.

Some people obviously have way too much time and no way near enough common sense if they complain about the cost of a purely decorative piece of art that has no inherent function and that they are not forced to buy in the first place. Surely there are more important issues to meditate upon.

ZubaZ

on Aug 18, 2008

I dance. I don't get paid. I stop dancing. People rejoice.

Doronila1

on Aug 18, 2008

Ahh sorry bout the email man, had a bad day...
Its just... $4.99 for something like vstylers sexy, or mikeb`s sirus... i dunno, i think its an outrage.

Elsius Saint

on Aug 18, 2008

Truth is I put too much time in updating skins made by the skinners I've made such as Mike Bryant and vStyler to even want to share them. Being the famous creator of the Reactor windowblind that put me on front row until vStyler put me out of business; I've put so much time on this skin that I would have to charge $50 or more for it. I've become a teaser instead of a skinner because I want more than I would be getting. Skinners do deserve every penny for their works.

Elsius
The Maker of vStyler and Mike Bryant

messiah1

on Aug 18, 2008

Ahh sorry bout the email man, had a bad day...
Its just... $4.99 for something like vstylers sexy, or mikeb`s sirus... i dunno, i think its an outrage.

Are you kidding Doronila, it was you? Damn...

casualtraveller

on Aug 18, 2008

Its not a difficult concept - if you want to buy it - then buy it if you dont then dont!

vStyler

on Aug 18, 2008

Are you kidding Doronila, it was you? Damn...

Messiah, I know you can smell sarcasm when you 'see' it, with those finally tuned animal senses of yours.

MrColin

on Aug 18, 2008

If the guy that posted to your blog is so upset that people are selling skins he should be using linux and getting the free themes available at gnome-look.org or kde-look.org. People that make skins have no obligation to share them free of charge. If he really needs windows he should just make his own damn skin. They say the average level of intellect on the internet remains constant, but the population keeps increasing. Everyone welcome the anonymous poster to the net.

Doronila1

on Aug 18, 2008

Messiah, I know you can smell sarcasm when you 'see' it, with those finally tuned animal senses of yours.

Silly munkeh

As for the fella venting his anger via an email... well.. i feel sorry for the guy. No point in trying to reason with him.
Im happy forking out money for high quality skins made by the good people on here.
And its not really a fortune is it. Its the equivalent of a pint of beer here in the UK. Now thats a ripoff... (

Elsius Saint

on Aug 18, 2008

Some my say Island Dog is just making things up to remind people how time consuming it is to make a premium skin, and the hard work involved. It could simply be an advertisement to encourage the community to support the skinners for their hard work and that is the right thing to do. Some might say Jafo was right in on it for being at the right place and the right time to deliver the first comment.

Well done!

Truthfully, I don't know how someone can spend so much time on a skin and just give it out for free to strangers they don't even know and probably get no thank you from most. God blesses those who find the courage to share their hard work for free and or satisfy with the little they get for their hard work.

Advertisement or not, the skinners deserve the praise.

Vad_M

on Aug 18, 2008

Do you know how much money it takes to make a simple song? Do you know much mp3 files cost? I get them for 10 cents a piece, and yet songs take a hell of a lot more time and money to make, than your skins, and your selling them for more than what a gallon of gas costs.

I think this man is fool or mad!

First: I see he never made a skins. It really took not less than 1 month of round-the-clock heavy work and lots of coffe for this. How much songs you can make during a month?

Secondly: I don't know how many people buy a skins. Seems we can talk about ~ 10-20 sales per month for each of good skin. However I know very well how many people listen music and how many mp3 files they buy every day (from 10C to 1$)... So I agree. This is impossible to compare these both things.

And at last: Our "Spiteful Friend" has forgotten about the Artists! They can draw some picture during a years. But any of these pictures will cost only a few dollars until their author will not be a popular...

Conclusion: I think it's need to send he into the arse and nevermore to pay attention for the similar letters from such idiots!

vStyler

on Aug 18, 2008

Conclusion: I think it's need to send he into the arse and nevermore to pay attention for the similar letters from such idiots!

J. Aroche

on Aug 18, 2008

It's not about what kind of effort goes into a product. It's about a free market economy. If you don't like the cost of something...

DON'T BUY IT

I can't agree more, sure the effort is very important but people is not gonna buy it for that. For example, it's like if you see a toy in a store, if you like it you're probably gonna go buy it, if not you turn around and leave, you don't go whinning to the cashier telling him how could you sell this!! No! it's not a duty to buy them, if you want it, you pay for it, that's how the world market works where you leave, where I live and everywhere else.

Z71

on Aug 18, 2008

Do I buy skins? You bet. Do I use them? Sadly, no.
I download them, apply them, look them over, say to myself they did a good job, then switch back to the skin I'm working on.
That's the sad part about being a skinner, just don't have time to use them. But that doesn't mean, I don't respect the time put into them. I support the community.

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