To Sell Or Not To Sell

[dung0beetle]

I get tons of PM's about my Iron Man Helmet pep model from people (mostly teenagers) begging for my model for free. It's not the most well-made model, or even the only one available. There are a couple of others that are available for free. I don't charge much for it, and even then paypal takes their cut. Basically, what I want to know is, should I post the model on the forums for free download, or should I keep selling the pep file? I'm sure I'm going to get tons of "Give it away FREE!!!" posts, but please explain your opinion either way. I would especially like to hear opinions from others who make 3d models.

 

[kupokitty]

As far as I know, none of the modelers on this site charge for their Pepakura models, but what you do with yours is up to you.

 

[CommanderFluffy]

yes no opinions.. well its really all up to you. either way in time everyone will get access to our files somehow through shareing them and whatnot. so my vote would be yes to free. and yes it is good to actually get paid for it... but no not many teenagers have pay pal and no not many teenagers will pay for some one type of pep file when there is more out their they can get for free. and they dont care about quality then.



so im torn... either way is all up to you. i just showed the pro's and cons and the actuall facts as they will occur.

 

[Cracker]

i havent been here for long. but from what i can tell most the people here give their pep files for free. i mean, its a community for that kinda thing so why not give it for free? im not just saying that cuz i want it either (cuz i really dont ) but i mean hell, give back to the community that once gave so much to you. it seems only fair, does it not?

 

[Belakor]

If it's something you've modeled from scratch yourself I say charge if you think you have to and if it's something that's already available for free I say charge then too. It's not like you're depriving anyone of anything, since there are alternatives already, and you shouldn't work for free unless you want to... I certainly don't and will charge for pretty much all my models (based on detail, time spent, etc.) and just give away some of the crap stuff I don't have any real interest in or stuff I've just unfolded.



That's just my opinion though and if you do charge be prepared for the complaining



Another option that I've seen some people on here do is to add a PayPal donation button in their sig, that way if people want they can give you something for the work you're doing

 

[Meleck]

While it ain't much to actually agree with someone. I totally agree with Belakor on all his points.



First and foremost, it`s a personal decision.



Charge if you feel the model or yourself deserve it. Otherwise, put it on 4shared and the file will be downloaded by someone who wants it for free. At least you should get bothered less. If wish I could say not at all but I have little confidence in the intelligence of the human race as a whole.



If you do give away stuff for free, there is a chance that you will get stuff for free from the people with the proper sharing mentality. If you charge for something, people will expect to get their moneys worth and then you get the hassleling from unsatisfied customers.



The donation button is always a good thing if you are giving away stuff for free. Those that feel that you deserve paiement for your work will give. Usually generously as they recognize the value of your work and would pay for it anyway. Those who feel they are too broke are going to get a free one or get an illegal copy of a paid one. Either way, you gain nothing other than the feeling that you have done what YOU had to do. Note that I mention "gain nothing" because I do feel that getting something illegally is a loss for the creator.

 

[LastSpartan]

My personnal view is, would you pay for it? Like as the original author, forget the time past on it, just think of the "quality". If you put yourself in the skin of a teenager since most of us here are teenagers, would you be ready to pay for it.



Don't ask people if it's worth paying as people will always say they want it for free.

 

[JoeyCoz]

I get tons of PM's about my Iron Man Helmet pep model from people (mostly teenagers) begging for my model for free. It's not the most well-made model, or even the only one available...

I can't comment on the model, because I don't have it, but I have seen screenshots and have seen pics of completed models and IMO it's the most accurate one available.



As far as why I voted for the release of the model, there are a few reasons.



1. I want the file (without paying for it).

That's not meant to sound harsh, but I have over 10 gigs of papermodels on my HD that I have downloaded for free. If I were to build only the very best of those models, It would probably take the rest of my life. So why pay someone for another model?



2. Sharing with other members and seeing what they do with my ideas.

When I come up with an idea, the first thing I do after testing it out is to post it up here. It's cool to see other people use what I came up with to make their project turn out just a little bit better or do it easier. It's even better when someone takes it a step further and the idea spawns into something else.



3. If anyone else has the file, it may eventually turn up on the internet somewhere anyway.

I'd be willing to bet that the people who posted progress pics of building your model have gotten a few PM's asking them to share the file. It's not too far of a stretch to imagine person "A" buying the download, and e-mailing the file to person "B". Person "B" then posts the file on a papercraft forum somewhere, and maybe even claiming to have made it themselves. It's not right, and it's immoral, but it happens every second.



4. You could be the person who created the Ironman helmet file.

Wouldn't it be cool to join the ranks of JediFraz,flying_squirrel, robogenisis, crackhead, Ral Partha,(too many to list), ect. ...? Most of us would not even be able to have this hobby if it weren't for all the talented modelers, unfolders, and idea men here. I have respect for all the people who contribute their time and various skills to this site and my hobby.





Anyway thats my 2 cents. I still think that this is the best ironman helmet out there, and if you do decide to release it, I'll probably build one just to put on display.

 

[teletron1]

So far with this hobby one of my number one things that drew me here is that pep is free , alot of the downloads are free .Now I spend my money on supplies to make all this cool stuff & can justify it .Now however why dont you just drop the price down a bit & basically split the difference ( I'm still all about free files >I HearT BELAKOR's<)offer it at a lower price & see how that feels .Maybe you'll still keep charging or change to offering it for free.

 

[rundown]

Well i see it diffrent.



As modeler its hard to let go of a model youve spent hours on. To just give it away as a freebee is hard to do.

But if its just something small, for instance a armor part. I wouldnt really ask money. Since it really aint that big.

Altho you have putted your time and effort in it.



I just love to make people happy so i release small stuff myself But the bigger projects i keep for myself.

 

[KrovikanCorvinus]

I have paid for this file, and I am quite happy to have done so, as it is pretty much perfect. Which is something strange for me to say, because if I hadn't have bought it, I would feel exactly the same as everyone else, probably, because I wouldn't see the point in paying when loads of other people are giving the same object away for free.



As it stands, I think you should continue charging your small fee for it, seeing as one, it is a very fair charge for the amount of time and effort going into it, and two, it could well be used to make a helmet, molded and cast, and the casts sold on. Now, if the potential buyer has NO idea how to mold, or cast, or even have the skill to do so once having learnt how, They still end up with the opne helmet that they are probably going to be ecstatic about anyway.



Another point, professional modellers get paid STUPID amounts to do exactly the same as you have done, allbeit they are lucky enough to be 'in that industry', but I genuinely believe that you could rival their work with ease, so what you are charging for the same amount of work as they do, is pittance in comparison.



Its a 'CONTINUE CHARGING' vote from me. If a teenager can't access your file for the price you are asking, there are plenty of other files of the same thing for free, your paying for the quality of the file here, not what the file itself is.

 

[apeers]

I have paid for this file, and I am quite happy to have done so, as it is pretty much perfect. Which is something strange for me to say, because if I hadn't have bought it, I would feel exactly the same as everyone else, probably, because I wouldn't see the point in paying when loads of other people are giving the same object away for free.



As it stands, I think you should continue charging your small fee for it, seeing as one, it is a very fair charge for the amount of time and effort going into it, and two, it could well be used to make a helmet, molded and cast, and the casts sold on. Now, if the potential buyer has NO idea how to mold, or cast, or even have the skill to do so once having learnt how, They still end up with the opne helmet that they are probably going to be ecstatic about anyway.



Another point, professional modellers get paid STUPID amounts to do exactly the same as you have done, allbeit they are lucky enough to be 'in that industry', but I genuinely believe that you could rival their work with ease, so what you are charging for the same amount of work as they do, is pittance in comparison.



Its a 'CONTINUE CHARGING' vote from me. If a teenager can't access your file for the price you are asking, there are plenty of other files of the same thing for free, your paying for the quality of the file here, not what the file itself is.

i totally agree, i havnt purchased it, yet "PM sent dungbeetle" but i have no problem in paying and i dont see why you should give it away after all the hours you put into it keep the charge i say

just my 2c's

 

[Clarx Industries]

as a 3D artist, and as someone who is also modeling iron man I have pondered this question myself. I have yet to reach a decision on my own work but one idea I am toying with is teaser pieces. having pieces like the gauntlets, shoulders, thigh ect for free, but charge a fee for the entire model. people can get a piece here or there if they need said shoulder, or gauntlet ect, but inorder to get the 100% matching set, charge a small fee.



I think this is a fair way because of the value. I kinda find it hard to buy a pice of a whole, but if I have 3 or 4 freebie pieces I can see the value in buy the whole model.



on the other hand you have to consider competition, as the helm is a very important item of the armor, there are many free files out there that make yours not as desirable. Now if you had the whole armor, then you got something.

 

[bboyfresco]

Is it fair that the person takes the file. Creates a solid master, molds it and makes money off of it selling casts when the 3d modeller gets nothing.



Alot of people out there (I'm not gonna mention names) don't even credit the creator of the file when selling the casted part based from pep files.



If you can afford all the materials to make the armor



$5 for a helmet file is nothing.



just my opinion..

 

[ForgedReclaimer]

charge, don't charge, do what you want, you could do it like the halo 3 dlc maps, after a while just make them free when it seems that its not selling. i don't think i could ever charge for a model even if it is Mega HD "cough"Spirit of fire"cough", while i am dirt poor money isn't too big a deal.



my payment is being able to build my 3d skills.

 

[Brandon McClain]

Considering my investment on my armor, between the money spent on paper, resin, fibreglass bondo & etc, paying for some files here and there isn't a problem. Mind you, I myself would rather get things for free (who wouldn't) but there is still enough demand that charging for you files is viable. You spent a lot of time working on them. If you want to charge, i wouldn't say people are going to be upset. If they value having the file they will buy it, if they don't, they won't, that simple. The only question remaining is whether you enjoy seeing others use your model rather than someone else's. If that is the case, a lower price or free would be the way to go. If you don't care whose file others use, charge away. I would recommend charging less for a package deal on the whole suit. I would pay for a peice here and there, but if I had to pay for every part on say a mark VI, it gets pricey fast. Once again, just my 2 cents...

 

[Potshot]

The way I see it, you spent a lot of time and hard work on the model, it seems completely insane to give it away for free. Luckily for us, a lot of our modelers are pretty insane



Teenagers tend to have problems with buying from individuals over the internet. Either their parents don't let them, they don't have a paypal account, or they're afraid you're a pedophile and are going to come to their house. It's just something you have to deal with. Of course you're going to get complaints because everyone is so used to getting freebies and when someone decides to actually charge for his hours of hard work, it seems ridiculous to them.





I can definately relate to how you feel with letting go of your models. I don't really model stuff at all, but I do build Wordpress themes ( themes for a content management system called Wordpress, same one used on the 405th.com). I was in a similar situation. I just spent dozens of hours in front of my monitor coding every last line, pushing every last pixel and created some masterpiece of a Wordpress theme. Now I could give it away for free, like pretty much everyone wanted me to. Or I get sell it for a low price of 30 bucks, or better yet, I could keep it for myself. It really doesn't seem that smart to give stuff away for free ( of course it your're running a website, there is some business stategy to it). But I tried to think about it this way. If I charge money for this theme, maybe 50 people will buy it at the most. That's my name on the internet 50 times. 50 people that adore my work and use it on their site. Now lets say I give it away for free. Thats several thousand downloads on average, and probably about a thousand who actually use it. You see how much more popular and well known you'll become. Instead of being the little worker whos work is great, but never gets noticed. You'll be the highly popular one who makes great work that EVERYONE loves and knows about. Trust me, the latter feels a lot better than the extra couple bucks in your wallet.





Just my two cents.

 

[Adam]

If you're willing to share for free, you think think about it. We have dozens of hard working people on these forums who have released their "free" models to the community. We all work hard, and sharing is fun.



If you're wondering what I donate for "free". You're on em. Same with our Source team who publishes stories, those who make tutorials, podcasts etc. Everyone should do their parts!

 

[ImaGonnaGetYou]

I agree with Adam (pretty self explanatory, I'm not going to paraphrase his entire post)



Plus, unless it's some one-of-a-kind, never before made, high definition file, chances are people will go with the free alternatives. Not saying your file(s) are bad, just saying that unless they are completely unique (in concept as well), then they won't sell nearly as well, if at all.

 

[tomcuthbert]

i would say make folks pay for it. i pay a guy to model certain parts i do not want to build from scratch. alot of hours go into making those files. just like a prop. and when someone makes a solid pep file, someone is going to use it to make a good master and sell copies, the original modeler get nothing. yes ,i have downloaded pep files off of here, that i would have payed for if needed.



i say charge 5 bucks or something. if you plan to sell to the public.



JMHO.