I need your feedback on new price changes (AK370Z)
 

Hello everyone,

As you know we moved to a new server yesterday. This is a powerful server and costs way more money than the previous ones. As much as I hate to increase any prices, I'm forced to do this in order to keep this site online. As I have said before, I WILL NOT implement any price changes if you guys are not comfortable with it. So, please vote on the top. It'll be open for about a week.

I am planning on increasing

Premium Membership (NO DECAL) from $10 to $15

Premium Membership (WITH Decal) from $15 to $20.

Even with the price increase ($15) , you're only paying about $1.25/month. That's really really low in my opinion. What can you get for $1.25 these days!

As for Membership with Decals, by the time I subtract the decal production cost, shipping fee to me for original shipment, shipping fee to you, envelope, printing instructions etc, it's costs at least $5. So the extra $5 goes almost 100% in making/sending the decal to you.

I have decided NOT TO increase the pricing of the vendorship at this point. I understand that we are living in a pretty bad economy. The whole auto industry is a bit sore in this down economy. I have decided to keep the price same as it lists on the top right hand corner. Instead of increasing the price and losing vendors, I rather keep the same price and keep them here. My only request to our forum members would be PLEASE SUPPORT our vendors. Try to do ALL your shopping from them. This way you will help keep this site online and keep the vendors here.


http://www.awltovhc.com/image-376816...68" height="60
You'll also see this TIRERACK banner logo displayed under the Tire/Wheels section. I know many members has already bought Winter rim/tires from TireRack (incl. me). Those of you plan on buying the winter setup from Tirerack please visit the site by clicking on the banner and then place the order. TireRack will recognize that the sale was originated from The370Z and will give the forum a small amount.

Also, a few suggested that taking away some of the things (i.e less lines/words in sig, sig pic upload only for premium, very small avatar etc) MAY encourage regular members to sign up for the Premium Membership. What's your thought on this?

So, vote on the top. It'll be open for about a week. Support our paying vendors. If you see someone trying to conduct business or sales on public forum or via pm, please report them to me.

thanks

Your membership fee is already low enough. $5 to support the site? Why not?

I'm also sure you'll be expanding more member only sections as well... ;) wink wink

I'll join once you up the membership fee.

GREAT attitude! I have to wait 1 week until voting is done.

Oh trust me, there's a whole another world out there for Premium members ;). You'll see once you sign up.

I'm in for the hike. I've been here a while and should have already signed up. I will once it goes into effect.

I'm way too cheap to pay $10/yr for a forum so it won't affect me. It took me years to break down and pay for SA and that is $10 until you get banned. I'm not quite used to car forums and their strange rules yet either.

Honestly I don't see any incentive for buying premium aside from the sticker. :) I DO like that the forum is relatively add-free and I suppose that is one potential bonus for me.

the extra 5$ is worth it and "nerfing" the non-prem account capabilities should help push the undecideds over the edge.

I'm sure you have a pretty stable ratio of premium to standard users. Assuming your goal is to increase the number of premium members, I would probably shift more of the benefits from a standard user to premium user. Instead of raising the barrier (price) - how about raising the benefits of becoming one?

Seriously? You bought a 30k+ car and 10 bux is going to kill you? Websites like this cost money to run.. I'm sure AK is not sitting back in his penthouse lighting cigars with 10 dollar bills.. :)

I'd gladly pay twice that for the amount of info this site has..

It's still pretty cheap IMO. I also agree with your decision not to increase the cost for forum sponsors. Aside from the big guys like Stillen I think they are all hurting.

this is exactly why i am a supporting member as well. AK seems pretty cool, the site is nice to lurk on, and i know it can be expensive to run one of these sites. more power to you AK, i don't think $15 is unreasonable at all. :tiphat:

That is a silly argument. No, $15 won't kill me, but I don't get anything that I want but a sticker for that $15. I don't believe AK is sitting back burning money. I know what these things cost. I've been a member of that 350Z forum for years and haven't ever felt compelled to pay for it either.

I'm not sure what would get me to pay for a forum. In all likelihood I wouldn't look back at either car forum I read now if they required me to pay.

I'm not trying to troll or start an argument, I just wanted to respond to AK's question with my honest opinion (even though I figured it would be unpopular).

This is exactly why I think increasing the 'desire' to become a premium member would potentially yield a better response than simply raising the price. Raising the price just gives people on the edge a better justification for remaining a standard user, where as if you increase the benefits, people will see the value in being a premium member, and not hesitate due to the cheap price.

Its about balancing the ratio of

• Potential users (those who have never signed up on the site)
• Standard users (singed up - non paying)
• Premium Users (signed up - paid users)

Since you have a pretty small list of potential users, and gathering them may be difficult - it would make sense to me to try to turn as many standard users into premium users as possible. Keep the price down, and value high and you'll cover the difference in no time.

I don't have a Problem Ak,
Will there be limits on what Non Prems can do? Like no Avatars and other restrictions? I have seen this in other forums. No Pay No Play....

I already mentioned that I thought prem membership are the only ones that should come with avatars. I think that would encourage many people to become premium.
If you didn't feel comfortable going that far, you could give the nonprem members access to only a dozen or so canned avatars, and let prem members only make custom ones.

I don't think signature lines are enough to encourage people to join, but if it's one of several things benefits then it couldn't hurt.

:iagree:

I think an increase is fine, and altering what premium v. standard members get will help make the money worth it. Though for me, I see the increase as making a better server (behind the scenes) but not everyone sees it the same. ;)

Im in, $15 isint bad at all.:tup:

This ad free site is run on the backs of the prems and the vendors. Have you been to other sites that are so congested with ads that you can't even navigate the site? Or how about when "keywords" in your text link to some other site.

In order for a site to be run this well, some people have to be adult enough to make a small sacrifice.

Here's an idea.. how about making sure only Premium Members get access to any special vendor pricing / Group Buys??

Tough call because then you are limiting the vendors on making money, now it might be an incentive to vendors to do limit/small group buys with maybe a special bonus for premium members. Like asking what premium members need currently, oil, camber kit, etc. and try to get some special pricing just for them.

Good Suggestion.... :tup:

edit: :crying:

yeah, it limits vendors sales, and who is going to police it to make sure only we get the special pricing? it sounds good in theory, but the actual practice may prove too difficult.

Here is the deal - the only people who have problems paying with the increase are going to be those people who weren't going to get Premium membership - so w/e lol - but AK - I will be signing up for Premium to help you keep this site up and running fast like it is now

i'm good on the $5, i'll just starve one friday this year and not get my $5 subway sandwich :p

and honestly, i agree with some points earlier, how about moving some of the customization capabilities that regular members currently have (i.e. avatars) and make that a premium member capability?

I'd pay it, easily. The community here alone makes it worth it. Pretty rare you get a bunch of relatively level-headed people on a car forum.

And not this.

http://bytewire.net/doriftu.jpg

Who needs to see out the windshield if you're going sideways

he can look out the passenger window geez

all right Who's the holdout that Voted No?!! lol

prob a civic owner :stirthepot: lol

the Pink one going sideways? :roflpuke2:

I would actually probably be more willing to 'donate' to a site that had no ads and no paid vendors. Paid vendors/accounts makes the board more of a business than a community. I have no problem with a few banner ads, but I would probably stop reading a site that had those damned keyword links.

Ok poop head. :tup:

I voted yes. If I was going to pay $5 wouldn't make a difference.


This is the last troll feeding post I'll make here. I promise. :)

lol, the way I see it, it's like a government. none of us want to pay money into it, but we want benefits like water coming out of our faucet, police protecting us, firemen saving our homes and lives, and someone picking up the trash we put on the curb.
Sure, we don't have to pay anything, but then we lose the benefits we so enjoy, such as no banners, keyword links, and the like.
http://www.the370z.com/members/frost...23t-cheers.gif

I hadn't even thought of the keyword ads. My God, I'll pay $25 to keep those stupid things out of here.

that's a 240? fail. :shakes head:

all that Pink threw me Off.. lol

Back on topic!

Trip... you drive a z and an old school 240....lol

Yea I bleed Datsun/Nissan....lol

Back on Topic...

I voted yes. The value of the info I get from this forum is worth way more then the $10 or $15 per year. I would have paid, even if the premium member ship did not offer any additional perks. Hell, without this forum I would not have been able to get my car at the price I bought it for, so I'm more then happy to do my part in keeping the forum alive (and running fast on the new servers :) )

I use the forum and it isn't free to run so I'm game to do my part to keep it running...