Want to use the info freely available here on FT to clear over $2000 in cold hard cash in less than a month, no inventory required? Click here:

http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid =1580576&sort=3&page=1&rows=25&since=30&rdir=0

In the past month alone the above seller has had sales of over $2400US selling "info" on ebay auctions, the auctions have had various titles but generally were to the effect of "Unlimited Frequent Flyer Miles". Of course anyone who reads FT will quickly recognize that all this "info" is is to buy a bunch of Inside Flyer subscriptions by the end of June to earn a bundle of Starwood points. (Note that at the time of this posting this seller has actually had 173 auctions in the past 30 days of which about 160 were for this "info", their remaining auctions were for Kelloggs AAdvantage certs and Inside Flyer magazine subscriptions).

Sales of over $2400 in less than a month - of which AT LEAST $2K is sheer profit - all this for information that is freely available on the public domain right here on FT�


[This message has been edited by yanxfann (edited 06-21-2002).]

I had to discipline myself to not write a rude comment to this post, but I think what many of us in this community pride ourselves on is the fact that we share our information freely. Others have discussed the ebay issue far better than I will here. However, might I inquire about the comfort you recieve in making money from people when you could merely provide them a link to FT?

Now before you think I am anti-capitalist don't bother - I LOVE capitalism. I am all for making money and lots of it.

Perhaps I will now receive flames about how people are receiving value and the like.

Oh well, I expressed my opinion.

This scheme, as expressed above, remids me of MileSpy.

More power to him. There is nothing illegal about it. It is pure unadulterated capitalism at work. All a consultant does is sell his knowledge, also without inventory issues, and half those on this board are consultants. All a doctor and a lawyer and computer code writer sells is .........

Betcha Randy does not care one bit.

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~ Glen ~

As the person who originally posted this idea, I wish that I had taken it to ebay. It would be nice to have $2000 in my pocket. There is more than enough room in this world for information to be available for free one place and for sale someplace else.

I just wish I had thought of it first. I sure could use $2,000!

[This message has been edited by onedog (edited 06-21-2002).]

Whether it's illegal or not, the question is simple:

Do you want to be the guy on FT who takes freely exchanged information and sells it on ebay, or do you want to be a member of this community?

99+% of FTers select option "b." A couple don't.

I think what you do is start a dutch auction with the exact same description as the idiot, with a price of $1 quantity 10,000.

ie. give the info away.

I can't see why anyone should be upset with a person selling ideas on Ebay. He/she is selling to people who will willingly pay for information that they don't have - even if they could spend a little time and find it themselves.

The buyers are not Flyertalkers, and therefore would not get this info - unless you all feel like you want to go out to every computer bulletin board, trading site, etc. and tell everyone about everything that you've ever learned on FT. It is fine to have a community, and share freely - I'm all in favor of that - just as I tell friends and family about things all the time. But that doesn't mean I would take the time to inform everyone in the country/world. If someone wants to offer some for sale, and people find it of value, then I think everyone is a winner.

There is room for community and private enterprise in the world - don't forget Randy Peterson actually SELLS Inside Flyer - even though I'm sure some of the info could be had for free on FlyerTalk.

Does Randy *SELL* mag subscriptions or does he sell seats on the Concorde?

:/

Yes to both questions.

By doing one he does the other in effect if the magazine buyer is savvy. Win, win. And Randy makes a buck in the process. It is the American way after all ...........

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~ Glen ~

Personally, I see a difference between someone who spends many years and a lot of money for education to become proficient in a field as compared to someone who obtains information for free and sells it.

Exploitation is a word that comes to mind.

I admire Yanxfann's business sense, although I do not admire his taste in baseball teams.

=)

If there are people who are willing to pay him for his knowledge and his edge on things, more power to him. I don't think he's doing anything wrong.

But, I think he should go with the Dutch auction. You get more customers that way!