Reply With QuotePeople taking advantage.Originally Posted by swanbourne
Donations to the fundraiser have been falling off for a couple of months now. I used to see a few donations every day but now there are 2 or 3 days each week with no donations at all.
Sales Corner is still busy and dealers are still active so what's happening?
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
People taking advantage.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Simple as that, ^^^there's at least 4 regulars that stand out from the crowd.
n2
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I see a number of sales threads that say xxx amount to fundraiser BUT never appear after sale.
Yup, and they should all be held to account!
Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
Have a few quid on me.
People are abusing the facility with endless junk and no donations, maybe time to make SC a subscription section or something. No idea how easy to integrate in forum software though.
That's pretty shocking. Hopefully it's people genuinely forgetting and not repeat offenders taking the p*ss.
I wonder if new members think only dealers are expected to contribute.
When I joined, it was an unwritten rule to bung a few quid in no matter who you are. Perhaps this could be added to a sticky to remove any ambiguity? Ie state all dealers MUST contribute, and everyone else is encouraged to (I don’t think it should be mandatory).
It’s also not easy to find the fundraiser page if not on the traditional webpage- if using an app, for example. I remember loads of newer members posting questions like “where’s this fundraiser then?”
A link in a sticky would possibly resolve that...
FTFY
That's actually a very good point. I use tapatalk and I've just had an albeit quick look and can't find it.
Just found a pinned post in G&D.
On Tapatalk you don’t see the banner, so maybe stick a post with a link to it.
Also when a sale is concluded (where a donation has been suggested) the donator could post a link to the transaction. This would have the benefit of squaring the circle and also keeping it prominent in peoples minds.
Sorry Eddie I genuinely thought this was a dealer thing though I use Tapatalk so don’t see any stuff about it. I’ve just donated £50 IRO the 2 sales I’ve concluded via the Forum.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post their names then so we can all see.
I sent someone something almost two weeks ago in exchange for a donation, as far as I can see it hasn't turned up on the fundraiser. It's the second time this has happened (and I'm about to PM them, I'm sure there must be an innocent reason...), next time I think I'll just sell stuff and put in the money myself.
LTF makes a valid point, for the last month or two I haven't been able to see the fundraiser at all using Chrome, I have to log on using Safari to see it.
"A man of little significance"
ISTM that some people here view the forum charity as being exclusively linked to the SC. It shouldn't be so at all, the emphasis on donating should be seen on the basis of this place as a complete entity, i.e. the enjoyment members get out of the whole facility.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Maybe we need a few raffles and 'events' in the main forum?
I'm off to New York tomorrow but will have a look at what I've got when I get back.
I can understand this being the reason for newer members but the old hands shouldn't be affected.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Probably a little bit of this.
And probably a little bit of this.
I have to say last month I sold a few bits and just waited until month-end to do all the donations in one go, I think there were about 5 things, a big sale (£190-ish donation), a few small ones (I think added up to about another 50 quid) and a couple of "forum favours" that I made a personal donation for, like the QP mag's from Adam (adam164). Probably I should be more organised and do them as they come up.
There was a very long period where nothing seemed to be selling as well, I listed all sorts of stuff and in the end just ebayed it all.
From a personal point of view I'd love to see the fundraiser re-set to zero every 12 months. I remember the first one Eddie set up and there seemed to be a huge sense of pride and achievement at what we managed to raise in a year. Plus whenever it got near a "000" milestone there seemed to be a little boost in fundraising to tip it over the edge.
I probably don't do as much as I should these days, I chuck my 10% in as a dealer and not much from myself personally, so I'll find something good to offer up this week and get a donation in.
I'd also add that for app users who don't see the virgin banner, if you do see the sticky in G&D it is titled "the fundraiser is dead..."
Only if you click into it and go to the first page do you then clock the link to the replacement/current one.
May I suggest a sticky with just the title "LINK TO FUNDRAISER" and pin it to t the top with nothing but a link and a shot bit oh how it works?
i had a similar issue recently i asked for to buy a sand nato and was generously given one with donation to the fundraiser...no link was there due to me stupidly having Adblock enabled...i soon rectified it but may be an issue with some without knowing it
To be honest, I would be happy to pay for the privilege of accessing SC in the way of an annual subscription, or something similar.
How about paying to comment in a SC thread? Win win.
Then people would just use the PM function?
I think you're forgetting how many attention seekers the forum has.
That’s a shame…. My banner went and I had to go via a PC to make a donation…. I periodically throw a bit in…. It seems like a reasonable thing to do
It’s a shame more aren’t inclined to put a bit more in…
IMO charge fees for SC access, either annual lump unlimited use or by per listing basis.
Yes, it involves a webstore but stops the abuse dead.
Plenty of forums charge a yearly membership to use the sales functions, I'm sure many people would welcome that idea and it would make the income much more predictable?
I find it very sad that the fundraiser is dying.
I've sold one thing on Sales Corner. A Psion
I've given two watches as fundraisers and also bought a fundraiser watch.
I've bought a Milgauss too in 2014.
Sad that it's being ignored
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Then it would be a 'service' and potentially liable to VAT
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
^^^correct again,
n2
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
One thing I’m quite surprised at is the amount dealers are meant to donate.
If a dealer is selling a £3500 Watch they’re meant to donate £350. Now that sounds like a lot to donate and is effectively the advertising fee for them, 10% may well be all their profit. On another platform would anyone really pay a £350 advertising fee to sell their £3500 watch? Even eBay is maxed out at a £250 fee, even if you sell a £50k Watch.
What I’m getting at is it may be better to say “please make a donation” rather than a 10% donation.
I’d imagine a lot of people are trying to remain totally under the radar and surely £20/£30/£50 is better than nothing at all as they try and dodge the 10%?
Also, if people know there’s dealers selling why not mention it in their thread?
Seeing that the FR has raised 250% of its target might not be helping. I think it’s great to see how much has been raised but it might dissuade other’s from donating if the target had been so emphatically achieved. Perhaps a reset might help.
I made a £900 donation last year - that one stung, the fundraiser made as much on that sale as I did.
I get where you're coming from though.
I suggest:
Reset the Fundraiser total to give us something to aim for.
Post reminders about the Fundraiser regularly.
Drop the “Curry” and “Recipe” sticky threads at the top of here.
Get a more prominent Fundraiser sticky at the top of Sales Corner.
If you have the time Eddie, chase a few of the dealers who sell here often.
Pete
Tax the dealers and habitual offenders, better still ban them as they hoover cheap stock and sell off forum
tbh not a 100% bad thing. Doesn't have to be a lot.... I think I pay c. £12pa on another forum (non watch). It might also help cut down some of the OT sales ;-)
PS I haven't sold anything on SC for some time now but I often 'give' stuff away for a promised donation.
PPS just done a donation anyway ;-)
I've just remembered I'm one of them. I owe £3.50 from the sale of a Lucerne fob watch and some cufflinks from last year. Payment now made.
The thing is, dealers aren't encouraged on SC. The fundraiser donation is meant to be stiff to discourage dealing.
A notice to all the dealers on Sales Corner
Whether you're a known dealer or a covert dealer, this is for you. I'll allow you to "come out" as a dealer and permit you to post as long as you donate 10% of the proceeds of all sales to the forum fundraiser. If you are a dealer and continue to post without donating, don't be surprised if you find yourself locked out. All dealer posts should include the word "dealer" in the description and all donations should reference the item sold.
Eddie
That was the target for 2014, I just keep changing the date and letting it run.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
This would be a good move imho
I pay £10 a year to the BMW GSforum that’s worth every penny
Happy to do likewise here
Whilst I agree with the idea, some people are selling every week on here, a £10.00 annual fee would be peanuts.
n2
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Im happy to be corrected but theres around 13000 members registered here, of which around 4500 are ‘active’ (debatable). Some of the active are good some bad, some toxic (read bored trolls) which you get on most forums to be fair. If everyone just the active paid £25 for a year, thats £2 a month, 50p a week that would raise £100k+ and inside 10 years without much effort you’d have a million quid! Impressive. Lets face it SC donations are an honesty bar, no ones paying 10% of the sale unless they have double that as a margin and even then its debatable. Also its never been clarified to the best of my knowledge whether its supposed to be a percentage of the total sale price or the margin, the latter is the only feasible option.
The forum is great, its been fantastic and I cant help feel that a subscription would deter the strokers away but if they did stay at least we would know they were paying to annoy everyone! I am not usually one for smoking Eddie like some at every opportunity but will say that the time, effort, patience and dedication that goes into making this forum plus the pleasure that the ‘active’ take from it plus the cohesion it creates with people, most of whom have only ever met at coffee shops briefly, is incredible and someone would be drafting a honours proposal for EP.
RIAC
A subscription would also deter new members.
There are dozens of watch forums to join, if you were a new enthusiast and had a free choice would you pay a £25 subscription or join a free one?
Also, the welcome a lot of the less knowledgeable newbies get here is shocking from what I've seen just recently. Imagine paying 25 notes and running into one of the "usual suspects" in week one - the TZUK reputation would be in rags after a few reviews.
I am more than happy to pay a membership fee now because this is my favourite forum (I am a member at several but this is the only one I log into religiously), but if you had asked me to do so in 2011 when I was wet behind the ears and still learning about watches, I would never have joined.
If that suggestion was ever on the table then perhaps the money could unlock the dark web Bear Pit, Boys Room and Bullingdon - as well as use of sale corner, naturally - rather than being essential to access the main watch forum.
Seems perfectly clear: - Eddie states "10% of the proceeds of all sales". 'Proceeds' is the amount realised from a sale, not the margin.
As someone else has already said, maybe the idea is to deter dealers.
Simplest solution is have an annual fee to access SC, and allow max 10 For Sale post creations. If more, then Eddie can set a premium unlimited membership to ensure the dealers are correctly paying their fair share.
Not sure about WTBs though.. which circumvents all current ways to track sale prices etc.
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Ok 2 things.
1) Seller clearly states up front how much of any potential sale goes to FR
2) Buyer or Seller confirms it on Sales Thread.
Would it not be better to give the charities the money now though? I agree that with it being such a large fund now and so far over the target there doesn’t seem give much need to add to it currently. Starting afresh would surely help.
How does it work, surely Virgin aren't holding onto it for years?
Last edited by Kingstepper; 3rd September 2018 at 19:14.
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