I’ve been with Envato since 2010 exclusively as a purchaser of content. Over that time I have purchased over 220 items and spent over $5,000 USD in the marketplace. The overwhelming majority of those purchases were made using credits in order to avoid the $2 per transaction fee. Whether or not other people are using the direct purchase option is irrelevant to me. This in effect raises the cost of purchasing from your marketplace by 10-20% based on my average transaction. I like doing business on your marketplace but I think this is a dumb move. I have bought exclusively on Envato for the past 8 years but now I will have to evaluate my options moving forward with other content providers.
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I have no words, this is so sad.
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I completely agree. That way which Envato used is very disappointing. I wrote here, a little higher, how it would be possible to make the update a little more loyal to customers. Of course, this does not solve the problem and does not replace the credit system, but at least it doesn’t look so shocking as it is now.
I can’t stress enough how much of a bad idea this is. Prices will not maintain reality. Seeing a high price will force authors to make unnecessary discounts to attract customers that in turn will affect our sales.
It will be hard to get this to all customers considering there are no newsletters and that newsletters don’t always get opened not to mention fully read.
The confusions it would make and the price discounts and crisis would further increase the race to the bottom… I wouldn’t touch this idea with a 10 foot pole.
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It seems that I already tried to explain this point to you, but no problem it’s not difficult for me to repeat it again, maybe at that time I picked up the wrong words. Firstly, I’m not saying that this is a very good idea or the best idea, I’m only saying that it’s better than adding 2 after a person has put a product in the basket and makes a person be disappointed by the additional costs. I say only about how to change that we already have here, because Envato is already adding 2 for a one-time purchase. You leave the price of your product the same, or you add just $ 2, it does not matter because and in the first case and in the second the final price will be the same. But in the first case, it looks like the customer pays the additional costs and does not understand why he should do. Already many here said that the fact of additional payment is worse than if this surcharge was already in the price. But in the second case, the client “does not pay” additional fees + has the opportunity to receive a discount if he puts several items in the basket at once. Please note what words in the quote I gave my answer to.
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I understood exactly what you said mate, and my initial answer still stands. It’s a very, very, very bad idea. Currently authors are doing everything to keep prices low, imagine having a $2 extra until you add it to the cart. Just think how many of them would drop those $2 as well and advertise on this. Let’s not accelerate the race to the bottom. There must be a better solution if one is to be applied.
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I just don’t understand why you’re trying to argue that my proposal is worse than it is now.
Please, once again, Envato already adds these two dollars. Try to keep the price low or not, the customer will still pay those two dollars. My solution is not the best, it just offers not to shock customers with new costs. A person wants to see the price and wants to buy it at this price, that’s all he needs to buy one product.
I don’t offer a solution for the credit system, you and @Creattive have already written good ones here.
You are talking about new solutions to somehow replace the credit system, I only expressed the point of view on how to replace what Envato has done now.
If you think my offer is worse than what Envato has done now (just adding $2 after adding to the cart), then explain if you are not difficult of course, why it is better than if these $2 will be already in the price. After all, the final price for the client will be the same in both cases.
UPD: In other words, I’m only talking about how it would be better to do Envato introducing these new updates that we have now. This is not a solution to the problem of cancellation of the credit system, it’s just an another way to introduce these new updates without upsetting customers with additional cost.
I can appreciate the concept - but I think it’s still a little convoluted. Prices should be straightforward and simple, no surprises. Why Envato feels the need to complicate it at all is really weird… the argument here is obviously about a new situation where the handling fees are forced on customers (more or less). But when you step back you’ve also got that buyers fee to look at.
Simplest thing I think we should all get behind at least for now, is that one of payment methods should have the fees removed entirely.
It should work like this:
- I’m selling you this thing
- It cost this much, do you want to buy it? Yes?
- Thanks for your business, here’s your receipt…
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Hello Envato!
Bring immediately the credit system back, otherwise I’m going to quit and never buy again at Envato only a part!
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Ok this really sucks, after 4 years of using your services, I’m thinking about going somewhere else. I just purchased a 25$ song, on top of that was an additional 4$ “Envato Buyer Fee” and another 2$ “handling fee” !!!
Care to explain a 6$ fee for a song ??
I think you shot yourself in the foot with this latest decision…
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So, below is the official response to my support ticket:
Hi,
Dan here from the Envato Customer Success leadership team.
Thank you for your patience on this matter.
I will echo the sentiments from my colleague regarding the appreciation for your feedback.
While we understand that this required change will not be the best news for all customers, we have had to make the business call to remove the credit function.
The fee structure that has been outlined below has been in place for many years now, however, it is the customer base (such as yourself) who prefer to use the credit feature, which are impacted the most here.
In regards to the handling fees, I would like to reiterate that they are not a fee that is related in any way to cost recovery for payment processing.
Unfortunately, I cannot give you the news you are looking for that the fees will be reduced and in the interest of being honest and transparent, I will also say that there is no immediate plan to do this in the near future.
Thank you for your understanding.
Kind regards,
Dan M
Seems they won’t listen. Well, bye bye then…
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Well if Envato Customer Success really wants Envato Customer Success, they better start listening very soon. Or just change their name.
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Um, what? What is the handling fee then?!
And who tells their customers that the fee they have to pay is not what they thought it was… without explaining what it actually is. This is insane.
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Please back that decision. This is not good. because my sales are too bad last 2 days. Please this is wrong decision. Thank you
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A couple of observations:
Firstly, the removal of credits has really highlighted the issue of the handling fees. In truth, even with these fees added on Envato’s prices are still very competitive. But in terms of marketing and presentation, the addition of handling fees at the end of the buying process manages to make a good deal appear a bad one, which is just crazy. On the face of things, it would be so much better simply to increase the buyers’ fees and remove the handling charge altogether.
Secondly, regarding communication and your acknowledgement that this could have been better handled. Thing is, as far as I can make out it is still the case that no e-mail communication has gone out about this to customers. As an occasional buyer of items I receive many marketing e-mails from Envato, but unless I’ve missed something nothing has come through about the removal of credits. Whatever the intention it comes across as a being a totally unreasonable expectation that customers should spend time checking the Envato forums for announcements, and an act of discourtesy to leave it so that many buyers who have been using credits for years only find out the option has gone when they attempt to buy some more credits.
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It’s sad that the only thing achieved thus far is that Envato renamed the fee from “transaction” to “handling”. For all we know, one or more of they payment methods prohibits the seller from imposing additional fees for using their services. In fact, the specific wording from the “Customer Success Leadership Team” (a term that just screams over-enthusiastic marketing spin plus Orwellian doublespeak) suggests that is exactly the case.
So now it’s “handling”…Who is “handling” what exactly, in a digital transaction for digital goods??
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Hello,
Envato credit still working to me
Is this removed for specific country or authors or what?
Thanks 
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From what I understood, authors can still use their funds to pay for products. @anon76595093, that’s because you’re an author. You can use your Earnings to pay, which are basically credits.
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!Very disappointing!
Just found about this, and I have to say this is a pretty dumb move.
I work in a production company with multiple workers.
All of us uses Audiojungle etc about daily, and the credit system was perfect:
- Manager adds funds.
- We find the stuff we need and purchase & download to get the job done
With this change all of our purchases has to go through our manager. How dumb is that?
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