You responded to your own 'complaint'.

Anything else is redundant.

Hi,

its everyones decision.

Some ones would be going to buy for 1-4 USD but there are exactly two mayor  problems:

- Which site would offer you the whole amount i.e 100%  to the them creator. Usually a dev/artist can be lucky to get 30-50% by hosting on a site.

- Time for creating master skins seems to be bigger than 60h or even more. they  needs to be paid a t least a bit by the few who buy them.( in fact master skinners don`t get that rich from it, nor really always  rewarded for the time they spend on creating themes.)

The result of these and only doable solution is to have them at around 6 USD.

regards bluedxca93

Then make your own skins Yearout. As a Master Skinner, I sell mine because like Redneckdude said, I need the money and I cannot work as I am disabled (and there are others here on the site also in my status). But then again I also put several skins up for free as I am not a greedy person either. I try to balance things out in that regard, but ignorant comments like this one make me almost want to leave! 

I hope I speak for all Master Skinner's. 

That says it all for me. 

Wincustomize has turned from a community driven by innovation, sharing, and giving... into a business model to make money.  It is not necessarily greed driving it.  There are costs that need to be covered for all of this marketing, hosting, monetary fees  for online carts, fees for this and that.

 Dropping the price after a year makes a ton of sense marketing wise, as does putting on an occasional sale and would do nothing but increase sales for the whole site.   Master designers should be clamoring for more sales.  There is something to be said for volume.  You could offer these sorts of things on Steam as well.  Stardock uses the steam model for other software.  Worried about the poor person that bought the skin during the first year at full price?  That is the way any other product sale works.  You pay the premium for be the first to get it.  Another take on this?  Offer a presale discount for before it is released.

SO many master skins are merely rehashes of the same old idea, and a good bit of the positive comments in skin descriptions are from fellow master skinners.  Want to bump up the user base for Windowblinds?  Put a product on sale every once in a while.  Is it better to sell one or two skins a month at $8, or 20 at $2?  Why alienate the new Windowblinds software purchaser by requiring them to also pay $8 for a skin to use on it and then find out 30 seconds later that it doesn't quite look as good on on their monitor?

Master Skinners, you often do a nice job with your craft and it's fine to sell it.  Stardock, Wincustomize, Master Skinners...   it would benefit you financially to offer sales of your products occasionally.  Why not at least try it.  Most shopping carts that websites use for online software sales already have this feature built in.  

Not really true , but i see less and less skins for linux and windows not matter what platform or what style.

I think there only a few non-master skinners around at the moment. I'm one and I don't think I'll be making master in this life time. Something about, "when hell freezes over", even though I've been skinning for some years (longer than most masters).

Truth is that there are not enough people wanting to do skinning anymore. There have never been any instructions on what to do. There was a wiki at one time but that is now by the wayside. Kitty's tutorial is still usable but dated and not a part of any pinned posts.

I'm retired and for me skinning is a hobby. It takes up my spare time, gives me something to do.

So, you have my word that even if I am bestowed the lofty accolade of master skinner, I will not sell my skins. Well, I might but it would have to be something really unique and special.

I am working to incorporate Win10 skinning with my blinds so as to make them more usable by more subscribers. I hope that more people will start skinning.

I also think that the masters, who don't already, should donate a free blind on occasion.

 And darn good ones at that, Thanks for those, Tom!

Well of course Master Skinners make skins to make money for their work, they are entitled to do so. That is why Stardock promoted them to the level of Master. It is also a LOT of work, just ask anyone who creates WB skins.

I have a list of master skins I'd like to get but finances being what they are makes that very difficult after bills are paid. An occasional free skin by the masters would be a great incentive, keeps them coming back for more. As for selling their skins, you don't get to be a master by throwing a skin together. I've skinned for a few masters by creating Xion skins, docks and such and by going into a skin folder and seeing the amount of work and the number of items skinned, in the hundreds, you can't help but appreciate the kind of time and work that goes into them. I won't make master but that's a non issue. I appreciate the work the masters do and when I can...I'll snatch up their skins in a heart beat.  

For me, all 3 apply.

I don't think people understand the complexities involved in creating a Windowblinds skins, and the prices some Masters are charging are a bit high in my opinion too in some cases. For instance though, I sell my skins for $3.95 to $6.95 depending on different factors. A quality Windowblinds skin takes 40 or more hours to create, and Stardock's cut is bout 35% of the sale price of a skin. Sooooooo....

At $3.95 - 35% = $2.57 earned, which at 40 hours to create is a whopping 6 cents an hour that a Master Skinner makes.

At $4.95 - 35% = $3.22 earned, which at 40 hours to create is a huge 8 cents an hour that a Master Skinner makes.

At $5.95 - 35% = $3.87 earned, which at 40 hours to create is a fantastic 10 cents an hour that a Master Skinner makes.

At $6.95 - 35% = $4.52 earned, which at 40 hours to create is a magnificent 11 cents an hour that a Master Skinner makes.

Even at $9.95 - 35% = $6.47 earned, which at 40 hours to create is a stupendous 16 cents an hour that a Master Skinner makes.

All figures are rounded up, and many skins take much more than 40 hours to create, and some designers include wallpapers, cursors, etc. that even take more time.

Now, some people need this income to live on, so am I making my point here, or what? 

Please, please stop complaining about Master Skin prices. Thank you.