DAZ is losing me

davesodaveso Posts: 6,363

Pricing is just getting too high.  Bundels are high - Everyday sales are too low and too complicated. I've been buying here since DAZ began, Zygote days ... but its getting too expensive for a hobbyist.  YES for the annual sales, but even those are diminishing in sales discounts. 
Part of it I'm sure is my overall excess of content, quite a bit not used, but the prices have gotten too high for my pocketbook. I know I've said this before, but I'm concerned that the pricing will begin to force more and more people from buying and sooner or later this great content provider will fade away, just as most of the others have. 

Thr buy ins to get 40 or 50% off leave you with a huge expense.  I'm now slowly turning to PC+ only or fastgrab things, saving my cash for something that is just an eye knocker instead of bundles, waiting for the huge sales, etc. 

Anyway, as more bundles present themselves it just hits me, as today's new bundles did.

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Comments

  • to be fair, I think Bundles are aimed at newer less stocked up users.

    I buy the occasional single item from them.

  • MimicMollyMimicMolly Posts: 2,093
    I don't really buy new releases unless it triggers a discount on something else I wanted. But then, given how many problems there's been with the product zip folders not even being included in the Product Library, I refrain from buying anything new because it's a gamble nowadays.
  • davesodaveso Posts: 6,363

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    to be fair, I think Bundles are aimed at newer less stocked up users.

    I buy the occasional single item from them.

    that could be. I was buying quite a few for awhile, but the new way isn't hitting me at all.  

  • Same, tbh. The fact QC on some of these items is pretty poor doesn't help the increase in pricing, either. :/

  • NylonGirlNylonGirl Posts: 1,460

  • When shopping new releases/bundles, I try to never spend more than $3-$5 per item (averaged out per each transaction) for items I like but have no immediate need for.  I'll kick my max up to $10 for items that I have more pressing need for.  I typically stay a year or so behind the curve and it works to my advantage in the long term, otherwise, it's just too frustrating to navigate DAZ's new release marketing strategies.  Patience is definitely a virtue when navigating the DAZ store.

  • davesodaveso Posts: 6,363

    GeoffreyHawkins said:

    When shopping new releases/bundles, I try to never spend more than $3-$5 per item (averaged out per each transaction) for items I like but have no immediate need for.  I'll kick my max up to $10 for items that I have more pressing need for.  I typically stay a year or so behind the curve and it works to my advantage in the long term, otherwise, it's just too frustrating to navigate DAZ's new release marketing strategies.  Patience is definitely a virtue when navigating the DAZ store.

    yes. but going over the same content over and over to try and find something to buy "cheaper"  utilize sale criteria getting old too. 

  • FSMCDesignsFSMCDesigns Posts: 12,518

    So what do you want daveso, for them to just give you the products? the problem with shoppers is once they get a deal they want that same deal all the time and then want an even better deal or they feel the value isn't there (I deal with this daily as a retail manager). I don't buy that much here lately because like you I have a ton of product, plenty of it unused. I also am aware of how much I have spent which doesn't help either, but pricing isn't an issue for me and I realize first and foremost DAZ is a business and is doing what it does to try and build business while maintaining a bottom line whether i agree with it or not.

    There have been plenty of times I wanted a certain product for a project, but it was at full price which makes me appreciate ANY sale I see on products. I also know what goes into creating a 3D asset since I do that myself also and I buy and sell 3D on normal 3D sites like turbosquid and CGTrader, which makes me realize how cheap the products are here at DAZ,

    So for those that rely on DAZ for their 3d hobby, what do you do if DAZ folds tommorrow and is no longer an option? no Daz Studio, no new figures, no new envioronments. Sure, many here have enough product to keep them busy for awhile and DS should keep working for awhile longer, at least till a new OS comes out and it loses it's functionality, but then what?.

  • It's a bit of the opposite for me, I used several deals to get a good starting point into G8 and on top of that I also grabbed tons of older goodies at huge discounts, for example the 60% discount on Genesis items in combination with some G8 bundles, All in all I got the feeling that I got my moneys worth. But.. Maybe my recent projects with Zbrush also had some influence here, just realizing that modeling can be quite time consuming.
  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,139
    edited February 2021

    I too have been DAZing for almost two decades.  But at least 5 years ago I simply stopped buying new stuff despite the "golly, gee whiz that's amazing" attraction of them.indecision  I wait, and wait until sometimes a year or years down the line, it has become old hat and is found on a bargain table for a tiny fraction of its original price.  My wishlist is long, but my patience is longer.  And often by time the item appears on the bargain table and floats to the top of my price sorted wishlist, I've lost my interest in it.  Saves me a lot of money.smiley 

    Yes, I still buy things now and then but it's mostly old M4 or Gn(original Genesis) stuff.  Although I have been picking up new G3 or G8 male hair lately but only when they are in a FastGrab sale or Freebie list. yes

    I come here every day to peruse the forums and ooh, and aah at the new stuff in the catalog, but have the willpower and the tight wallet that keeps me from paying more for a virtual shirt than I do for my own real shirts.indecision

    Edited to add:  Oh, and I save a HUGE amount by not buying any more female related stuff.  I don't want to slip back down that blackhole.surprise  In my world, the men take the spotlight.

    Post edited by LeatherGryphon on
  • daveso said:

    GeoffreyHawkins said:

    When shopping new releases/bundles, I try to never spend more than $3-$5 per item (averaged out per each transaction) for items I like but have no immediate need for.  I'll kick my max up to $10 for items that I have more pressing need for.  I typically stay a year or so behind the curve and it works to my advantage in the long term, otherwise, it's just too frustrating to navigate DAZ's new release marketing strategies.  Patience is definitely a virtue when navigating the DAZ store.

    yes. but going over the same content over and over to try and find something to buy "cheaper"  utilize sale criteria getting old too. 
     

    It appears you are focused on collecting content rather than buying what you need.  If so, you will be forever frustrated by DAZ.  Accept DAZ for what they are and exploit their crazy marketing when it is too your benefit.  Walk away when it's not.  Life's too short.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,552

    I still buy, but I buy men's content and that is hard to find. Even when men's content is being sold, it is often poor quality or a retread of something Vicky has.   I am not a fan of the new bundles containing items I own already, or bundles of male figures with women's content mixed in.

    Prices have gone up, which forces me to be even more discerning.

    The store's all female focus all the time is tiresome as well, but it is what it is.  

    i have enough content to do what I want now. News stuff is nice, but not esssential anymore.

  • MelissaGTMelissaGT Posts: 2,602
    edited February 2021

    I typically won't buy stuff unless it's minimum 70% off, and even then it needs to be something I really want (like Kayless being in today's Fast Grab). Sometimes I'll buy the occasional item I've been lusting over for 50% if it's something that never goes on sale for more even with flash sales that come up (examble being Aeon Soul stuff...I don't think I've ever been able to get their stuff for more than 50 or 60% off). I'll only buy new items unless I can score a great deal (bundle discounts that stack up nicely) or if it's something that makes my head explode from the sheer awesome (Rogey's newest Hobbit stuff). But most of the time I'm patient and will wait for a flash sale or fast grab. I really go bananas on the PC+ for A Day sales. 

    Post edited by MelissaGT on
  • davesodaveso Posts: 6,363

    FSMCDesigns said:

    So what do you want daveso, for them to just give you the products? the problem with shoppers is once they get a deal they want that same deal all the time and then want an even better deal or they feel the value isn't there (I deal with this daily as a retail manager). I don't buy that much here lately because like you I have a ton of product, plenty of it unused. I also am aware of how much I have spent which doesn't help either, but pricing isn't an issue for me and I realize first and foremost DAZ is a business and is doing what it does to try and build business while maintaining a bottom line whether i agree with it or not.

    There have been plenty of times I wanted a certain product for a project, but it was at full price which makes me appreciate ANY sale I see on products. I also know what goes into creating a 3D asset since I do that myself also and I buy and sell 3D on normal 3D sites like turbosquid and CGTrader, which makes me realize how cheap the products are here at DAZ,

    So for those that rely on DAZ for their 3d hobby, what do you do if DAZ folds tommorrow and is no longer an option? no Daz Studio, no new figures, no new envioronments. Sure, many here have enough product to keep them busy for awhile and DS should keep working for awhile longer, at least till a new OS comes out and it loses it's functionality, but then what?.

    there is a high possibility were DAZ to close that I might actually get some art completed. I spend way too much time trying to figure out sales to get best bang for buck. I do understand the fact a busines needs to charge enough to stay viable, but like many others, my pay does not keep up with pricing increases. At some point, it becomes food, mortgage, etc or hobby. Hobby loses every time. Pretty sure I'm not the only one on that boat. I think DAZ realizes that most folks not buying at full price, thus the new release discounts, but those have increased a lot. 

    On my part, it has become self-discipline to avoid buying on impulse. The new pricing and buindle structure has aided me tremendously in remaining steadfast in cutting my spending via impulse buying.  

  • davesodaveso Posts: 6,363

    GeoffreyHawkins said:

    daveso said:

    GeoffreyHawkins said:

    When shopping new releases/bundles, I try to never spend more than $3-$5 per item (averaged out per each transaction) for items I like but have no immediate need for.  I'll kick my max up to $10 for items that I have more pressing need for.  I typically stay a year or so behind the curve and it works to my advantage in the long term, otherwise, it's just too frustrating to navigate DAZ's new release marketing strategies.  Patience is definitely a virtue when navigating the DAZ store.

    yes. but going over the same content over and over to try and find something to buy "cheaper"  utilize sale criteria getting old too. 
     

    It appears you are focused on collecting content rather than buying what you need.  If so, you will be forever frustrated by DAZ.  Accept DAZ for what they are and exploit their crazy marketing when it is too your benefit.  Walk away when it's not.  Life's too short.

    That is possible although I don;t feel that I'm a "collector" when I buy, but I do see a vision of where it can be used. Problem is there is so much that can be used somehow. I see kit bashing stuff for sure. ... but, it is a fact I have way too much ocntent, especially female, when it is enitrely possible to morph a billion characters without buying a single new one.   

  • I do feel somewhat the same as you, daveso. That coupled with the complexity of the offers and difficulty of finding out whether what you want is in the wretched offer.

    I really cannot be bothered to play silly games like 'Buy 1 of the latest release & 4 of this lot at 50% off, or buy 2 of the latest release and get 10% extra off another lot' any more. It wastes too much of my time to be worth it. I did fall for it like a mug once. And I have two 'new releases' I didn't want and haven't used just so I could spend money on some other things that were on my wishlist, and realised I paid not far off list price when you price in the rubbish I didn't want and haven't used. And won't use. Not again.

    Trying to find if a wishlist item is in coupon offer is too flippin' difficult to be worth the candle. 

    I looked up my spending this year. Because of the complexity of the offers and near impossibility of finding out if what I want is covered, I have bought from the DAZ store twice this year, and one of those was $8, and the other was when I fell for the con, sorry, bought things I didn't want. I don't think I'll be buying much else this year.

    Regards,

    Richard

  • bytescapesbytescapes Posts: 1,799

    I've been a heavy bundle buyer in the past (understatement), but more and more I find myself thinking "Nah, I'll get the individual pieces some time in the future when they go on sale." Recent bundles have seemed less consistent in terms of both quality and theme, making me hesitate to spend money on them.

    If, for example, the recent Torment bundles or today's sci-fi-themed bundles had been released as "build your own bundle" offers, where you could pick and choose the items you want, then I'd have been all over that. But with bundles being more expensive (or supported by less-good accompanying offers) and the content in them being more mixed, I've started to think more carefully about what I buy (which is probably terrible news for DAZ).

  • nonesuch00nonesuch00 Posts: 17,890

    Well I'm bought out. at almost 6000 products. as much as being affected by the pricing changes. LOL, I still seem to spend money though but on individual products and the interactive licenses for them. Given the proper and functionally rigged sets in the store I could buy at DAZ 3D for a long time indeed.

    The clothing, hair, and people I don't need rehashes of, even at vastly improved realism, more than a couple of one off examples when suitably improved realism wise, to investigate for technical curiousity. That said, I don't need a lot of standalone apartments or bathrooms that aren't integrated into existing sets that lack them or include a good exterior set with them. Doesn't have to be a complete integration but a plausible example integration. Still there are plenty of new 3D collectors that do need and/or want those things.

    There have been gas stations and corner stores lately, but the wares on sale at those have been lacking and the options to customize the signage in a lay customer friendly way, lacking as well. LOL, you can bet I bought my favourite example of each though.

  • IvyIvy Posts: 7,133

    Daz is not loosing me I plan on being a pain in their Rear for a while longer Ha laugh

    Seriously Davso your not the only one that has felt that way after being a customer at daz for a long time.  I wrote something like you did a few years back. and especially if you have built up a pretty good library from  buying sale items.   I know my spreading has died off greatly mostly because my work hours have been cut to 20 hours a week.  and with all the new folks who have moved here to the rulal area where i live from the bigger cities, that finding a second job here is like panning for gold in the Mississippi River. I know if I was a Published Artist here at daz I would want daz to get as much as they can for my product. Daz only get a % of the product sale and the Pa does have some influence in how much to charge for a product.  So most likely if my income could support my Daz Habbit I would be buying a lot more than I have been. I love supporting my favorite daz artist  when i can afford it.   But after a while buying bundles tend to loose its appeal and I hunt for items i know will work great for kit bashing

    I feel ya complaint, but its not gonna change anything.frown

  • I am a hobbyist and I too have been here for a long time, just after Zygote became Daz. For me I purchase new items that interests me or looks like fun to mess with. Then I load up my wish list of items I really want and then wait. At some point they go on sale of there are great coupons or discounts with my PC memenbership. I really like my PC membership I've picked many things that normallyI couldn't touch. For me the best thing I do is be selective and not purchase every new shining item that is released. I used to do that and I found I had a library full I things I never used.

  • Serene NightSerene Night Posts: 17,552

    Where daz loses me, is actually more in the hardware requirements to use the software, rather than in the content. I just can't keep up with the video card requirements to run the latest stuff. 

  • HylasHylas Posts: 4,743

    One doesn't have to keep buying stuff. What about rendering?

  • Serene Night said:

    Where daz loses me, is actually more in the hardware requirements to use the software, rather than in the content. I just can't keep up with the video card requirements to run the latest stuff. 

    thisfrown 

  • GreeboGreebo Posts: 160

    Serene Night said:

    Where daz loses me, is actually more in the hardware requirements to use the software, rather than in the content. I just can't keep up with the video card requirements to run the latest stuff.

    Yup. That's bang on.

  • AllenArtAllenArt Posts: 7,140

    I haven't been buying a whole lot either, but not for the same reason. Daz and the kind of stuff I want to buy are no longer meshing ;). I don't do cyberpunk or steampunk, and there's been a lot of it. Not much in the store interests me anymore. I still do buy environments and props tho with the occasional male character. Not much interested in bundles anymore though.

    Laurie

  • TaozTaoz Posts: 9,713

    FSMCDesigns said:

    So what do you want daveso, for them to just give you the products? the problem with shoppers is once they get a deal they want that same deal all the time and then want an even better deal or they feel the value isn't there (I deal with this daily as a retail manager). I don't buy that much here lately because like you I have a ton of product, plenty of it unused. I also am aware of how much I have spent which doesn't help either, but pricing isn't an issue for me and I realize first and foremost DAZ is a business and is doing what it does to try and build business while maintaining a bottom line whether i agree with it or not.

    There have been plenty of times I wanted a certain product for a project, but it was at full price which makes me appreciate ANY sale I see on products. I also know what goes into creating a 3D asset since I do that myself also and I buy and sell 3D on normal 3D sites like turbosquid and CGTrader, which makes me realize how cheap the products are here at DAZ,

    So for those that rely on DAZ for their 3d hobby, what do you do if DAZ folds tommorrow and is no longer an option? no Daz Studio, no new figures, no new envioronments. Sure, many here have enough product to keep them busy for awhile and DS should keep working for awhile longer, at least till a new OS comes out and it loses it's functionality, but then what?.

    I basically agree, though IMO some products are heavily overpriced while others are heavily underpriced, when you consider the quality and/or amount of time and work it takes to make them. 

  • IvyIvy Posts: 7,133

    Serene Night said:

    Where daz loses me, is actually more in the hardware requirements to use the software, rather than in the content. I just can't keep up with the video card requirements to run the latest stuff. 

    Indeed yes  Prolly ( my new word for the month ) laugh why I am still on 4.12

  • Gr00vusGr00vus Posts: 366

    This is where I've landed as well. Generally if it's not 70% or more off I'm not buying. I might do 50% or 60% if it's something I want for the render I'm currently doing and haven't been able to coax something I already have into an adequate solution.

    Another thing I've been trying to do more of is make sure I see the thing used in other peoples' renders before I buy. Sometimes the promo renders and sales copy don't provide the complete picture in terms of whether I'll be happy with the item.

    Another result of this waiting is that, often times another product will come along that is similar and better. Patience has its advantages.

    melissastjames said:

    I typically won't buy stuff unless it's minimum 70% off, and even then it needs to be something I really want ... Sometimes I'll buy the occasional item I've been lusting over for 50% if it's something that never goes on sale for more even with flash sales that come up... I'll only buy new items unless I can score a great deal (bundle discounts that stack up nicely).... But most of the time I'm patient and will wait for a flash sale or fast grab...

  • Hey y'all good people in this thread - thank you!! You're making me feel waaaaay less guilty for being this fast grab / coupon / percentage this and that kinda exploitative customer here :D

     

  • dortybassadortybassa Posts: 480
    edited February 2021

    I just want to see some of the fires from the migration extinguished......

    Post edited by dortybassa on
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