An ETS "store" for used goods would be cool. I think you'd have to set it up whereby the seller would keep the item until it's sold and then ships it directly to the buyer otherwise you'd have to ship the item to whoever is running the store and then ship it again to the end buyer.

Not sure if Ebay is the way to go, they're gonna take a percentage of each listing whether it sells or not, which is fair but what if it were possible to funnel some of the money to the ETS foundation instead?

What would be needed is a pretty simple website that allows the posting of multiple photographs and someone to keep it organised, pay for the domain and server etc.

The seller would have to provide a description and some photos of each item and agree to forward a percentage to the foundation. Otherwise you'd have to set up some sort of payment system on the site which is gonna cost more and require more band width and more work for whoever runs the site.

Another idea, there is already a marketplace forum, we could ask Doug to make it accessible for individuals to sell only used gear with a percentage sent to the foundation in return for the listing privilege. Set some reasonable limits on number of items one person can list and make the donation a reasonable amount and easy to make and I know I'd use it.

I'm on another web forum/group dedicated to overland/expedition travel that has such a listing for members to use, I've picked up a couple of items there for very reasonable prices and without really competing with the site's advertisers. I read still another web forum that also has a classifieds listing for members only, they take things a step further by allowing the seller to either list an item for public view or only for other members, I've purchased a computer and several pieces of photographic equipment there and it's been a painless experience.


JohnE