Copied my response from my Facebook reply...
I'd have no hesitation spending $50 a year for a premium membership.
If there were hats/tshirts/ even zip-up hoodies..that would come with a certain membership level..I'd drop $100/yr if I could snag a hoodie and shirt.
I also think that there are a LOT of people that sell things on the board frequently enough or constantly enough to warrant having to pay fees. I think some sort of guideline should be implemented to where if you are constantly buying and selling (I'm talking like 15-30 separate listing in a month) you should have to pay to be able to sell...people have to pay ebay to use their service, and at 15-30 items a month, that is enough volume to warrant being charged for it.
Now I know there are times when people are doing spring cleaning or need money and they list a lot of things during the month as they come across them, or come to terms with having to sell them...those aren't the people I am talking about. You can tell those people by their post history in the FS section and see that it is just a momentary thing.
What I'm talking about are the people on there that are constantly buying and selling parts that do not pay to become vendors or support the site...you know the types of people I am referring to... they are always selling parts or buying stuff off of people for typically lowball prices, and then selling them on their own ebay stores or reselling them a few months later. THOSE people should have to pay to list their parts for sale since it is clearly a form of income for them.
I am NOT saying that we should implement some form of limited posting in the FS section. I am not saying that. What I am saying is that the people who have a continuous history of buying and selling parts on there, month after month, should have to start paying some nominal fee to be able to partake in the FS section since it is obviously a form of income for them and they use the FS section just as they do ebay.
What about having a certain cost for the premium membership to where people can also become "minimal" vendors..basically like the aforementioned type of people that use the FS section as a source of income? They pay a fee for not only the premium membership, but for the right to have unlimited FS postings and post up parts for sale just like a vendor would do in the Vendor section? That might be a way to help generate some more income for the board and not push those people away?
Just a thought.
-Tyler