Suggestion on the whole "commercial" thing

[xroads]

The people that are hobbiests, but want to make a few bucks are commercial here. Why not help both you out and make another RC registration for these type of people.

They can sell as many frags & so on as they want for a fee of $10 a month (or whatever). The regulars would be happy knowing they are buying from an experienced seller, and your extreme hobbiests would be happy. And RC would get some more cash to buy more server space.

Just a thought
Craig

[gtrestoration]

Paying $10 for the right only proves you have it pay and adds nothing to your experience level.

How do you draw the line between a $10 seller and one that ponies up the $500+ for an RC sponsorship?

SteveU

[Anemone]

We have examined (and continue to examine) different ideas that might bridge the gap between hobbyist, commercial hobbyist, and full-scale commercial operation.

The issues we run into involve people creating product with the intent to sell it here. We're not talking the occasional sale - but either a full-fledged prop setup and/or ongoing sales, waiting lists, etc. Right now, that makes you commercial and you won't be able to sell on RC. We've looked at some software enhancements to allow us to create another category of hobbyist-seller, but our current software wouldn't easily support the enhancements (can you say more "busy" site time-outs and errors?), so we have to balance the real informational mission of RC against the desire of a portion of our membership to have the site be an ongoing weekend garage sale/swap meet.

On a related front, you wouldn't believe how many people we have identified as "commercial," who called us every name in the book and fought our designation, and yet within a short period of time are full-fledged home businesses (and even sponsor other sites).

And that's the rub - these folks didn't just wake up one day and say, "Today I am actually a business!" It's a continuum, from true hobbyist to full-fledged E-business and/or brick-and-mortar store. A lot of successful E-businesses, and a few brick-and-mortor stores started out posting on RC as regular hobbyists. So, when did they really become a business? That's the call we have to make. We have to be fair, not only to our sponsors (who aren't allowed to sell in our sales or discussion forums), but also to all the other admitted businesses we prohibit from making commercial posts.

We want the information presented on RC to be pure, free from commercial bias. You'd be amazed at the number of straight-up commercial businesses and/or shills that we regularly remove because they are trying to drive sales, not present unbiased info.

It gets pretty murky sometimes, but we do our best to keep RC from looking like the local weeked swap meet (not a coral frag swap, but the one where you can get cheap VCRs, no questions asked). We are still looking at ways to address the commercial grey-area issue, and appreciate suggestions.

Kevin

[xroads]

Dont get me wrong I am not *****ing about the site, I love it. You put it best as bridging the gap between a the hobbyiest & the full fledged real business. Im glad you are at least thinking about it.
I cant believe it is only $500 a year to be a sponser, that is cheap! Can a sponser post items for sale on their own forum?

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11377291#post11377291 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xroads
I cant believe it is only $500 a year to be a sponser, that is cheap! Can a sponser post items for sale on their own forum?

We don't generally publicize the price, but that's not it. It is much more expensive than that.

And yes, sponsors can offer sales and deals within their own forums.

Kevin