Davin’s sales:
My path to the permies digital market might feel familiar...
I took my sweet time, but I now have
seven items listed. I believe the digital market has doubled in seller activity since I started creating items.
Regarding the
digital market as a whole, I have trusted in Paul’s word and continue to do so. I was in the room several times when Paul announced the opportunity to
sell digital items on the permies digital market. I had the potential to produce a PDF plan set of a construction
project, but I hadn’t a specific item to zero down on. I didn’t believe my interests would align with buyers.
I visited
Wheaton Labs for the first time in late summer 2015. Paul thought I could design a better
berm shed from the existing one. Brian was the interim
land manager at the time. Fred was there already. The point being, I downloaded sketch up for the first time, and began communicating with the 3D models. I learned Sketch Up quickly, but it took several months to make
a wofati prototype and present it on YouTube.
I visited Wheaton Labs for the second time in the summer of 2017. Prior to this meeting with Paul, he asked me to produce a plan for the
solar dehydrator that was to be built during the 2017
ATC. He showed me
Mark Vander Meer’s solar dehydrator in the YouTube video.
By the time of the
ATC start, I came up with a model, that then got hashed out by the
class, instructor Tim Barker, and Paul. As the class built the large
solar dehydrator, I altered my computer model to the exact measurements and materials. This took a lot of time, and I could have been more useful to the Class, but I felt the documentation was important - what if Paul wanted to talk about it after I left back to Texas. Also, I wanted to
gift the Class a plan set as a souvenir. (davinhoyt at gmail)
Note: Design work with Paul is not easy. I have done it a few times. He has ideas that cause a person to stretch their perspective(s). You definitely need to meet him where he is. If you were to make a digital product, he would probably guide you to a professional looking product - one that he would like to sell himself. If you left it up to him to knock on your door and ask if you will make a digital product, it ain’t gonna happen.
I returned to Texas with three solar dehydrator models in my computer.
I modeled the
Mark Vander Meer solar dehydrator, the
2017 ATC Class solar dehydrator, and the
simple tray 2016 ATC Class solar dehydrator.
At that time, the ATC 2017 Class solar dehydrator did not have many test runs. As a documenter, I thought it was appropriate to produce a full set of
plans for Mark’s design (proven to work), just as much, if not more, than the importance of producing a full set for the 2017 ATC Class design. The pressure was on.
thumbnail example
It took
six months for me to make the two solar dehydrator plan sets. It wasn’t the only thing I was working on, but it took many hours that went uncounted.
thumbnail example
I told Paul in an email once: “FYI- It takes me a day to make a SKETCH, a few days to make a MODEL, and a few months to make a PLAN SET.”
Note: If you're still lacking the drive to make a digital item, go visit Diego Footer's podcast "Do the Work", donate to his organization, then catch up on all the things you've been meaning to do.
Note: The first time I posted an item to the digital market it was incomplete. I realized some more information was needed in the plans, and the plans were easily replaced with a newer edited version. All of the people who have access to the digital item, then, have access to the latest version.
When I thought the plans were done, I sent them to Paul for a quality review. He advised I create a few graphical explanations to assist in sales - to increase the presence of the item in the digital market. He advised I create a letter size summary package, and a shrunken representation of the plan set. Both of these show an overview and prove a quality.
Note: Permies staff may edit your didgital market posts to read more clearly, and better serve the permies community.
Note: The first image in your digital market post will be the thumbnail image that stands beside the title in the digital market listing. Prepare in advance, or request a staff member change the thumbnail to another image found inside your post. Also, the images you use should be placed online prior to your post, because you are referencing the images. I have been using Facebook, and I don’t advise it, because I’ve had to re-link twice. I have my own web space and will use it going forward.
My profession is Architecture. At the time of release, I charged
$300 per sheet of construction document in a PLAN SET. If I was to extrapolate into this work,
the 2017 ATC Class Solar Dehydrator Plan Set was a project I would normally charge $1,200 for ownership. The same goes for Mark’s design as it has the same number of sheets. (Maybe my rate needs some more exploration: the difference between replicate-able-item-plans with ownership, verses custom-non-replicate-able-item-plans.) Also, please note the travel and communication that was needed for this to come together. I am a consultant when I work. The final designs always surpass what the owner, or designer, could have done alone. Paul fills the “owner” position for the 2018
Rocket Oven plan set project, and "part-owner” position when sitting around the table at the 2017 ATC Class construction site.
And now let’s break down the money more...
My sales have not exceeded my expectations, but they are hearty. My expectations would be hitting “my costs” by year two. I posted both solar dehydrators at the same time, then, Paul advised me to make a
combination package for a discount. This is the best seller of my items on the
digital market.
Note: To make more than $500 in one year on the digital market, a person must supply their tax identification (social security number) to permies dot com.
You can make almost as much as the seller by being the affiliate on permies dot com digital market place. I wish I were the affiliate on all my sales. I would make a lot more money. Paul makes the most money out of my affiliates. Because I haven’t made as much money as I would have liked, I have been releasing my newest items in the digital market with a lower affiliate percentage than 40%, which is Paul’s recommendation. I believe the digital market is new and growing, and there will be more money supporting creators like myself going forward, but I want more money now. A fear lingers in my mind about a digital item becoming obsolete before making a
profit.
I have been placing my latest plan sets at an affiliate percentage of 25%, and 10% for my combination plan sets. This pays an affiliate 3-5$, instead of 8-10$ like the initial solar dehydrator offers.
Note: I have not found a way to protect my digital items (PDF) from counterfeit. I can imagine a teacher sharing their PDF with students, but no mass dilution of my goods has ever come to my attention.
Note: A seller cannot change the affiliate percentage once an affiliate sale has been made.
Note: In my latest plan sets I have advertised other drawings in the title block area. I placed an image of the DIY object along with an affiliate hyper-link.
I have made more money from Paul’s kickstarters, than the digital market sales. Paul has paid me a lump sum twice for allowing the 2017 ATC Class solar dehydrator Plan Set to be a stretch goal; thus, it was released to thousands of people. The permies membership organizes these people, via the digital market,
so I continue to be hands-off when it comes to customer portal.
This is an attempt to entertain the money bug in you...
Every month, I receive PayPal money from
Paul Wheaton’s
digital market. It has averaged
$70 for the last year. It is a smooth transaction and I have never been troubled by the process.
From
all the money my seven digital products have generated, I estimate affiliates have made 28% from the digital market, and I have made 46% from the digital market, and Paul's
kickstarter payouts have accounted for the remaining 26%.
As for the digital market sales percentages alone, I estimate that affiliates have made no less than 35% of total sales; Therefore, I'm making 65% of the sale price at best.
-The net value producing my seven current digital market items is $7,500 ($300x25sheets). Let's say this is my value calculation for the moment.
-Two thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven people have access to the 2017 ATC Class Solar Dehydrator plans.
-No one has access to the Wheaton Rolly Shelves plan set right now. It may seem like a silly thing to model, but the plans will be there for Paul and other permies to refer.
-Nineteen people ave access to the Rocket Oven 2018 sales: affiliates on those: 15 to Paul, 2 to me, 1 to a permies member, and 1 more non-affiiliated link forfieted to me, the seller.
-Sixty-three people have access to the Solar Dehydrator Combo Package (best seller).
Note: I can foresee opportunities of collaboration around items sold on the permies digital market. For example, I would like for someone to supply me a materials take-off list for projects.
Good luck and thank you...
I am very glad to have produced digital items and placed them on the permies
digital market place that is open 24 hours a day. I have been able to create documents that the permies community appreciate, and this digital sale becomes another
thread of our interaction. I have gotten nice messages via forums, private message, and postal mail. Also, thanks to
the wide reach of permies dot com, I have gotten international phone calls from large scale farmers, and emails from university professors.
Note: I modeled the 2018 Rocket Oven purely from video. (I don’t know anyone else who would do this.) Paul gave me access as the video was being compiled. In return, I provided Paul with images to supplement his video documentary. Shout out to Tyler for his skills in that project and documentation.
For lack of better terms, having produced a digital item for the permies digital market makes me “feel like I fertilized a system that betters us.” It requires a pay-it-forward mindset. For me, the first two solar dehydrators made me sink to my core, and get serious.
If I hadn’t experienced the planning and building of the large solar dehydrator, I may never have conjured the confidence to make a plan set. I would probably still be an observer making notes, instead of an author making a product.
In closing, I suggest you become involved with the community at permies dot com and maybe even visit
Paul Wheaton for a week. Get to know something, then, apply your special hand to it.
PS: A special thank you to my friends Scott and Paul for pushing me toward sketchup modeling.