Re: Herb & Me - QUESTION

"Jim" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I don't really follow who Herb likes or doesn't like or really care, but
> doesn't it seem stupid to totally ban anyone from Astromart.  If Herb
> doesn't like someone, if that someone has broken the rules, or if that
> person has some type of astro related business but doesn't want to become
a
> sponsor, can't they be given a view/buy only account without the ability
to
> sell.  Afterall, limiting the number of buyers only hurts those who are
> trying to sell, doesn't it?
>
>

"Doesn't it seem stupid to ban someone from Astromart?"  Maybe on the
surface it does, and maybe without the benefit of a little research on your
part it does.  But when you get into it, any large institution (for lack of
a better word) involving a large number of people will not stay afloat very
long without rules.  Those who do not follow the rules threaten to undermine
the entire system and must be corrected or removed.  If you were running
Astromart, which incidentally is _not_ a huge profit making venture, and had
only limited time to devote to it, what would you do with the person who
continually busts your balls?  Would you stop what you're doing and try to
reason with him.  And what if this person continues, would you again stop
what you're doing and try to reason with him.  There comes a point when it's
easier and far more efficient to remove the dissenter rather than take more
time to reason with him.

Now let's talk about, "If a person has some kind of astro related business
but doesn't want to become a sponsor."  Well, the rule is that if you have a
related business, you _must_ be a sponsor.  Very simple, this is the rule,
take it or leave it.  Now you may say, but this rule makes no sense, and
depending on how you look at it, you may be right.  But there are 2 issues
here, (1) It costs money to operate astromart...would you accept that?  If
you run an ad in your local newspaper, or in Starry Nights (when it was in
publication), or if you run an auction on eBay...all of these venues will
cost you money.  The money must come from someplace.  Now if everyone who
wants to sell or buy on astromart were charged a fee, astromart would be
only a shell of what it is today.  Would you be as likely to place many ads
on astromart if the fee were, say $2 plus 2% of the transaction value?
Here's the other issue:  (2)  Some people (including some of the people who
were part of this thread...and including me) were taking advantage of the
system as follows:  They would place a link to the commercial website that
they operate on the astromart ad.  This is a cute way of getting into the
movie theater without buying a ticket.  Finally this...I am an astromart
sponsor/dealer/what ever you want to call it, and I pay $300 per year to be
a sponsor plus $2 for each astromart ad I run.  I do so because these are
the rules and I'm one of hundreds of sponsors who do the same.  I expect
_everyone_ who runs an astro related business to be treated as I am treated
and to pay the same freight I pay.  Can you understand that?

Al