[Archived - RigsK] Important Update - Requiring VIP for Earn Money Program

Posted by “QBL” on June 13, 2023.

@Incorruptus​  I think I may raise my prices moving forward on everything that has not been derived from. Just to cover the out of pocket expense of VIP. Maybe this is something we should all start thinking of doing. Its really the only course of action we have at this point.

Posted by “DarkAngel5” on June 13, 2023.

~Removed spamming, baiting, trolling, and legal comments. Stay on topic. This is to announce the changes to payouts only.

Posted by “shopdaisylogo” on June 13, 2023.

@lucky, the old saying is be careful what you wish for, if your going to create a working platform then it has to be fair, you cant expect to keep taking from the pot and leave nothing, their are certain ethics with any company. Imvu rely very much on creators feed back on their platform, one department i think do not care what another department does and this is shown a lot in the cs, with staff having to pick up the slack and escalating things. If they are going to improve it needs to keep hold of its golden goose, knowledge it cant be bought, it should be harvested and passed on.

What imvu is actually doing is a last attempt to up sales to show the vip is working because no kids are buying it. I imagine shareholders and higher up want to see these ideas actually worked when i fact it has been a big fail. Kicking the very foundations of a company is a sure way for it to fall.

Posted by “Incorruptus” on June 13, 2023.

Last not least I would like them to make it possible to raise all product prices, so we are better equipped, in future, to overcome situations that mean to include the need for price fluctuations, and adaptations of creators to economics shifts, like earthquakes caused by these changes are. See we are with them we should be all on the same side. And this is something, we need to simply, grow towards to. Fine if they up the price in this way. But we are dependable on such movements and fluctuations. You can't exect us, specially grandfathers. to change prices of over whatever 50 products..is already a big issue. But can be done in 3 hrs. Still...we need better equipment to adapt with changes like this.

Posted by “Incorruptus” on June 13, 2023.

Correct all are. And it is a choice to make. I love the benefits. Some don't so they need to make a pass or membership to enter the store. And one for pay out. And than we are all there. Everyone can make up their minds. And all "happier"? So I don't understand this whole situation at all. They can make it cost directed memberships. And I think in this specific case, their strategy should have been to make those passes, and offer them. And rule in effect in 3 months from now. As well as on direction of feedback handed to the subject. And I hope they will follow that up. We simply need to understand this change. We are not only customers, but also external staff. And so our voice shouls be heard. Thank you for these nice comments. I would also love to hear your ideas to overcome it. So it becomes feedback.

Posted by “DianaDeMysterieux” on June 13, 2023.

I read your post and do you make some good points.

However, looking at this from a POV of a Creator who doesn't get enough sales to cash out as much as they like. Paying $9.99 ($10.00) or $19.99 ($20.00) a month does add up and if the cash out does not balance out the cost of VIP, then the Creator is losing more than money than they are gaining.

There are Creators for whom Creating might be their only source of income (for whatever reason that might be). The idea of having to for Platinum and/or Diamond VIP to cash out may not be feasible.

Posted by “Vorvolaka” on June 13, 2023.

It's not easy to make money on here or to meet the minimum payout requirement for a lot of people. Especially over the past few years. My sales and a lot of my friends sales have been down more than half of what they were a few years ago. 45% off of a credit purchase of that amount is still a lot. It's also not like even if VIP is inactive we can still accumulate money. That's where my issue lies. I have to actively be paying a VIP subscription of $10 a month to accumulate my earnings for that month. If it was a case of buying VIP soley to cash out I wouldn't have as big of an issue with it as I do. It would at least allow me the ability to figure out a system where I can sustain. As it is now, my earnings go to food and other living expenses. Having 120 taken out of that a year is a big ask. The only thing I can conclude is that IMVU doesn't want certain people here anymore.

The fact that people are still commenting and pushing is not a bad thing. If no one said anything, we wouldn't have the current compromise.

Posted by “iLucky” on June 13, 2023.

I congratulate anyone that completes this read.

Lets be honest, this has been at least 8+ years in the making, since they changed the grandfathered creator accounts program making new creators buy VIP to be able to create and actually adding a cash out option instead of credits too, IMVU has costs associated with everything to be able to run the business. Everything IMVU is now took money to accomplish, even the smallest of things costs money and work hours from employee's of IMVU to complete.

This I think is only the mid-stage of the evolution of IMVU's business and that's because IMVU is evolving it's business. IMVU took a huge lose of active IMVU users and is still recovering from it and offering a free service and then it becomes a paid service is not unheard of. We all pay to create in some shape or form, whether with credits or earned credits, which is another business expense.

Not sure what I was expecting by posting my opinion but I wasn't trying to start a debate with everyone, I have my own thoughts with my own opinions, which I will express fully and freely as I want. As I'm sure everyone else does as well. I don't need to be told what is what, I can figure it out myself. I don't really need to be convinced otherwise.

Fact is this WILL happen, even if anyone feels it's unethical or not fair or anything else, it's done, nothing to really do about it, so we all have to deal with it. Unless someone is trying to bring IMVU to court for a $9.99 fee? Make sure to have a counter-claim for punitive damages. Or maybe a friendly and peaceful protest at the California head quarters? But whose going to do that? No one, because a business will always have expenses no matter what.

That's the only options at this point to get a reversal of the pay wall of a VIP subscription to get your income from your shop policy and not posting on the forums. As it's a policy now for everyone on IMVU and complaining about it on the forums won't change it, no matter what is said your chances are lower then slim to none to actually change this, sorry.

But what some are saying is a fee to get your money from your business is unethical, it is a pay wall if you do not have a VIP subscription, however, every business has expenses. IMVU is not a bank or any other official financial institution, if this was a bank then yes, it would be unethical. I don't really need to know anyone's financial situation or anything to see that $9.99 might be more to some creators then to others.

Credits is a fake currency but you can earn real cash from sales from your shop from credits and VCOINS is crypto currency and the cash out option for creating is real money, be thankful to get the cash out option for only an IMVU subscription and not a percentage off your total net income for overheads. We got the lessor of the two.

Only the government can tax your income, this is not tax, this is an expense of doing business. This is the new norm now, so it's best to not waste time on something that has a grim outlook, that being trying to change the policy.

There wasn't an option before long time ago to make cash, it used to be credit resellers buying credits and reselling them and IMVU wasn't as strict with it as IMVU should have been. (not as serious as it is now, at present you get permanently banned for doing this)

This is some where around the time when IMVU started the cash out option for creators and what prompted everyone's cash income at the present. That's 8+ years of having a free cash out option, I think time has run out to say the least. Just think of the work hours it takes to do things in a company, maybe then others would understand it more clearly, the world is not run by automation or robotics, it takes real people to do real work, which in turn costs real money.

I don't see the problem as others do, it's only $9.99, it's maybe coming from a low income shop and to some it's too much or unethical to some or some don't want to pay extra for anything because they might want it to be always free. But why even apply for the cash out option if someone might make next to nothing and not be able to afford a $9.99 VIP subscription just to cash out? To some it's nothing and to some it's more. It goes deeper then just "it's unethical", there must be some personal reasons as well such as wanting it to be free to make money or possibly just the worst case scenario that can be said to try to change a policy.

It's the price of doing business, both IMVU and your shop are businesses, businesses have expenses no matter where you live. You do have to either buy credits or earn credits to be able to create and get to this point of having a cash out option from your shop from creating products and a VIP subscription to cash out, which is another business expense.

Some creators income is 100's or 1000's of dollars, they have to think about both low and high income shops and there might be a majority of creators that have a lower income with their shop, however, I think they are in a way trying to cover costs as a whole.

I don't have the exact numbers, but there might be a higher percentage of active VIP creators then grandfathered creator accounts, which in turn could be an added reason why this had to happen. (Out with the old, in with the new type thing)

As the majority may already have VIP anyways and has no effect on the majority's income because they might have a VIP subscription at present. There are many reasons for this policy to be put into place. Do you know how easy it is to make money on IMVU? Let's add it up, buying VIP is $4.99 (lowest tier), wait a little bit of time and there will be a 45% off credits sale, buy around 100k to 300k credits and spend that money in one shop with a VIP and cash out option and you've just made IMVU payout 45% more.

If a company is bleeding money, that's the worst possible position a company can be in. It not only hurts the company but it's users as well. As I said it before, IMVU took a lose of active IMVU users and is still recovering from it, if they need to start charging a business fee on your business, you should know you're not being targeted, grandfathered accounts can still create their hearts out without a VIP subscription, which is the only perk grandfathered accounts have, no where did you sign up for a free lifetime service of cashing out because there was no option for that back then. Creators just have to cash out with a VIP subscription when they feel like it. It's just a -$9.99 business expense to cash out.

In conclusion, the fee for cashing out won't change, so say everything and repeat it's “unethical” and say anything else about it until you realize a lot of time has passed and still nothing has changed and it's months later. It's either or, you either continue trying to change something that won't change or deal with the small fee. There's no other way around it, because in the end everyone in the cash out program will surrender to it's fees because it won't change and creators will still have to do this in any situation to get their cash income from their shops, if they haven't already got a VIP subscription.

If there are any questions or concerns, just reread this thoroughly, I believe this it's summed up as much as possible and or as much as I feel like saying ...

Posted by “Vorvolaka” on June 12, 2023.

I agree, there should be way more tools available for managing our catalogs. The option to hide everything at once would be very useful. Or maybe even a system like email, where you can bulk mark everything on one page and hide them.

Posted by “DOLLB4BY” on June 12, 2023.

Also if this new measure is taken We need a feature to hide entire shop not one by one, but a button is pressed and ALL items are removed and hidden allowing user to disable their account without their products in rotation, imvu doesn't need my products I know this, but this way we can remove it 100% in one button

Posted by “DOLLB4BY” on June 12, 2023.

We do not want to buy in we do not wish for a subscription in order to receive our due money, all this vip is poppycock, we don't want any part of buying in and rqst legal council why do those have more than 2 creator accts when we understood 2 was the rule and not over 2 with flawed and discriminatory rules they need to go back to the drawing board this is unacceptable we are not going to consider vip we will leave 100% and urge others to do the same, when badge rules are discriminatory flawed and not fair, and our payouts won't be expected unless we pay more in this is not cool I don't like being disrespected and given headaches over what monies are rightfully mine.

Posted by “Sylaraia” on June 12, 2023.

I think the messages to our customers are starting to cascade, although I'm not certain it's in the way we want, question mark? I had a friend, completely unsolicited and barely aware of what's going on with us, suddenly announce she moved all group activities off of IMVU because, 'The ship is sinking.' Needless to say, she's not buying any more credits because she thinks it'll be a waste of money. This could become a self-fulfilling prophecy if IMVU doesn't get their ess together, retract their heads from their rectums and stop scrounging for damn change in the couch (us being the couch) when they should be doing one of a thousand projects that they've put off for a decade that make their product look slipshod and slapped together.

Posted by “Smaro” on June 12, 2023.

My opinion is that whatever cash we earned untill june 30th is before the new system takes place. I believe the right thing IMVU has to do is give us (us veterans that didnt pay vip untill now) the amount we earned, whatever amount that is (minimum or maximum regarding the masa and such) as if we dont want to pay VIP. From july 1st everything changes. Whatever one desides to do, pay or not pay for vip, wants payments or just wants credits, is to be earned acordingly from then and on.

Posted by “Fabrishion” on June 12, 2023.

I couldn't help but to notice ( customer ) next to our handle and not ( Creator ) smh

Posted by “DONATELLA” on June 12, 2023.

And btw, I used to submit a minimum of 28 products per month, now it’s down to hardly 6 or 7, this is the very first time this ever happens with me, i lost my desire to create anything, Is that what it was meant for? Imvu is really unstable right now and I doubt I will stay much longer, you have my products, I know, but if I leave imvu I can’t just leave my products behind to be taken advantage of, I worked for 13 years here to get my shop to where it is, its a lifetime work and now its for nothing, not going to talk about details, too late now everything is a mess here, just thinking out loud, I refuse to be disrespected like that, its really sad sad situation.