Rather than posting another lengthy response like I did earlier in this thread, I published a new article instead. Click on the “Free Polymer Clay Tutorials” link by name to go there. It’s Good News… let me know you think over in the comments section of the new post.

Thanks, Cindy Lietz.

I have joined other pattern sites (in a different medium) and the subscriptions to those sites ran $24 or $25 per year, so that is my suggestion as far as pricing. That seems to be what others are suggesting, also.

Linda

When I suggested $59.95 yearly I wasn’t aware of all the actual costs on your end, only of your time involved, so the $120.00 yearly is justified. HOWEVER, as much as I would like to be able to pay that much I simply couldn’t,(plain and simple), and think that there are a lot of other people in the same leaky boat
that I am in. Unless something drastic happens to improve our finances you will lose a large portion of what would be your base, which is something to consider.

Luv ya whatever your decision is.

I think Jodi is right, I too have usually felt it was better to sell lots of items at what is preceived to be a very good value (ie relatively low) price rather than one or two much more expensively – and if people think they are getting very good value for money they are more likely to recommend you to their friends (advertising which costs you nothing).

Again now I’ve thought more about it, I am also in favour of $12 for 6 months, $20 for 12 months – you’ll tempt a lot of people that way

During the charm bracelet craze, I owned my own gift shop. My thoughts were that I would rather sell 50 charms at $4 than 10 at $8. If you can keep the price down, I believe you will have plenty of subscribers. With the economy the way it is right now it will be hard for many people if the price is too high. However, I would not go with a monthly charge, but maybe a 6 or 12 month charge, as this will make less work for you keeping track of subscribers. Say $12 for 6 months, $20 for 12 months. This would be a big incentive to subscribe for a year, and again, less bookwork for you.

Your videos and tips are wonderful as always & I think everyone agrees that you are a very accessible resource, always willing to answer questions and provide advice. Unfortunately though, in the economic times most of us are in, people are focusing on buckling down. While I, like many, agree that paying a small fee for access to your information is fair, I cannot support a fee of $10/month or the like. I just simply can’t afford $120/year for something that would be considered a luxury as this is a hobby for me, not a business. And like others have said, as good as your advice is, there are many people that don’t utilize it all because they are not beginners and don’t need instructions on the basics.

The lower the price, the more people you will get to purchase, particularly because they will see a great value for little money. My guess is that anything over about $40/year will drastically affect the amount of subscriptions you sell, given that there are other free alternatives out there. Granted, those free sites may not be as centrally organized, however they are still free, and you will probably see people head toward them if you charge a high rate.

I know you have worked hard to build up a network of interested parties and make a comprehensive website. Perhaps you could consider other ways to recoup your costs. Maybe offering payment via ProPay, Paypal or Authorize.net etc., to avoid the higher % fees of credit cards? Maybe offering topic-specific ‘tip sheets’ or those color recipe cards that people may purchase separately? Just some suggestions off the top of my head, but I wish you well in whatever you decide and hope there is some way to come to a reasonable solution.