Randy,

Since you set the guidelines for CC, I felt this was the best forum for this discussion, rather than in CC itself. Please feel free to move it to CC if you feel that's a better place.

I humbly request that you reconsider the CC guidelines that currently allow travel-related gift cards/certificates (GCs) as collateral for trades, and to disallow (most, if not all) GCs for future trades. GCs were instituted relatively recently, and while I realize that this was done mainly (I think) due to user request, I think that decision was a bad one and has contributed to a very unfortunate change in the atmosphere and attitude within CC (although, to be fair, I don't know how much of the attitude shift can be blamed on GCs versus any other factor).

The CC TOS currently disallow cash or cash-equivalent trades, except for travel-related gift cards from vendors on the "approved" master list. Although not explicitly spelled out, the TOS also imply that one must already be in possession of the GC and therefore a user can't simply buy a GC only to complete a trade (an implication supported by wharvey). However, that restriction is entirely unenforceable; it is trivial to post the details of a GC one does not have, and to simply purchase that GC to complete the trade. As mahasamatman astutely observed, most GCs are therefore merely a thinly-veiled alternative to cash, and it seems short-sighted, at best, or hypocritical, at worst, to allow GCs but to disallow cash. Since there is very good reason to disallow cash, the only reasonable solution would be to disallow (most) GCs, as well.

Additionally, there has been a very disappointing change in the prevailing attitude on CC to "monetize" trade values, which IMHO (having observed it over the 4 years that I've had CC access) has led to a marked decline in the "community spirit" that used to flow through CC. I don't mean to say that the spirit is gone - there are still plenty of CC users who give away items of value and ask nothing in return, and plenty more who recognize such gestures - but the prevailing attitude now seems to be much more about maximizing a potential trade value (while still remaining fair), rather than about a community of people with shared interests who happen to have excess items they can't use and/or a need for items they don't have, and wish to help each other out.

While the CC mods have done an admirable job of maintaining a list of problematic users, keeping a master list of trade values, and generally staying on top of things, I think those actions are insufficient to stem, and perhaps (ironically) even contribute somewhat to, the increasing monetization of CC.

As a particular data point for my opinion on the CC attitude, I'll open myself up to criticism by pointing to my own history on CC. Without going into too many details (as those can be found by searching through CC, and linking to a CC thread outside of CC is a TOS violation), last week I posted a request for an expiring item which nevertheless has significant value; as the request was on behalf of a friend who had nothing to offer in exchange, the request was just that: a request, not a trade offer. That thread quickly garnered some pretty vitriolic responses which caused the thread to be locked for moderator review. In previous years, I've made similar requests, and none of those requests ever got the kind of negative (and personal) response that this one did... IMHO, something has really changed in the atmosphere of CC. Now, some may certainly think that my request was excessive, and that's OK, but the request is no more excessive this year than in previous years, yet nobody saw fit to comment in such ways previously, and moreover that's still no excuse for the kinds of comments (personal and otherwise) made in that thread.

To be fair, there were also some wonderfully supportive comments (which I deeply appreciate) in that thread, which shows that the community spirit is still alive... but it's not well, and it's not as prevalent as it once was, or as it should be again. Similar comments made in the "karma posts" thread (linked above) show that I am not alone in this feeling.

Banning GCs from CC is not a cure for the monetization of CC, but I think it would help, and at the very least it would remove the inconsistency between disallowing cash but allowing (through a lack of enforceability) GCs that can be purchased entirely at will and specifically to complete a trade.

I have no problem with promotional GCs or other items which a member may have received from other actions, and hopefully it's possible in most cases to actually distinguish promotional GCs from purchased ones. If such a distinction can be made, then promotional GCs should still be allowed since they operate much like any other dollar-value voucher and are not purchased solely to complete a trade... if no such distinction can be made, then all unrestricted GCs should be banned, IMHO.

(To be absolutely clear: I am not referring to things like travel credits received from VDBs, vouchers/e-certs received from promotions, etc... I am referring only to purchased GCs or GCs that cannot be identified as coming from promos, VDB, or other non-purchase transactions.)

Of course, there's a lot more that should probably be done to try and revive the community spirit that once dominated CC... but that is fodder for another thread.

Thanks for considering this, however you decide.

Since

a) the op is directly addressing Randy with a request

b) Randy is the only one who has the authority to respond to the op's request

c) If he wishes to request further input from the members he can do so

we are therefore closing this for his review and any response he may wish to make.

We have also soft-deleted follow-on posts so Randy can review those.

Thank you,

cblaisd and squeakr
Co-Moderators, Only Randy Petersen