Island Dog Island Dog

No, There is Nothing Wrong With Selling Skins!

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No, There is Nothing Wrong With Selling Skins!

from JoeUser Forums

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 ;) ). 

213,156 views 99 replies
Reply #51 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Zubaz gettin jiggy!


He left himself wide open for that one...and he even knew that little baby was out there too...poor zube. :LOL: 
Reply #52 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I hate to even interject this into the convo but I was contemplating even increasing my next WB an extra dollar.. inflation , cost of living, food prices, gas, all going up..

Dunno yet..


Looks like it will be worth it! Awesome look, John!
Star Control: Origins
Reply #53 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Master Skins are here to stay and florish. I have supported them in the past and will continue to do so.


I agree! And I too buy a few master skins here and there. I have a nice collection of IRB, Gef, vStyler, etc, just to name a few. I hope to reach master status and sell my own someday!I waste more than $5.00 per day, usually, just buying MT. Dew! The skins are worth it!  :HOT: 
Reply #55 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Island Dog, what you don't understand is that to an anti-capitalist which this person obviously is (I prefer the shorter and more profound term 'asshat'), offering a product or service for sale amounts to coercion on the part of the seller.

Only the lowest of the low would actually offer a product 'for a fee' thereby forcing the unsuspecting and powerless masses to 'pay' for something that by all Karl Marx given rights should be free! -Insert appropriate background soundtrack here-
Reply #56 from WinCustomize Forums Top
no karma for you ya little asshat.
Reply #57 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Let the record show that my comment was for the e-mailer. [sorry for cursing]
Reply #58 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Masters,I see nothing wrong with selling your time and talent.That's what you are really charging people for,after all.It makes no difference whether it's WB,a DXtheme or an IP.

Masters have honed their skills to a high degree to reach that level.They've given out their fair share of freebies before reaching that level.The "Master"title isn't honorary,it's earned by hard work and dedication.

These "for sale" WindowBlinds are usually accompanied by a huge amount of "extras" produced by the community and based on the original graphics generously provided by the artist.In effect it becomes a premium suite and all the extras you can download for free makes it a bargain.Five bucks is a very small compensation for the time and energy spent producing it.


As far as comparing WB's to music,time was you had to buy the albumn(remember those?) and got maybe three or four good songs. A master skin is 100% complete as a matter of personal pride and I respect the skinners for that,even if I don't like the skin myself.
My 2 cents. :D 
Reply #59 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I prefer the shorter and more profound term 'asshat'


 :LOL: 
Reply #60 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I really need to collect all teh ways I've been abuse and sell those as a Master suite or something.
Reply #61 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I really need to collect all teh ways I've been abuse and sell those as a Master suite or something.


Now there's an idea...find all the references to Zubaz that were funny, er, mean and put them all in one thread...somebody out there doesn't have anything better to do...anyone??? anyone???
Reply #62 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I really need to collect all teh ways I've been abuse and sell those as a Master suite or something.


:LOL:
Reply #63 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Now there's an idea...find all the references to Zubaz that were funny, er, mean and put them all in one thread...somebody out there doesn't have anything better to do...anyone??? anyone???


Put them in a thread? Hell make a wallpaper collage out of them so people will have it for those really bad days when they need a good chuckle. :LOL:
Reply #64 from WinCustomize Forums Top
*on a personal note...the idiot who is whining should go over to ebay and harass the women selling their used panties for $50.00. THAT's wrong. Especially when I...I mean- 'you' can go down to the dressing room at Walmart and steal all I..I mean- 'you' want for free.


Ah! So you're the knicker thief police and security are looking for at Walmarts all over the country... and man, you must be quick on your feet. One woman complained she hadn't even stepped out of hers properly. :SURPRISED: :d

Back on topic: there are professional graphic artists who design advertising layouts and the like who get paid huge sums for catalogues and flyers that most often are just thrown in the bin, so why shouldn't a skinner be paid something for a professionally designed skin that you intend to keep???
Reply #66 from WinCustomize Forums Top
i've bought multiple skins & see no problems with them. now, if the skin gets to something outrageous, like 19.99 (act now, operators are standing by), then we'll have to start a war... or something. ;) seeing as how i've spent more on lunch than what the top end version of OD costs, i really can't complain about getting something for the money (besides several pounds & the need for bigger pants).

seriously? 10 cents for an mp3? not sure where he's getting that from, but that means he's paying that hard working musician about what? a penny? talk about a loose grasp on reality.
Reply #67 from WinCustomize Forums Top
the need for bigger pants


Not that theres anything wrong with that  X-( 
Reply #68 from WinCustomize Forums Top
the need for bigger pantsNot that theres anything wrong with that   


unless the doc tells you to lose 50 pounds... that's not cool. :SNIFF!:

and by OD up there, I mean ObjectDesktop, not ObjectDock... Texas de Brazil can get pricy if you go several times in one week... lol
Reply #69 from WinCustomize Forums Top
How many master skins are created during a year, apart from the ones by Stardock? Very few. vStyler has wrote that making master skins is like "working for peanuts". It doesn't make sense to complain for such small numbers. (:(
Reply #70 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I really need to collect all teh ways I've been abuse and sell those as a Master suite or something.


I'd pay money for that!

Now there's an idea...find all the references to Zubaz that were funny, er, mean and put them all in one thread...somebody out there doesn't have anything better to do...anyone??? anyone???
You're gonna need a bigger hard drive!

Reply #71 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You're gonna need a bigger hard drive!
You will pay for that and pay deerly!  ;)
Reply #72 from WinCustomize Forums Top
unless the doc tells you to lose 50 pounds... that's not cool.


Don't go to the doc ;)
Reply #73 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You will pay for that and pay deerly!


death by venison? :d
Reply #74 from WinCustomize Forums Top

death by venison?

Nah....he's just hoarseing around...;)

Reply #75 from WinCustomize Forums Top
-sigh-