Quote Originally Posted by uniqueliving View Post
. Why dont you just charge out at a hourly rate for support like other people do.
If this is directed at me I can give many reasons for this. Firstly, this is working under the assumption that all the coding to be done has already been done and paid for. In other words, I'll only be getting paid hourly by those that *need* my support, and are willing to pay a reasonably rate from now, and in the future.

Secondly, all the work done over the last 3 years (lets say 3000 hours coding) has provided a stable, low maintenence code that only a handful of people have problems installing, and after that it can be pretty much forgotten.
Low maintence means once installed, few people ever need support.

I reckon if I left the original long broken austpost code as it was, over the last few years I *could* have made a small fortune charging each and every user for 'support' to fix it (well at least til someone else came along and fixed it so that individual support was no longer needed)

Low maintence also means no adjustments required when the postage rates change. *I* do this on the server... the clients (users) always get the latest prices, so I can't charge an hourly rate for that kind of support.. unlike the earlier code (recently re-released) which has many of the rates 'hard coded' which means manual updates for someone.
I'll wager a lot of people opting to use that copy will ultimately end up paying someone else more than I'm asking just to keep it updated .. what with Austrlia Post changing prices of some thing at least twice in the last 12 months

So, to sum up, it is because I have done such a good job on things that trying to survive with providing hourly support isn't a practical solution. This is a case of people paying for the support and service that they DON'T see.. (until there is a problem of course, then all hell breaks loose with people telling me how much *I've* cost them in lost sales revenue).
What The!!!

All of the above is still ignoring all the work that has already gone into the project.
I've no idea how much a contracter will charge to re-create what I've already done, but if the 100 or so active zencart merchants each put in a couple of hundred I'm sure you may get something on par... but even then it will be stagnant... the contracter won't provide free updates and free support. Well, not unless you pay another few hundred each.
I'll also add at this point that most of the features made to ozpost beyond the 'basic functionality has been added at the request of other people, not for our own use or benefit.

Anyway, what HAS already been done isn't an issue, I had never planned to make money, or even recouperate anything for my time spent ion the project so far... What I would like to do is ensure that I'm in a position where I'm capable of continuing the development and maintenance of both the client code and the servers in the future.. Hourly support doesn't allow this, unless I make the code a bit more unreliable, or difficult to install (Note how ozpost doesn't require you to run sql scripts, unlike most addons?), oh, and I'll need to stop doing price updates on the server too, I could easily charge $60 or more per customer up to twice a year for doing this.

My only other comment is that Australia doesn't have the numbers that would allow me to consider a lesser annual fee (not by any significant amount). Think about it... on the *outside* I am only going to get 30-50 people to subsrcribe.. (Based on current takeup rate)... that's what, $500p/m tops. I typically spend 2 hrs a day with the zencart forums, and 4 or 5 hours per day doing other ozpost related things... seems to me that I'm still grossly underpaying myself
And alas, these numbers aren't sustainable either, which is why I also need to tap into the market for other ecommerce stores.

Finally, if this was your way of telling me to 'get a job' all I can say is I wish I could... Australia has a big issue with 'ageism' (acknowledged by the changes to centerlink requirements for 55y/os). In the last 9 months I have applied for a little over 200 positions, ranging from fulltime, parttime, casual, contract, and voluntary, from help desk to security consultant. In the last 4 years I have applied for will over 400 jobs, and during that time I put myself through TAFE to 'prove' I had the required skills to potential employers... this cost me over $10k in fees (in spite of being subsidised by the goverment)..... pretty much cleaned out our bank account and still no job, so why *shouldn't* I turn to those that I've been working for (for nothing) for the last few years (zencart merchants) and 'ask' them to help me survive the future, thus ensuring the future of the software that they count on?

From the impression/reaction I have recieved from some people (not necessarlly you) there is a perception that there are a 1000+ people using zencart/ozpost and I stand to be making $100,000 per year from it.. Yeah, I wish....... If there were 1000 of us, I'd only ask $10 per year, and we'd all be happy :-)

Regards
Rod