I've noticed that my product, which has been up for almost three full weeks now has only had a few small sales. Not at all what I was hoping for. I was hoping you guys could tell me what went wrong, what I did wrong, or if there's something missing from the set. Basically, why it doesn't appeal to you, personally, so I can rectify that with future products, if I make any more.

http://market.renderosity.com/softgood.ez?ViewSoftgood=13427

Thanks,

Khrys

I think part of the problem everyone on the Marketplace is having is that the arrival of Poser 5 overwhelmed many people's attention (even those who haven't bought it). Some people I buy regularly from have said their sales have dropped these last couple of weeks and that they are trying to wait out the frenzy. Your Elfin queen and her handmaidens look quite lovely and reasonably priced to me so someone else will have to address other reasons they might not sell, but that is the first one that came to mind. I know I delayed buying textures to see how Poser 5 figures looked and if my Poser 4 and Victoria/Michael figures could be used in it. That may just be me.

I am a casual buyer, but have built up a large complement of characters, textures and accessories. I tend to be "sold" by those products that have more illustrations of the products. Your description seems to indicte much more than you show and the quality of the renders are average, which may not fairly reflect the product. Obviously marketing is an art in itself and I suffer from impulse buyer's disease. I remember your product and read it, but was not convinced it added much to what I had...but your price is very attractive. Also with Poser 5 coming I expect has reduced everyone's sales by limited many buyer's descretionary money and just anticipating wanting to buy the new P5 stuff. I expect you can improve some by adding 2 more pages of illustrations and show the full spectrum of the product and work on making excellent renders using some very high quality textures. Good luck.

A few reasons. 1) Your preview only has a single picture, and it doesn't really show any detail. And since the bodies are clothed, the body morphs don't really show very well. You've got 25 face poses, but your preview only shows 5, and 4 of them are really to small to evaluate. 2) P5. Everyone is either getting it, got it, or is b*tching about it. If we buy a product right now, we're spending money on P5 things, or scenes. I've spent $40 just on Neftis' hair. This was a great investment. By studying the two I bought, I've gotten to be pretty good in the hair room. 3) Straight morphs don't usually sell that well, unless combined with a texture, or expression set. There are a few exceptions to this, but they're usually from someone with a large body of other sets that have sold. I always look at anything Eowyn or Cyphre has for sale. I know their stuff, and its all good. There's a LOT of morphs out there for Vicky, for sale and free, and with so many to choose from, something really has to be spectacular. There's a lot less for Mike (hint). Or you could package it as a face and body contruction set. Mix and match always goes better than straight morphs. 4) No advertising. By this I mean post some really good work in the galleries using the morph set, and make sure the product is identified in the comment section. And by good work, I mean real scenes using the morphs, that make them stand out from the rest. Something rich to catch the eye, then grab them. You can also ask people to review them and post to the review sites. A lot of us check a review of a product before we buy. Hope this helps. I VERY rarely buy female stuff, but when I do, it really has to catch my eye to make me invest. I've considered off and on to make some stuff and sell it here, but its a lot of work, and from what I hear, a lot of dissappointment at times. Belle's Big Beauties is a great product, but I see very few posts in the galleries using them. From what I can tell, its a good product, but I can't really tell much from the sale page. Don't let this discourage you. The more you offer, the more you sell. You're braver than I am.

I think it would probably help to also have a few other images showing more than what you are in the single image....The one image really doesn't show much detail for the package you are offering....

Quick note to add: If they were Judy morphs, I bet they'd sell quicker. So far there's only Neftis' hair in the P5 3rd party catalog.

I would agree with the above posts that the release of poser 5 will tend to affect sales of 3rd party products at least at the beginning. In addition, certain things sell better that others, I believe. Conforming clothing (and now the challenge of dynamic clothing) is probably a good seller, and well made props as well. Characters, I can't comment on from personal experience, because I never buy them myself, as I figure I can make characters myself. Don't get me wrong, because I do think your elf queen is lovely, but I would probably spend my money on things that I know are very difficult to make. If you have had sales, that is a good thing and I wouldn't be discouraged. You might have to accept that sales will be steady rather than overwhelming. Again, patience grasshopper, I think P5 is affecting sales of many products. Also, mglant has valuable input on marketing. Good luck to you and don't get discouraged. Keep producing.

Definitely make use of the 3 image allowances you have to show off your product. If you have 25 facial settings and 3 body settings, show them. I bought a texture not too long ago after debating between all the good textures here and what sold me was the additions. The makeup and different lip textures, the poses and the light and tan body choices.

Also keep in mind you've created a particular character with appeal to one particular genre. The work looks very good, so you may have to settle for the appreciation of a few folks who share the interest in that genre, rather than mass interest from people looking for more generic sets of characters. Of course, The Two Towers is hitting theatres in a few months, so you might as well keep the Elf Queen out there as interest surges in Middle Earth :-) Whatever happens, I wouldn't give up on this or future projects. It's no small feat to take the initiative to make something that even a few people are willing to pay for.

Yeah, "What they said" :) I remember it, too, I've ordered P5, and I've just bought two PT characters. One of which only had one image, but I've seen many other pictures of it, both here and elsewhere. Use all three pics available, get people who are good at it, to beta test and post to the galleries. They have a beta test forum at poserpros.com later jb

What are "good sales" anyway? I mean, I've sold a few copies of my Trash Street (10 to be exact) and I'm thrilled :o) Of course I would have been even more thrilled if I'd sold say 20 or 30 but I consider 10 items sold pretty good, as it's my first item for sale and it's a bit special. I then try to boost sales a little by offering free add-ons to the set, mind you: add ons that ARE useable alone but of course even more so when used with Trash Street. Humm so far lots and lots of people have downloaded the add-ons so I guess they're usefull... and perhaps I should go check Kazaa for my scene ;o) (NOT that I'm accusing any of my buyers to have uploaded it there!!!) Anyway, I saw the Elf Queen and well as I don't do elves I didn't buy it. Also more people might suffer from the "no-more-creditcard-syndrome" just like myself. I've only been able to buy things after I've made sales to generate some money.

I've got your item on my wishlist, but I would like to see more images, showing greater detail.

And, yes, the purchase of Poser 5 + some other circumstances (like an all-around difficult economy) have affected my buying habits.

Hope this helps.

I remember looking at this. I just hit the back button because I couldn't see anything special -- that doesn't sound right. What I mean is, you need more images, especially of the other races. I was curious what the halflings looked like compared to the others, and it's hard to see in the pic. Do a group shot, and show more of the faces offered.

Don't know if you're planning more products, but as you introduce new ones, they can help the sales of everything in your store. (Book sellers know the value of a backlist that sells steadily.) And satisfied customers will take a look at your new things. A "brand name" can help, whether your name or similar product names - folks have said they look for my "Magic" items. One of my favorite things about selling here is that you have a store, not just isolated product listing. Good luck - Elisa/gryffnn

Khrys: Your request for information seems to be genuine. I'm glad many others in here seem to feel the same way. I think you have gotten a LOT of good information in this thread. Also understand that some of the people helping you MAY be people who compete against you for dollars in the marketplace. And for them to stop and help you get some of those dollars is a very generous act. I can only think of one other suggestion that I haven't seen mentioned above. Take a look around at the galleries and find someone who does good work in "elf" genre (or just in fantasy). Or find a couple of people. IM them and ask if they'd be interested testing and posting a few pics with your product in exchange for your product. Heck, if you don't feel you have the artistic ability to show off the product in the remaining 2 pages alloted, trade the product off for someone else to do it. Finally, not to "toot the writers forum", stop by and get some advice on wording if you think it needs some tweaking. And keep at it !

HI I also agree its really hard to get an idea from one image what is included. Koda

Well, thanks a lot for all the input. You guys have been a really big help, and I appreciate it. I'm taking your advice, talking with a few really talented artists, and hopefully I can revamp the marketplace page. I've got a texture in the works for the freebies section. I realize now that I really didn't show much of what was being sold, which was stupid on my part, because people who buy something deserve to know what they're getting in advance. Thanks a LOT Khrys