Hi,

I'm starting a small freelance shop and getting back into web design. I know the market is probably flooded, but I believe if stick to solid design principles and write original code, I think I can make it work.

While I am new to word press, I am not to php, mysql, and web designing.

My question is this:
There are lots of templates and plug-ins out there, how much would YOU pay for a theme or a plug-in? Obviously my stuff needs to be original, but anything worth while isn't free.

Thanks

$30 to $90 for a theme and up to $120 for a decent plug in -depends on the requirements and how well each matches.

With a lot of the Envato sites that have sprung up, like ThemeForest, GraphicRiver, and CodeCanyon, I've found myself finding $20 to be expensive - that is, provided it's not custom work. Obviously, I'd pay more for that. However, if it's being marketed to 1,000s of other people and thus wouldn't be unique to my project... yeah, probably around $20.

I don't think I'd pay more than $15 or $20 for a theme or plug-in, unless it was really unique.

Well, it doesn't seem to be easy to sell Wordpress plugins and themes, as Wordpress users can get tons of plugins and themes (and many of them are quality) for free. Anyway, I wouldn't pay more than $20 for a customized plugin.

The going rate on themeforest is what I am willing to pay. Usually around $35 for a good theme, and if it is totally custom for a one time install then $1000

I've purchased many things from themeforest - most of which ranges from 15-80. When I've purchased wordpress themes for clients they've usually been in the 40-80 range and then I extend the theme further for the client's need.

Sites (in general) would not normally use just a stock theme - there's always a tweak or two needed in order to get the right feel.

I still hire various skin designers for different jobs from $200-800 just for the theme/skin of a site. Yes I can do it myself, but I don't want to spend the time, so I get others to do it.

Do you want to say that a decent plugin costs more than a great theme? If so, I am curious why. I think a theme takes more work and time to finish than a plugin does. Or I have missed something here?

Greatly depends on how pro you want the website to look.
Take a look here:
http://wpmu.org/