Isn't the cargo hold the place to find Preffered vendors? My concerns would be that by having a Preffered section Fett builders/buyers would by-pass emerging new vendors in the cargo hold in favour of the Preffered vendor section. Possibly discouraging them from offering their wares or even beginng their prop making journey, just because there was no point trying to compete. Prop making is a fickle hobby and makers come and go sometimes for personal reasons (they grow out of the hobby or move on) and also financial. We must not discourage new prop makers as they may be the next generations Preffered vendors.
While I agree with your sentiment, I'd also like to offer a couple counter points in defense of why I feel this solution is not only beneficial, but necessary for our community.
Standards - Setting rules and standards for what constitutes Preferred Vendors will help protect newcomers from being taken advantage of. Time and time again TDH members have bought from sellers, never received items, and then ask TDH moderators to step in and help. In many instances those members paid the seller by gift and short of threatening a ban there isn't much the moderators can actually do. Banning will just prevent that vendor from communicating on TDH which may do more harm than good. I have personally seen many newcomers give up the hobby entirely after a bad experience with a seller. Preferred Vendors can be held to standards that protect buyers by making sure they pay via goods/services, and the threat of lost business if the seller's Preferred Vendors status gets revoked.
Currently, this is an example of the kind of standards MachineCraft is being held to for this pilot:
- Listed items must be in hand and ready to ship
- Items must be shipped within 14 days of order
- Listings must have high-quality and up-to-date product pictures
- Comprehensive item descriptions
Simplifying the Process - This is pretty self explanatory. Being able to browse available items, see pictures, and read customer testimonials/installation tips for specific items is both helpful for buyers and helpful for me as a seller to make future improvements (like the set screw we put in our RF Stalks for servo kits). Lets face it, we live in the Amazon age where people want to look for something, read about it, and click "Buy now." Not having to conduct transactions solely through emails benefits the buyer who is excited to buy new parts (that he/she knows are from reputable TDH vendors), and benefits the seller who now spends less time emailing and more time producing and shipping parts.
I don't want to speak for Art, but I don't think that the Cargo Hold is going anywhere anytime soon - it is a pretty vital part of this community. There will always be opportunity for new prop makers to make a name for themselves whether it be because they offer a superior product, or because another maker fades away or retires. Preferred Vendors isn't an exclusive club, and my understanding is that it will be open to all vendors who meet the requirements of the program when those are published. My personal hope is that it will drive more people to TDH instead of cesspools like TheForceForum that are taking advantage of people who don't know any better.
