30% price increase on Silhouette Design Studio Downloads

[rubberinker]

Did anyone else notice the overnight price increase in the costs of designs in the Silhouette Design Store? Designs that were $.99 yesterday are now $1.30 today. I did not see an email or blog post warning customers of the increase so I don't know what is behind it. I would like to believe that the prices increased because Silhouette is now paying its designers more but somehow I doubt this is the reason for the increase. I understand that businesses do periodically increase there prices but 30% overnight is tough to swallow! This will certainly impact my willingness to purchase designs from the design store in the future.

[sprtchick]

Wow! Im glad there are countless free svg files on the internet. Its still cheaper than buying an entire cartridge but I will be looking for sales only to purchase from them now.

[SherylH]

This makes me wonder what is going on. When I look at the Silhouette Design Store, most of the designs (other than the 3D items) are still $1.25 -- but then that is the price I have seen for several months now. I could never figure out why everyone was saying the designs were $.99. Do you think the pricing depends on where you live?

[2busyscrappin]

Hi SherylH ---

The design store increased Canadian costs because of our low $ I have a subscription and I don't think I'm going to renew because Canadian Subs are getting much less for their money.

3D's and Fonts have gone up too even some of the layered cards are regular 1.89 now.

1.25 is what Canadians pay. I check out the Tuesdays weekly sales and the daily sale of Fridays when the have 40% of their designs.

It's hard now to pick and choose which one I like. :(

Quote:

Originally Posted by SherylH

This makes me wonder what is going on. When I look at the Silhouette Design Store, most of the designs (other than the 3D items) are still $1.25 -- but then that is the price I have seen for several months now. I could never figure out why everyone was saying the designs were $.99. Do you think the pricing depends on where you live?

[SherylH]

Thanks Michelle -- I thought that was it. I did buy a 3-month subscription when they were on sale in December and am just getting to the end of my term now. I also watch the daily sales (@30%) in addition to the weekly and Friday sales. Like you, I don't plan on renewing my subscription as I would rather watch for my wishlist items to come on sale and buy then rather than having to spend my balance within the subscription period.

[2busyscrappin]

That what I plan to do myself. My Sub isn't up 'til June I think and I get a good chunk of credits but since the prices went up my credits went down if that makes any sense.

I hope nothing else negative bad happens til my Sub is up. I feel cheated

[cat_woman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2busyscrappin

Hi SherylH ---

The design store increased Canadian costs because of our low $ I have a subscription and I don't think I'm going to renew because Canadian Subs are getting much less for their money.

...(

I wish they would just leave it at 99cents US. Then I would pay it if I wanted the product. You just know that they won't drop the price for Canadians when the dollar rebounds and its worth more than the US dollar at some point. Its that reason I quit buying from them...

[2busyscrappin]

Cat_woman= That's how I feel too. Cheated that they increased to 1.25. At one point it was 1.09 and then it jumped to 1.25. I'm only buying what's on sale and that is basically it. I'm sure things wont change for awhile. I even noticed their subs are a little more and less credits for CAD subs. That! hit a nerve

[SherylH]

I received an email on Friday from Silhouette that they would be having a 50% off sale on all designs on Feb 29. However, I checked the design store today to add to/update my wishlist and see that the sale prices are in effect now.

[STYXROCKSME]

What is everyone buying in the store on Leap Day? I have bought 10 so far. I am just building my library. I know there are "free" files out there, have some. But there are some files I want. Just need to find time to make all the stuff.

[sprtchick]

Im not going to buy any this time because I have quite a few in my library to choose from now at over 2000 cut files.

[Barbara Jay]

I did not renew my subscription this year. I have so many cut files I have never used. I got to the point I was struggling to find cut files to buy to use up my allotted monthly amount .
Plus they offered a lower discount percentage this past year which is actually raising the price .
I decided if I see a "must have" design I will just buy it at full price. So far I have not seen one design I really wanted .

[STYXROCKSME]

Amber,
2000? I can't imagine having that many files.

[jukie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sprtchick

Im not going to buy any this time because I have quite a few in my library to choose from now at over 2000 cut files.

Lol! I am upwards of 4000, I think this subscription will be my last

[buggainok]

You guys that have stuff in the thousands - how do you ever decide what you want to use?

I still have trouble with chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. When they got to 31 flavors they lost me.

[Barbara Jay]

Didn't renew my subscription this year and have no intention of ever buying a subscription again . I have 1441 cut files . :shock: If I used one on each card I would need to make 720 cards just to use each cut file once . That would be possible over a period of years , but I also have a gazillion metal dies too

The problem with a Silhouette pre-paid subscription is you have to spend a certain amount each month or lose your money .
I "deeply resented" the policy that you only have two months to spend the allotted money for a given month and if you don't renew you lose any unused money .

Most people make a lot of cards for the Holidays and fewer cards during the warm months, but they are forced to use up the money on cut files they may never use rather than being able to save the money for when they are making a lot of cards

So you end up buying files just to use up the money for that month

Just my 2� worth

[Janet1000]

I just purchased a boat load of files at 50% off today.

I wait till I get those notices and buy certain sections like quilting, flowers, trees, x-mas, etc. I have to admit, I use my dies a lot more, but I'm trying to build up my cut file library so I can spend less on dies (and store less stuff).

For me, the subscription never made sense. I had it for 30 days and I was forced to purchase files just so I didn't lose the money, but I was buying things I wasn't really in the market for... Don't like that. Now, I make a little list of cut file types I'm interested in and when the sale hits I buy $30 worth of files and am done for the year.

[Barbara Jay]

The annual subscription is $70 or $80 ( on the end of the year sale) so you saved $40 to $50 your way and still got what you wanted .
That is wise purchasing

[melissa59]

I still have a $25 Silhouette gift card from way back when I bought my original machine. I wonder if it's any good?

I should get my Silhouette out and see if I can find some way to jury rig a cutting mat or do a little research to see if one currently on the market would fit.

[sprtchick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by STYXROCKSME

Amber,
2000? I can't imagine having that many files.

And they are all neatly sorted into folders!
;)

[sprtchick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melissa59

I still have a $25 Silhouette gift card from way back when I bought my original machine. I wonder if it's any good?

I should get my Silhouette out and see if I can find some way to jury rig a cutting mat or do a little research to see if one currently on the market would fit.

Melissa Cricket mats work just fine in the Silhouette.....!

[Janet1000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melissa59

I still have a $25 Silhouette gift card from way back when I bought my original machine. I wonder if it's any good?

I should get my Silhouette out and see if I can find some way to jury rig a cutting mat or do a little research to see if one currently on the market would fit.

I took my Sil mat and went shopping. I hit Kmart, $$ store, Tuesdays, and on line. Found some thin cutting mats for $1 at the dollar store (pack of 4) that work great in my Sill. They are not 12x12, but I can change the size of the paper inside Sil to match the size of the mat.

[2busyscrappin]

I'm confused and very intrigued how to find anything close to Sil Mat. What do the substitutes look like...

I'm all for something other than a Sil Mat when I'm just cutting out templates.

Please more info lol!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet1000

I took my Sil mat and went shopping. I hit Kmart, $$ store, Tuesdays, and on line. Found some thin cutting mats for $1 at the dollar store (pack of 4) that work great in my Sill. They are not 12x12, but I can change the size of the paper inside Sil to match the size of the mat.

[2busyscrappin]

I don't plan on renewing my sub either. I bought a bunch of files from their 50% off sale. Too hard to go through all the images. I got a deluxe pkg last year when it was on sale and our dollar was decent. So I have credit coming out of my ears. However with the CAD being low Sil changed our cost for files. I think its unfair. These are digital files and when it jumped from 1.09 to 1.25 my credit went down also. So instead of what you would normally get on a sub, my credits went down instead of staying the way it was until the end of my term.

I took advantage of images I eyed at for the last couple of months and purchased them while the sale was on.

No renewal for after my term is over.

[Janet1000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2busyscrappin

I'm confused and very intrigued how to find anything close to Sil Mat. What do the substitutes look like...

I'm all for something other than a Sil Mat when I'm just cutting out templates.

Please more info lol!

They look like thin, cheap cutting mats for the kitchen. That is what they are. They are not clear, nor do they have rulers printed on them. So I drew the ruler on them, and matched up the header space that the real SIL mats have and drew lines - so I know where to line the paper up on the mats.

Then I sprayed them with tacki-glue. I've always reapplied my own tackiness to my mats.

These work great if I am cutting a bunch of something and I don't have to have precise line ups between the mat and Sil software. For instance, I do not use these for a print and cut. But I do use these if I need to cut out a ton of Christmas ornaments loaded onto my SIL page.

[2busyscrappin]

ohhhh okay gotcha.

I know what they are now. So you've had no problems with slipping or loading..?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet1000

They look like thin, cheap cutting mats for the kitchen. That is what they are. They are not clear, nor do they have rulers printed on them. So I drew the ruler on them, and matched up the header space that the real SIL mats have and drew lines - so I know where to line the paper up on the mats.

Then I sprayed them with tacki-glue. I've always reapplied my own tackiness to my mats.

These work great if I am cutting a bunch of something and I don't have to have precise line ups between the mat and Sil software. For instance, I do not use these for a print and cut. But I do use these if I need to cut out a ton of Christmas ornaments loaded onto my SIL page.

[Janet1000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2busyscrappin

ohhhh okay gotcha.

I know what they are now. So you've had no problems with slipping or loading..?

No slipping. It is kept in place by the paper stuck to the top (like the SIL mat) and the rollers are on top of the paper keeping it in place. I lifted the real SIL mat and found that thing is super slick on the back side so I try to find the super slick backed mats also.

Loading - These mats are not usually 12x12 so I load it so that it is 12 or 14 inches loaded as the header.

Hope this helps.

[2busyscrappin]

Thanks! If I find these mats I will definitely try it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet1000

No slipping. It is kept in place by the paper stuck to the top (like the SIL mat) and the rollers are on top of the paper keeping it in place. I lifted the real SIL mat and found that thing is super slick on the back side so I try to find the super slick backed mats also.

Loading - These mats are not usually 12x12 so I load it so that it is 12 or 14 inches loaded as the header.

Hope this helps.

[Susan_T]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2busyscrappin

Thanks! If I find these mats I will definitely try it.

Way back when in the time of the blue Wishblade (precursor to Silhouette) we made our own mats by using something similar to the cutting boards. They were 12x18 inch plastic template sheets usually sold in the quilting section of craft stores. They could be cut to the right size. We covered the top with a full-sheet size Avery label and then misted on 2-3 coats of Krylon Easy-Tack. Don't try to spray it on in one thick coat. Two or three thin coats work better. You don't want it to be too sticky or your projects will tear.

[Janet1000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan_T

Way back when in the time of the blue Wishblade (precursor to Silhouette) we made our own mats by using something similar to the cutting boards. They were 12x18 inch plastic template sheets usually sold in the quilting section of craft stores. They could be cut to the right size. We covered the top with a full-sheet size Avery label and then misted on 2-3 coats of Krylon Easy-Tack. Don't try to spray it on in one thick coat. Two or three thin coats work better. You don't want it to be too sticky or your projects will tear.

I'm still using the Krylon Easy Tack on my boards. I will try the multiple layers of thin coating. Never thought of this. Sometimes I get too much of this on the mats and it rips up every project I lay down (one of the reasons I tend to grab a metal die...). Thanks. I think this will really help in the future.

[toodme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbara Jay

I did not renew my subscription this year. I have so many cut files I have never used. I got to the point I was struggling to find cut files to buy to use up my allotted monthly amount .
Plus they offered a lower discount percentage this past year which is actually raising the price .
I decided if I see a "must have" design I will just buy it at full price. So far I have not seen one design I really wanted .

Completely agree. The lower discount percentage is an effective price hike. I also do not like this "deal deal" nonsense. I would rather just wait for the 50% off sale.

[2busyscrappin]

I wanted the wishblade really bad at one time.

Wouldn't Avery paper rip while cutting.?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan_T

Way back when in the time of the blue Wishblade (precursor to Silhouette) we made our own mats by using something similar to the cutting boards. They were 12x18 inch plastic template sheets usually sold in the quilting section of craft stores. They could be cut to the right size. We covered the top with a full-sheet size Avery label and then misted on 2-3 coats of Krylon Easy-Tack. Don't try to spray it on in one thick coat. Two or three thin coats work better. You don't want it to be too sticky or your projects will tear.

[2busyscrappin]

Unfortunately for me I had bought a deluxe sub when it was on sale so I could buy some image at commercial prices. It's up in June, which mean I have to finish all my credits before it up or I lose it. Which is also unfair.

I would hope for another 50% sale for personal images but at this point I am looking at commercial images. Did anyone know that when an image on sale the commercial price is the same price as when an image is regular price..?

QUOTE=toodme;21191655]Completely agree. The lower discount percentage is an effective price hike. I also do not like this "deal deal" nonsense. I would rather just wait for the 50% off sale.[/QUOTE]

[lharnish]

I'm a Canadian but I have had my account set up as a US account right from the beginning because most of the design cards I was buying were in USD and not CDN. With the dollar at $1.25 today plus what the banks charge to give you that currency, you're still ahead to pay $1.25 CDN versus $0.99 USD for a file. I haven't been able to find the discount deals on the cards in Canada so I think it is still better to be set up as a USA account in my Silhouette Store profile.

[lharnish]

A $25 USD download card is under $18.50 plus a $.699 SVGtools credit for their pages. Even converting the $18.50 to CDN it is still under $25 plus you have credit at the other store for their files. Win-win!

Silhouette Store $25 Digital Download Card + Bonus $6.99 Dreaming Tree Gift Card

[Susan_T]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2busyscrappin

I wanted the wishblade really bad at one time.

Wouldn't Avery paper rip while cutting.?

I have had good luck with it. I don't use my Wishblade very often, but this mat is several years old and still going strong. Once in a while I have to respray to make it sticky. The Avery paper gets cuts and little tears, but stays stuck to the plastic backing pretty well.

[2busyscrappin]

Wow...will you look at that. Very cool...

I have a silhouette cameo now and learning about how to DIY your own mats is great.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Susan_T

I have had good luck with it. I don't use my Wishblade very often, but this mat is several years old and still going strong. Once in a while I have to respray to make it sticky. The Avery paper gets cuts and little tears, but stays stuck to the plastic backing pretty well.

[CottageBliss]

I am not seeing a 30% increase.

[planet43]

Gosh! Anyone that wants a Wishblade contact me at [email protected]

[toodme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toodme

Completely agree. The lower discount percentage is an effective price hike. I also do not like this "deal deal" nonsense. I would rather just wait for the 50% off sale.

I meant "daily deal". They do not seem like much of a "deal".