I have some stuff, although not the best of the best, i would like to get out of my way for some other stuff i would like to have~

Martin:

Are you okay with people announcing things they've listed on one of the other selling services?

I realize that wouldn't work for those who want to limit their market to ETS'ers, but it's a possible workaround for others.


As to only allowing people who've given some support to ETS to sell, if a donation is required to do something, it's no longer a donation. Could that potentially get ETS in trouble?

Perhaps its a bad example. I guess I could have come up with a more likely bad deal but I wasn't trying very hard.

But as Martin says, there will eventually be a bad deal. Right now, this forum is a place which has honor and dignity. I think a selling section would be a guaranteed mechanism for "bad feeling generation".

Survival gear is like climbing gear. You want to be careful about where you buy used gear.

Some sort of online ETS Swap Meet/Garage Sale might be interesting. 10% of proceeds pledged to ETS? $5.00 donation to participate? Something like that?

Caveat emptor, caveat vendor, not ETS's responsibility to police?

Maybe as a once a year, limited time, repeating event?

Personally, I found the current $15 Marketplace add to be a very good deal. I'll be placing another one in the next few days as soon as my stock is replenished.

If you had a number of items to unload at once, it might be worth it to you.

That is EXACTLY the method we're using for the "Marketplace" section.

That's a very good idea - a premium account, with a verified home address, gives you the ability to post to the "Marketplace" section. That might work.

I have many years experience with 501(c)(3) corporations, I was treasurer and president of the Fire Company and I've been intimately involved in the startup of a few.

Basically, a donation that conveys a level of "membership" in a non-profit is a straightforward thing. "Benefits of Membership" are defined by the organization, and can range from access to information that is not public to access to events to special access to places that are "off limits" to non-members. For example, I am a member of the Lehigh Valley Zoo, which gives me special access rights to the park, gains me entrance to events and more. We belong to a number of non-profit organizations, and they all offer SOME form of "member benefit" even if it's just a newsletter.
In cases where gifts are given in exchange for membership (sign up, get a mug) there are specific dollar amount limits and other rules pertaining to the "in-kind" gift returned to the donor. So, no, donations in exchange for a "members-only" area of the site where there are different rules are not an issues.

Obviously, this is just a discussion, and nothing here is actionable or represents a decision by ETS, Inc. in any way, but I'd be interested in assessing the interest level for a concept like this, and wondering what price point would be acceptable (if any).

Nope.

All in good fun Clark. I thought my smiley-faces gave me away? Guess I'll have to try harder next time.