Spongers on Ebay

[tom652]

i have found recently that free items from the RNLI and the Met office are being sold on ebay i hope that all the proceeds from these auctions goto a charity of some sort. if other have found the same is there any action that can be taken?

 

[PeteCooper]

There was a long thread on this fairly recently - a search should provide answers. I believe T25 might also be able to shed some light.

 

[Sixpence]

Thanks for the intro Pete , hopefully I won't get accused of commercial advertising as I'm replying

Tom , a recent thread in scuttlebutt unearthed a young lad by the name of Paul , who was happily selling the RNLI CDs because he was simply trying to earn a bit of money by selling them to people that don't know they're freely available . I managed to contact Paul and pointed him in the direction of my website with a potential for earning an honest buck , on condition that he stopped selling them . He posted a reply on scuttlebutt saying that he was taking me up on my offer , and has now listed loads of stuff along with others that are interested in supporting a marine auction site that's being run by boatie people , for boatie people . Maybe if people contacted the others that are selling them , they'd find out that they're often honest people that are just desperate to earn a crust , and usually people that are from deprived areas . Paul has moved from his former home and is now more than happy with the arrangement , so maybe it would be an idea if people supported him and helped the others instead of just knocking them

Just my opinion , but I was right last time , even Brendan had to admit that /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[tangomoon]

You see Tom it's just wonderful how warm and fulfilling life is when people like T25 can do so much good and bring errant no hopers usually from deprived areas, back into the fold. Bless them all

 

[tcm]

ah but

Some companies run free courses and have lots of experts ready to give advice on their products free of charge ...and few people turn up.

But when the same companies offer advice and information FOR SALE - loads of people turn up! Quite amazing. Not loads of cash, just a bit. The info has higher perceived vaue i suppose, it's not another giveaway like advertising - it's real hard info worth making an effort to acquire and learn.

So, I reckon that by selling the rnli cd's each of the recipients will look v carefully at the info. And not like the others who use them as free coffee coasters.

Perhaps also young Paul could helpout with rnli pricing in future as he wd soon help them towards brighter fully-funded sunny uplands. Lots to do - you can buy t-shirts at boat shows that say "governor" on them at just the same price as "member", which doesn't seem right.

 

[Sixpence]

Re: ah but

I like your way of thinking , but I'm not sure the RNLI would agree , wonder if there's any of their people available to comment

 

[Oen]

Re: ah but

I think (but I stand to be corrected), that to buy a Governor shirt, you have to show your Governor membership, likewise for a member. Should a Governor (who already gives more every month than a member) also have to pay more for a shirt?

 

[Peter_Chennell]

RNLI person available to comment...

The RNLI’s Sea Safety department has several delivery routes for getting Sea Safety information into the hands boating public. Remember we are trying to reach not just yachtsmen and power boaters who may read these forums, but also divers, Sea anglers, participants in some of the adrenalin sports, and most particularly users of small high-speed craft like sports boats and PWCs.

Whilst talking to boaters at boat jumbles, in the Marina, at boat shows and wherever our roadshows, plus our well-established SEA Check programme, is part of our way of communicating, one of our most effective methods of getting Sea Safety information into the hands of people who need it is “The Complete Guide to Sea Safety” booklet with its attached CD-ROM. Our philosophy is, because it is so cheap to produce, to get it in the hands is as many boaters as possible, and the tactic is to give it away free wherever we can.

If we were to sell it we would then have to establish a marketing and sales network and incur considerable costs, which would not be matched by income generated, and we would certainly not have reached as many boaters. From our point of view even one small change in attitude and behaviour can be regarded as a success in our target audiences.

We believe that people do read it, even if it free, and the number of people who have taken the trouble to say so seems to bear witness to that.

I have a graph which shows the number of lifeboat launches according to various boat categories, but as I’m very pressed for time and thus unable to learn how to post it on this forum, if one of my Sea Safety colleagues, or indeed anybody else, wants to e-mail me I can then attach it to my reply and perhaps it could be published on my behalf. You might be very interested in its content!