Marketplace sellers information
ogreofwart
Hello Everybody on the Gamesalad Planet. I come in peace, warts'n'all!!! Lancashire UKMember Posts: 281
I was wondering, as a seller of Graphic Assets on the Marketplace, if GameSalad were making any revisions on the way it gives its sellers information about their sales. 
For instance, it would be nice to know when something has been sold in a shorter timeframe than just once a month.
I think this would give a good indication, during seasonal periods, what the actual demand for assets are to each individual author. 
I'm am a relatively new seller on GameSalad and would like to be able to more accurately gauge what sort of assets to produce instead of just randomly throwing things in, hoping some will stick! 
I know this might be a big ask, but I hope it might be worth some consideration.
Comments
Oh by the way, please feel free to make a comment on my suggestion, whether you are for or against this idea. I would like to know other sellers feelings about this.
Ta
The Wart Ogre
Ha. Well it would be nice to know in a more rapid fashion, but this is a very common model and there are reasons for it. But I hear ya. It's all up to the Co. if they want to fulfill this demand.
Thanks for your input RP, I have been thinking I had broached a taboo subject here and the hammer was about to fall.
I'm just starting out with this asset selling stuff and know good things can take time, but I think I can speak for quite a few, when I say it can be very frustrating when you don't know what to do next to get some recognition.
I'm not a pro, just someone who "can draw a bit" and this is my first real effort at selling my stuff.
It's not just a case of money, although we all don't do this stuff for charity, but I started this thread to also see if anybody else was of a like mind.
So I'll look forward to see any more comments.
All the best, Wart Ogre.
I found dealing with the Marketplace a very frustrating process. If you can upload you stuff without dealing with them that is the only trouble free option. If you want to ask questions and get some answers good luck with that. They have never responded to me unless I contacted someone else at GS to chase them up. When the finally responded a lot of the time the answer was vague or not to the question that was asked.
If you have something different that requires them to do a manual upload like adding a .rtf and .txt files to a template bundle it could be a very long and frustrating process. They just didn't seem to understand what I was asking of them and do things I didn't ask for. Add contacting a third person every time and man it is tough.
They added a word to the title of my template which makes it read like something it isn't. I am currently trying to get it removed and no response again. I don't think english is the first language of the person running it. I have dealt with people in India in the past and it is just like that they write good english but don't really understand it and what I am asking them to do. It can take quite a few goes for them to understand and the person running the Marketplace is just like that.
Whoever is in there really needs to be moved on and replaced by someone who knows and understands what they are doing and what is required.
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I´m not a seller, but I would like to be soon. Completely agree with your request, that info would be great to all sellers. Great idea.
Nix the Cat: Jump Adventure * Twitter * Facebook
I'm not trying to start a rebellion.
I am very happy with GameSalad, they have given me a opening to market my goods.
A cracking site and engine to create .
The Wart Ogre.
The Marketplace needs a rebellion, it need a revolution, there are so many issues with it.
Yes it would be great to have instant feedback on sales, I sell and have sold stuff (non-GS stock footage) on five or six stock sites and have done so for over 8 years now, and always get instant feedback in the form of an email when something has sold, if these places had this functionality in place the best part of a decade ago I'm sure GS's Marketplace should be able to do something similar.
If anyone has ever sold stuff through somewhere like Pond5 then they'll know the joy of the 'You've had Sale' email !
They are working on a new marketplace. What those changes are, I don't know. But it needs to be slicker, contain more info - especially on game art (resolution sizes etc) and could take a few lessons from graphicriver for example.
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Glad to know there are some people out there that think the Marketplace needs some changes. @jigglybean has another interesting point on the scaling of assets, I think there could be some improvement on submission guidelines there too.
I had heard that there was going to be a revamp soon also, lets hope the changes might include some of the suggestions here
There is overdue room for improvement.
They're currently revamping the marketplace - I'm sure they're making it 100% better than it is now.
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@Braydon_SFX a 100% better would probably equal about 50% as bad as it is now. I reckon 1,000 to 2,000% better would get us a decent result
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In reply to @Malkovich: Get selling some stuff! I'm sure we would all like to see what you want to create.
Like I said I am no PRO Developer or Artist and I started this in August to see if I could make a bob or two out of my interest and was quite happy at the time just tootling along, uploading about 20 to 30 assets at a time, hoping some would sell.
Now I've got quite a bit of artwork for sale and am running a little out of ideas, I would have just had some inkling of what popular direction my own offerings should go next.
So I just thought it might be nice to see, sort of real time, what was selling and what wasn't.
Agreed, to be perfectly frank there is a fair amount poor quality stuff on there which I think reflects badly on the Marketplace, it looks like the gates were opened and people just uploaded any old stuff they had lying around with no real quality control from either Marketplace or the seller.
There is also some really really good stuff, but unfortunately you have to wade through mountains of average to poor quality assets to discover it - maybe a rating system might help ? With the less well rated assets appearing lower in the search ?
The issues with the Marketplace itself (compatibility, navigation, speed, search-ability and so on) are separate from the issue of the quality of the assets, where resolutions are arbitrary, projectiles are oriented upwards rather than to the right (0° in GameSalad), aspect ratios bear little relationship to either 4:3 or 16:9, loops don't loop very well, white images (elements like clouds, numerals etc) are rendered onto a white background (=no visible image) and numerous other technical issues that are in addition to the questionable quality or even utility of some of the assets.
I never get bored of posting one of my favourites:
(I don't want to bash the seller, so no names, the point here is to question the idea of quality control)
Is this really what should be in GameSalad's shop window ?
Was this preview even looked at by anyone, the seller or Marketplace ?
Did the seller not notice the image was cut off on the left ?
. . . etc etc etc . . .
On any of the stock sites (photography, animation, video footage, illustration . . . and so on) that I've either sold on or bought from none of these would have passed quality control and be allowed on.
Ok true some of my older stuff isn't really brilliant (my attempt at an explosion animation kit leaves a lot to be desired) so I really can't comment on quality of artwork.
I do think it is a learning experience and I hope I have improved.
Yes there should be a bit more detail on quality control and I also think it should be easy for sellers to periodically review their work and weed out what they are not happy with.
I am familiar with a couple of the examples that @Socks has shown and I do remember one of them has a few facebook favourites scores too ?????
One mans meat eh!
By the way if anybody wants to know what a Wart Ogre is check out my website https://sites.google.com/site/darkevilink where the story page explains a little bit
My suggestion is to.... please grouping images that only vary in color, please!, is pointless to scroll and scroll and scroll down to see 10 and even more color variations of the same image. Also would be great to grouping images by artist, because i think is not fair that one artist submit 30 images to completely cover the "first page" leaving the other artists at the bottom of the list, weeping into a chasm full of darkness and suffering begging for buyers to see their works (ok i exaggerated that part XD).. I hope you understand me, my english is not so good, srry about that.
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@Malkovich Yes I am guilty of multiple variations myself (don't apologise about your English I personally couldn't speak a word of any other language so you're one up on me there) but it is the way the marketplace is set out.
I upload all my images individually then give a pack option, it gives a choice to the buyer to get the full set or just one item.
Yes it could be set out in a different way and this is yet another revision that the marketplace could benefit from.
This is probably a good time to point this out:
http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/74570/important-marketplace-notice
Dan Magaha · COO · GameSalad, Inc · danm@gamesalad.com
Thanks for the info @dgackey, looking forward to seeing the changes.
Are there any hints as to what they might be?
A top-to-bottom overhaul. Searching and browsing categories will be dramatically improved for buyers. Visually, it'll be much improved, with multiple areas for daily deals and sales, etc.
For sellers, revenue share will be calculated at the time of purchase so you'll have realtime sales data, no need to wait on us to cobble a report together manually, etc. Tons of other stuff.
Dan Magaha · COO · GameSalad, Inc · danm@gamesalad.com
Brilliant, sounds just like what I was hoping for. Looks like I may have jumped the gun a little bit starting this discussion but as my better half always says "if you don't ask you don't get."
I look forward to the New Year with a brand new Marketplace.