Notice VIP, Trader, VIP Trader, & Patron Changes & Discussion

[Zwielicht]

I'm really at bad at figuring how much to charge for this stuff, but I made some changes to how much the cost of some of these user upgrades are.

I wanted to share my reasoning and how I came up with these prices. Essentially, I remembered a complaint from years ago about the price of the main upgrade on The Forum That Shall Not Be Named was too low. When I consulted with my consultant ChatGPT today about these user upgrades, it made a similar remark about the pricing being too low.

I know some want exclusivity, but I also don't want to charge too much for any of these user levels. There aren't a lot of benefits for VIP right now, and even when I add benefits, I'm not changing the pricing once this forum is more established (I mean, unless the US dollar were worth 0.003% of itself or something crazy. I guess I'd adjust it for inflation or something, but let's not think about that right now. A lot of anxiety).

• Patron - $25 - this is the "donor" usergroup level. It's just a way to make a donation and get a pink username colour and badge at the same time.
• VIP - $50 - This is for those of you who just want to gain access to the VIP section and get a blue username and badge (among other future benefits). This does not allow you to sell.
• Trader - TBD - If you want to be able to sell on Office Outlaw but don't care about the benefits of VIP, this is the user upgrade for you.
• VIP Trader - TBD - If you want access to the benefits of VIP and the ability to sell, you can purchase this upgrade. It's going to be massively discounted as well, so you don't have to purchase them separately.

I wanted to be able to discuss this pricing with all of you to ensure you think it's fair. I want to balance exclusivity and quality of members over quantity, but I also don't want to charge too much or do anything that comes across as greedy. That's why I've added a poll to this thread so that we can set the pricing for the upgrades in this community. Obviously, I won't be voting in the poll.

Also, if you noticed, Trader and VIP Trader prices are to be determined. There's a reason for this and it's also something I wanted to discuss:

• If I set the pricing too low, it's going to attract, ugh, blog comment sellers. I don't want to attract low-quality sellers to the platform (I mean, they can be members, but if their product or service is low-quality, I'd expect them to figure out how to raise it).
• If I set the pricing too high, we might not attract any sellers.

The goal I have in mind is to set the pricing in a Goldilocks zone. The goal is to attract fewer high quality sellers that are willing to go through a more comprehensive review process. Some of you might remember the premium reviews I did on the other forum. That's the kind of thing I want to do here.

Of course, there's yet another issue: I do want members to have a chance at selling one-off items. Technically, someone can plaster their services all over their profile (I mean, it's weird, but they can do it) and sell that way, but I could also open a freelancer section available to Patrons and above.

The sales aspect of building this up is actually the part I'm struggling with the most, so any input is appreciated.

 

[Zwielicht]

I've been doing some thinking and I believe it's best to simplify the upgrade to just VIP, and remove Trader, Patron, and VIP Trader. This way, there's less confusion on which membership to buy (because I remember there being a lot of confusion on the other forum with Premium and Jr. VIP).

I originally wanted to separate VIP from Trader because I figured it was better to make a cheaper VIP that doesn't give the ability to sell so that there could be a sales-only membership level (Trader). However, this might set a precedence where the Trader level attracts people who don't want to participate in the community. I believe people selling here should be part of the community first and foremost, after all.

Since Trader was meant to be more expensive, this does mean I'd make the price of VIP higher (which I suppose gives it more of a benefit of exclusivity). I can probably look into doing 6 month and 1 year renewal membership levels for VIP (with 1 year getting a discount) as I remember this being a popular request from members on the other forum.

None of this is set in stone yet, so if any of this seems wrong or if any of you think adjustments should be made to anything, definitely post here in this thread. I am looking to get VIP back up on the upgrades page this week, but I won't rush anything since it barely has any benefits at the moment.

 

[roydan]

I think that it would be best to start with a simple system and complicate it later on rather than starting with a complex system just to realize we need to simplify it or that a different type of complexity would have worked better.

 

[back2form]

I can probably look into doing 6 month and 1 year renewal membership levels for VIP (with 1 year getting a discount) as I remember this being a popular request from members on the other forum

That's sounds Good ..
6 months, 1 year with discount plan,

Also how about Discount Coupon Code for larger plan like 2 years or even more like 5 years / lifetime package with special deals ..

Just a thought as a suggestion.

 

[roydan]

Would users need to upgrade their accounts to start or participate in Joint Ventures?
This is more of a collaborative effort than a trade.

 

[Zwielicht]

Would users need to upgrade their accounts to start or participate in Joint Ventures?
This is more of a collaborative effort than a trade.

I think joint ventures should be open to everyone. After all, it's up to person who starts the joint venture to properly vet the person they're working with; an annual membership won't make someone more trustworthy.

 

[Zwielicht]

That's sounds Good ..
6 months, 1 year with discount plan,

Also how about Discount Coupon Code for larger plan like 2 years or even more like 5 years / lifetime package with special deals ..

Just a thought as a suggestion.

I can add options in there for multiple years. Obviously, I'd apply a discount for people who purchase VIP for longer periods of time.

 

[roydan]

I think that it should be longer than a year because this type of membership should also signify some sort of activity. Buying it in advance for 2+ years would mean that many of those who purchased it would be inactive for over a year and still have it.