Its really sad that BPL has resorted to charging to sell gear - this has now become nothing more than an E-bay. To pay or not to pay is a debate that has been ongoing on the website, but the simple fact is BPL has decided to deny their readership good deals that otherwise would have been on their site.

Folks will talk of sustainability which is fine, but no one gets into the blog/forum business to get rich or even make money - if you do, then you should post advertisement. In fact, BPL has been advertising through the "gearbuyer" lines that have been there for a while. It seems to me people will go where the value is, and forcing them to pay will drive them somewhere else. Those that are interested in the MLife for the articles would have paid for them.

So, for those interested in good deals, please visit summitpost.org...no charges and great content. Might even be worth starting up a lightweight/ultralightweight section there - apparently they've figured out how to do it for free.

Final note - this is how Netflix shot themselves in the foot.

aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


(runs for the hills....)

Yep, charging to use a forum won't work.

It is time for an official word from the BPL on this subject. What is going to happen? A lot of good point have been made. As well as their polar opposites.

No one is charging anyone to sell gear, that is not true at all, that is not even an option.

That is an incorrect, twisted interpretation by someone that doesnt believe there is any other value to membership worth paying for. That is a personal decision, but that is also their own problem. I feel fairly confident in saying that no members joined so far just to sell things (in the past they did not have to).

But that topic has been beat to death.

Note that you simply cannot post gear for sale. Should someone post a WTB, you can still respond, etc....for now. Or should you be on good relations with other members, someone might even post something for you as a favor.

Edited by livingontheroad on 12/18/2011 12:55:35 MST.

"No one is charging anyone to sell gear, that is not true at all, that is not even an option.

That is an incorrect, twisted interpretation by someone that doesnt believe there is any other value to membership worth paying for. That is a personal decision, but that is also their own problem. I feel fairly confident in saying that no members joined so far just to sell things (in the past they did not have to).

But that topic has been beat to death.

Note that you simply cannot post gear for sale. Should someone post a WTB, you can still respond, etc....for now. Or should you be on good relations with other members, someone might even post something for you as a favor."

i'm not getting into this one but i had to laugh at this

WHO??? is twisting words LoL

no one is saying you can't sell anything.. except that you cant post anything for sale. you have to wait around until a member wants to buy something you might have.

Faux gnews has a job waiting for you. Spin those words!

(if no members have joined because they want to sell gear then that move is an epic fail that has just aggrivated a lot users)

Ken H: what's your GPS coordinates? I'm coming also.

I buy and sell a lot on eBay, in part because I'm 2,000 miles to the north in a very small town. But when I look at the Gear for Sale here, it IS more appealing to buy or list here within a small community because there are common interests and focus. Someone reselling a stove or sleeping pad on eBay would (1) likely be selling much heavier gear, and (2) likely be the one- or two-timer who really doesn't know how to describe the item or its condition.

As a potential buyer, that makes me MORE likely to look and buy on BPL for ultralight stuff because I trust the seller more. Every selling site has hurdles and costs. Part of that is cash flow but you also need some hurdles or the spammers and the scammers show up if it costs them nothing to try to cheat someone.

too funny Travis!

This whole issue has been beaten to death. Basically $25 for a one year membership is not that bad. That equates to basically a little over $2 a month. There are more important issues than this to complain about. If you don't like it then sell your gear elsewhere.

End of rant..


Now back to my hills.........................

Agreed!

$2/month.

Hell I lose ~ $100 /month in the wash.

(My wife believes in finders-keepers!)

If you don't think that you are getting good value for this, don't pay it. However, I don't think you'll find the same gear from the same crowd anywhere else.
Tom

i still find it funny people who stare tirelessly at gear lists trying to save every &(*&)*& gram can't understand people who want to save their money for needs (or save up for wants)

LOTS of rich folk on here with their cuben and fancy uberlight stuff. A bit of respect for people who don't have disposable income like that would be nice.

but we've already established the M's and MLifers have very little respect for the "guests"


which by the way is a great way for the ownership to look down on the non-paying members right off the bat. plenty of "guests" have a whole lot of knowledge that could be passed on but are treated like 2nd class citizens unless they pay up. screw that.

Edited by JakeDatc on 12/18/2011 17:01:18 MST.

"If you don't think that you are getting good value for this, don't pay it. However, I don't think you'll find the same gear from the same crowd anywhere else.
Tom"

no matter what your mommy told you. You are not special. you are not unique. you are just the same as everybody else.

get off your high horse.

Jake, I love all of your generalizations. Seems you have a issue with inferiority complexes. I am a "Life" member but I could care less if someone is a paid member or not. Do you know how I got my "life" membership?? Someone gifted it to me. Please be careful when making broad statements as you are certainly starting to bum some folks out. Also, not all of us are rich. I have not purchased any gear in quite sometime. Please get off of your high horse

Edited by kennyhel77 on 12/18/2011 17:31:04 MST.

This thread didn't need to go south quite the way it did.
Valid points get lost in the midst of assumptions and name calling.

Relax, this is just a web-site. There are more important things in life (hiking for example)
Personal atacks - sniping each other. shame shame.

Get along - or I will make you stare at each other until you say your sorry and shake hands.

Dave

Nothing to contribute.

Edited by xnomanx on 12/18/2011 21:48:12 MST.

Kat, Some people derive a pleasure from baiting others on the nets. Others like to argue, for the sake of arguement. It is not about the actual subject "Another Rant: Not worth paying to sell on BPL". Sooner or later one or the other side will give up. Logic, reason and common sense have NO part here. Hmmm, sounds like a party is on... Enjoy the floor show!

Everything valid has already been said in previous threads, ad nausium.

while i can fully understand the logic behind bpl doing this

my take on it is this

say you just wanted to post up a p.i.f. item just to help out other bpl ers who may like to have an item you are not needing anymore it will cost you the membership fee to join bpl just so you can post up a pif item so now it is costing you to give your item away and if all you can charge is shipping cost for the item

it makes it not worth while to have those type of threads anymore although there was a LOT of good support of pif items and i feel a LOT of folks benifitted from those threads for gear they could pass on to others who could use it

for me the three biggest sub forums i frequent this site for are gear deals gear swap and trip reports/trip announcements

with that being said it is what it is and probably won t change anytime soon

so folks will either buy a membership or stray from bpl and watch it dwindle into
a small tight knit community of (only folks who can afford it forum) LOL


as for me i guess when i become employed again i will consider becomming a member

just my humble opinion

divr6347

The need to be RIGHT, outweighs the desire to say anything IMPORTANT.

As a Rhetoric major, I see nothing here that adds to the discussion of how to improve BPL or what would need to change on BPL that would compel a non member from signing up.

I had asked a question in another related thread, but never seem to get an answer.

Again, I would ask the question:

What would need to change at BPL that would be compelling enough to a non member to be willing to sign up for a membership?

I never heard a response, which leads me to believe that those complaining just like to argue for the sake of arguing.

It is great to have an opinion and offer it as constructive criticism, but it is infinitely harder to offer a solution to a problem.

It would be nice to hear some solutions vs. personal attacks and non-constructive criticism/complaining.

We can waste all sort of time arguing the finer points of the details of everyone's arguments, but if there are no discussions about solutions to problems then this is an intellectual form of self gratification with crushed glass and gear grease.

It might seem like a good idea, but in the end it hurts and leaves your hand covered in blood.

Stroke on my friends.

P.S. For those who have offered constructive criticism and possible solutions I thank you for your contributions and caring enough about the community to contribute.

-Tony

Edited by Valshar on 12/18/2011 19:10:14 MST.