astromart-now need to pay to access

[seeker372011]

just tried to log in-been a member for years and got this message...

"Any user who has not paid for access or paid to support Astromart will now be required to pay the $12 access fee to continue using this great website. Not only will this help support Astromart and keep this great community together, it will also make the community more secure by ensuring that all our members are verified."

:(
not happy Jan

[Terry B]

Oh Well.
Looks like I don't bother with astromart anymore. I only use it to get a feel of what second hand prices are like.

[spacezebra]

:sadeyes:

[Octane]

Narayan,

I think this has been going on for a while, now. Just that members would gradually hit this issue upon logging in. There was a lot of spam about this issue on the digital_astro group.

Edit: I remember now, the issue peaked around the time of Border Stargaze last year. I was reading the emails on my iPhone in my tent before getting to sleep on those rainy nights!

H

[GrahamL]

My only reply to trying to buy quite a few items over time was
" I'm sorry I'm not willing to ship this item to Austria "

I know that dosn't mirror everyones experiance but when looking at all the goodies you can buy/sell here without the drama of shipping OS

no thanks

[Hans Tucker]

I have purchased through Astromart on a number of occasions and have also been a paid supporter...top valued site in my opinion and I am quite astounded at the number of people complaining about a minor $12. It does cost a bit to keep a website running and no doubt the guys at Astromart need to pass on the cost to users. I guess I am also disappointed that some Astromarters restrict their sales to CONUS only and that has been one of my reason for not continuing my financial support. If you already have registered with Astromart then you won't need to pay the $12 until you change e-mail address or if you are a new registered member they charge you the $12.

[pgc hunter]

bugger paying for astromart and all the hassles of overseas shipping, when you have the free local classifieds right here! No point paying money for it when sometimes the seller won't even post overseas. In most cases its possible to get what one wants using local classifieds.

[OzRob]

IMO charging potential buyers is not a good move. They would be better charging a small fee for gear sold via the website or through advertising. I think a $12 charge will put an end to a lot of new registrations.

[seeker372011]

doesn't seem to be the case anymore, I am registered havent changed email address and was still asked for the $12-that was the point of my post

I have bought in the past from Astromart but have also had the problem with people not even responding to an expression of interest-but that's not Astromart's fault in anyway, its just people preferring to deal CONUS only

[Hans Tucker]

Sorry Narayan I missed that bit about you being a previously registered Astromarter....don't know how it's the first line of your original post. That is interesting though because I visit Astromart daily and haven't received an e-mail requesting/demanding $12...I wonder if it's because I was a financial supporter a few years back...either way you are right this is an odd surprise. I know that Herb York did put out an e-mail stating that Astromart will no longer be financially supported by ATWB and that members would need to support Astromart if they wish it to remain open. Its amazing how many CONUS members trade in Astro gear(Ad's in the 100's) through Astromart and don't offer any financial support.

I did ask a few CONUS Astromarters why they wouldn't sell outside the US and one of the common complaints was that overseas buyers have asked the seller to lie (put a lower selling value) about the price on customs declaration documents so the buyer can save $$$'s. I find this sort of request disgusting and unacceptable and if correct I can understand why they only want to sell CONUS Only.

[Starkler]

That would only be an issue for larger items >$1000 value.
I believe the reluctance is more tied to fears of extra hassle if things go wrong with the post.

Ironically I have never had an item go missing that was purchased internationally, but have on a few occasions been let down by Australia Post.:mad2:

[wavelandscott]

I'll try and clarify (if possible and recognizing that I don't work for A-mart)...

Anyone who has not ever paid to join or support A-mart will now be asked to.

If you have signed up (or changed your e-mail address) in the last few years you have been asked to pay USD$12...consider this an Admin fee or change fee.

If you have supported at the purple level (or higher) at least one time you will not be asked to pay.

If you have never supported (voluntarily) or paid the Admin fee, you will be required to do so to log in...

Hope the explanation helps...

[Gama]

I only just read this thread now:eyepop:, and what utter disgust i have for that firm now. I also was a long time member (5 plus years).
Why should i now have to pay $12.00 USD ?, for what, Admin fee's
?, they make plenty of money through their advertising on Astromart.
Greed, sorry, nothing more !. It has nothing to do with the amount, but the "NO Choice" they give you.:mad2:
They obviously didnt get enough money the "New member" payment, so again they up'ed it once more to include everyone. Nasty, ...
They are lucky they didnt have a email to send your complaints too.

Seems many many people have complained and of course they removed the threads from Cloudynight. Geez, talk about control, and when it affects them, they jump in head first to remove and stop any complaints.:question:

They can go to you know where for all i care.

G R E E D.

Theo

[Dennis]

Aha – so that explains it!:shrug:

I was a daily visitor and post contributor a couple of years before the fee was administered when recently, my log in would not work.:eyepop:

I e-mailed the point of contact to find out what had gone on and didn’t get a reply. After 2 or 3 e-mails with no reply, I got a bit paranoid and thought that someone may have “stolen” my account and so I e-mailed again, with words to that affect and lo and behold I received an instant reply!:shrug:

I don’t mind paying the $12.00, it is their server, etc., but it would have been nice to have been advised that my account would be closed unless I paid the fee, rather than being left wondering what the heck has happened.

However, it’s their bat & ball so I guess they can play the game according to their rules?:shrug:

Cheers

Dennis

[PeterM]

Typical nonsense in trying to revenue raise. Won't be going there no more.

PeterM.

[Gama]

How on earth can they provide better security, when nothing has changed, except out of pocket by $$$.
Verify what details, the ones the individual decides to place on the site..

Geez, reading back, i sound grumpy, oh well, must be cause im getting older and its a pre requisite to becoming an old man..

Theo.

[h0ughy]

for some reason i havent used Astromart for a few years. I have been buying from it since 1994 LOL, but i will not give the logon fee - so i can guess that my logon will go away...

[Suzy]

I Went to their site yesterday to register, and when they said I needed to pay $12", my head shook rapidly with a "what the!" End result, i couldn't be bothered. I'm fairly new to this stuff, but I've seen a lot of classifieds, and none of which I've had to pay to register. Perhaps there's good reason, who knows.

[Dennis]

Hi Leo

Not sure if your post was in response to mine, but if it was, then I may have misled you with what I wrote.

Basically I visited Astromart daily and suddenly, one day, I could not log on.

I tried to contact the admin via e-mail querying my new and surprising error message along the lines of “userid not recognised”. But I did not get a reply, even after 2 or 3 e-mails over a period of a couple of weeks.

My next e-mail, to the same point of contact, had in the subject line words to the effect “possible fraud on my account” and I received a reply with a few hours.

If instead, I had been informed that my account would be suspended until I paid a once off $12 admin fee within say, 2 weeks or so, it is likely that I would have done so. But to be cut off without any notification and then have my e-mails ignored until I included the emotive word “fraud” in the subject line, kind of put me off joining.

There’s nothing wrong with the occasional grump – usually, they are well founded!:thumbsup:

Cheers

Dennis

[UniPol]

I have been using Astromart for many years just to browse the many and varied articles, equipment sales etc. and the opportunity to purchase goods without having to pay any users fee until recently. I was only too pleased to pay the requested amount as some of my purchases have been a very positive experience from a lot of genuine people across the equator. From a monetary point of view, my purchases have saved me a considerable amount on local prices not to mention items, particularly vintage ones, which aren't even available here in Australia.

I usually like to put things into perspective when receiving any service. A long time acquaintance of mine who often goes out to restaurants usually describes the cost and quality of the meal according to the "pie meter", i.e. how many pies could one have bought for the cost of the restaurant meal? The quality of the experience counts of course, maybe a pie or two at the weekend football game is fine but on occasions it is nice to indulge in a really nice meal at a fancy restaurant just to make one feel good. I think we all have to think of the money we have wasted on frivolous things including "spur of the moment" purchases.

Pay a users fee on IIS anybody? I'm sure the money would be most welcome to keep it running wouldn't it? Surely someone is paying to keep this site running?

Anyway, enough of the ramblings from a near 60 year old, think what you will.

Cheers everybody

[PeterM]

show me the MONEY! show ME THE MONEY! SHOW ME THE MONEY!
Don't you just love em.

PeterM.

[Gama]

Hi Dennis, my gripe was a general one, and not from any posts.

Stephen, they get money from advertising, like google does.
They post up "Paid" adverts, and also do their own internal adverts.
Which is all good, but to "Force", and THIS is the magic word, "Force" you to pay, is a total ramsom$$ payment in my view.
If from get go, you had to pay, then fine. But that is and wasnt the case.
They are basically forcing me and others to pay to be able to log in. Sorry, doesnt matter how you cut and cook a skunk, its still a skunk !.
Peter has the right tone, "Ka-ching $$$"

Theo.

[rat156]

Show me the cheapskate, show me the cheapskate!

For (insert deity's name here)'s sake it's $15.

I have bought heaps of stuff there, never had a problem, always cheap, even cheaper now with the exchange rate. Money well spent, they are providing a service.

Oh, and if you did visit the site often, there have been several announcements as to the financial state of the site and the impending fee for people that have never coughed up the $12. Initially the site was supposed to be paid for by the ads and sponsors, but they needed more to run and update the site, hence they had to start charging. Now they have corrected a perceived injustice by backcharging the existing people, some of whom aren't active, many of whom the details would be wrong and therefore the id's would be vulnerable.

Yes Theo you do have a choice, if you want to continue then pay the $12, if you don't, then don't.

Cheers
Stuart

[PeterM]

Well good for you. Your fees may jump with the number of "members" who jump.
PeterM.

[Dennis]

Fair enough – thanks for that, I must have missed the announcement(s).

Cheers

Dennis

[casstony]

I paid the fee because it's not much money, though Astronomics manage to run Cloudynights without a fee and they offer a store discount to CN members. Additionally, CN members seem to view Astronomics as a benevolent overseer whereas Anacortes has been an adversarial presence on Astromart over the years. The two sites/owners apparently have very different philosophies, one using the stick and one using the carrot.

[JethroB76]

I thought I had paid a $12 fee somewhere along the line, and seeing as my account is still active my hunch must have been right.:thumbsup:

Really, the whole thing wasnt handled too well by owner - many of the announcements regarding the upcoming access charges, while perhaps made with some humour certainly didnt come across that way, and put many nose out of joint IMO

[Garyh]

I find it a bit crook not being able to log on..
I have been a member for around 5 years and only have ever bought one item years ago. Now I can`t even check out the prices in many adverts to see if somethings going at a good price that I might want or query..
It`s a bad move....better to charge a small advert charge to the seller than charging prospective buyers!

[gts055]

I had been using Astromart for the past 10 years till last week when I was refused access unless I paid a $12US fee. My internet provider and consequently my email address changed three times during the 10 years. The Astromart site would not allow me to update my email address unless a fee was paid. (The site owner is the proprietor of the business "Anacortes Telescope and Wild Bird", and claimed that site maintenance was costly). To regain site access I logged in as a new user, and of course lost my user ratings gained from purchases thru the site. I have 29 websites to update details when I change internet provider, Astromart (Anacortes Telescope) was the only one charging a fee to do so. Anacortes Telescope advertises profusely on Astromart, I guess their potential customer base will be dwindling with the imposition of the fee. Mark

[moggi1964]

Moderators: I hope it is okay for me to post this here - PM me if there is something I need to do.

I am the person behind the "Banned From Astromart" t-shirt and I am NOT Herb York. My name is Morris Bagnall, I am a Brit living in NJ.

I created a site called:

http://www.astrolaugh.com (http://www.astrolaugh.com/)

I hope to populate it with other designs over time and that will likely help me get some advertising; it is difficult to sell the shirts when people don't know who or where you are. None of the major astronomy websites will let me post about the shirts or advertise for fear of getting into a war with Herb.

I personally think the service provided at Astromart is a good one and I also think $12 is not an unreasonable amount to charge for the security that it brings. How things are handled by Herb is another matter completely.

In my only post on Astromart about the shirts I told people, including HY, that it was me selling the shirts and that the humour was a tongue in cheek dig at the quirkiness of the owner and the banning. I also said that my plan was to donate 50c from each sale in sponsorship to show my support.

After some words about where he would put the t-shirts if he lived closer to me (and it didn't sound pleasant) and that he didn't need my support (strange because he was always pleading for it) the thread was deleted and I was ......................banned! Again! http://www.astroclassifieds.com/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif

So now, 50c from each sale goes to a service that provides online astronomical education:

http://www.astrosphere.org/donate/

I sold the shirts at NEAIC and NEAF earlier this month. It was NEVER about making a lot of money (if they all sell at $12 I will make less than $40 after donations and expenses - if I sell some at the price they will go up to on May 16th then I will make more). This has always been about having a laugh at a situation many of us are familiar with.

It is not about a movement to denounce astromart or bring it to its knees.

I will tell you that I sold two shirts to wives of astronomers who said the husband would get a chuckle because the their wives kept telling them they were going to ban them from astromart because they spend too much money there.

I had such fun at NEAIC and NEAF (I helped out at both and sold the shirts there too); so many people came over to chat and share their experiences about astromart. It was really satisfying to see people simply walking past with a grin on their faces. THAT is what this has always been about.

If anyone here wants to buy one feel free to contact me through here (if that is okay with the mods) or through my website listed above. The site is not yet configured for international shipping but I will get you a price if you ask.

Thanks for listening.

Morris

[wavelandscott]

Morris,

Thanks for posting...I did not realize that you were invovled in all of the hoopla.

I understand the "spirit" of the thing and also understand why some people have reacted the way they have to your lark.

Cheers,

[taxman]

I had this issue too but switched my email to gmail about 4 years ago - never looked back :thumbsup: