Flash stock sites review – Flash Components (buying)
Flash Components is a dedicated Flash file marketplace established in 2001. Anyone can apply to be an author and each file is reviewed before upload.
Design
The web 2.0 bandwagon has rolled on past and left the Flash components site in its wake. There isn’t anything terribly wrong with it, its just so utterly forgettable. The logo epitomizes the design approach with one (or five) too many Photoshop filters applied.
Once we got past the predictability of it all, the layout starts to make a lot of sense. Everything is where you would expect it to be and the homepage is fantastic for getting a quick overview of the latest and greatest files.
Usability
At first glance all seems well here, the search bar remains highly visible throughout and you rarely get lost thanks to the breadcrumb navigation. The category and search systems are logical and work well with useful filters allowing for further refinement.
There are some confusing navigation elements, especially on the individual file pages. This however, pales in to comparison next to the colossal mistake made with the buying process. The “buy now” button does not in fact buy now; you are expected to hunt around for the “add to basket” button at the bottom of the page. This is the sort of error that loses sales and frustrates buyers. Once you get past this stupidity its nice to find that you can buy the file without first depositing money or even signing up.
Library & pricing
The Flash components library is by no means huge considering its apparently been around for 8 years! (we are not convinced by this claim). That said there is a good mixture of files and its debatable how many menus and xml galleries you will need to choose from anyway. There are rss feeds and email notifications so its easy to keep track of new files.
Pricing seems a bit inconsistent, which is not surprising as the author`s can suggest the prices themselves. We are pretty confused about the license agreements, there are 4 or 5 to choose from, none of which are very clearly explained. The most commonly used Regular license looks like outstanding value allowing for unlimited, unrestricted use (apart from resale).
There seems to be little control over undercutting as its now common to see an entire author`s portfolio at a massively knocked down price. While this is good for buyers in the short term, its debatable how sustainable this. Flash components are in danger of losing authors who do not want to compete in a race to the bottom of the bargain bin.
File quality & support
File quality is the lifeblood of any stock site, without good files a marketplace will soon die. Flash components does not have the excellent exclusive authors that other sites have, but there are still some great authors with great files. There is a ratings system and a popular files section so it easy to find the real quality. The review process seems to stop the worst getting through, but we would still like a higher level of quality control as there are some very average files here.
Support is a mixed bag, you can leave the author comments and send private messages, but there is no guarantee of getting a helpful response. Considering the low prices this should be no surprise. One big plus is there are active forum topics for the most popular files, so you can benefit from a bit of community spirit.
Support staff were very good in our experience, replying within 3 hours with a helpful response.
Overall rating
Flash components has a lot of things going for it, if you can get past the uninspired interface you will find a good selection of reasonably priced and fairly well supported files. Quality is average, but find files with the Regular licence and you will get an amazing deal. We have some serious concerns over the buying process, but loved the simple one off, registration free, payment option.
At a glance
- www.flashcomponents.net
- Established: 2001
- Total files: 1473
- Lowest priced file: $1
- Highest priced file: $189 (Regular license)
- Minimum deposit: N/A
- Payment methods: Paypal, Credit Card
- Standard licences restrictions: The regular license is a steal with no restrictions
- Time before deposits expire: N/A
- Volume discounts available: Yes
- Refunds: Yes, but only in store credit
Tests
- Response time for non-urgent question: Less than 3 hours
- Usefulness of response: Very good
- Total files found for “xml gallery”: 31
Disclaimer: We have sold and/or brought on all the stock sites we review. We do have some of these sites as our “sponsors”, but this is no way dictates any of the views expressed. The adverts on the Flash blog are not paid for by the site but are part of referral programs. These reviews represent our own opinions only. Key facts have been verified with the site owners and are correct at the time of writing, but are open to change.
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