Fox Collectors

I have deleted the forum for sale/wanted section. We are in the process of formalizing the structure of Foxcollectors as a non-profit, so the want ad forum must go. Sorry Fox-admin.

Wow This is bad news!

I feel the gun/parts exchange portion of this group was one of the most important features of the site.

I'm not understanding how the exchange of private party merchandise between individual members, would exclude the organization from non-profit status?

Will we still be able to list items in the regular forum? What about wanted to buy, looking for parts, Etc?

I hope you can bring it back in the future!

Paul

In order with to qualify with the IRS as a non-profit your activities must be primarily educational. Activities that are not educational (facilitating the sale of merchandise that are not fund raising activities) may result in your non-profit status being withdrawn.

On the Parker Forum parts can be sold and wanted listed but no guns.

I will ask the IRS and see what they say.

Finding parts is a very important function of this forum - please try to keep it so.

I agree the exchange of parts is a very important part of this group but I also feel that the selling of guns is of equal importance.

I would much rather give the members here first crack at a Fox I have for sale. At least here I know it would go to someone that is interested in them enough to be on this site.

I've been thinking about some of the sales I've seen here like the last A-grade 16ga that sold in seven minutes,or when I needed a small bore hammer. Without the sales/WTB section none of this would have happened. I would still be looking for that hammer rather than shooting the gun last week on a pheasant hunt and the new owner of the A-grade would still be looking!

Craig I sure hope the IRS will allow the private party sales to continue. I wonder how Dave Weber has the Double gun BBS set up? He sure makes a point of it that the ten dollars you send in for a sale is a donation.

I've been involved with non-profit dog breed clubs that are educational based for the non-profit status. These still can have paid member/breeder ad's in their publications.

I believe even it the IRS says Fox collectors can not have a wanted/sale board they could have a link to such a board. I have a couple of sites that could host a forum which would be completely separate from the non profit. Nothing in it for me I just like the idea of the current or ex wanted/sale section.

BTW the A grade 16 is sweet, just back from Mike Orelen with more open chokes .

I too am disappointed our "for sale/wanted" board is going away...I looked forward to checking it 3 or 4 times a day....is was nice to have a Fox spot so as not to have to wade thru a bunch of stuff I'm not interested in. This is not a complaint, just a comment.

I too am one who appreciates the classified section.
over the years I have belonged to clubs etc. that I would presume to be non profit and the news letters always carried some sort of classified section, the decoy collectors club I am active in also has a "Buy swap and sell" at every monthly meeting..of course we may not be in the right either.

Although the PGCA website restricts the classified section to non guns, the PGCA quarterly newsletter includes a guns for sale section. I have a feeling that IRS rules have nothing to do with it. I suspect that PGCA has decided to eliminate the possible liability of selling guns to those who would misuse them, and possibly the liability or bad publicity in having bad sellers or dissatisfied buyers. The website is available to everyone, but supposedly the newsletter is for members only. It has been suggested that a guns for sale section could be available to PGCA members only but so far nothing has been done to achieve that result. This is not meant to disparage the PGCA system which works pretty well, only to let you know what is going on over there.

eightbore: You are correct in your analysis, it is a potential liability issue and my concern about obtaining our non-profit status from the IRS. The new Board of Fox Collectors Association can take up the issue in the future. Thanks everyone for your input. Craig