

Tell HN: Daeken Discount Program - daeken
http://daeken.com/daeken-discount-program

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revorad
_I think that people will see that I build cool things, and it's a small
enough amount of money that everyone that buys into it will eventually at
least break even._

This will sound harsh but it seems like you are asking me to pay $50-$200 so
that just to break even with my investment I need to commit to spend a further
$600-$950 on an unnamed product based on a blog post with your only business
credential being a failure. Based on your writings about Renraku, I am ready
to believe that you are a great hacker but that doesn't mean you make great
products too.

This would be a lot more credible and successful if you were selling something
(anything!) _today_ and offering a lifetime discount to go with it.

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icey
What have you made so far? This could work really well if you had other
projects out there that people could see to get a feel for what sort of work
you do.

Although, I think your prices are too high; and I think you should increase
the discount you give with the amount of money people give you.

You're basically giving 5% off for every $50 up to $250; I don't think that
encourages people to give you larger amounts.

~~~
daeken
Point well taken, thanks. I'm going to update it to include a list of what
I've worked on and what I'm going to be working on in the future.

Edit: Done. Thanks again.

Edit #2: I considered changing the pricing, but I'm not certain of how I
should go about it. Perhaps 5% at $50, 10% at $90, 25% at $200? That'd give a
good benefit to going higher.

Edit #3: Decided to change over to that pricing; what the hell, why not.

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radu_floricica
You should probably make some restrictions, as this model assumes you can sell
additional products at little/no cost to yourself. What if somebody contracts
you for a $20.000 project and whips up a 25% discount card?

~~~
tdoggette
They pay $15,000 for it, as far as I can tell from the blog post.

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tlrobinson
Please report back with how many of these you actually sell.

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daeken
I decided to launch this experiment today. Don't know if it'll be successful
or not, but I think you guys will be interested in it.

~~~
breck
i think it's cool. you might want to check out kickstarter as well.

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NEPatriot
Interesting experiment.

How much for a lifetime of free?

Additional factors you could play with: 1\. Let people name their own price
and % discount (0-100) and reject or accept their offer. 2\. Let those who
invested in you contribute to what you build next. Perhaps assign voting share
based on $ invested.

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lsc
huh. my concern would be 'what if I don't sell enough to make it worth putting
in the discount codes in every product' - e.g. you're going to have to modify
your billing system (and more importantly work it out with your partners)
every time you put a product out. If you only come up with a few hundred
dollars in discounts, that might not be worth it.

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davidw
I think you need to be a bit more firm on the rules for it. Maybe even give
people a contract...

~~~
daeken
Assuming you mean in terms of protecting the users, I tend to believe that the
people who would buy into this are those who have faith in me building cool
things anyway, and will take me at my word. I don't think many people who
don't believe me would buy into this, with or without a contract.

If you mean protecting myself, I don't think the people who would buy into
this are going to scam me. If I were going to be selling some low-margin
items, I'd probably be more concerned, but I just don't see it as an issue
honestly.

~~~
natch
I would take you at your word, but right now your word says literally "I'll do
my best to give you the discount" (edit: if certain scenarios come to pass,
such as you starting a company). That's pretty weak.

Interesting experiment. The danger is you get a handful of takers, then you
have to live forever with the admin overhead of keeping track of them (as they
change email addresses, etc. over the years), all for a little temporary
pocket money. I guess that's why you need to say things like "I'll do my
best." Maybe you could add a condition, saying the deal will kick in once X
number of people sign up, otherwise everyone gets refunded.

~~~
daeken
Perhaps I need to fix some wording, but what it comes down to is: You will get
a lifetime discount on any product I build, period. In the unlikely case I end
up working a day-job for the rest of my life, I'll do everything in my power
to ensure you get the discount, even if I have to pay the difference myself.

I'm going to look over my post and see how I can improve the message. Thanks.

~~~
cmallen
>In the unlikely case I end up working a day-job for the rest of my life

Statistically, that's an incorrect statement despite the best wishes of all
present.

You also failed to present anything remotely resembling a sane value equation.
The only product of yours that the mass market would've been interested in,
you managed to crash and burn.

You're not exactly offering anything in return for the money at the moment,
and you don't have _that_ large of an audience either.

Not even Joel would have had the gall to try something like this.

------
bmelton
My number 1 FAQ would be -- What if you end up starting the next Microsoft.
How would I reasonably expect to get a discount on my copy of Daeken Vista
from Best Buy?

~~~
daeken
If I end up making boxed software, I'll allow people to send in proof of
purchase for the difference. That said, I don't see too many people buying
this who still buy boxed software ;)

