Craftsy Membership
03-13-2023, 03:02 PM
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: The Finger Lakes of upstate NY
Posts: 3,446
Craftsy Membership
I just got a notice that my Craftsy membership renewal will come up soon. They have a new "perk" that allows members to share membership with up to 3 people. Plus, 6 course credits.
The renewal rate is $121 annually. No, thanks! I do have a couple of classes that I got with last year's credit that I haven't even watched yet, so will make sure I watch them in the next week or two and will then cancel.
Years ago, I really enjoyed Craftsy. When they were taken over by a new company (and again since then), I just haven't used it. Certainly not enough to make it worth over $100.
The renewal rate is $121 annually. No, thanks! I do have a couple of classes that I got with last year's credit that I haven't even watched yet, so will make sure I watch them in the next week or two and will then cancel.
Years ago, I really enjoyed Craftsy. When they were taken over by a new company (and again since then), I just haven't used it. Certainly not enough to make it worth over $100.
03-13-2023, 03:09 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 934
I had done the "share membership" with a family member about a year ago. Turns out all that was shared was the basic membership. None of the premium perks for having a Gold membership (many of the classes fall into this category) were available to the person I shared with.
03-14-2023, 01:04 AM
#3
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 228
If they are Craftsy classes you own, they’re yours forever even when you’re no longer a member. I have quite a few classes from the first Craftsy and then Bluprint and although I’ve never signed up once they changed hands again, I still have access to all the classes I’ve purchased. I’ve also recently purchased a couple classes when they had 75% off. No membership needed.
03-14-2023, 03:40 AM
#5
Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 3
My membership was also up for renewal. I called and asked if they had any promotions and it brought the price down to $12, so definitely worth the call,. I enjoy their classes and have learned some new skills, so am happy to renew. Like Mkotch, I also miss the fabric and thread that they used to sell.
03-14-2023, 06:43 AM
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 3,336
I cancelled a membership some time ago, but fairly recently was told that it was time for the auto-renewal. I called and explained that I had cancelled it well over a year before but was still charged for a full year anyway. I'm reluctant to join anything like that because they often are not upfront about auto-renewals. I can't access any of the classes I bought, so I'm guessing one must keep the subscription going in order to access them.
03-15-2023, 05:53 AM
#7
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: The Finger Lakes of upstate NY
Posts: 3,446
Originally Posted by marsharini
If they are Craftsy classes you own, they’re yours forever even when you’re no longer a member. I have quite a few classes from the first Craftsy and then Bluprint and although I’ve never signed up once they changed hands again, I still have access to all the classes I’ve purchased. I’ve also recently purchased a couple classes when they had 75% off. No membership needed.
The classes I have were from a time when you got a couple of credits every quarter. I don't think I've ever actually finished a single one. The one I am most interested in is for EPP as I've just started doing a bit of it. Good activity for long car rides.
As others have mentioned, I did like it when they carried fabrics and notions. They had some really good sales.
03-15-2023, 05:59 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 934
Originally Posted by Mkotch
I was disappointed when they stopped selling fabric and thread. Loved what I got through them. Does anyone know if another company took that part of their operation over?
The original Craftsy was sold to NBC Universal in 2017. They rebranded it "Bluprint" in 2019.
NBC Universal then shuttered and sold off Craftsy/Bluprint's assets in 2020. They shut down retail operations in advance of the closure/sale and likely advertised the entire stock of physical goods for surplus auction bid. Same way places like Marden's in Maine and other surplus/salvage retailers get their goods - purchasing large, multi-thousand-dollar lots, at auction. Given NBC was shutting it down (and isn't inherently a retail operation, which takes a lot more in human and logistics resources), they would have had no interest in the retail transactions of selling inventory piecemeal (plus it would likely have made more financial sense to write the surplus off on the balance sheet) and didn't consider members to be their core customer base.
The company that bought the assets of Craftsy/Bluprint, TN Marketing, only bought the course content assets, not the physical or retail ones, since they are an on-demand video company, not a retailer. The press releases related to the purchase stated they had no intention of starting up retail since that's not their line of business.
You can read the history on Wikipedia Craftsy - Wikipedia
Last edited by mkc; 03-15-2023 at 06:05 AM.
