No, There is Nothing Wrong With Selling Skins!
Monday, August 18, 2008 by Island Dog | Discussion: OS Customization
Over the weekend we had a little flamefest going over a skin, and one of the comments was basically trying to trash people for selling their skins. Now since I posted a warning about a 3 month ban from WinCustomize if any other trolling was going to continue, a certain person decided to go to my personal blog and send me an e-mail to my personal account about it.
The e-mail:
“So you think that there's nothing wrong with selling skins between $4 and $5 a pop, uh. Everyone of you is ripping off the the american public. Do you know how much money it takes to make a simple song? Do you know much mp3 files cost? I get them for 10 cents a piece, and yet songs take a hell of a lot more time and money to make, than your skins, and your selling them for more than what a gallon of gas costs. You need to wake up, and look around you. You obviously don't know what the hell is going on in this country right now. You got the nerve to sell some desktop skin for the price your selling for. You Spencer Scott are very little piece of the problem we have in this country, you Spencer Scott, are very good example of an asshole.”
My first reaction at this e-mail was a very good chuckle. I then read it again and wondered what this person was really thinking. Trying to compare .mp3’s to skins really made no sense to me, but then I realized probably what they were saying, and then once again realized this person had no clue about skinning. Let me explain something to this person specifically. Making skins is not easy, and making professional-type skins is much, much worse. A high-quality WindowBlinds skin can easily take months to complete, so what really is the PROBLEM with selling a skin? Nothing at all, that’s what!
I work with many of our Master Skinners here on WinCustomize, and I think every one of them also creates plenty of free content that is also released, so not only do I not have a problem with someone selling skins, I encourage people to buy them as well and support these works. WinCustomize will continue with the Master Skins programs, and if you have an issue with it, you can contact me via the WinCustomize or Stardock e-mail.
Better yet, lets have a discussion about the selling of skins. What is your opinion about it? Do you buy skins? So instead of following me around the internet, step up and post some reasons why someone should not be allowed to sell something they have worked countless hours on. I really can’t wait to read the communities opinions, especially from this commenter (which I do know who you are 
).
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Reply #42 Monday, August 18, 2008 5:47 PM
As someone who pays people to make songs (for our PC games) I can tell you it costs LESS to make a song (with vocals) than it does to make a skin.
Let me be explicit: It costs us MORE to get a professional quality skin made than to get a professional quality song made (yes, that includes studio time as well).
As for his 10 cents per song, he's buying them from a Russian pirate site. The cheapest you can legitimately get songs that I am aware of is 89 cents.
Reply #43 Monday, August 18, 2008 5:58 PM
Dunno yet..
Oh man! V....if you do that with your latest skin....I'll.....I'll.....still buy it!
Reply #44 Monday, August 18, 2008 6:09 PM
Dunno yet..
Hell with that skin in particular he could raise it a dollar and only provide the start menu and I'm sure it would still sell
Reply #45 Monday, August 18, 2008 6:19 PM
Oh boy... I'm almost certain that anything I say will put me in the doghouse. 
Reply #46 Monday, August 18, 2008 6:39 PM
I never have that problem, my socks are all white.
Selling skins that took hours or weeks or months to build is not wrong.
Selling your kids is wrong.
selling other peoples stuff is wrong.
selling crack is wrong.
selling your vote is wrong.
If someone thinks selling skins is wrong or can't afford the 5 bucks, there are plenty of excellent skins on this site for free.
Mr. Butthead(whoever you are), if you just want to start flame wars there are plenty of sites out there that will welcome you.
Five bucks! I waste more than that every day.
Reply #47 Monday, August 18, 2008 7:12 PM
Zubaz gettin jiggy!
now...on topic....
I can't imagine what a Master must go through. Personally, since becoming a Journeyman, I second guess everything I make and whether to post it or not. I have more 'unfinished' stuff than I ever did. I even asked Jafo his opinion on a wallpaper before I tried to post it. I take my new level very seriously and the things I have posted since becoming Journeyman has gotten some very kind comments. AND I'm not making any 'windowblinds' (yet). I still put a lot of time into what I make. I would have to guess, for a Master, it's all even more difficult and stressful because folks are gonna 'pay' or Master skins. There's that added pressure of someone saying 'It ain't worth $ !'
I think WC has made excellent choices in who made Master status. I think the work is worth paying for, no matter how much or how little time actually went into them. It's the quality of the work that got them where they are.
*on a personal note...the idiot who is whining should go over to ebay and harass the women selling their used panties for $50.00. THAT's wrong. Especially when I...I mean- 'you' can go down to the dressing room at Walmart and steal all I..I mean- 'you' want for free.
Reply #48 Monday, August 18, 2008 7:14 PM
. Many times I think that the price our masters charge just isn't enough. The talent these people possess is second 2 none. IMHO some of the best graphic artists in the world are right here providing exquisit work for an incredibly reasonable price. Geeze, I would gladly bring John, Harley, Javier, Brad or Mike and the countless others on staff for me at $0.10/hr!Try unloading wb from your system and see how long you can go w/ the standard windows gui. I tried it once...lasted about 5.6 seconds. I really shouldn't comment on things like this 'cuz I'll just get myself in trouble and keep ranting. The artists have a right to charge for their creations. As I own a business that manufactures a particular product for one of the most prestigous hotels in Las Vegas, I have a right to charge for my creations also.
Support our masters!
Reply #49 Monday, August 18, 2008 7:20 PM
Reply #50 Monday, August 18, 2008 7:21 PM
Reply #51 Monday, August 18, 2008 7:28 PM
He left himself wide open for that one...and he even knew that little baby was out there too...poor zube.
Reply #52 Monday, August 18, 2008 7:34 PM
Dunno yet..
Looks like it will be worth it! Awesome look, John!
Reply #53 Monday, August 18, 2008 7:45 PM
I agree! And I too buy a few master skins here and there. I have a nice collection of IRB, Gef, vStyler, etc, just to name a few. I hope to reach master status and sell my own someday!I waste more than $5.00 per day, usually, just buying MT. Dew! The skins are worth it!
Reply #54 Monday, August 18, 2008 7:59 PM
Reply #55 Monday, August 18, 2008 8:15 PM
Only the lowest of the low would actually offer a product 'for a fee' thereby forcing the unsuspecting and powerless masses to 'pay' for something that by all Karl Marx given rights should be free! -Insert appropriate background soundtrack here-
Reply #57 Monday, August 18, 2008 8:35 PM
Reply #58 Monday, August 18, 2008 8:44 PM
Masters have honed their skills to a high degree to reach that level.They've given out their fair share of freebies before reaching that level.The "Master"title isn't honorary,it's earned by hard work and dedication.
These "for sale" WindowBlinds are usually accompanied by a huge amount of "extras" produced by the community and based on the original graphics generously provided by the artist.In effect it becomes a premium suite and all the extras you can download for free makes it a bargain.Five bucks is a very small compensation for the time and energy spent producing it.
As far as comparing WB's to music,time was you had to buy the albumn(remember those?) and got maybe three or four good songs. A master skin is 100% complete as a matter of personal pride and I respect the skinners for that,even if I don't like the skin myself.
My 2 cents.
Reply #59 Monday, August 18, 2008 8:51 PM
Reply #60 Monday, August 18, 2008 8:55 PM
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Reply #41 Monday, August 18, 2008 5:39 PM
Because those who cannot be bothered to at least try and do something(read: to lazy) don't have the capacity to realize how much effort others put into the things they do(read: think everyone is as lazy as them).