How many sales of extended support (12 month option) have you got so far? It’s been 3 full days now for me and I still have not sold a single support extension out of 40+ sales of wordpress themes. Looks like customers dont want to pay extra for support extensions…I am wondering if its just me or not…
2 Likes
I don’t think customers need it, but after support period ends and if you refuse to support and ask them to purchase the support pack, they will get agitated and rate you 1 star. 
4 Likes
Most people probably won’t need 12 months. They’re either technical and wouldn’t have asked for support anyway or that clients project would be over by then or they’re planning on changing themes again before 6 months is over.
I think I’ve had one 12 month. It’s good because then I’ll get some extra cash in 6 months time for any support extensions (no I’m not worried about poor ratings, I honestly don’t believe that will be a big issue)
I got one yesterday 
Got 1 yesterday 
Not much change from the previous. All purchase now is 6 month support.
Hope 6 months later there will be major changes. Because when there are many customers will expire support. 
me too there is no single sale from 12 months support pack, yes you will automatically get support pack sales after 6 months.
By this way either you will get extra bugs or will get less support, so you can concentrate on other things like new theme or updating existing themes.
Nope. Not a single one support extension! I have the impression that most customers haven’t yet realised how the change in support policy will affect them. I think there will be some time and support refusals and maybe arguments until they consider buying support extension.
Also, as @dtbaker said many customers have either technical skills or they are maybe frequently changing themes.
I got extra 6 months support yesterday.
Guys as a buyer I can say you that I very well realized how much new support expiration affect me. And because I realized it - IM leaving envato market and will buy in alternative markets with no such policy as 6 months support. Kayapati theme will be probably last one I buy here and than stop using envato because of that new support expiration. I have over 25 themes and many other items of different kind I use - most of them with buy price more than 64 USD (themes). Pay every year something like 2.200 USD (only if I count themes) for support renewal is something unreal and simply impossible. I will go bancrupt in one year. IM not only one, almost all buyers are so pissed off from that policy that negative comments are all over items comments. ENvato should do extra premium support and do it in different way than they did. I think they strongly under-rated consequentions and buyers reaction on such drastical changes.
2 Likes
I think if you expect unlimited support from authors for a single $50 fee - you are not the customer I would want to have, and I am glad that you are leaving, we don’t need cheap buyers who don’t respect other people’s time and efforts. Have a great shopping at a cheaper market, I don’t think you will be missed here
2 Likes
Why you need support pack if you are settled with theme? Not at all necessary 
Even if any issue raised due to update (generated by theme and not by customizations), very unlikely that author will ask to buy support pack.
That’s the issue that some buyers have difficulties understanding. They state that they can’t afford to have recurring costs, like a yearly licence or support renewal fee, but they seem to ignore two simple concepts:
- Any service involves running costs. Electricity, water, rent, they all come with monthly charges. Writing a software, keeping it up to date and providing support is a service as well, and follows the same rules.
- Authors have running costs that they have to cover. I still have to find a place where I pay a single, small rent and I can stay in the same place forever (and, yet, I don’t get any support from the landlord, I have to fix the place myself).
There isn’t a single business in the world that could survive providing unlimited services after a once-off payment. Renewals are services like any other and they are part of the costs of running a business. You can’t pay the rent, you get evicted. You can’t pay for the electricity, you get cut off. Software services are exactly the same thing.
If I can’t afford to pay for the services I need (especially when they are dirt cheap, like on Envato), then I must review his strategy, as the business is clearly not producing enough revenue.
2 Likes
Yes I understand your point but Envato simply was build somehow and most of buyers are here because of how it worked here before - most people here arent rich and cant afford pay in recurring business model. I as a buyer who is here from begginning of old flashden site - first site in envato project can tell you free continuous support was the main reason why Im here. Now that main reason is gone. I know many sellers from my country who are here - they make good money and selling here is their main job - such good money they make that they can have this as main only job - I mean in old system.
Author who develop good product, have good attitude, frequent updates, good support can actually become millionaire here and there are such successfull authors and its not only one - they achieved their millions even in old support system.
Look at what buyers want from support. Most of it are simple questions and most of it can be solved by read faq, manual or forum post so author simply just send link to forum or their faq. Simple questions which are repeated over and over again are from my experience 60% of support requests. 20% are support request users are people who think author gonna work for them for free on things which are not related to item - author dont help them and ask for custom fee or forward them to some programmer they can hire - new system dont solve this becasue author do same now saying you have to hire custom programming for this, but because buyers are usually not programmers buyer have to first pay support renewal to be actually able to acces support tickets and ask question to find out author dont help him with that - not surprising buyer get angry to pay for example 44 USD renewal to find out author will not help him… Rest 20% of support requests are request for non proper functionality of theme - for example theme update contains bug. But how buyer know if its bug in update, theme or something else, because author dont reply him becauase of support expired he pay for support renewal then author say we explored problem its our fault - bug in theme, so buyer paid support reneweal only to find out author badly programmed theme update. No surprise buyer get mad from it and reward author with one star and negative comments.
Some authors restrict buyer access to their support site completely after expiration - so I cant access forum, faq, changelog, videotutorials, future roadmap etc… - I cant access anything and also cant raise ticket. Many themes installation and configuratiuon isnt easy and you need videotutorial otherwise you are not able even install or reinstall theme. Because support expired I cant access author support site at all so cant even access videotutorials so Im forced to renew support even only to have access to videotutorials so I can reinstall theme… No surprise such buyer get angry from this and feel author is simply stealing his money.
Some authors ( my personal experience ) when they see my support is about to expire in few days definitely on purpose slow down their help and ticket response so I dont solve problem and support expire. This way author force buyer to renew. No surprise I was pissed off if I knew author was always quick and fast and suddenly slow down big time as he seen my support expires in 2 days - why dont make anothe 40 bucks… Of course I was angry…
If you count all that - most of buyers are totally pissed off. Some even decided to reward author 1star rating before their support expire as protest against envato support policy. I know its unfair behaviour, but many angry buyers will do so and already doing so because there is nothing else to do. They bought their items long time before support expiration was announced and continual support was main reason to buy, now they feel cheated so will try by 1 star rating force sellers to activelly demand new support system to be stopped from envato. I fully understand them.
1 Like
As I wrote in reply to your other posts, if a customer can’t afford a service, then he won’t get it. No business has the duty of providing its services for cheap just because a prospective customer has a limited budget. That would be working at a loss, and it would sink any business faster than a rock in the ocean.
The fact is that a service involves recurring charges by definition. There’s no way out of it, and it makes no sense to think otherwise.
1 Like
Long time ago, the support was optional, was like: Today you get support, tomorrow you’ll not get. But today you’ll get support for 6 months for FREE. If I get 1 star because of support terms / the support will be off for that customer in that moment and in the future, because is obviously that he doesn’t respect my work either the envato terms. At the end, the one that will loose will be that customer in particularly. The cases are rare, I get a customer like that, with this mentality 1 from 100.
They are not going at all… support is more demanding, client’s actually demand more. 6 month free is definitely bad for us.
But support costs next to nothing if you buying strait away so for $17 you get support for a year. And 90% of buyers demand there issues to be fix either for us to login and then even if we say its hosting they actually demand us to fix there hosting issues.
Now 6 month is free, and for another projects you legally have to buy another licence so you get again 6 month free… and if you do not get your site in order in 6 month well then you actually need to pay up not just for support but additional customisation hours. But lets be honest, majority of buyers don’t bother buying more licences for more projects (there are shiny examples)
Keep in mind that for $28,91 if you renew support after your 6 month free period expires, you get support for 6 month and for us a bit larger authors, we go far beyond support request rules.
So, you demand quality work but you are not prepared to pay for it… you expect that for $59 you got life time free support… for $59 I ask you now if you would you demand when you buy a computer life time guaranty and support?
Somehow for this business this is a must and I do not know how.
2 Likes
Yes and thats why I as power buyer who is not satisfied at all with new recurring model here move to alternative market which altready exist and is almost same as envato but without recurring business model. Actually as I noticed many buyers started recently to move there and even sellers start moving there. So I accept your point of view but what can you do after 50% of buyers will move there. Witzhout buyers will this market die whanever you think recurring model is good or not. If there will be alternative place without it most buyers move there as I do…
1 Like