> So yes, I encourage for-profit reselling of old computer
> equipment, whether it's by me or a computer club.
Personally, I have no problem with this, but it would
seem to make the museum or club actually a dealer. And
this I also have no problem with, as long as the members
of the "for profit" computer club themselves are not
anti-commerce.
Gunther Schadow had an auction on eBay, and he had some
kind of "thing" about someone buying his item who might
want to make a little money on it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=1299238961
So obviously, Gunther hates resellers. But he is a MD. And
around here MD's charge for their services, which makes them
dealers in medical services. Should everyone therefore reciprocate
by hating all MD's. Before Gunther, we would have said no.
After Gunther, well, you reap what you sow.
The point is that everyone is a dealer in something, be that
services or goods ( which is still actually a service, i.e. that
of providing goods ). Those that hate someone else because it
keeps them from getting what they want without any sacrifice on
their own part are showing themselves to be selfish free loaders.
Just something to consider.
John Foust wrote:
>
> At 12:04 PM 1/25/2002 -0500, Ian Koller wrote:
> >> computer museums ... could make it happen profitably?
> >Are you advocating organizations registered, or presenting
> >themselves, as non profit organizations making a profit ?
> >Like this one? ...
> > http://www.threedee.com/jcm/about/index.html
> > http://www.threedee.com/jmosn/
> > http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/jfoust_at_threedee.com/
>
> Who's representing themselves as non-profit? Not me. I have
> web-only "museums". If you want to visit, you probably have
> to promise to buy lunch and I'll walk you into the basement
> for the guided tour. Watch out for spiders and centipedes.
> Nowhere do I state that I or these museums are non-profit.
> Are you aware that some museums are for-profit corporations?
>
> In fact, even a "non-profit corporation" under US IRS law,
> and under Wisconsin law that I've researched, can perform
> a fair amount of fundraising, buying and resale (that is,
> public sales dedicated to making money). You are limited
> to the number of days per year you do it, and to total annual
> amounts, and that the profits go to the group and not an
> individual. This explains, for example, how an otherwise
> non-profit organization can hold a rummage sale twice a year.
>
> All of my for-pay consulting, sales, writing, junk buying and
> reselling is under the umbrella of Syndesis Corporation, a
> for-profit S-corp since 1987. So yes, I encourage for-profit
> reselling of old computer equipment, whether it's by me or a
> computer club. http://www.threedee.com/jcm/rescue/index.html
> is much more explanatory than the links you mentioned, and
> http://www.threedee.com/news/history.html is much more
> entertaining.
>
> I once researched this because at the UW-Madison / State of
> Wisconsin surplus sales, non-profits can shop a day before
> the public. This would allow me to pick up the good stuff
> ahead of the usual suspects. I seem to remember that the
> threshold was about $15,000 a year, but resale was limited
> to a few days a year.
>
> My antique computer buying and reselling could stay
> below that limit. (Technical bonus question: does an eBay
> auction count as 1 day or N days?) Also, I'd have to pay
> about $500 to set up a true non-profit corporation, and
> I'd need to recruit a legit Board to administer it.
> I've never gone to the trouble.
>
> - John
Received on Fri Jan 25 2002 - 13:49:34 GMT