10 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
10 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

original websites store !? would that work ?

by pixeloo
9 replies
hey everyone - not sure if this is the right place to post this, if not ... can a moderator pls delete this and let me know ?!

i'm a web designer with quite a lot of websites stacked up, different client proposals that didn't pay off and was thinking to set up a shop where people would buy these designs, already coded with a cms ( wordpress, joomla, depending on the design ) but they would not be templates.

one time only sales. one pay, no resell rights. customization for an extra fee depending on the level of customization.

basically you would pay more than you would a template but less than you would if you would go to an agency/freelancer. was thinking something around $100-$200-$300 depending on the complexity of the site. once someone would purchase a pre-made site it would be deleted from my store.

i offer quality work, i don't work of off templates and i'm not one of the those designers that installs wordpress and calls himself a developer - this is the reason i would charge those amounts.

my question for you was ... do you think that would work ?! would people be interested in this ? something in the middle - not a template but an original design but not one made by their specifications. maybe one that they simply feel is appropriate for them ?

and on another note - i'm preparing to launch a website - already have a teaser landing page in place, the usual channels - css galleries, facebook, twitter account with a few hundred followers.

thinking of launching it next week and with a little bit of luck flip it on flippa for a few hundred dollars.

i think it will be a profitable one.

my second question regarding this was ... anything else you recommend i should do ?! the idea would be to have a large base of potential members once it goes live since it is highly dependant on user content.
#original #store #websites #work
  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    If you have a bunch of original websites "stacked up", why don't you just sell them on Flippa?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4698651].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author pixeloo
    I don't have the sites live as in with domain and what not .. i have the sites either as psd's or coded locally.

    I guess I could buy a few domains and try and flip them ... but it would be more work and the return might not be as good.

    You pay 20 for domain and hosting, spend a few good hours growing them a bit and in a month or two i might get $100-$200 for them .. cause let's face it, you can't grow a site to a decent value in under 2 months ... where in if i sell the designs as full functioning websites ... maybe I could get the $200 without having to do the extra work ...

    but that's why i asked this question here ... was curious if people would be interested in purchasing like that...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4698664].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by pixeloo View Post

      I don't have the sites live as in with domain and what not .. i have the sites either as psd's or coded locally.

      I guess I could buy a few domains and try and flip them ... but it would be more work and the return might not be as good.

      You pay 20 for domain and hosting, spend a few good hours growing them a bit and in a month or two i might get $100-$200 for them .. cause let's face it, you can't grow a site to a decent value in under 2 months ... where in if i sell the designs as full functioning websites ... maybe I could get the $200 without having to do the extra work ...

      but that's why i asked this question here ... was curious if people would be interested in purchasing like that...
      If they are just psds, they aren't functioning websites. They would have to be cut and coded to be functioning websites. Then what ... you install on the customer's domain?

      You're thinking small amounts of money, but if you develop a website and it gets traffic and revenue, they can be sold for big money ... way above the $100-$300 you are talking about.

      I think it would be difficult to sell the sites as they are now ... psds or locally coded. People want to click around a site and see what they're getting.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4698716].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author pixeloo
    this is where you don't understand me.

    if they are psd's ... it's no problem. i'm a developer. who do you think coded the other designs ?! that's my job.

    if they are locally installed they would of course be pushed live so the customer can see a demo.

    and yes, i would offer free install in the price, no free customization.

    as for sites with traffic and revenue ...

    i just don't have the patience to produce revenue with a website unless it's immediate.

    the thought did cross my mind to buy bulk domains and sell them as a package at pr0 and a few rewritten plr's but ... how can i sell something i don't believe in ?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4698771].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by pixeloo View Post

      this is where you don't understand me.

      if they are psd's ... it's no problem. i'm a developer. who do you think coded the other designs ?! that's my job.

      if they are locally installed they would of course be pushed live so the customer can see a demo.

      and yes, i would offer free install in the price, no free customization.
      Go ahead and give it a shot. Who knows if it would sell or not. You don't like promoting a website, but if you list the sites for sale on your own website, you're sure going to have to promote it if you want anyone to see it.

      Flippa already has an audience but you must list with domain and functioning site.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4698831].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author pixeloo
    well i have the functioning sites already ... that's what i would be selling ...

    and i'm not against promoting. after all i've been freelancing for several years now.

    i just don't know how to promote stuff without value. a 2 months old website made for sale can't possibly have any value unless it offers a real service. unless it's a web app of sorts or offers something else than just content.

    and you're thinking from the point of view of someone that makes money purely from a site. either by flipping it or by affiliate networks.

    my target audience are people that need sites to complement their business.

    ex: a luxury car rental business. i have a site for something like that.

    hope to hear other opinions too ...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4698863].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by pixeloo View Post

      well i have the functioning sites already ... that's what i would be selling ...

      and i'm not against promoting. after all i've been freelancing for several years now.

      i just don't know how to promote stuff without value. a 2 months old website made for sale can't possibly have any value unless it offers a real service. unless it's a web app of sorts or offers something else than just content.

      and you're thinking from the point of view of someone that makes money purely from a site. either by flipping it or by affiliate networks.

      my target audience are people that need sites to complement their business.

      ex: a luxury car rental business. i have a site for something like that.

      hope to hear other opinions too ...

      I freelanced on Elance and was one of the top selling designers on Elance during that time in Graphic Design category. I've been building sites for over 12 years and am still building sites for people, including mobile sites.

      I can't personally imagine that a ready made site for a business such as a luxury car rental business or even a dentist or any site that would "fit" someone's business model without some customization.

      So they could buy your site if they were really pinching pennies on getting a web presence, but they would either need to know how to customize the text themselves or hire someone to do it as well as any photos relevant to their business that they would want to add.

      Since you are a web developer, why not package in customization for an additional price so they can get a website that is completely relevant to their business?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4698950].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author pixeloo
    well ... i just said, a few comments ago that customization would of course be available, but for a separate fee - depending on the level of customization they want.

    as for the content ... i pack all of my sites , and i do believe that most designers do this with pdf's and guides on how to create new pages, edit content, change images etc.

    after all i can't be expected to hold his hands ... i can't do that not even with my repeat customers. if he can't handle some simple instructions then he needs to hire someone to change the content for him.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4698961].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by pixeloo View Post

      after all i can't be expected to hold his hands ... i can't do that not even with my repeat customers. if he can't handle some simple instructions then he needs to hire someone to change the content for him.
      Whatever. Sounds like you got it all figured out, so just do it. I personally don't know any designers that offer "how to" pdfs, since most designers would be happy to have the ongoing webmaster business for a fee.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4699333].message }}

Trending Topics