I do good work, why does this happen?

W

websterworld

New member
***warning this is a rant***

Ok, I do design work.
Be it templates or logos or mascots or banners... anything really.

Well last 3 days have been sort of a designers hell.

I am selling a template.
Its a good template, I asked people for their opinions both here and on another forum. everybody said things like "its great!" "wow!" "that will sell in no time!" 'etc.

It still hasn't been sold after 3 days.
At first I thought to sell it for 100$ to three people. But I got people complaining that it was too high.

So I decided fine, I'll make it a 100$ unique template.

I got some offers, but nothing turned out in the end...

I ended up offering this host that had a very bad layout to make a full blown site out of the template, fully coded for just 100$. - that was hours ago on MSN. he is still online, but didnt answer yet.

I was contacted by somebody to make him a flash header for his site... he didnt know what he wanted, I tried to make him something.

Said that he choose to go with somebody that he knows... why? because what I made is not what he is looking for? what is he looking for? he doesn't know... why didnt he ask for changes, it was just a preview? he is sorry.

another one wasted my time like this. he posted saying that he wanted a designer from canda... I'm not from canda I told him so... he wanted something very simple made, I thought it would be a quick small job with a nice guy.

a mosaic made that says "charity" and "canda" at you.

so I looked up some stock free pictures, one of them had the flag there... made it. he said that its good, and that he needed a picture of people in there too... so I thought things were going ok. and looked for half an hour for a picture of a grandma with her kid.

then he says that he doesnt want it. why? I'm not from canda? whats wrong with what I made? he cant put it into words, I have to be from canda to understand him... what the hell?

why does this happen to me all the time?

Its damn annoying when people have no idea what they want, and they lead you on wasting your time.

in the end, the last 3 days I saw profit: 0$.

:mad:

***End rant****
 
I guess its a risk you run when you are doing work without asking for payment first to show them.
Its like doing designs for a competition, you might put a lot of effort into the work but still not win.

You can still use what you have done, just edit it a bit to suit other people if you have done custom work.

Do you mean Canada by Canda?
I dont understand that at all....There isnt really any reason he couldnt use your work if you done what he wanted

I hope you put a watermark on your work?
 
yap, "Canda" was a type-o.
I didn't get it either... its the worst logic I ever came across.

I wish I saved that AIM log!
It was something like this:

***hi, what you need, sure I'll do it - normal part***

him: ok, I also need pictures of people that will say "charity".
me: sure, I'll look.
me: back, done. link.
him: I'm sorry, I'll have to go with someone else.
me: may I ask why?
him: its not what I'm looking for.
me: thats ok, just tell me what to change.
him: I dont know what to say, I will have to go with some one from canada.
me: what does that have to do with anything?
him: I said before, I needed somebody from canada.
me: yeah, I know, and I told you that I'm not from canada, what does that have to do with anything?
him: you wont understand what I mean, you have to live in canada to understand.
me: do you speak english? well good, me too. just tell me what you need.
him: I cant put it into words.
me: try me.
him: you wont understand what I mean, you need to have lived in canada for a few years to understand.
me: I'm a smart guy, I read a lot. we both speak english, I was in canada for 2 weeks a few years ago. try me.
him: I'm sorry.

:confused:

thats nuts.



I NEVER ask for payment before I do the work. guess thats just me.

I work like this, people tell me what they need, I make a first draft, they tell me what to change, I work some more.

we do the changes untill its just right, they agree to it, pay me, I send them the files.

everybody is happy.

no, I didn't put a watermark on my work, I dont usually do that. I know there are a lot of bad people out there.

But I want my clients to know that I trust them.

:(
 
Hmm this could be a case where you should think about putting a watermark on your work.
I would honestly say they could be using your work...
They agree to you doing the work, even though your not from canada, then once you do it and show them, they say no because your not from Canada...
I really dont get that.

Maybe someone from Canada can tell us how someone not from Canada wouldnt understand what they are saying...
 
I don't think they are using my work.
There wasn't much to use anyway, it was a small job...

the thing is, out of all the clients in the world I had to get one with a canada paranoia? :(

sometimes I do watermark my work, it depands on the client. don't worry, I'm not that helpless.
 
I think you should watermark all your work, people wont think any less of you if you do, most designers do and it doesnt cause a problem.
Especially if your doing a custom design for someone.

People will still trust you as much and wont think you dont trust them if you have a faint watermark on your images, even just something very faint saying preview
 
Always a good idea to watermark and you'll probably have the .PSD and they have gif or jpeg versions so you have them over a barrel if they do use them - but do check back some folks like that wait a bit then put in the stuff they ripped off in.
 
Trust me - get a fee up front (even just a small amount) to do anything - if not then they have a design for free if they don't like it or "it's not quite right" so they owe you nothing - making them pay means they'll be more focused on actually teling you what they need.
 
Yeah, I'm starting to do that from now on... I don't like it, but I don't have a better idea... so...


Thanks,
Best,
Eugene.
 
Hey, I have not forgotten about you. Money is tight but I just got a awsome server sale so I will buy a template from you 2 - 4 weeks.
 
Watermark to protect your design
Get used to troublesome and timewasters when working over the net.
Try to get a retainer or fee up front.

I work with many designers. If it some one I have already worked with a like to see a low res preview or idea or a design. Then partial payment is made. From that point previews are shared back and forth until the design is finished. Final payment is sent after receiveing payment the designer sends me the final PSD and associated files.

Yes I have been burned before by not getting final files, finding out a design is not original, or having an exclusive design sold more than once. That is the risk. But most good designers are worth working with.

By the way the last designs were good. Just hang in there. With some providers having hot deals, some host are short money this month.
 
Thanks very much guys, I've learnerd my lesson! :)

From now on I'l ask for maybe 5$ upfront or something.

Should weed out the timewasters out...


and turnkey that sounds great buddy, you know how to find me, give me a shout anytime. ;)


Best,
Eugene.
 
That happened to me one time also when I did the banner then they dont need it. But I see they use it that why now I take payment first. :)
 
Websterworld just hang in there, as with any business there will be superbly great weeks and some weeks are a disaster, that is the nature of business I am afraid, Every business goes through it, Just learn to separate the chaff from the wheat so to speak.
I liked some of your templates and hated some, that doesn't mean your work isn't good and that also doesn't mean I may hate one this week and look at it next month and love it. That is why you will get some people saying they like it and the ones that don't won't say anything. I used to honestly critique the work of others but quickly found out many really don't want to hear the truth and so they get many, oh that look great comments. Sorry to be so blunt but that is just the way I am.

As for the Canadian order, I don't feel you should have even replied to his request as he did state he wanted a Canadian to do it. Yes he should have dismissed you right away and that is a shame on him.

I for one would not pay a fee up front, why?
Imagine I am looking for a template, they want $100 with 10% down, so I pay it. They give me the first draft, nothing like I wanted, tell them exactly what I want, they come back with nothing like I wanted. Tell them I don't think it will work out. I am out the $10. Now multiply this by 10 people I am out $100.

On the template I have on my site currently, I went to elance. They bid on the project and they will upon request send you a first rough draft. The company I actually went with, hit what I wanted on the nose the first time. One other one came close and the other 20 or so didn't even get in the ball park and it seemed they hadn't even read my needs that I stated and I was very specific. Now imagine if I had to go throught all those companies and pay a small fee to start even a rough draft. Believe me my template wasn't cheap but I found value in every cent I paid for it.

Well sorry for the lenth of the post. Just felt the need to reply.
 
Good points Freckled.
I dont think charging for the work first is a good idea either, it will stop a lot of people ordering from you.

Some people will ask you to do work, and wont like what you do, you have to expect that, not everyone will like the work you do for them and I dont think theres anything wrong with that.
Its just part of a business.
 
Leo I understand that... however, they should at least give a good enough reason, right?

What if somebody asked you to do something, and you spend an hour doing it and show them a preview and they tell you that your not from canada and go away.

Wouldn't that make you a bit pissed off?
The thing is, its a preview, nota final draft and they could ask for changes.

Instead they tell me I'm not from canada and thats why they dont want it.

thats nuts.


some people just waste your time...

I dont know.

for example, today I did an 80$ logo.
I didnt ask for money upfront, the guy seemd nice... we worked on it and it went great, we are both very happy.

he even wrote a great review about me over at WHT.

that I dont mind... I'd love to work more with people like him.

however, before that I was asked to do a simple flash header. a 40$ job.

they gave me an example of what they wanted... and I made a small preview.

didn't take me long.
it was more or less what they wanted... and it wasn't done, not by a long shot. just a preview.

but it did take about 80mins to make, and as soon as I showed it to the guy he tells me. "oh, we already went with another designer that we know."

what the hell?
why did you waste over an hour of my time then?

there are people... and there are people.

thats all I can say.

for now, I'm still not asking for money upfront.

but when I posted this I had 3 people waste my time in a row.

Its quite ok if I made something and its not what they are looking for... its a totaly diffrent thing however if I find out that they have been wasting my time and/or leading me on.

I was hoping that asking for say 5$ will weed people like that out and I will get to work with people that actually want something done.

Best,
Eugene.
 
Leo I understand that... however, they should at least give a good enough reason, right?/quote]

yeah thats right, I agree with that for your Canadian example.
But also, as Freckled said, some people just might know it wont work after you do a first draft and they wont have a good reason for you not to do the work, except maybe that they dont like what you do.

You will always get people that say no they dont want you to work on the first draft if they dont like it at all, even if you have put a lot of work into it.

Thats one of the bad things with doing design and it happens to everyone I think
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