Tell HN: Daeken Discount Program | Hacker News Reader

Tell HN: Daeken Discount Program

daeken.com

26 pointsdaeken18 comments

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

Maybe product != service, or something.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

>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.

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?

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 ;)

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