Discussion re: subscriptions

[Member X 91]

Ok, I thought I'd start this topic as I was amazed to read in the subscription competition thread started by Greg that we only have 75 subscribers out of 2500 members!

 

 

I was just wondering the reasons people haven't subscribed yet - is it that $25 feels a lot in one hit if you're just starting out with reps?

 

Would current non-subscribers prefer a 'Pay monthly' option if it was available (say $2.50 a month?) so initial outlay is small but you're still helping out, and can walk away without a bigger loss if you feel this isn't for you?

 

 

As was highlighted in the thread mentioned above, you are likely to save $25 the first time you order something from one of the dealers on here, thanks to the fact they are cheaper than other places and also because they won't rip you off!

 

But until you get to that stage, I can understand why people might be hesitant to 'dive in' and subscribe if they aren't sure if they're going to stick around.

 

 

So... non-subscribers, tell us what you think!

[greg_r 83]

Thanks for this X.

 

Whatever the board, only a small percentage ever offer financial support - and that's okay. Non-subscribers are as important (and as welcome) a part of our community as those who are able to contribute financially. However, our upgrade percentage is a little lower than past experience suggests is the norm, so I figure that it's worth trying to make the package a little more attractive (hence the current raffle and some other things that may come along later).

 

I would prefer not to go the recurring/monthly subscription route - bitter experience suggests that it can be a nightmare to manage and a cause of a lot of grief.

 

Overall, our costs are lower than some of the other boards, but servers don't come cheap. As I've said elsewhere, we're a non-profit organisation. None of the staff here make a penny from keeping this place running - all of our income goes back into the board. If we ever get to the point where there's a significant surplus in the kitty that we're not planning to spend directly on the board, you can expect to see some interesting VIP giveaways

[Silverspeed 10]

These things take time. RWG has done really good sofar and the number of new

members are picking up for some time now. If newcomers want to contribute is

entirely up to them. Periodic payments seems rather diffuse, I doubt this would work in the long run.

 

If newcomers feel welcome and start posting many of them will upgrade.

[greg_r 83]

Silver - absolutely. You've captured my feelings on the matter entirely.

 

By the way, I've tried the periodic payments thing on a previous board, so I'm speaking from experience when I say it can be a nightmare

[Member X 91]

I hear what you're saying but do the non-subscribers feel they want it?

 

Will the people speak??

 

(And is this a democracy or a dictatorship?! )

[trailboss99 997]

(And is this a democracy or a dictatorship?! wink.gif tongue.gif)

 

Neither, it's an absolute monarchy, roughly speaking.

 

 

 

Col.

[greg_r 83]

I hear what you're saying but do the non-subscribers feel they want it?

 

Will the people speak??

 

(And is this a democracy or a dictatorship?! )

 

Whether you guys want it or not, we're not going to be doing recurring monthly payments. Ultimately it's not worth the hassle. Sorry.

[bob bean 0]

I think all the boob pics should replace by pics of sultry Scot Susan Boyle until one upgrades to Supporter/VIP.

mmmmm... might not actually work, now I give it some thought.

It would be a quieter place me thinks.

[alistairw 0]

I'm a newbie and have only been active on this forum for 6 weeks or so.

I have also paid to be a VIP member, why?

1. It's important valuable resources like this are supported in some way.

As anyone will agree who has visited this forum there is an enormous

amount of information available. This doesn't just happen it has to be run

and organized by people in the background, there's always a cost.

2. Tangible benefits - discounts, priority on orders, raffles etc.

3. The overal benefits I enjoy outway the $25 cost, so I see value

for my bucks.

Keep up the great work.

[KBH 7]

I agree strongly that when someone comes along and uses this board to find the dealers that we've spent so much time vetting, they are going to save themselves a lot of money and heartache. A $25 donation is certainly not unreasonable.

 

I've got several watches that I need to put up for sale soon and there is going to be significant discounts for VIP members. I think that all current VIP members should give some thought to doing that. Or, at least make a token payment to the board for using the sales area.

[greg_r 83]

I agree strongly that when someone comes along and uses this board to find the dealers that we've spent so much time vetting, they are going to save themselves a lot of money and heartache. A $25 donation is certainly not unreasonable.

 

I've got several watches that I need to put up for sale soon and there is going to be significant discounts for VIP members. I think that all current VIP members should give some thought to doing that. Or, at least make a token payment to the board for using the sales area.

 

 

Yup - I've started offering VIP discounts on watches I sell here and will continue to do so (there's a couple more to list fairly soon ). Was a good idea, mate - thanks for suggesting it.

[dingle 57]

a mystery this is....

 

I have exhausted almost every avenue I know to try to get folks to upgrade. I have been here just a little over 5 months and have personally tried to get folks to upgrade. Even the last VIP giveaway, there was 4 slots available and only 5 entries. I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed. It almost seems we can not even give these away, much less hope for someone to upgrade on their own. Including myself, there have been 11 VIP upgrades paid for by me in these 5 months. Why you ask? Some of it has to do with what KBH said about saving money on reps from scammers, but for the most part it is because I love it here. It is as simple as that. If you call this place home, you need to upgrade.......period.

[sconehead 5]

I agree strongly that when someone comes along and uses this board to find the dealers that we've spent so much time vetting, they are going to save themselves a lot of money and heartache. A $25 donation is certainly not unreasonable.

 

I've got several watches that I need to put up for sale soon and there is going to be significant discounts for VIP members. I think that all current VIP members should give some thought to doing that. Or, at least make a token payment to the board for using the sales area.

 

 

...just thinking aloud here, on sort of the same lines as KBH. What if the seller offers his watch with a £25 discount for VIP's, full price for non-VIP's but with a VIP upgrade?

 

Obviously this would be up to the sellers discretion and dependant on the cost of the watch...but it may just set a trend...discuss...

[KBH 7]

On some cheaper ones, I'm going to give free shipping worldwide to VIPs since $25 discount might be a bit much.

[alistairw 0]

I don't think a discount needs to be say $25, if a member wishes to sell on the forum.

It's more about if you buy 2 or 3 watches, then you will be ahead, so the $25 becomes a small amount in the overall scheme of things.

I think what Robert (Prestige) does with his price breaks for VIP 'vs' non members, really encourages membership, without a doubt he should be congratulated. The saving on one watch in some cases comfortably covers membership costs.

Maybe other trusted sellers should try to offer on a more regular basis member discounts, even if it's only $10, after three watches you're ahead.

[Silverspeed 10]

Might be an idea to make the regular members more aware of the fact that dealers,

like PWC, give considerable discounts to VIP members.

 

Don't know if other dealers give discounts to VIP's...if not maybe the other dealers

can be persuaded to do so.

 

I might be wrong but to me it seems that about 90% of the newcomers are here to

buy their first rep so an incentive from the dealers might be very successful to get

more members to upgrade....

[alistairw 0]

Might be an idea to make the regular members more aware of the fact that dealers,

like PWC, give considerable discounts to VIP members.

 

Don't know if other dealers give discounts to VIP's...if not maybe the other dealers

can be persuaded to do so.

 

I might be wrong but to me it seems that about 90% of the newcomers are here to

buy their first rep so an incentive from the dealers might be very successful to get

more members to upgrade....

 

We're on the same wavelength Silverspeed.

[AllergyDoc 40]

 

Someone gave the thread three stars.

[KBH 7]

We'll see about that.

[dingle 57]

 

Someone gave the thread three stars.