Here are my points:

1) To me, the premo membership and the marketplaces are wholly separate ideas. Batching them is just unnecessary. There are many people here who are happy to donate. I've done it. Many of you others have too. So, we should not be talking about premium memberships and marketplaces at the same time.

2) The premo membership. The bar cover charge example is not a good parallel. Think of it more like this: I buy a 2 year subscription to a magazine. After a year I write a scathing rebuke to the editors and everyone else who will listen, posting copies publicly online. Now, should I suddenly not get the second year of my subscription? You can't just brush off the fact that someone paid for something and they deserve to get it. You would have to refund them if you wanted your white hat to remain unsullied.

The better option is to say, hey, a premo membership is $X. You are a supporter of the ETS foundation. NOT THE FORUM. If the website goes belly up you get nothing. If you make a fool of yourself on the forum you can't post there anymore... but you are still a premium supporter of the ETS foundation! yes, you lose some perks for your foolishness but you are still a premium supporter. That handily sidesteps the whole issue.

3) the marketplace. I've said in other threads I think its unnecessary. First, you can pay to have a listing in the marketplace forum. I've done it. Why can't you. Reduce the fee if its so onerous to pay $15. If you aren't willing to pay such a small fee, then, maybe you should wait until you have a few more items. Or maybe small items should be saved for local gatherings which have trading blankets. Remember: if its not worth paying a small fee to list it, there is a good chance it won't be worth paying a small fee to ship it either!!!

Summary:
I'm all for a premo membership to SUPPORT the ETS foundation. This doesn't have to be tied to the forum. The forum is just a part of the foundation. And you can be banned from the forum and still be an ETS supporter.

As for the marketplace, I just really don't want to see this place commercialized or turned into a flea market (yes those are two different things). And this is from a guy who sells stuff for a living. I know the pitfalls.