"I hope the members/merchants will judge us based upon their personal experience. The vast majority of customers or merchants will tell you they have been treated fairly in their business transactions with us."

Don't you think we are? You keep touting the marketplace as if money is the only important thing. I've been dissatisfied with purchases. I had conflicting license agreements in one zip and what I considered fraud based on very very small print mentioning something wasn't included even though every photo showed the not included item. And then there's no help files for programs. The first I was told they'd talk to the vendor. I follow the Renderosity License so their attempt to add to it didn't bother me. The second was somewhat satisfied by the merchant. The other, I'm wishing I'd not purchased but the merchant has tried to help.
I have a lot of respect for the testers for what they go through, they've always been helpful to me.

My point is that these are the members of this site. The people who make up this site are what make it. Not you, not bondware. Anyone can host this, provide a merchant account, and scripting. It's the people who've brought it to where it is that count and from what I can see, you've lost sight of that.

"Our model requires us to work with a higher volume of new merchants than other sites and that presents some challenges. This is further complicated when folks who disagree with our model choose to proactively work against it."

The fact is, anyone can render something and upload it at 800x600 72dpi, call it a background and become a merchant. But then in the merchant forum, they receive helpful advice from the other merchants who've been doing this longer and next thing you know, they've come up with a package more fitting with a lot more choices and worth offering. Who takes the credit for that? The members that's who. And why would they do that? Because they care about this site. Regardless of whether they have their own sites, this was their first home and they treat it that way.

I've yet to see any evidence of this subterfuge you allude to. I've seen well deserved criticism that you and this site deserve. I've seen praise of both you and this site despite having kicked out people who've helped you make it what it is. Was, actually. I greatly admire them for being able to do that.

...... Kendra