Post #642767 by happy buddha on Wed, Jul 4, 2012 9:35 AM

I feel like this site is the face of the 'tiki collecting community' for most people out there.

I collect more things than tiki, and when I have a question that I can't answer through a web search, I typically go to a forum & ask a question. I rarely have time to spend an hour trying to figure out the forum's 'etiquette', I just ask. More often than not, people are anxious to answer questions about things they are passionate about, and eager to help someone who could potentially share the same interest. It doesn't seem that way here.

I'm not sure why anyone here would be surprised that collectors want to know how much their treasures are worth. It doesn't make them a flipper, or a money-grubber, or even mean they want to sell anything. It's just part of the fun of collecting, like poring over price guides.

I certainly don't want to offend anyone; I respect everyones right to an opinion, but this site isn't anyones 'lawn'. It's an informational site on the Internet, and belongs to the first-time poster just as much as someone who posts every day. If we chase away all newcomers w/ a genuine interest, then it becomes the same ten people talking about the matchbooks they found at the flea market on sunday. And doesn't that do us all a disservice?

Again, I say all of this in respect to the site that all of us clearly love, regardless of how we defend it.