Welcome to the forum @DesignSomething
Do you think itâs a problem with the marketplaces, or also AI, or whatâs your assessment?
A 90% problem is attributed to greedy marketplaces and shareholders combined with an endless row of stupid decisions. I saw the decline years ago when the AI was nonexistent.
AI is not a threat to me as a graphic designer. I can handle 2D graphics, 3D, Illustrations, Video, Animations, Classic Art. Probably it is a problem for a beginner or for someone that have skills in just one graphic design field. But this can be easily overcome with creativity, and expanding your skills and learning. An AI trained on another AI is the worst possible outcome, and this will be next. And the result will be an endless loop of crappy things.
For example, an AI can create an illustration faster than me. But if you ask the AI to change something subtle, it will fail miserably.
Another example is with fonts. Ask any AI to create a font. The result is hilarious.
I think programming/coding is the same. It can do some things, but to elaborate and create something complex, it will fail miserably.
I cannot do codding in 1000 years. I think visualy not analytic. And for you is the oppsite. An AI can do all and nothing.
I stopped uploading products / items 4-5 years ago when this outcome was clear for me.
Now I have an Youtube channel and Iâm creating custom computers.
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These are my abandoned porfolios
Sales stopped for you on GraphicRiver before 2022, when you uploaded your last item?
It was a steady decline. For me the decision was clear when the ammount of work didnât pay off anymore. And this was in 2020. I tried in 2022 with another 3 items and my decision was final.
Creative Market works for another 3 years but the decline was there also.
I just subscribed to your YouTube channel 
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Create some buzz on that channel. It will help allot. Invite authors with many years behind in Envato and create a podcast series. Not to talk against Envato but sharing stories about their experience. This is my advice after 5 years on YouTube .
Iâm here because today I remembered the Envato Forum first time this year and when I tried to visit it, surprise, the forum was gone. I searched and I found 2-3 links on Google about this. Itâs a shame. Overall was a very nice community.
Indeed, Envato Forum had many nice people hanging around there. It is really a shame that it is closedâŚ
Regarding your idea, would you be interested in such a talk about your experience on Envato?
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Iâm not evan near a succesful author on Envato. But yes we can talk about.
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Personally, I believe the Envato stock marketplaces started to decline because of Elements. Pushing Elements so aggressively has brought Envato close to its downfall. Sure, they might still be getting some sales, but many authors are walking away the moment they hear âEnvato.â
This used to be one of the best months for code sales. I havenât had a single sale in five days â even after uploading new items.
It wasnât greed alone that destroyed Envato. The real problem was that CEO Hichame Assi never understood how Envato truly works. He treated authors like we were just bots or disposable employees â like we didnât matter.
I know this might sound strange, but I do have what youâd call a sixth sense. I usually avoid talking about it because it makes people uncomfortable. I sometimes experience out-of-body statesspecially when I am sick or really tired⌠I see things most people wouldnât believe.
What I can say is this: every action has consequences. Even if you didnât intend harm, debts must be paid eventually. On the other side, thereâs no corruption, no excuses â justice is absolute. Every bad thing we do that affects others will be accounted for.
Considering how many times I tried to get his attention and make him understand that most authors have invested their entire careers in Envato and we need to talk with the boss, he basically always ignored, I believe this man owes a lot to the community and me of courseâŚ
I know it might sound childish to some, but itâs the truth. Donât believe me? Just wait and see. LOL
Thank you for sharing,
I think you are correct about AI, as this is my experience as well (on the coding side) - it can do the initial build very quickly, but then to perfect that and bring it to production status you still need someone with deep understanding of the subject.
Lately I have been developing with Cursor and it is building amazing apps with very nice JS functionality and transitions, really next-level, but also full of bugs and little issues that need a lot of work to bring to production quality.
In answer to @DesignSomething and @tibi_diablo
I think ANYONE who creates something should be admired. I was a moderator on the Envato Forum and yes it was really sad when it closed down. I had made a lot of good friends, and always felt it was something worth contributing to. THANKFULLY wpbay had the foresight and time to create a wonderful forum here (using the same technology we were used to) and that was a real blessing!
My advice here is be proud in what you create. If you cannot find a marketplace to sell your digital goods on, then create your own website, or reach out to companies directly.
AI is okay - but it is not human. It therefore will lack the true ability of a human being at the other end to help their customers.
Envato did what every other large company does - they made money (a shed load of money) and then thought they didnât need to keep the authors and the people who helped them achieve that.
Keep working hard! 
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hame Assi, you are personally responsible for the downfall of Envato.
For years, we â the authors who built this platform â warned, pleaded, and shouted that things were going wrong. You ignored us. You never answered, never cared, and your arrogance slowly destroyed everything this community stood for.
Sales have collapsed. The trust is gone. The authors are leaving one by one â and make no mistake, Envato Elements wonât survive another year under your so-called leadership.
You didnât just fail to lead â you killed the spirit of an entire creative ecosystem.
Iâm 100% convinced that Wpbay will become the new Envato.
Yes, times are tough right now â jobs are being lost everywhere, and the IT industry has never faced a crisis like this before.
But I know for a fact that this is only temporary. Things will get better.
This nonsense about AI âdoing everythingâ will fade soon enough â itâs just not that simple.
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@tibi_diablo you mean SHAME Assi but I agree wholeheartedly with you and others. Envato was built on authors and their submissions - without authors submitting items and then paying for the privilege of doing that, then many buyers would never have been blessed to find and buy these wonderful scripts/items.
I believe too that WPBay will grow with time, and the owners will at least support authors in the way they should have been supported all the time.
AI - do you remember years ago we had VHS or Betamax video tapes?
DVD or BLU-RAY? Now we have neither just streaming.
Telephones - now VOIP or Mobiles?
The reality is we need to hold fast, be dilligent and have our own websites to sell our wares on, and choose carefully who we trust in. For me today it is WPBay who at least stepped up and offered Envato X-Forum Members somewhere to go and be here to speak out. Well done to WPBay and their team!
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