Elite Author Care Pack is more suitable than cash. I think you must re-work on your shipping partners & Author Address verification steps. That makes some sense on this shipping issues.
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I also! Month ago. But gifts are only for Level 8! Hug and cry ā¦
If Shipping Is the only problem, You can keep my Elite care pack with you. I will come and collect my package 
5 Likes
Please, allow two option Gift or Cash 
I need gifts 
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Would it be too hard to let each author choose if they want cash or a care pack?
phahahaha, $75 for $75.000
13 Likes
It is a big turn-off! Physical rewards always hugely motivate people than cash rewards.
We are about to reach Level 9 and if there was an option to choose between a care pack and $250 cash, we would totally opt-in for the care pack. Even if it is worth less than $100.
I strongly believe that if you had done enough research, you would have not taken such a decision.
A Wichita State University study, published in the Journal of Economic Psychology, showed how emotion might play into the desire for a tangible alternative to cash.
Goodyear Tire demonstrated the value of non-cash versus cash during a sales incentive program that ran for 6 months in over 900 stores. The goal was to sell a specific type of tire. At half of the stores, employees had a chance to earn cash for every 12 tires sold. At the other stores, employees were offered merchandise rewards for every 12 tires sold. In the end, the stores working with non-cash incentives outsold the ācash incentiveā stores by 46%. The non-cash program achieved an ROI of 31%ā¦compared to an ROI of ā20% for the cash program. These results indicate how non-cash rewards can positively impact the quest to achieve a goal.
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While cash is useful, itās not something that can be used to make an emotional connection. A dollar is a dollar, but to a Packers fan or a ski enthusiast, a trip to Lambeau Field or Vail is truly priceless. The emotional elements of non-cash rewards make these items seem to have a higher value than cash in the participantās mind. As a result, non-cash is a more effective motivator.
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Cash is easily ālost in the shuffleā ā it may get spent on bills or routine expenditures, with no long-lasting association to the program, the behaviour that earned the reward or the company that sponsored it.
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Luxurious, non-cash rewards are palatable indulgences, whereas the participant may feel irresponsible or selfish spending a cash reward to acquire such luxuries. This makes the non-cash reward highly coveted and memorable.
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It is more socially acceptable to (and interesting) to tell the story of how you earned a non-cash item. (You might talk about how you earned that beautiful wine decanter; you wouldnāt ābragā that you were given $150.) This makes the participant feel good about their achievements.
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Travel awards create memorable experiences that can be shared with loved ones. These types of rewards create a positive association with the sponsoring company (āWeāre going on a dive trip courtesy of Acme Company!ā)
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Cash can become an entitlement, whereas when someone has the opportunity to earn a non-cash reward, it tends to be perceived as a bonus and specifically earned for a particular achievement.
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Loved ones and friends can join in the fun of non-cash rewards, which furthers the āpositive PRā of the program beyond the participant base. It also elevates interest and motivation by participants who want to earn something that others can enjoy.
We assume that this is purely a decision based on YOUR business interests, not in the interests of the authors.
- Level 7 - Your expense was $198 for the old reward. Cash reward, it will be just $75
- Level 8 - Your expense was ~ $400. Now itās just $125
- Level 9 - Your expense was ~ $500. Now, $250
- Level 10 - Your expense was ~ $1000. Now, $500
So, no price for guessing the winner here. The difference is getting even larger for the higher levels.
In our opinion, the rewards were a great investment, especially because of how motivative they were for the authors. We threw a party in our office when we received our first care-pack and it was a huge hit in our social media circle as well. You are going to lose all that activities of engagement with your brand.
I would like to hear feedback from the Power Elite Authors on this change.
17 Likes
Hi all,
Thanks for your responses so far! Just to reiterate, this is simply the first step in our plans to rethink how we reward authors at Envato. Below are a couple of answers to your questions and insights into how we got here.
Authors who are due their Elite care packs (for those at the 125k, 500k, 750k and 1m level), or who will reach these milestones between now and February, will still be sent their care packs as per usual.
The care packs will be phased out when we transition in February, and we will remind you before this date.
In regards to shipping, we use standard methods for sending packages worldwide. Import taxes are applied when the parcel arrives, we donāt have any control over customs processes internationally.
Unfortunately due to the value of the parcels, many authors are being charged import taxes and expected to pay them. This results in many packages being returned or destroyed, which is a poor experience for both authors and Envato.
As you may know, weāre currently focusing on bringing more events internationally to authors and enhancing the community experience. With this shift in focus, weāre investing our time in delivering rewards to authors in new and different ways (including merchandise and monetary rewards) - Envato Worldwide events, and more frequent competitions, are some of the ways we are doing that.
5 Likes
A strong disappointment indeed: just let us pick between the pack or the money.
Who needs these ācash rewardsā 
can then get it.
Iād strongly agree to pay premium shipping fee (like with DHL) myself to get it and be held responsible for the receiving or not by picking my own shipping company.
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Gift are more valuable reward then money. We already earned money. So, everyone preferred gift reward then cash bonus. Please reconsider this change. Thanks.
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You know why people would grow that damn mustaches for that your weird āMovemberā competition or why we would agree to be beta testers for completely free? Trophies! People love trophies, no matter how irrational the desire, we would spend $1000 equivalent of effective time just to get a cool badge here. Even more so, with the Envato rewards. When I show someone the bag I received from Envato, it makes me feel proud and accomplished. Now imagine me showing the shiny $100 banknote I just got from the ATM that was sent by Envato! Yay, $100 banknoteā¦ how exactly would that make me feelā¦ the word is āstupidā, I guess? Iād prefer not to receive anything at all for that matter.
15 Likes
All Cool, no questions!
Hey team!
I think this is not best as compare between gift and fixed amount reward. For example the amount of bellow <$500 is not good to get cash where some physical gift will very awesome and motivated.
So i think at least when some one reach elite & power elite & 16th level, they must get physical gift & rest of level may get cash reward. Also the cash reward amount is very low so it need to increase as least starting amount should be 500$
Thank you.
Hello Envato Team,
Thank you for the comment.
We are working last 4 year on envato platform with many effort and build best product and customers support. after your this comment we are not happy with your offer for USD 75. I hope all author not want USD 75 because they archive this level and they want such rememberable envato gifts such as Tshirt, vegemite, coffe cup, notebook etcā¦
We are not saying 75 USD is good but your gifts is very rememberable. we made ( USD 75,000+ ) in envato so this is your responsibility with our Gifts.
We collected some of youtube videos. this is an always rememberable it with archive this level 7 and happy with next level.
Thank you.
1 Like
Like really? An author who sold 1M dollars. The gift is 1K? 1K is like 1 hour earning for a power elite author.
Make something more exciting. Like a PC gift, Xbox. TV, Phones etc. Not a 75 dollar for 75.000 author. 
11 Likes
I think this is a good decision. I prefer cash rewards. Gifts are a waste of money.
Maybe it would be better to increase the cash amount of the first tiers and decrease the amount of the highest tiers. In the beginning we need this money more than in the highest tiers. I do think it would be good to have a few other rewards. Like the change to visit Envato headquarter for the higher tiers.
3 Likes
Maybe giving authors options is the best way to handle this matter. When an author reaches a milestone an email can be sent with a request to choose between cash and gifts. Personally I was looking forward to the next care pack. Of course you can always think about official Envato Merch Store, so we can spend all our cash rewards there 
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This is great that we got almost all possible physical rewards New cash based system is a joke. This numbers should be x10 at least to means something for authors who will got it on this milestones.
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ha-haā¦
That would have been funny, if it had not been so sad! A thousand dollars for someone who has made a million is an equivalent of one not very lucky sales day. It is nothing. It canāt be an encouragement or a motivation.
Just an idea
It would be way better for the authors if you remove Envato Studio services (which are useless for authors who had made over $50K) and send out merchandise for the amount weāre entitled to according to your table.
Speaking about money rewards
When an author reaches a certain milestone, the reward should be high enough to let them take a couple of weeks off before starting the journey to the next one. So your table should look like this:
Envato Elite Program does need redesign, but the way youāre doing it now is not too appealing. Adding more merchandise and removing Envato Studio services will make the authors much happier.
Thank you,
Elfsight Team
24 Likes
To get money is never bad (those money rewards looks a bit underestimated IMHO), but actually Iām just a bit sad.
I will never forget the 125K milestone for the rest of my life. I still have the shipped paper box with its contents in my closet. Iām not sure other people can understand the pure joy I lived receiving a pack from Australia (the exact opposite side of the world from Italy) with all those great goodies!
Those milestone items were symbolic: no one thought about their value, we were just happy to get them. We felt like being part of a real thing, now will just be like an aseptic bank transferā¦
Romances apart, Iāve got an important question for @steve_lam: how those money fall in terms of taxation? We will receive them through swift?
5 Likes