Long replies.  I just wanted to add my two cents to what was being discussed on page 2.

I don't want to 'diss' renderosity, but it is this market that is saturated IMO.  Testing is not quite as good as it should be.  I gave up vending here or any possibility of doing so when I submitted a package and was told 'make it look like this other one we are already selling'.  That one message explained for me so much of what the issue is.  I've sold quite a few copies of that particular package now, without making it look like anything else out there.  

As to when sales come, Ambient (I think that's who said it) is 99% correct in saying that 99% of sales come in the first 3 days.  I think that is primarily due to the market saturation.  Most people don't go through all 500 pages of similar products.  So the newest products sell quickest.  

I do have one product out that has been out for 5 years now though, and I still get sales.  So I'm not sure if with that longevity if the math still holds true.  If you are selling somewhere that cuts off the product after x amount of time, it is probably more likely to be true.  This is basic estimations from my crappy math brain.

As to OP, I do not think the user base is down.  Based on sales personally, I'd say it's up.  However community participation across the board is nose diving.  I think that makes it appear as if users are down.  Maybe they have all gone to facebook and other less 'moderated' forms of communication.  This is a pita you know.  I'm not even 100% sure if I've said anything here that is not allowed or will be deleted.  In that way I am often unlikely to post due to the fact that my time spent trying to participate may just be completely wasted.  I don't really have that much time to just chuck out the window like that.  

I am:  aka Velocity3d