I have avoided any auctions here since the beginning for several reasons. I don't want the possibility of any flack from the major players in the auction business, and I don't want the problems that could arise when bidders are disappointed or upset at the results.
As for the costs of upkeep on Tool Talk, they are rather small, and quite manageable as is, and I don't want it to appear that I am soliciting funds in any way. The donations of money and tools that I receive are sufficient to keep Tool Talk afloat.
I have maintained this forum as a labor of love for over six years without major cash outlay. Even the recent crash came at a time that the hosting plan was due to be renewed, so the expense of changing hosts was the same as the re-hosting would have been with the former host.
Though most of us are not very happy with the forum software we are using, it is free, and "almost" as good as Vbulletin. Vbulletin forum software licenses have gone crazy expensive, with costly updates coming on a regular basis.
