The "Not Our Stuff" Guide š
Sometimes your project needs things we don't make ourselves - premium plugins, stock photos, specialized tools, or services from other companies. Here's how we handle all that third-party stuff in a way that's fair and transparent.
Our Basic Philosophy
No Markup, No Games We pass along third-party costs at exactly what we pay. If a plugin costs $89, you pay $89. If a stock photo costs $15, you pay $15. We don't add markups, handling fees, or any other sneaky charges.
You Own What You Pay For When you pay for licenses and services, they're yours (or at least, you get all the rights that come with them). We're just facilitating the purchase.
What Counts as Third-Party Expenses?
Premium WordPress Plugins Those fancy plugins that do specific things your website needs - membership systems, e-commerce tools, SEO plugins, backup solutions, etc.
Premium Themes Sometimes you need a theme that costs money, or we need to buy a premium theme to customize for your project.
Stock Media Photos, videos, icons, fonts, or other media assets from places like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or specialized design marketplaces.
Specialized Tools & Services
Email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, etc.)
Payment processors (Stripe, PayPal fees)
CDN services for faster loading
Security scanning tools
Analytics and tracking services
Testing & Development Tools Sometimes we need temporary access to premium tools just to build or test something for your project.
How We Handle Different Types of Expenses
One-Time Purchases Things like premium themes, stock photos, or lifetime plugin licenses get added to your invoice as a separate line item with the receipt attached.
Ongoing Subscriptions For monthly or annual services (like email marketing platforms), we'll either:
Set them up in your name and you pay directly, OR
Pay for them and bill you monthly/annually as appropriate
We'll discuss which approach works better for your situation.
Licenses We Maintain For some premium plugins, we maintain the licenses and include the cost in your billing. This means:
You get all the benefits (updates, support, etc.)
We handle the renewal paperwork
You get the license transferred to you if you ever want to manage it yourself
The license stays active for at least 12 months after our project ends
The Pre-Approval Process
Small Stuff (Under $50) We'll usually just buy what's needed and let you know. Life's too short to get approval for a $12 stock photo.
Medium Stuff ($50-$200) We'll give you a heads up before purchasing and wait for your okay. Usually just a quick email or message.
Big Stuff (Over $200) Definitely getting your approval first, along with details about what it is, why you need it, and what the ongoing costs might be.
Ongoing Subscriptions We always discuss these with you first, regardless of cost, because they keep charging month after month.
What You'll See on Your Invoice
Clear Line Items Each third-party expense shows up as its own line with:
What we bought
Where we bought it from
Exactly what we paid
Why your project needed it
Receipts Included You get copies of all receipts, so you can see exactly what was purchased and when.
Separate from Our Time Third-party costs are always listed separately from our development time, so you can easily see what's what.
License Management & Ownership
During Your Project
We handle all the renewal paperwork and admin stuff
You get full benefit of the licenses
Updates and support are taken care of
You're listed as the license holder when possible
After Your Project
Licenses stay active for at least 12 months (often longer)
You can take over management anytime
We'll transfer everything to your accounts if you want
We'll give you all the login info and documentation
If You Want to Take Over Just let us know! We can transfer licenses to your accounts, set up billing in your name, or walk you through managing everything yourself.
Special Situations
Group Discounts Sometimes we get better pricing because we buy licenses for multiple clients. You benefit from these group rates - we don't pocket the difference.
Existing Licenses If we already have a license for something you need (and it allows multiple sites), you might get to use it at no extra cost. Free is good!
License Transfers Moving licenses between accounts sometimes involves transfer fees from the vendor. We'll let you know about these ahead of time.
Refunds & Returns Most software licenses can't be returned, but if something doesn't work out and we can get a refund, we'll pass that back to you.
What We Don't Charge For
Our Research Time If we spend time figuring out which plugin or service is best for your needs, that's just part of doing good work.
Setup & Configuration Installing and configuring third-party tools is part of our development time, not an extra expense.
Our Existing Tools We've got plenty of premium tools and services we use for development. You don't pay for our existing subscriptions to development tools.
A Few Practical Tips
Budget Planning If you're working with a tight budget, let us know upfront. We can often find free alternatives or suggest phasing premium tools into later stages of your project.
Future Costs We'll always let you know if something has ongoing costs, so you can plan your budget accordingly.
Alternatives If a premium solution seems expensive, we'll explore free alternatives first. Sometimes the free option is perfectly fine for what you need.
Questions or Concerns?
Worried About Costs? Talk to us! We can usually find ways to keep third-party expenses reasonable, and we're always happy to explain why something is needed.
Want More Control? Some clients prefer to purchase licenses and services directly. That's totally fine - just let us know and we'll work with your preferred approach.
Need Documentation? We keep records of everything and can provide detailed documentation of all third-party services and licenses used in your project.
The Bottom Line:
Third-party expenses should be transparent, fair, and beneficial to your project. We're not trying to make money on other people's products - we just want to make sure your website has everything it needs to work great.
Questions? Just ask! We're happy to explain any expense or discuss alternatives that might work better for your situation.