editing usage price

[Jaye]

Am returning to CC after few years absence and thought I'd tidy up my content. Can't seem to edit my Usage rights prices in the edit section of 'my content'. Any idea why?

[Word Gypsy]

HI,
Welcome back! That feature is currently disabled and has been for eons
In some cases, you can edit the usage price if the article hasn't had any sales, but not always.
WG

[Jaye]

Thanks WG. Oh well, new articles to be getting on with instead of faffing about with old pricing I suppose...!

[Pellucidean]

Not letting us change usage prices doesn't make any sense. I have one article that's seasonal and has already sold three times. There's no reason it should be at its current price.

[Jaye]

I agree Pellucidean - why on earth can't we edit our own pricing? It seems like a very basic function when you're in the business of selling stuff. Anyone know?

[Lysis]

Have no idea if this is the true reason, but there was an issue posted here a long while ago where the writers were dropping the price immediately after a buyer bought a usage article. If you think about it, being the first one to buy an article for dirt cheap with usage is smarter than buying full price. It could be months before it's purchased again, so as a buyer, I'd go for the cheap first-time usage download. If I was an unscrupulous buyer or didn't know the rules, I'd then DMCA the content if it was posted anywhere else. But anyway, writers were being kinda tactless about it and reducing the price right after the buyer purchased the article.

Kinda on the fence about it. I understand the hassle for CC and buyers complaining because they paid one price and three seconds later it's cheaper. But, I understand from a writer's perspective too.

Just another hassle of usage to deal with.

[Jaye]

Sorry long time getting back to your comment Lysis - didn't want to let this one drop because it's actually really bugging me now. I'd really like to change some of my old usage prices - used goods sell cheaper,right. From the customer's perspective, surely that's the whole point - if they buy Usage Only, they should get that the article is still mine & I can give it away for free to a hundred people tomorrow if I so wish. If they don't want to risk that, they should buy full rights - the customer could then sell it for double the price the next day if they so wish. That's the deal isn't it?
But to get back to the practicalities - how can I adjust my usage prices - do I have to go to the editors in person?
(Not directly asking you, Lysis, of course - just the cc community in general!)

[Word Gypsy]

But to get back to the practicalities - how can I adjust my usage prices - do I have to go to the editors in person?

Hey, I've been asking for this ever since the ability to do so was disabled. Not just for individual articles, but for the option to change all of them as well. Most of my initial emails went unanswered, but a few did receive responses. No one at CC will change the prices for us at the current time. I'm not sure if it's simply policy, or CC is waiting for a "fix." Once an article has sold for usage rights, you can't modify the keywords or change the category, both of which are useful options, particularly if the article was posted 7 or 8 years ago. Many of the articles that were purchased and posted that long ago aren't even actively present online anymore. Websites have deleted the content or been disabled. This most likely brings the value of a once-sold article back up to a higher price. On the other hand, cheaper usage articles do sell more quickly in many cases.

If authors want these options restored, they need to use the "contact us" option to ask for it. I'm not sure if anyone besides myself has asked for this option to be restored, but it would be nice to see more support for the idea. Until people let CC know that they want this feature back and insist that this option be restored, it simply isn't going to change. After all, it probably causes more headaches for CC than not doing anything.

Kinda on the fence about it. I understand the hassle for CC and buyers complaining because they paid one price and three seconds later it's cheaper. But, I understand from a writer's perspective too.

It's kind of like buying a car. The moment you drive it off the lot, it's lost some of its value. Once the article is posted on the internet, it's lost some of its value. The bottom line is that the content belongs to its creator, not to anyone else. If it's mine, then I should have the right to modify its price at any time. I get the buyer's perspective too; but if you want to go the cheap route and buy usage, then you really don't have any right to complain when the author also decides to take the cheap route and lower the price. It's a shame that authors were dropping prices immediately after a sale if that is what happened. Most of the time, I kept my prices the same, dropping them only after multiple usage sales of 3 or 4, when the price was clearly too high to entice anyone to purchase the content for a 5th sale. I have articles that have sold 8 times. That would never have happened if I kept the usage price at its first value. My third or fourth sale probably would have been my last.

[Lysis]

Yes, I suppose you are right. I used to drop the price too on usage. I'm not really sure why they won't let us change it. They must have gotten a lot of complaints. It's been this way for years, so I am thinking it's on purpose and not a technical issue.

[Word Gypsy]

I do agree with you Lysis. It is probably on purpose. Just hoping it wasn't.