I'm not sure why people object to software periodically validating licenses through a quick and hardly noticeable online "ping" every few weeks or so. Photoshop CC does it. Many apps do it. It's one of the only ways software makers can be sure that those using their software have a valid license for it, and it should cause no problems for users as long as they can put their computers online for a short while every few weeks. Like, say, while reading and posting to forums :-) (You do have the launch the software for it to "phone home").

As for the original question, I'm also a dedicated Poser user, starting with 9 and currently on Pro 11.3. I have DS, but I only ever use it in order to get things out of it that I can bring into Poser. I'm also a frequent shopper, but mostly what I buy are props and other scene elements, including scripts that provide useful functions (like all of Netherworks' scripts). I usually go for the quirky or whimsical stuff, like everything 1971s makes, or the fantasy stuff like what DM, SV, and a few others make. When I need "regular" humans, I use V4, M4 and/or K4, but I have plenty of characters, clothes, and hair for them. My favorite figures are those made by Nursoda, and anything designed to support them (new characters, clothes, hair, poses, etc.) will go into my wishlist for sure.

I won't buy anything that's for DS only, no matter how much I like it, but if it's a freebie I'll try converting it for Poser. I really don't understand why vendors who make props would ever make them for DS only, since it's so easy to make them work in Poser also, even with just simple texture maps or procedural materials. If a prop set uses DS's instancing, then the Poser version could just have the original item (eg., tree) and not all the instances, and then we could duplicate that item ourselves.

Anyway, I don't know if that's helpful or not! I have some ideas for a few products I might like to make for the marketplace, so I'm also interested in the same question. But my feeling is that if you make something that's notably new and different from what already exists, and that shows a strong sense of unique style and skill, people will probably buy it! If you make yet another bikini for V4, then maybe not ;-)

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TOOLS: MacBook Pro; Poser Pro 11; Cheetah3D; Photoshop CC

FIGURES: S-16 (improved V4 by Karina), M4, K4, Mavka, Toons, and Nursoda's people

GOALS: Stylized and non-photorealistic renders in various fantasy styles