"I read your recent article on creating templates for open source software programs such as Drupal, Joomla and WordPress and selling them online. The idea will definitely work if I create beautiful and feature rich templates. Though I like the idea very much, I am neither a designer nor a programmer. My only strength is my addiction to the Internet browsing. Is there anything I can do with this template project?" Kausik asked me.
"Usually people view any addiction as a weakness. I am glad that you consider your addiction to the Internet browsing as strength. If you don't expect to make a lot of money but be content with whatever you get, I can give you a suggestion," I told him.
"I understand. If I want to make a lot of money I must acquire new skills that are in demand and market my skills professionally. When I want to make 'some' money without raising myself to high levels, I must be prepared to accept what I get," he said.
"You have nice attitudes. But you must add fire of aspiration to your attitudes. You understand that templates would always be in demand. They are just like our dresses. If you wear exclusive, great looking shirt, you will command respect wherever you go, irrespective of your actual status. Most web users judge a website by the look of the design because that is the first thing they see. Content, features and usability are only next. So all webmasters look for good website templates," I said.
"But I don't understand why many web designers create templates and give them away for free," said Kausik.
"The first reason is when they give free templates they get links from other websites which will improve the designer's search engine position. The second reason is they get free traffic. The third reason is many freebie seekers may when their business grows buy commercial templates. There are other less important reasons also. Now let's see what you can do. For each content management system there are thousands of free templates on the net though more than 75% of the free templates are raw and poor in quality and are compatible only with older version of the software. Any free template seeker has to browse through the list of thousands of poor incompatible templates before he meets his match. You can help these poor frustrated souls by supplying them free, great looking, free templates for the latest version of software," I told him.
"Am I allowed to sell the work of others? Who will buy from me what is available for free on the net?" Kausik raised valid questions.
"You are generally not allowed to sell them unless the license says otherwise. Generally most open source programs and themes allow you to do whatever you want without breaking the terms. In your case, you are charging for your time and knowledge. If you make it clear at the time of selling, everything should be ok. As I said earlier, most people don't have time to go through thousands of web pages to find the good ones. They will certainly pay you if the price is right," I said.
"Let's take WordPress. I'll go to WordPress theme site and patiently browse through all the themes and download the latest great themes. I will also go through other websites that offer free WordPress templates and get them. I will organize them in meaningful categories. How will I sell my collection?" he asked.
"You can do it in two ways. Burn your collection in a CD and sell them through auction websites such as eBay. But this approach has two problems: Your collection will mostly be bought by overseas customers. You will have to send the CD by airmail or by courier to overseas buyer and the high cost will eat whatever money you earn. The other option is to have your own password protected website and tell people to download from your website after they pay. The second approach is better because the buyer will get the product immediately after he pays," I said.
"But I don't want to spend money on webhosting and domain names!" said Kausik. "What a wonderful business idea you have got! In that case you can host your files on free download services such as RapidShare and sell your collection. You can advertise about your collection in Webmaster forums, if they allow you to do so," I said.
"What would be the ideal price?" he asked and I responded, "If you keep the price under $15, people will not hesitate to buy from you."