mc4c+@andrew.cmu.edu (Mark Choi) (05/07/91)
Dear Netters: I have recently been toying around with an idea. I have the facility to get most current ST software and hardware at wholesale, and was thinking that maybe, since there are so few dealers of ST stuff lately, and not everyone subscribes to STart or some other source of mailorder advertising, that I might offer a sort of USENET ST mail order service. Question: Does anyone think this goes against USENET ethics about commercial advertsing, etc.? Question: Would anyone be interseted? This is all legal software, obtained legally, and above board. I even have a sales tax number, etc. All involved parties are reimbursed, both distributor and software publisher. My prices would be about 30%-50% below the suggested retail, and around 10%-15% below mailorder, as I am not doing this to make heaps of money, just to try and get some ST stuff out there. Also, since relatively few ST owners also have access to the Usenet, I do not think I will be taking business from the mailorder houses, or dealers, or else I would not do this. Please respond to this account with any opinions. If there is no, or very little, objection, I will post a "sign post" in a short while, after the responses start to peter out. Thanks in advance to all who respond. -Mark Choi- -Solutions: a Mac multimedia developement company-
bright@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Bob Bright) (05/07/91)
In article <kc9P9j600VAyI12EVd@andrew.cmu.edu> mc4c+@andrew.cmu.edu (Mark Choi) writes: > I have recently been toying around with an idea. I have the facility to >get most current ST software and hardware at wholesale, and was thinking >that maybe, since there are so few dealers of ST stuff lately, and not >everyone subscribes to STart or some other source of mailorder >advertising, that I might offer a sort of USENET ST mail order service. > > Question: Does anyone think this goes against USENET ethics about >commercial advertsing, etc.? > Question: Would anyone be interseted? This sounds like a very good idea to me. An on-line mail order service would be a very convenient source of info on price/ availability of software etc. for all netters. If Mark can provide a good range of stuff at decent prices, and make a few bucks in the bargain, I think we'd all win big. The rub is that regular posting of a mail order catalog *would* violate news guidelines for commercial postings, which allow for only 1 short announcement of a product or service. I can't see any objection, though, to maintaining a mailing list for the catalog, or else setting up a simple mail server that would allow people to explicitly request it. (If you decide to go the mailing list route, Mark, please add my name to the list. :-) Perhaps a line or two could be added to the FAQ document informing new users of the service. This, plus a little "word of CRT" advertising in c.s.a.st ("Hey, I just got the latest version of Blibbleglitz from Mark Choi for $4; great game!") should keep you in business. BBB -- Bob Bright <bright@ccu.umanitoba.ca> Dept. of Philosophy University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Man R3T 2N2 (204) 474-9105