[quote name=‘Triplets’]I have coded this up for one of my clients. …
…Let me know if you are interested in the code. I will be willing to part with it for less than the proposed addon cost.[/QUOTE]
So you are taking code that someone paid for and use it to code a mod to sell it a less value?
[quote]
So you are taking code that someone paid for and use it to code a mod to sell it a less value?
[/quote]
This shouldn’t be a surprise. It is the way most development is paid for. Most people (especially here) are not willing to pay the actual development cost. So many times developers can reduce the cost by assuming they can resell the funcitonality after it is productized.
Cs-cart is a composition of paid development that is then productized and made part of the standard cart. You think work for things like Suppliers, multi-company, Configurable products, etc. comes out of their budget? No, someone determined that it was worth investing in to get it and where they’d have direct input to how it would function. The developers then incorporate this into the standard cart. Otherwise, where do you think development funds would come from? Not at $265 a copy for the cart.
But there’s usually added value to the original work before it is resold. I.e. “productization”. While one person may need just a specific piece of functionality, it might serve as a basis for an actual product, complete with documentation, support, configurability, administration, etc…
[quote name=‘tbirnseth’]This shouldn’t be a surprise. It is the way most development is paid for…But there’s usually added value to the original work before it is resold. …[/QUOTE]
Thanks, I didn’t know the extension of this. Maybe you are right, you can compete with something that is half developed and could be priced less, but if triplet doesn’t deliver then we are left in the blank.
Is just me, but I don’t take offers that way, when someone jumps in the middle of other’s project.
In custom mods and addons I’ve arrived to the conclusion that quality and support is more important that price.
[quote]
In custom mods and addons I’ve arrived to the conclusion that quality and support is more important that price.
[/quote]
You are then one of the few!
Seems that there is very little value here for time. I guess most merchants here spend hours and hours a day twiddling and fiddling with their cart and therefore think that others who invest time should simply give away what they’ve invested in…
A merchant would be much better served by spending their time on marketing rather than fiddling with their cart.
I had probably 20-25 hours into this project. All but about 5 of it was the administrative interface. I.e. the ability to define events, turn them off or on, prioritize them, associate events with templates, etc.
So if I took my standard way of generating pricing, this addon would cost about $150. But given I know people here aren’t willing to spend that, I try to price things reasonable. I.e. what’s a merchant’s time worth if they were to have to put something together themselves. I usally determine pricing by this kind of formula:
Price = (Hours * Rate)/Number of purchases
Generally, there aren’t a lot of purchases for most addons. I have couple that have actually been profitable (mailchimp, XML Data Feeds), but the rest are usually onesy twosy. So I try to use 10 for the number of purchases. If you changed the equation to be Rate = (number of purchases * price) / Hours would mean that I’m making about $20hr if I sell 10.
I do this stuff now to hopefully scratch out a living doing something I enjoy and to help other people out. But it’s all about value. How do you value your (and my) time? What’s the value of “set it and forget it”? What’s is going to hit the fan at your next upgrade? Knowing you can pick up the phone or send an email to get your issue addressed has to be worth something! Maybe not to all, but to some.
Guess I will just get right to the point!
I find it rather petty that Triplets just “now” after finding this thread decides to make any mention of his supposed mod. There have actually been several forum requests made for an email followup mod as well as there actually being a request made in the Uservoice area for this (with several votes), so, where was Triplets back then? 
I believe there is a right way, & a wrong way to drum up business, and by inserting a simple minded (I can do it for less offer) into this thread is a petty effort at best.
Not sure how others will view this, however, I would not even consider including some unsupported half baked mod into our site, not worth the hassle to me. :rolleyes:
It was ironic. I had a client ask for this functionality last week and I coded it up on Monday. I did not intend for my code to replace your addon. But it does do exactly what that one poster ask for. It sends out emails after an order is marked as Complete. Once again, mine is not an addon. It was easier for me to make a standalone php routine (totally outside the cs-cart environment) that can be called from a cron job.
I have always giving my addons and code away for free in the forums. The first time I ask for a small dollar amount I get criticized. Yet other people blatenly sell their code in the forums all the time. Shame on you.
There are tons of qualified cs-cart coders out there. I personally do not need or use the forums to drum up new business or sell my code. In this case i happen to just code it up this week exactly what was being requested. It is ignorant to assume only the aggressive posters in this forum are qualified. The quiet busy ones sometimes are your best approach.
[quote name=‘Triplets’]It was ironic. I had a client ask for this functionality last week and I coded it up on Monday. I did not intend for my code to replace your addon. But it does do exactly what that one poster ask for. It sends out emails after an order is marked as Complete. Once again, mine is not an addon. It was easier for me to make a standalone php routine that can be called from a cron job.
I have always giving my addons and code away for free in the forums. The first time I ask for a small dollar amount I get criticized. Yet other people blatenly sell their code in the forums all the time. Shame on you.
There are tons of qualified cs-cart coders out there. I personally do not need or use the forums to drum up new business or sell my code. In this case i happen to just code it up this week exactly what was being requested. It is ignorant to assume only the aggressive posters in this forum are qualified. The quiet busy ones sometimes are your best approach.[/quote]
Triplets, give me your code and associated prices
PM works fine.
It’s a shame this has been dropped, as has been said this is functionality that is REQUIRED and a more comprehensive one like tbirnseth proposed is certainly one I would pay for.
Since I was already 90% done, I completed it.
It is currently in beta test and I’d expect would be ready in about a week.
Current documentation describing features and screen shots can be seen at:
[url]http://www.ez-ms.com/docs/auto_mail.pdf[/url]
@Jesse - how did the ‘mod’ work out for you? I’m assuming that if one has a single specific need that a mod could be done with a lot less investment than an ‘addon’.
its $50?
would you consider to take a bundle with mailchimp and offer a lower price
because this addon and mc addon simply related.
thanks
I am glad you finished your Addon. After reading its description, it is totally different than my script. My script sends email triggered off of a certain amount of days after the Order Status is marked Complete asking a customer to place a Review for the products they purchased and have just received. That is all mine does. Your addon doesn’t appear to have that functionality.
My code runs in the background (separate from cs-cart) and is triggered off of a server CronTab job that is set to run everyday. I have already sold several copies of mine for $40. If anyone is interested send me a Private Message. Of course if you want the functionality that tbirnseth has coded up, please purchase his addon.
______________________________________
Jerry,
Hello! Will you please review the product(s) you ordered? We love to hear back from our customers, and your reviews will help other customers make informed buying decisions. Please click on the individual product links below and then click on the REVIEWS TAB to submit your review. Thanks!
Order Number: 39214
Order Date: 2011-03-29
Your Ordered Item(s):
D456 - RED SHIRT
G678- BLUE CD
Thanks again for your order! Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Company Name
Phone: (123) 123-4373
Fax: (123) 123-3583
Address
http://www.Yourdomain.com
sales@yourdomain.com
@Vidan,
You’re funny.
But, you know Tony, I’m a cheap ass too. I don’t really want to pay for all your hard work and would really like a discount. I mean, why not? It’s not like you have anything better to do. How about $20? And, maybe you can throw in another addon or two also?
Brandon
[QUOTE]@Vidan,
You’re funny.
But, you know Tony, I’m a cheap ass too. I don’t really want to pay for all your hard work and would really like a discount. I mean, why not? It’s not like you have anything better to do. How about $20? And, maybe you can throw in another addon or two also?[/QUOTE]
And on top of all that, If Tony is more than a microsecond late on his predicted release date, we will all hear about that for God knows how long as well! 
Alright Mr. Birnseth, glad to hear this addon is near to completion as it should be quite useful to the majority of users. Does appear to give plenty of control over template selection, follow-up date triggering, etc, appears to be well done!
So, can you give me a short overview as to how your license checking system works, how frequently is our site checked by your server, etc. ?
Thanks!
[quote]
its $50?
would you consider to take a bundle with mailchimp and offer a lower price
because this addon and mc addon simply related.
[/quote]
The only thing this addon and mailchimp have in common is that at some point in a user’s life he will get an email. Mailchimp does not do transactional emails. Otherwise I would have done it when I did that addon. But it’s not functionality they supported then. Now, they use the Amazon email stuff for transactional emails but there are lots of qualifications to be able to use it, and frankly I don’t think it’s worth messing with.
@Triplets - seems the difference (for the “order placed” action) is in how the event is triggered. I do it from the date the order was placed and you do it from the date the status changed. The queue for this addon can be run from cron, manually, at admin login or on an email by email basis. Merchant’s choice.
License checking is done at admin login. The license key is sent to our server and if valid the server responds with OK and that’s it. If server responds that license is not valid then the addon is disabled and a notification is displayed.
Update checking occurs at the same time but at the frequency you specify. Recommended is “daily” so once a day (options are daily,weekly and monthly), the addon/version will be sent to see if a newer version is available. If so, it is automatically installed (if so configured) and user notified via notification.
If per chance our server is down, then one attempt is made to connect at each admin login. No action is taken if the server does not respond with valid/invalid license. So in that case, there could be a single delay of 30 seconds (or whatever your socket timeout is set to on your underlying operating system) during the login.
[quote name=‘Struck’]
So, can you give me a short overview as to how your license checking system works, how frequently is our site checked by your server, etc. [/QUOTE]
It is interesting that someone else has asked this question. This has been a struggle for me.
My question to Tony is, what happens if ez-ms.com goes out of business or shuts down like the many, many other people who have been on the forums over the past few years selling mods and stuff for CS-Cart? I know myself that I have purchased software from at least 2 different people who are no longer around or their sites are gone. One other did a couple of skins for us a couple of years ago and I’m really not for sure if they are really in business anymore or not. Their site just sits there but they do not respond to emails. So if you move on or become busy with other stuff in life and you decide not to work on CS-Cart mods, will the items we purchased shut down? You know I have struggled over and over again with the many contacts your products make to your server. I have seen and heard a lot of good from you and like how you help out here on the forums. But while you are trying to “protect” your investment, how will a person who buys and installs your CS mod be protected when your server or site shuts down or you go out of business? Does this mean that we too loose what we have invested in?
I ask because again I am interested in this mod but I have my reservations on the license contacts.
[quote]
My question to Tony is, what happens if ez-ms.com goes out of business or shuts down like the many, many other people who have been on the forums over the past few years selling mods and stuff for CS-Cart?
[/quote]
Then I would issue new versions that would remove the licensing and update checks and you would have the version you have and there’d never be another connection… With a license check and an upgrade method, I can easily do that and everyone would be updated in a day or so.
I guess folks will just have to trust my integrity just like is done with other vendors one purchases from.
As we have discussed at length in private email (but now you want to take it public), my products (specifically my licensing/upgrade methods and validation of such) are not compatible with your business model and I simply won’t sell you any of my products. As stated to you before, I’d much rather not have a client at all than to have an unhappy one. Hence I refunded your money for the one addon you had purchased and sent you on your way. To date, you are the only one who has ever complained about my business model and how I protect my intellectual investment.
Some people appreciate that they get bug fixes and new functionality without having to do anything. And yes, I’m human and have made mistakes where I’ve sent out an update that was broken.
Man, this thread has really taken some turns. I wear a size 36 underwear in case anyone wants to check (tighty-whiteys - new donations always appreciated!).
Sorry Tony, I’m really not for sure what you mean by you don’t “support my business model”. I am sorry you don’t support a small business that likewise has been burnt! The only reason I ever questioned in the first place was because your software installed an email script on my server! One that emailed you for some reason. I know you said this was a mistake, but it still happened and that is what started making me question you in the first place.
There is no “turn” on this thread. If the license check is part of the functionality of your mods, then why is it bad for people to ask? You have an interesting mod, so when someone else asked about the license, I realized that maybe I wasn’t the only one who was curious.
In regards to “integrity”, I am not trying to attack your integrity or anyone’s. Please understand that I really don’t want to throw money out the door as I have on mods from others that used to be on the forums but are no longer around. Please, don’t take things so personal. Relax.
I know and understand that you and some others have been screwed by creating mods and then people canceling payment or copying the mod (as snorocket has noted). I know that you are trying to protect yourselves. Likewise you need to understand that many of us have been here for a few years now and some of the “mod makers” have come and gone and we too have been screwed. Even our previous shopping cart had people who came and went that created modifications. One shut down and we could no longer get support from them and we were stuck with the bugs and had to “rig” the cart to keep it going until we just changed it over to CS-Cart earlier this year.
In regards to the constant contacts that your software makes with your server when we have your software installed, yes, I think it is overkill. I really don’t know another way to do it, but when your software contacts your website every time me or one of my employees log in I just just feel it is too much. Now that we have to have the site log us out every 15 minutes (to be PCI Compliant), it means our site has to contact you even more. Even when we are not using your mod at that moment.
I’m sorry that you feel this somehow “doesn’t support my business model”. I have questions and concerns about how often your software wants to contact your server. It is that simple. I also have concerns about purchasing software that is “limited” and if you shut down I may have just thrown the money away. Likewise I had a problem when your software installed an email script on my server, but you did resolve that issue. I’m sorry that my business model is that strange. We just want software that doesn’t add more stress to our server and that will continue to work should you close up shop as others have done. I feel those are very fair concerns.
Likewise, again, I understand your concerns and I understand you not wanting to get screwed by people who purchase from you and take advantage of you. The bad part is, instead of you trying to have this conversation and build my trust back up you just keep throwing me under the bus and telling me you “don’t support my business model”. Which I still have no idea what that means other than you maybe telling me to get lost?
Anyway, you do seem to have a nice mod and a good idea you are working on here on the email mod. We had already thought about getting a custom script because of a mod we saw for xcart at…
[url]http://www.bcsengineering.com/store/product-autoresponders-for-x-cart.html[/url]
I’m not for sure which way we will go right now. The one Triplet has seems pretty good, but I was hoping more for addon that didn’t require any changes in original script.
Tony, I’m sorry to question. I do wish you were more open to conversation, especially when it was your software that installed the email script on my server and created the doubt in the first place.
Jim,
Not that I want to get in the middle of things because I’ve worked with both you and Tony, but why does it matter how often Tony’s script contacts his server? Also, isn’t there a box that says Silent or something? Does that take away the messages?
Brandon