Confused about Waves license transer policy and forum sales

VST, AU, AAX, CLAP, etc. Plugin Virtual Effects Discussion
Post Reply New Topic
RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

I've been thinking about selling some Waves plug-ins recently, but was discouraged by their transfer fee:
Transfer fees are 5% of the normal list price of the products being transferred (with a minimum $10 and maximum $150).
So, if I want to sell, e.g., the Aphex Exciter, the fee'd be $14.95 (it's listed at $299), half of the $29 I bought the plugin for, making it hardly worth selling in my opinion.

However, if I look over at the Sell & Buy forum, I see plenty of Waves stuff listed, at prices that make me wonder if people are just ok with 50% or more of their asking price going to fees or if I've missed something about the transfer policy.

Any help/advice/clarification is appreciated!

PS: I realise this would be a better fit for the Sell & Buy forum, but I already have a thread open there.

Post

This is more BS from Waves.
> Transfer fees are 5% of the normal list price

The real normal list price of plugins is $29-$79. They haven't sold a single plugin at full price in years. There are no plugins at $299. They keep those ridiculous "normal" list prices and then use this cheating policy to make it hard to sell your plugins.

Because if you sell it for $20, Waves gets $15 and you get $5. So it basically makes no sense to bother selling it. And for the buyer, if they can buy new for $29 or deal with license transfer for $20, might as well buy new and get 1 year of support for just $9 more.

I understand these are tough times for plugin makers. But Waves seems to go out of their way to maintain a steady stream of BS.


BTW, I think you are missing one more thing in your calculation:
https://www.waves.com/support/transfer-of-ownership

"Each license being transferred will need to be covered under the Waves Update Plan. "

So if your license is more than 1 year old, you have to pay WUP as well. So your cost to sell the license is:
$10 WUP (or so, someone confirm, may be more)
$15 ransom fee to Waves
= $25.

That plugin is $57 at Plugin Discounts (before coupon code). So if you sell it for $40 to entice a buyer, you get to keep around $15 (depending on WUP cost).

Post

Thanks for your explanation. And yes, I forgot to factor in WUP, which will make reselling even less attractive.

I understand that this is a good way for Waves to discourage people reselling their licenses, especially when bought at a (permanent) discount. It's just that, judging by the amount of Waves sales on the forums, it didn't seem to me that anyone was discouraged. But maybe I just think differently about when reselling is actually worth it.

Post

The "5% of normal retail price" fee smells really off. The technical admin involved would likely be the same for a $99 plugin as it is for a $299 one, so the fee is really disproportional to the level of customer service provided.

It was a 2-birds 1-stone deal for Waves I think: reduce the rampant secondhand market on discount sales + increase potential future revenue take per sale.

I wouldn't worry about Waves experiencing tough economic times, I'm sure they're doing very, very well.

Post

Guys.......

Look, It is a little odd but not to long ago people were buying waves for 49.00 and selling them a month later for 35.00 or 30.00. There was no transfer fee. I sold a few and a bought a few. The transfer were freindly and fast. Waves made nothing. every one was trading Waves stuff back and forth with Waves handling the transfers. They saw the writing on the wall. They basically reduced their entire catalog to 29.00 and eleminated 2nd hand sales. Its still a great deal with unequaled long term support. I think they were smart for what they did. Its a hell of a value IMHO.
We jumped the fence because it was a fence not be cause the grass was greener.
https://scrubbingmonkeys.bandcamp.com/
https://sites.google.com/view/scrubbing-monkeys

Post

I doubt they went crazy on the $29 deals simply to stave off the secondhand market - they're clearly a bit smarter than just being reactionary. It was about money and always was... and yes that's business. We have to accept it or vote with our dollars elsewhere.

I would say just be weary of purchasing Waves, knowing that selling them is a PITA :)

They make some good stuff.

Post

Scrubbing Monkeys wrote: It is a little odd but not to long ago people were buying waves for 49.00 and selling them a month later for 35.00 or 30.00. There was no transfer fee.
There are many ways to go about it. Waves is going a distance above reasonable. They are adding a percentage fee that's based on fantasy. In addition they mandate the WUP that is otherwise optional.

Think about this. They know they sell most of their plugins at $29. They know that between the WUP and the base transfer fee, no plugin can be sold second hand for less than $20. As a Waves plugin owner, at best your potential money from selling your license is only $8 if you sell a typical $29 plugin at exactly $28.

They are basically making it so that people can no longer sell their Waves licenses. But they don't block the sale. They just pretend that selling licenses is fine, as long as you follow a couple of simple rules. How clever.

Post

Thanks for the further input. I didn't know the transfer fee was a new thing. Maybe that explains why there are still so many second-hand sales going on; people might have missed out on the policy change. Does anyone know when the current fee system came into existence?

Post Reply

Return to “Effects”