Not sure, wildcard, but I think we are still on good terms. Especially when we have an opportunity to fling puns at each other.

I also would be in favor of a "Deals" section. I seemingly am forever scouring the Net for "good deals" and I am sure I miss many of them. Many eyes and many experiences would be very interesting to me! Money doesn't grow on trees and great deals on superior equipment are ALWAYS something I am interested in from flashlights to FAKs to water purifiers to knives and guns. Another vote for "Deals".

As an extension of a Gear section, perhaps vendors could be asked to particiapte there. It would be a chance for them to be a bit more intrusive without violating forum rules in the other sections. Perhaps they could even sponsor "permanent" threads or subsections where a soft sell approach would be tolerated. If they were smart, they would have support staff monitor their threads for comment or input. But it would have to be tasteful and not become a second support tool or mouth piece for the vendors or we simply would abandon the concept. But it could be an interesting way to develop a dialog between ETS members and the manufacturers and sellers of the gear we use.

Wildcard163:

I have been in fistfights with friends where we have done more damage to each other than any verbal exchange could, and we are still friends and we still have our own opinions and we still disagree.

Fistfights have been greatly reduced however because it is damned hard to throw a punch while trying to balance yourself while holding on to a table, chair, or nearby waitress. It is also extremely embarrassing to have the audience laughing at you when your movements look more like swishing than punching <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

It is just that in my mind, the censure and banishment thing for a small divergence into the political arena is so Anti-American and Anti-Constitution that it raises my hackles. Blatant continuation should be reprimanded and from what I have witnessed here is, in an even-handed professional manner. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Can you possibly be serious? "Small divergence"???

Would you guys please go back over this thread and count the number of posts that now have NOTHING to do with the subject line, the focus of this forum, or this site?

And maybe reflect, just for a few moments, that Doug himself started this thread, and presumably will want to mine it for feedback on his question?

Frankly, I'm embarrassed.

Not every request to GIVE IT A BREAK is an attempt at censorship.

Bountyhunter?
You wrote:

You know, I'm a victim of "new math", & even I can cipher that 15% of $1.00 is 15 cents, not 18! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

That being said, however, this is all much too complicated. If Doug wants to have a Bizarre Bazaar (my nomination for the name) for this community to sell or barter items, great. However, he doesn?t need the headache of trying to do the bookkeeping. I propose a voluntary "commission" on sales, like that done at KnifeForums. There, for each knife sold via the forum, the seller is asked to send $1.00 to Jim Nowka, the forum owner, to support the forum. It's on the honor system, done by PayPal (or other means), and seems to be working. Should work for Doug/ETS as well.

There?s no ?overhead?, either in time or associated costs, for anyone. ETS benefits, we benefit: win/win, as I see it.

David

15% of 1.18 is .18, leaving 1.00 left over.

David:

You are right in that 15% of $1.00 is 15 cents in which case you would only see 85 cents.

If you reread, the premise is you want to get $1.00 after the foundation takes 15% off the top.

Bountyhunter

David:

Another thought as I sit here having just contaminated the crap out of my clothes and myself while cleaning out one of my 4" downpipes and lateral drain which my dear mother insists on pouring watered down hot grease into, is fairness.

I am going to be clearing out this house when my mother finally has to go to a nursing home. I anticipate thousands of dollars worth of sales of a lot of stuff I no longer use and which might be of interest to others on this forum. It would not be fair for me to garner large amounts in sales and contribute only $1.00 for each item while someone else selling a $4.00 item has to give $1.00. A while back I had mentioned that I had an original MARBLE'S match safe and out of the clear blue one of the forum members PM'd me and offered me $20.00 for it, which if I had sold it (I didn't.) under the 15% provision would have meant $3.00 for the foundation. My local gun store charges me 16% for any guns I leave on consignment and I am only too happy to pay it for the traffic they have and not having to worry about who is coming into my house. I leave a gun at their store and it sells for $200.00, they get $32.00 and they do the BATF paperwork.

If they would offer a deals and/or general sales section, a percentage of sales is a fairer way to go. If they use PayPal, I won't be selling anything there as I have heard too much bad stuff about PayPal.

Bountyhunter

Benton & Pete--

I said I was taught "new math"--I never said I was good at it! <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Had I taken time to pull out my calculator (didn't want to take off my shoes in consideration of my co-workers!), I would have confirmed the $1.18/15% calculation.

However, Pete, I did misread the premise.

While I don't necessarily disagree with you on the % of the sale, I do think it's more complicated that what I proposed. As I said, "a buck a knife" appears to work; something similar would likely work here, as well.

Just my $.02 (less 15%). <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

David