Another thing that I forgot to mention was that the very least I’d expect from a premium theme is well-documented and well-organised code so that users can easily tweak the theme. Sure, I can probably figure out where a particular line of code is with a bit of effort, but it’s definitely better when it’s all clearly marked so that I can quickly spot the section I want to tweak.

@ PJ – A bunch of great things I forgot to mention. Do you mind if I add them to my original post? I will be crediting the source with a link.

@ Brian – Thanks for taking the time to comment, as you know as well as anyone what all is involved.

As a side note, my business is focusing on #8. I will soon be releasing an entire project based upon this point, and I am very excited to say that I think it will be something that people within the niche I am focusing will be happy with.

With so many decent free themes out there, a premium theme has to truly shine before many people will consider paying for one. Especially those people who have the ability to tweak a theme to make it somewhat unique for their own site.

I get a bad taste in my mouth when free themes don’t work right, so I have no patience at all for premium themes that aren’t darned near perfect. And they should have at least a couple features that make them stand out from the crowd.

Great writeup—thanks!

Another “must” would be providing clear documentation/instructions before purchase that includes very clear description of exactly WHO the theme is targeted to: case in point, I recently purchased a $55 premium theme, only to find out that it won’t suit my purpose at all. Right now I’m knee deep in tearing it completely apart – functions and all – and rebuilding it from the ground up. I’d have thrown it out completely but it does have a few features I like and want to keep. I’m sure it’s probably a great theme for the right person, but had I known in advance what it’s limitations were, I would not have bought it.

I was actually just ranting last night on twitter regarding “Premium” Themes and designers that “encourage” users to use a particular browser.

Granted I do agree there is a better browser however I will not name names or point fingers simply because of my preference. Especially in an area that WE HAVE NO CHOICE in what browser our visitors use. I will not take the chance of losing a reader because I am “to good” to design a compatible site for all browsers.

I also agree that on back end “Premium” themes administration can often be overwhelming to the average user. Just because you can doesn’t always mean you should make things handy. (read: difficult)

Again, great post! Thanks!