Good idea and i'll probably join... but can I ask how the overheads are getting so expensive just due to "the site growing"? It's just web hosting and a domain name.. and your time to maintain the site, which could almost be put down to a hobby (we all spend all day here). I don't understand how the costs are piling up so high when it's just a website and you already have some form of income through ebay and presumably oz group breaks (?). I don't mean to sound like a jerk, honest question.
Become an OZCT Premium Member
- Thread starter graham
- Start date
Quicksilver
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻)
Our holiday homes in Monaco
Just a website and domain name? I wish it was so simple.
Straight up, every month, there is over $500 a month for server colocation and bandwidth.
There is also a backup server and switch so we can move the data between the servers. I bought these servers a few years back. The main server we are on wasn't cheap. Dual CPU, 72 gig of ram, 8 hard drives in RAID (protection from hard drive failure) with dual power supplies etc. The backup server is pretty essential in that we have backups if anything goes pear shaped. Bandwidth utilisation currently sits at over 200 gig per month. That sort of bandwidth is nice and cheap when you sit on a home Internet connection. But we are hosted in an Australian data facility that has redundant providers and fail overs in the event that anything goes wrong with providers. Also have generators in the event of power failures etc. We have managed 99.9% uptime in the last 12 months. How often do you visit and the site is down or very slow?
Why do we have so much redundancy? I've seen sites disappear after being hacked and have no backups in place. Just like that, entire communities gone.
As more users download attachments, view files on the servers etc etc the bandwidth costs increase. Unfortunately we don't get a break on pricing as 200 gig is nothing.
Then there are forum licences, server software licences, renewals of these, upgrades, forum addon licences and renewals, development of new features for the site, premium member prizes (yes some are donated), postage of these, server monitoring software licences. Im sure there's more. $20 here, $40 there, $60 here, $70 there. It all adds up. Ebay and google ads brings in a small amount each month.
Before the Premium Memberships, I covered all of these costs myself and with the assistance of donations from some members. I could host the site on some slow US server and take a punt that backups are being taken for $40 a month. But this site is important to me (and to plenty of others who visit here) so I don't do that. If you aren't going to do things right with an important website, why bother?
So there you go. I'm sure as heck not getting rich off OZCT. Im not one to bleat or complain every month how much this all costs, but I truly appreciate the support from each and every one of our Premium Members.
One more thought, as you said some people are here all day every day. We charge nothing for anyone to be a member here. We do not charge you to list items, we do charge final value fees. We charge nothing for all of the deals that happen here.
I think someone has already mentioned it, but for $5 a month to become a Premium Member and support OZCT, you would need to sell a single $50 card here. Ebays fees on that card would be 10%, or $5. Already you are even, and you get to contribute to this great site
Sell more (which I'm sure many do) and you are way ahead without having to pay more fees.
I think someone has already mentioned it, but for $5 a month to become a Premium Member and support OZCT, you would need to sell a single $50 card here. Ebays fees on that card would be 10%, or $5. Already you are even, and you get to contribute to this great site
Sell more (which I'm sure many do) and you are way ahead without having to pay more fees.
@graham have you worked out a way for people to do it via bank transfer?
I would do that if so as a preference over paypal.
We can do it via Bank Transfer, unfortunately it's not automatically updated in the system like the PayPal way
I'll shoot you a PM
mounteverest
OzCardTrader
H
Everyone should be on board as a premium member!!!maybe everyone should be a premium member on this site before they can sell,trade or buy,just a thought
hey graham thanks for the insight into the running of the site,I for one didn't know how much time and effort went into the sight,a job well done
Everyone should be on board as a premium member!!!maybe everyone should be a premium member on this site before they can sell,trade or buy,just a thought
How often do you visit and the site is down or very slow?
ummmmm... @graham I was welcomed with this today:
Don't worry, I'll still pay my membership, because I think what you do here is amazing! I just couldn't help but screenshot it, while I waited for it to come back online... which wasn't very long at all
ummmmm... @graham I was welcomed with this today:
Don't worry, I'll still pay my membership, because I think what you do here is amazing! I just couldn't help but screenshot it, while I waited for it to come back online... which wasn't very long at all
Grindnation
Steven Adams Collector #12
I saw this about 3 weeks ago and automatically signed up to support this great site !. Keep up the great work guys.
Also as per previous post suggest when we make sales here in effect if we sold them on ebay they would be taking a % and that my friend is how we are saving ourselves with this great community and in a way it pays itself over the year if you decide to become a OZCT supporter.
Also as per previous post suggest when we make sales here in effect if we sold them on ebay they would be taking a % and that my friend is how we are saving ourselves with this great community and in a way it pays itself over the year if you decide to become a OZCT supporter.
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Just because its Friday, I wanted to say thanks to everybody who supports this great site.
As Graham has said previously, it costs you absolutely nothing to trade or sell to people here and thats the way we like it.
We see this place as somewhere where people can come and trade safely with lots of members and do it for free.
And......if you do decide to support the site by joining up to the premium membership, you get plenty of chances to win some great prizes, some of which will be announced soon!
Cheers
Matt
As Graham has said previously, it costs you absolutely nothing to trade or sell to people here and thats the way we like it.
We see this place as somewhere where people can come and trade safely with lots of members and do it for free.
And......if you do decide to support the site by joining up to the premium membership, you get plenty of chances to win some great prizes, some of which will be announced soon!
Cheers
Matt
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