I don't find it difficult to look at a product objectively. In fact, the opposite. I know more about what my products should and shouldn't do than other people. But the whole point of having beta-testers is that they work in different ways from the merchant. So maybe they'll find things that don't work for them that you never thought of. I certainly don't mind criticism. That's the whole point of betas. To get people to try and 'break' the product. And I don't much care about 10 lost sales either. That's a very small percentage to lose in exchange for valuable information. Mind you, all my products are tested by DAZ too before they're released. I just prefer to make sure DAZ can't find anything to fix. 'Do merchants get along or see each other as dueling partners?' I guess that depends on the merchants. I have no problem with competition. Nor do I keep any wonderful 'secrets' that I'm unwilling to share. If anyone asks, I'll tell 'em. And I think that merchants should work together for a common cause. For example, if a user buys a lousy product, he/she may be more reluctant to spend money again in a hurry. The higher the standard of Poser goods, the more sales there are for everyone. A lot of merchants do work in teams. If one is good at texturing, another at modelling and another at promo pics, then it can make life a lot easier. mac