Christmas PA Gifts
Charlie Judge
Posts: 13,250
When does the PA Christmas giveaway normally begin? Every year I look forward to seeing what great offerings the PAs have made.
Post edited by Charlie Judge on
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Ohhhh This is a thing!? This is my first Christmas here! If this is a thing it sounds AWESOME!
It is a "thing" and it is awesome. Some years ago the PA's would have a daily freebie outside of DAZ; then a few years ago DAZ started hosting the Christmas giveaway so now they appear as part of your purchase history when you "purchase" them. Check out the Ghosts of Christmas Past thread over in the Freebies section.
Just remember to check in each day, and purchase them immediately. I think they only hang around for three days or so, plus 1 or 2 catchup days. Once christmas is gone, they are gone for good, which is a shame, as some very good stuff has been given away in the past.
Yeah, I love the Christmas freebies. There were really great ones the two years I've been here. It is definitely something to look forward to. :) There are a couple of other sites that do Christmas freebies as well and I think they usually gets posted on the Freebies thread when and where those are so it is a good idea to keep an eye on that thread this time of year.
Very true. Though sometimes a PA will offer up a planned release as their Christmas Gift, and then release it later for sale as normal. I remember that happened with FW Darc. So they're not alway gone forever.
Still, best to get them all - even ones you may not think you'll ever use - when they're offered. Because most are only available as part of the Christmass giveaway.
Oh nice! Thank you! :D I'm looking forward to it!
for an idea of laast years giveaway
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/66860/2015-holiday-pa-giveaway/p
"The Ghosts of Christmas Past is stickied inthe freebies forum, but here's the link
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/14402/the-ghosts-of-christmas-past
-- edited to add, oops the christmas past link was already mentioned.....
In earlier years, there was a list of 'advent calendars' kept of the various sites that offered freebies. Kerya has done that here (I did it at an other site that unfortunately is no longer active). Not sure if either one of us will do it here this year. but what keeps anyone from giving it a try (
)
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/49359/christmas-calendars-2014-and-2015/p1
OK, started a thread - but remember, it isn't even December 1. So you have to wait a bit longer ...
http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/129916/christmas-calendars-2016
Any signs of there being a PA Christmas freebie hosted by DAZ this year yet ?
I don't know - but maybe they are dojng a Buy one thing and get one thing free this year?
Aave Nainen's Morphing Bean Bag Chair is free with purchase and will vanish from the store December 9th ...
Yeh I saw that. But it doesn't seem like a free Christmas gift when you have to buy something. That is more like a marketing promotion.
It isn't unusual for there to be 12 or 13 days of Christmas gifts, rather than 25 (that's what RDNA used to do too) so we may still have a week or so before anything pops up.
This will be my third Christmas here. Something they did last year, that they didn't do the year before, was offer some really nice products for 75% off with the purchase of a new release. I bought all but two of those, (Armored skimpwear, if I recall correctly. Not my thing. lol) One of the products was Stonemason's After the War, just to give you an idea of what we were seeing. And I'm pretty sure they featured one PC+ item each week so it could be a qualifying purchase.
The actual freebies weren't as prolific as the year before. InaneGlory donated a whole bunch of IG Essentials for [G2 model here], which he said he'd intended to be one Freebie. Daz dribbled them out one a day. (An observation, not a complaint.) If they go to a free with purchase from the PA's catalog for the whole month, like the morphing been bag chair from Aave Nainen, we can still pick up some great items, and the artists can make a few dollars on their back catalog. I call that a win-win.
Regardless of how the holiday sale and freebies turn out, I'm really looking forward to this month. (Although I have to admit, I'm strongly hoping we've seen the last of monsters/zombies/vampires and such for a while...)
The primary issue I have with the "free with purchase" is that that feels less like a gift than just another sales promotion. Combine that with not having the budget to get something from every participating PA's back catalog, and suddenly I'm having to pass on one vendor's freebie because maybe I already have everything I want from their back catalog, or (if it's something like Stonemason) timing means I can't even afford the back catalog even at 50% off. Right now, I have $6 in my mad money account. If I get something from Aave Nainen's back catalog today, I probably can't get something from tomorrow's PA's back catalog. I have to choose, and maybe choose blindly. Which may mean I pass on something I can actually use, because I can't afford to get something else from the PA's catalog.
Now, the bean bag chair offer is up for a week, while most PA gifts in the past have been available for only 2-3 days, so *if* they're doing the "free with purchase" thing (which I don't think they are. I think this is specific to this week and this PA), I'll have more time to make an informed decision, but I'll still be making decisions, rather than my usual of getting all of them (including add-ons for stuff I don't have yet) and just being grateful and thankful for the PA's generosity.
So, yeah. I'm going to hope that the PA Gifts aren't starting until the 12th or so, rather than their being part of the latest sales promotion.
I'm beginning to suspect we won't have any this year, especially if the "Free Bean Bag Chair!.... with the purchase of a $10-20+ new item" is any indication of what's to come this month.
Or they might be doing the traditional "Twelve Days of Christmas" route and do it for the 12 days after Christmas instead of the Advent Calendar/Countdown approach.
God, I hope so. I think most of us can agree we've had enough of that horror/zombie/monster hoohah to last us until next Halloween, lmao.
I agree. I'd be pretty sad if they do that instead of giving free gifts this year. It would actually make me more likely to NOT buy things if that's what they will be doing instead of the actual freebies this year. A buy one get one isn't a gift, it's just a sales promo. It sounds like freebies are a Christmas tradition here ...to break with that tradition to promote a buy one get one instead just doesn't sound good to me and would make me sad.
In the past, it's something the PAs have wanted to do and have willingly put items out for free. Some really nice stuff, too. I suspect given how bug nuts the sales have been lately (coupled with the ever increasing price of items thanks to Genesis 3 and Iray) and the quality of items released as Christmas freebies in the past, Daz themselves probably put a moratorium on the Advent Calendar this year and have opted to go a route where they can make money off of it. It sucks for those used to it, but from a business standpoint, it's not entirely unreasonable either.
I was kind of hoping some of the PAs or DAZ people would weigh in on this and let us know what the plans are.
Last year was my first Christmas here, and the free PA Christmas gifts really got me hooked! I still use quite a few of them, especially FWSA Soft Light Probes. Those are fabulous! Very thankful to the PAs for their generosity. It's a great way to try some of their products too.
I hope we have PA Christmas goodies, too. From what I seem to recall, last year's bonanza was only about two weeks long, which (for me) is the right amount of time for holiday goodness before I go into a sugar rush from all the virtual candycanes and eggnog and such. :) I use many of the freebies from the past couple of years - including couples' poses, Christmas tree models, and a retro gym outfit - fairly often.
I started using DAZ Studio in late 2013, so there's an emotional connection in my mind between DAZ and the holiday season.
Remember there is no obligation on a PA to create a christmas freebie, and so the amount that get submitted each year is likely to vary wildly. DAZ can not give away what it does not have. We should be grateful for any that comes along, but there can be no expectations of them.
True; and I have very much appreciated them in the past So, if they don't do it this year it is OK. But I have gotten used to looking forward to them and it would be nice to know whether or not they are going to do it again this year.
Last year was the first Christmas giveaway I really kept up with, and I was blown away by the generosity of the PAs. All of the items offered were top notch, store-worthy products, and I'm still thankful I got them (even if I *cough* forgot I had them *cough*)!
I'm keeping an eye out, hoping to see a similar turnout for this year, and giving a hearty "Thank You!!" to all of the PAs and DAZ for their generosity (and making this hobby of mine affordable).
Just to respond to some of the questions here (as well as to explain the reasoning behind it), I wanted to chime in.
For the past several years we have given away free items for the holidays. The number of items submitted however, declines each year, and we really struggle to come up with enough items to make it viable. Add to that the fact that, as free items, we indicated on them that since they were free, we did not fully test them and did not offer support for them. In spite of making this clear, many customers who got them for free and then contacted support for help with them, got really upset that we did not support them.
So, what was intended as good will actually made a lot of people angry with us. Add to that the fact that we simply don't get very many of these items submitted, and it becomes very difficult to manage.
So, while I know many may have enjoyed the free items in the past, we wanted to make sure that:
- We had enough items
- The items were of a quality that we are proud to have in the store
- The items are of a quality that people appreciate, and don't end up upset about
That is exactly why last year we began to offer other exciting deals during the holidays (very, very big name new items for 75% off.) You'll be seeing some of that this year as well. You will also be seeing a fair number of "free if you buy" new items this year that are a step above the types of freebies you have seen in the past. Plus, we've got a few other Holiday Miracles up our sleeves ;)
Steve,
Thanks for responding. I have always looked forward to seeing the PA gifts and they always seemed to be of excellent quality. I am really sorry to learn that people were upset at the wonderful gifts. Even before DAZ started hosting the gifts the PAs were giving gifts and those also were unsupported unless the PA happened to chose to do so. So, combined with a declining number of gift submissions, it is understandable that DAZ mayl not be hosting a PA giveaway.
I still look forward to whatever deals you may offer; but the Christmas season at DAZ won't seem quite the same After two major back to back sales many of us may not be able purchase much more and look forward to the PA gifts.
Charlie
I'll probably be buying nothing just to save myself the angsting over what to spends to make in order to get the best value from my 'gifts' and won't be about much, but I do wish you all at Daz a Merry Christmas. Have a good one, guys!
Well, then I'm sorry to all the PA's I end up passing on their wonderful, generous gifts because I don't have the finances to actually support them all, and I have to save my money for those days when the Freebie is something I want/can use, rather than impulse buying things that are on sale *because* of the freebie, even if the freebie is something I wouldn't normally get.
For example, if the current Freebie were just free (and I had the money available, which I will come Sunday) I'd be inclined to get the MeriMay dress since I picked up the textures last year. This year, I'm probably going to end up giving Aave Nainen's sale a complete pass, since there's nothing I actively need from their store, and I'll apparently need to save my money in case a vendor with something I need more (like Sarsa or Ravenhair) has a freebie offer.
Now, to be clear, I understand why the change was made. I accept that the change was made. I am not demanding that Daz and the PA's go back to the old way of doing things. I am always greatful for any gifts from the PA's, even in "Free with Purchase" situations. I am simply expressing how this change will impact me and my purchases this month.
Of course, since I'm only one voice, for the most part what I have to say doesn't matter to anyone, because one sale more or less won't make much of an impact on the bottom line. But I still felt it neccisary to explain my views on the subject.
What? Of course you matter! Trust me. Watch the month progress, and I don'th think you'll be disappointed.