posted on September 18, 2004 06:37:45 PM new
Hi everyone,
We have tried to clearly communicate the new Image Hosting pricing, but there continues to be some misunderstanding that I hope this post can correct.
The following applies to customers of Sales Manager, Tickets Manager and Vendio Stores. To estimate whether you will see an additional Image Hosting fee, use these 3 steps:
1. Estimate your average monthly fees for Sales Manager, Tickets Manager and Vendio Stores combined.
2. Find the Image Hosting plan that would cover your current image storage.
3. Compare the two numbers. You will pay the HIGHER of the two, NOT BOTH added together.
Here are two examples:
No additional fee
Est. monthly SM/Tickets/Stores fees = $29.95
Image Hosting plan for 135 MB = $19.95
$29.95 is higher so this would be the estimated monthly bill. There is no additional Image Hosting fee.
Additional fee
Est. monthly SM/Tickets/Stores fees = $29.95
Image Hosting plan for 500 MB = $34.95
$34.95 is higher so this would be the estimated monthly bill. The additional fee for Image Hosting would be $34.95 - $29.95 = $5.00.
I hope this clears up any misunderstandings about our pricing.
posted on September 19, 2004 12:03:38 AM new
I thought all fees paid to Vendio - say in my case the Variable Plan @ 29.95 + all my final value fees - would be considered when calculating what I owe for image hosting...is it just the Sales Manager fees that are considered and not the FVF's?
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble! http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
posted on September 19, 2004 12:24:59 AM new
All Sales Manager, Tickets Manager and Vendio Stores fees apply when estimating your avergage monthly fees. These include:
- subscription fees
- listings fees
- final value fees
Add up all these fees for SM/Tickets/Stores in Step #1.
posted on September 19, 2004 12:49:02 AM new
Thanks Chuck - That's what I thought. In your example #2, one would hope that the seller would have at least enough FVF to cover the $5 - that would require about $350 in sales at 1.5% FVF.
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble! http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
posted on September 21, 2004 03:07:17 PM new
Here are some more concrete examples as neglus requested:
Sales Manager User Step 1:
monthly subscription = $12.95 for Variable Rate Premium Plan
listing fees = $5.00 for 100 listings at $0.05/ea
final value fees = $10 for 100 listings sold for $10/ea at 1% final value fee
Est. monthly fees = $27.95 = $12.95 + $5.00 + $10.00
Step 2:
peak image storage = 100 MB (that's 2,048 images at 50 KB per image - plenty for 100 listings/month)
Image Hosting plan = $19.95 for 135 MB
Step 3:
$27.95 > $19.95 so this user will NOT pay more for Image Hosting
If this user's storage was at an unusually large 300 MB, in Step 2, Image Hosting plan = $34.95 for 500 MB, then:
$34.95 > $27.95 so this user would be billed $34.95, or only $7.00 more for using three times more storage!
Sales Manager User with Annual Subscription Plan
The only difference is estimating a monthly subscription in Step 1. You can do so by dividing your annual fee by 12.
Sales Manager and Vendio Stores User
The only difference is in Step 1, where the user would use both Sales Manager and Vendio Stores monthly subscriptions, listing fees and final value fees in the calculation.
posted on September 23, 2004 07:31:44 AM new
I know you must be getting frustrated, but I'm confussed by the pricing structure. I'm on the pay as you go plan - no flat monthly fees, just pay my insertion, FVF, and gallery. I generally average between $10 - $16 a month in Vendio fees. Will I be charged $9.99 (I currently have 26 mb of pictures) monthly on top of my FVF's and insertion fees?
posted on September 23, 2004 10:06:25 AM new
Hello Gail,
Just remember it this way - your Sales Manager and Stores fees will offset the image hosting fees. You will not pay image hosting fees on top of SM and Stores fees, you will simply pay the difference if image hosting fees add up to more than SM and Stores. If your Sales Manager (insertion and final value) fees add up to $10 to $16 per month and your image storage use is in the $9.95 plan range, you will not be charged anything additional for image hosting.
posted on September 29, 2004 07:53:04 AM new
I'm sure it can be simpler As no one seems to understand this. And better yet just because you figured out what it's going to cost you this month means didly for next month as sales (and photos) will go up and down.
I'm sure a lot of suprises are instore for the next few billings.
posted on September 30, 2004 01:41:28 PM new
HUH??? LOL that makes it about as clear as mud. Make if confusing enough and you can charge us anything you want to.
posted on September 30, 2004 02:51:21 PM new
I guess the simpler way to state it is:
You will pay the the greater of the image hosting fee OR your Sales Manager and Stores fees.
If your SM and Stores fees are greater, then you get images for free. If SM/Stores fees are less (or zero in the case of image hosting only), you pay the image hosting fee only and recieve credits for any accrued SM/Stores fees.
Our description is a bit more complex because we show every transaction on your statement during the month, requiring us to credit some stuff back at the end (SM and Stores fees).
The "simple" pricing method would have been to make Image Hosting and Sales Manager and Stores each a separate charge like our main competitors do. That would mean, however, that everyone would pay a new Image Hosting fee. We didn't think you would like that option.
We decided instead to continue including free image hosting as part of Sales Manager and Stores, even though we knew we would have to spend a bit more time clarifying the pricing as a result.
posted on October 2, 2004 09:26:04 AM new
I haven't listed anything in several months.
Some are saying I will be charged $2.95 anyway...whether I list or not. Otherwise I will have have to cancel my account and not be able to use Vendio services from this point on.
Lindajean -- If you have no images you don't have to worry. You still pay what you had been paying prior to the image hosting storage fee implementation.
Lucy -- No, unfortunately watermarking and gallery do not count toward this. It is only Sales Manager fees that count.
I was also charged $34.95 for 500 mb of image storage.
My bill came to $82.64 this month (instead of $47.69 like it is supposed to)! I shouldn't have to pay for the $34.95 as my subscripting, listing and FVF fees came to over my image storeage fees amount.
posted on October 4, 2004 05:14:10 AM new
I just got the bill for 19.99, but I haven't listed for a few months. I don't remember an email announcement regarding this or I would have cleaned up my account. I don't want to close my account, but I probably won't use it for another month, can I delete my images and not be charged until I need them again?
posted on October 4, 2004 11:54:06 AM new
O.K. I am on the Pay as you go plan. My usual fees run around 20.00 to 29.00. This month I was charged a $19.95 image fee on top of my pay as you go. I thought you paid one or the other, whichever was higher but not both. My bill this month is $44.40. I can't see the advantage of paying nearly double. Can you explain why this worked this way?
posted on October 4, 2004 11:54:25 AM new
Hi bizzycrocheting and pmelcher,
Your bill is correct. The reason your bill appears larger the first month is because Image Hosting is a prepaid amount, just like our other subscriptions, and the credit for it is applied at the end of your billing period. So your first bill appears larger because of the time difference between the charge and the credit.
The reason why the credit is applied at the end is because only then do we know all your Sales Manager subscription fees, listing fees and final value fees so we can total them and apply them towards the Image Hosting amount.
So in your last billing period, you saw a $3.50 charge for Image Hosting but also a $3.50 credit at the end of the bill to offset that.
You also saw a new Image Hosting charge for the next month (again because it's prepaid). The credit for this amount will be applied at the end of the month. At that time and in subsequent bills, you will see your bill amounts return to their usual range.
Regards,
posted on October 4, 2004 12:08:43 PM new
Hi samplingman,
Even though you had not listed in a while, you must have been set to a new Image Hosting plan because you still had live images in your account.
If you know you'll be taking break from selling, we recommend that you delete all your images from your folders AND the Recycle Bin. The go to My Service Plans under My Account, select Image Hosting from the left navigation bar, and click the discontinue link on the page. When you're ready to sell again, however, you must sign back up for an Image Hosting plan again using the same page.
P.S. - The email was sent to your Customer Manager inbox as are most administrative and support emails.
Thanks, I deleted my images, but I set my plan for 3MB, I'm a little nervous about discontinuing the plan completely. I still see a $1.99 pro-rated charge plus the $19.99 charge. Will this change to $2.95?
Also, the only mail in the Customer Manager was about Vendio Gallery. When was the original notification sent?
posted on October 4, 2004 01:05:59 PM new
FYI, Chuck - the last message in my Customer Manager email box was about the Gallery too... I became aware of the new pricing through the Vendio Announcement Board.
**********************************
Sig files are too much trouble! http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards
posted on October 4, 2004 02:20:07 PM new
Hi samplingman,
Not a problem at all.
The prorated fee marks the start of new Image Hosting pricing taking effect on 9/30. Since your billing day is on the 3rd of each month, you were charged a prorated fee for 3 days for the remainder of your billing period.
The new Image Hosting pricing provides for free image hosting on the basis of your Sales Manager subscription, listing and final value fees. Since you have no Sales Manager activity in the last month, no credits can be applied toward Image Hosting.
I hope this clarifies things but feel free to ask any time.
posted on October 5, 2004 12:03:31 PM new
Ok, I'm a fairly intelligent person and I just don't get it. I got a $68.10 bill when my bill is normally (at worst) $35. I will be very, very angry if this gets charged to my credit card without an immediate credit to off-set it.
Somebody give me the BOTTTOM LINE here: EXACTLY what am I going to be paying each month??? I don't need any other answers...just tell me what my monthly bill is going to be. Period.
I love Vendio & I don't want to move...but I will do it quickly if my bill is going to be higher than its normal $35 or so....
posted on October 5, 2004 12:31:20 PM new
Hi dwbster,
We cannot tell you exactly what you will pay each month simply because this depends on how much you sell.
For many, their Sales Manager subscription fees alone will clearly cover their Image Hosting fees and they know immediately they will pay nothing extra. In your case, your Sales Manageer subscription fee ($12.95) is less than your Image Hosting plan ($34.95). You can easily make up this difference with listing and final value fees but this depends on how much you sell during the billing period.
As for your first bill, here's a copy of text from above:
"...the reason your bill appears larger the first month is because Image Hosting is a prepaid amount, just like our other subscriptions, and the credit for it is applied at the end of your billing period. So your first bill appears larger because of the time difference between the charge and the credit.
The reason why the credit is applied at the end is because only then do we know all your Sales Manager subscription fees, listing fees and final value fees so we can total them and apply them towards the Image Hosting amount."
posted on October 5, 2004 03:08:30 PM new
Yes, but on this very same bill you billed, because you KNOW, what my listing and final value fees were last month. I suppose if I quit Vendio you will refund the 'prepaid' photo hosting (how the heck would you know what photos I will have in that future month anyway) amount that you charged in this 'first month' of the new fees.? Will any of us remember to ASK for that money back when we quit Vendio?
posted on October 5, 2004 04:47:02 PM new
Hi pmelcher,
I will do my best to respond though I am not quite sure I understand your post. In your 10/4 bill, you saw:
1. $2.66 charge on 9/30 as a result of the new pricing taking effect.
2. $2.66 credit at the end of the period that offsets #1 because your Sales Manager fees met the Image Hosting minimum ($2.66 in this period)
3. $19.95 precharge for the current billing period
#3 is determined by your peak image storage. Therefore, being below your plan's limit is not an issue.
What cannot be known is how much listing and final value fees you will see in the coming month. We cannot base credits on past history or a future forecast. It would be impossible to create a billing system like that.
But rest assured, at the end of this billing period, you will be given a credit for your Sales Manager fees. I don't know if you've noticed but we've placed a running total labeled Image Hosting Credit in the top status section so you can easily compare your credits against your minimum.
As no one seems to understand this. And better yet just because you figured out what it's going to cost you this month means didly for next month as sales (and photos) will go up and down.