@LCweb
Maybe it’s your bad-luck, I have uploaded some of my “not selling” plugins there to get some traffic to CodeCanyon, it was working OK last year, started to sell some copies for those who wants to keep the plugin updated but in general, if I get the traffic at CodeCanyon as the same amount of Element, I wouldn’t be worried.
But after all, it’s not good enough, the earnings from those has been “reduced” almost 50% and to get some “dinner money” I don’t want to keep adding new plugins there - some authors from CodeCanyon, they have uploaded entire portfolio for some reason.
You guys do realize that this means some big changes are coming, I am afraid to think about what stupid thing they are planning now…
We had little voice here on the forum, now it’s gone, I expect some weird thing to happen to Envato or total closure soon!
Also, another reason for the forum closure is that more and more authors are complaining about sales and other important stuff, and this is not good for business, specially if you plan to sell it. We will see soon which one is it.
When they close the forum, the value of the marketplace will be reduced a lot. They will not sell the Marketplaces. Seem they have a big problem with Authors and wanted all to sink on the same boat with them
Since the forums are closing down, here’s something I’ve been wanting to ask for a long time regarding WordPress (specifically WordPress plugins):
What’s the incentive for a WordPress author if:
I am providing the product & support.
I am paying for the server to host the landing page & demo site.
But most importantly, and this is the crux of my question, since traffic is basically zero at this point, I will also have to figure out how to bring traffic (ads, marketing, etc.).
If I am bringing the product AND the traffic, why do I need Envato? Especially considering the extremely high fees, why do I have to pay almost half of the final item price when I’ll be doing most of the heavy work?
If I went solo, I could have:
Ridiculously lower fees (most payment processors charge around 5%, give or take, vs. around 40-50% from Envato).
Offer flexible licensing, which give me the ability to offer multi-site licenses at a much higher cost, which works better for both me and the buyer when they need bulk licenses, versus a singular $49/59 option (of which, as I said, I only earn about half).
Annual subscribers instead of one-time payment transactions (recurring revenue is crucial to keep the plugin updated).
Better customer analytics.
Better customer data.
Maintain full ownership and control of my product/IP: Full ownership makes a business far more valuable for a future sale. (I have sold a plugin business before, and its valuation was significantly reduced because it was so dependent on CodeCanyon). This would also allow me to run my own affiliate program, provide licenses to reviewers, and more.
If I recall correctly, the original motto was something along the lines of: “You bring the product, we bring the traffic.” The high fees were justified because Envato provided a lot of value (high-quality traffic), and it made a lot of sense because it made many people very successful. But this doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
So, with this in mind, why do I need Envato? Why is it better than selling on my own site?
At this point, I’m mostly on Envato out of nostalgia for the good old days. Envato created very strong brands with ThemeForest and CodeCanyon.
(This is an honest question, meant as feedback and constructive criticism).
The forums were a place for authors and customers to interact and get support. Their closure signals the next step in their plan: shutting down CodeCanyon and ThemeForest and consolidating everything into the Elements subscription model (SaaS). This suggests that providing customer support will no longer be a priority.
I think there’s still demand, but the way it’s being handled here makes it hard for authors to benefit from it. Elements pulled buyers away from Market and visibility for new items has dropped. Add in the rise of free (or ‘freemium’) plugins and themes, or the AI hype which took people by storm, everybody wants now to tell the AI to build a million dollar business for them and to set their bank account as a receiver for the profits. All this ends up with a big squeeze on independent authors, who sell their plugins or themes for a living.
That’s part of the reason I started building WPBay (https://wpbay.com/). It’s focused on individual authors, proper licensing, and making sure sales aren’t eaten up by a subscription model that leaves creators with pennies. It’s not going to magically bring back 2018 sales numbers, but at least it gives authors another place to sell without competing against their own work.
If there’s still demand, and I believe there is, then it just needs a marketplace that actually channels it back to the creators instead of redirecting it elsewhere.
Well.. what to say.. I keep suggesting you a possible, sustainable, way since 2022 (I am referring to WP devs). I read any post of this thread (and the older one about sales) in the past years, therefore can affirm it’s mainly your fault.
I had the best July since 2019 and in few days should start collecting the recurring subscription incomes. Not sharing any income, not paying any fee (out of the 1-2% the payment processor asks) or currency exchange.
Even when the situation became crystal clear, in 2025, has been funny to see (the few) authors participated in the thread spending all this time talking about nothing instead of truly focusing on a solution. I believe this is the real difference between an entrepreneurial and an amateurish approach.
These are the last words I’m gonna post on the forum.
So long guys. You know how to find me, in case.
Luca Montanari, aka LCweb
