where to begin.... this is a monster thread, and i became aware of it because there is a link to it posted in the merchant's forum. i guess i'll start there. merchants don't do anything terribly interesting in that forum. honest! it's mainly as (sorry, so many posts ago, i can't remember now G) someone has stated above: vendors questioning admins on if the item they've uploaded 8 days ago is in pending/testing/whatever...or calls for beta testers among other merchants.... or, oh goodness, a cry for help on something. so. nothing sinister. but none of the public's business, either. it's our BUSINESS, our job, our own financial affairs. you wouldn't offer tidbits of personal information to a stranger on the street, about your bottom line, or business practices. why should we? just because y'all can't see and you want to? sorry. poppi? i'm not a terrorist, and i do resent the implication, even if you didn't mean it how it reads :) there are problems with the store, it's not perfect. but i happen to like it better than DAZ, because it's about money, yes, but it's also about community. it is!!! letting people submit stuff to the store, even though it's not the best of the best of the best, sir, is good! the stuff might be bad, but then they don't sell. the good stuff still sells. it's the consumer who seperates the wheat from the chaff, no matter if it's online or not. instead of starting a new guild, efforts should be made to refine and perfect our community. we have great resources here, and so many talented people! i don't want to say anything i'll regret here, so bear with me, please. i've been a member, for a long time. i am not boasting about that, but i have been. i have always been more of a silent active member though, and i've tried very very hard not to step on anyone's toes. if i had a penny for every time i've refrained from saying something, because i knew it would eventually turn around and bite my ass, i wouldn't need to sell anything here G i've made lots of friends here, but more importantly, (as far as i know) i haven't made any enemies. i have probably clashed with mehndi more than anyone else here, though there are no hard feelings on either side... (and mehndi, this whole post that i'm writing is not directed entirely to you, okay? G i do support the quality issue) so, with that said, i'll move on to the guild. i agree wholeheartedly with quality standards. just look at my store, and you'll know this is true. i am not one of the "biggies" here, though i am well known to some. there was a statement made (i'm really sorry, mehndi, but i think we are going to disagree YET again G), about the "little in-house version of a guild" here, and how certain someones would NEVER be part of that, ever ever ever. um, forgive me, but i thought you WERE part of it, and were quite proud and supportive of it, when it first started. i am a member of the 'rosity guild. so? it's not a horrible elitest society, but then, nor is it a true guild. i've already made my thoughts on that public, so i won't reiterate them here, because my fingers are already getting really sore . this new "by the artists for the artists" guild... what do i think of it? well... a couple of things really. Questor has it bang on when he says that the existing infrastructure should be used. it's so true! i honestly don't want to send my stuff for extra testing just to get a seal of approval by people i may/may not respect (and a side note: blind testing? impossible! readme's have artist's names, and are necessary... duh). the idea of copying an existing sale item and making one for freestuff to hurt that person's sales is incredibly abhorrent to me. that's all i'm going to say about that, because i can feel my temper slipping it's leash. if a person, like myself, has already established a rep for quality items, but doesn't send to this guild for their approval seal.... does their stuff suddenly become shit? to those loyal customers, no. but to any new ppl looking, probably. so, in essence, if i want to keep selling, i must bow down and grovel for yet more approval. it's putting vendors between a rock and a hard place, and i for one, refuse to be so bullied. i'm not saying i won't take part in this guild, but i'm not saying i will either. it depends on how it's run, and who's running it. because we all know, (and if you don't, clue in!) that it's not going to be an equal thing here. a guild can't be, there is a hierarchy, no matter how candy coated it is. if the guildmaster is anyone other than someone i know i can trust implicitly, then it's not something i'll take part in, even if my sales do drop. i could say lots more on this, but i promised myself i wouldn't :) i can see this whole thing getting out of control, and quickly. i can see it causing more problems than it's hoping to resolve. helen, dear friend, you are braver than i, and i highly respect you. you once said that you were honoured to call me friend, and i now return that to you twofold! bravo, dear :) finally, i trust the administration of this site enough that for a moderator to lose their position, it would have to be very serious, and that there is much more to the tale than is being volunteered - by anyone. mehndi, i'm sorry you've lost that position, because you have always tried to help people... but i will trust the admin's decisions until and unless every aspect is revealed. oh! and about the pricing? i don't know anyone who was told to change the price of their goods... i was encouraged once to raise the price of one of my characters, and i didn't... though i sure wish i had listened! the store staff are in a unique position, where they can see trends, and can speculate on what the market can bear. because i didn't raise the price, i underpriced one of my later characters, lost lots of sales because of it, and was flamed for starting a "price war". if it has happened that someone more than encouraged, it was very wrong. it should have been brought to russ or tim's attention at the time, so to become a non-issue. pariah... are you sure our daughters aren't twins? G mine has done stuff like that, and i laffed my butt off reading about yours! she sounds absolutely precious! okay. enough for now. there's SO much more that i want to say, but since i had to type the word 'much' 4 times before getting it right G, i think i'm done for tonight. it's waaaay past my bedtime.