[shadowswittness]

Ok I have to give my 2 cents on what I have seen here so far. How can theme builders charge for a theme using a beta theme builder ? You would think they would offer the theme for free then charge for the bug free version later. I see some here that are free and give you guys much respect for what you do. Anywho comment on what you guys think on this issue.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[laollis]

Ok I have to give my 2 cents on what I have seen here so far. How can theme builders charge for a theme using a beta theme builder ? You would think they would offer the theme for free then charge for the bug free version later. I see some here that are free and give you guys much respect for what you do. Anywho comment on what you guys think on this issue.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I totally agree.

[iGalione]

yeah i saw, and wanted to state this since i saw that Hedone designs were even offering free themes while still TB6.0 was in beta... but, it's an economic crunch, and i guess people are just trying to get a quick buck, i will only pay for a premium theme if it is worth, and all these 1 - 2 screen shot themes, aren't cutting it.... for that i'll take the time and develop my own

[mcdanielnc89]

yeah. I've bought about 6 bucks worth of themes and they are CRAP! too buggy for my tastes to purchase ANY MORE.

[quillhill]

I've only bought one theme and it's been good, Rocker+Chic, but otherwise I've not seen anything else I would pay for, not even the 99 cent themes -- which I think is OK when you're using beta theme building software -- but I agree, it frustrates me to see theme builders charging more than $2.99 (and some are) with software they KNOW is buggy and incomplete. I applaud the efforts of these folks but seeing that some of these are getting knocked out in a day or so then I don't know they are worth paying for especially when they're not doing much to improve the BB experience with the themes they're producing.

[shadowswittness]

Ive seen themes that people are selling for $ 4.99 with the Theme builder still in the beta. I could fully see them being offered for .99 until it is a full release. With all the bugs the beta has why not let everyone be a beta tester in the mean time ?

[tsells]

Ive seen themes that people are selling for $ 4.99 with the Theme builder still in the beta. I could fully see them being offered for .99 until it is a full release. With all the bugs the beta has why not let everyone be a beta tester in the mean time ?

Yes the Themebuilder is in beta but there are some very talented developers that have found a way to optimize their Torch themes. (And this takes a lot of time and testing, thus the price is justified.)
And there are some other developers that have literally put out some garbage themes at higher prices (that are not worth anything).
You need to check the reviews/forums and also buy from developers that actually respond to the forums. I don't want to name names but it is usually easy to figure out who the reputable developers are.

[KahneFan]

It's all about choice. You have a CHOICE to pay for it, or a CHOICE not to pay for it.

And, most of the time, it appears as though the theme authors will allow upgrades for free. So, as the theme is corrected, you will get the corrected versions.

Last, many of these "beta" themes are pretty close to a full theme. Close enough that many people out there (who like to cheat the system) will gladly download a free theme just to avoid paying for a paid theme, even if there are bugs. So, might as well charge right out the gate if the theme author wishes. Again though, it's YOUR choice to buy it or not.

You spend more on a coffee than you do on most of these themes that someone worked hard to build (even if it IS a beta [for now])

[shadowswittness]

I agree on if its a good solid theme to buy it but what im saying is the price for the beta theme.

[KahneFan]

I agree on if its a good solid theme to buy it but what im saying is the price for the beta theme.

If you priced the beta @ free, there are (many) people who would take the free beta and probably never upgrade and just "deal" with the differences. Also, if the authors are offering free upgrades as they release them, then you're technically going to end up paying for a non-beta as soon as it's released.

In regards to the "ugly" themes, those would be ugly regardless if it's beta or not, but beauty is in the eye of the beerholder, so download it if you think it's nice.

Again, it boils down to choice. You can CHOOSE to pay for, DL and use a beta version. Or, you can wait for the official releases to come out and pay for them at that time.

[IchigoMochi]

I don't mind paying for themes even if they're made using the beta theme builder, but I think it'd be nice if those of us that have could upgrade to the polished versions of these themes for free once the theme builder comes out of beta.

I'm incredibly picky with themes and so far I've only purchased one. It's great enough that I wouldn't mind paying again, but free upgrades are always nice.