WTB Postings are NOT PERMITTED

[Fox-Events]

(Two) solicitations asking if someone wants to sell a Fox gun were deleted by Moderator. One more time... Fox guns for sale (or by extension, wtb) may not be posted in any of the open Forums. This includes posting if someone wants to sell a Fox that s/he has written something about.

Reminder - anyone wanting to advertise Fox guns wts or wtb may join up as a paying member and post same on our private Members Forum.

[ironman5]

Has any progress been made to allow for membership applications to be processed online? I think membership would grow if there was an easy way to sign up. Even PGCA allows for online membership and renewal. I know it was being considered at one time for this site as well. Any updates?

[kingoftheclinch]

i am not a member yet i have just found this club and web site. i couldnt agree more with the last post about being able to join online. i think it would increase the # of members and really make it easyier. thanks love the site and will be joining soon dan

[Researcher]

We would have to up membership prices to cover the loss to credit cards or Paypal service. For an organization of our size it isn't in the cards. The PGCA is over 25 years old with over a thousand members.

[ironman5]

I'm nobody, but I will share my 2 cents:

I think it would pay for itself in short order. Raise membership enough to cover expenses and offer something else as an added bonus (Pin, patch, bumber sticker, hat - any small thing to display Fox ownership & pride). The membership dues haven't prevented me from joining, but twice I have printed off the application for it to sit around on my desk, lost in the shuffle because I so rarely have a checkbook, stamp, envelope and application together. I consider myself to be a caveman when it comes to technology, but even I have come into the 21st century and pay all of my bills either on-line or over the phone. I maybe write 1-2 real checks per year but haven't seen my checkbook in several months. Some might just call it laziness, I prefer to blame inconvenience.

I know there is a wealth of knowledge available here and think that if the goal is to increase membership rolls and share the passion and pride of Fox shotguns, then every effort should be made to help people come on board. I am a Fox owner, but like most here, I also like elsie's, parker's, ithaca's etc. and have joined several other collector groups to gather info on those makes as well. I didn't join them because they are any better groups/sites... truth is, they have my money allready because it was more convenient to join. Like it or not, we have become a society of N-O-W. And people that want access to info NOW are willing to pay...it just has to be convenient.

[Silvers]

FWIW I agree 100% with Researcher. This is my opinion: with all respect to an alternate viewpoint, setting up a Paypal type system for what's likely to be a handful of potential new members seems like a "make work" type effort. Either you're into Foxes, want to join the fraternity, have access to the Members Forum with technical folks posting there, want to get the Newsletter with advanced Fox info you'll never find anywhere else, link up with other members/tech resources who will bend over backwards to help their fellows ---- or you're not. Writing and mailing a check will take all of, what, 5 minutes? Probably less time than composing a coherent posting to elaborate why a person doesn't want to write a check. Again, this is my personal opinion only. Frank Silvers

[ironman5]

Frank, I thought the same thing myself as I was typing out a response. So I gathered the necessary items and the application is ready to be mailed on Monday. HOWEVER, I still think that if the true goal is to build the membership rolls then it should be easier to become a member. If you want it to be made up of only guys that are allready die-hard Fox experts then a couple of hundred is all that will ever be on the rolls. Maybe I just look at things a little differently, I own 2 Fox guns out of 40 Sxs's. I don't consider myself a "Fox guy" allthough I appreciate the great guns that they are and thirst for some extra knowledge. The history and knowledge are what we as collectors are after and we use the technology of today (computers and internet) to help us aquire it. Just seems to me like the organization is making you enter the old phone booth drop your quarter in the "pay phone" instead of using your cell phone. Yeah, they both work. The pay-phone was a great thing for 50+ years. When's the last time you pulled over and dug through your pocket to find a quarter, closed the sliding door and made a call home? Not a terrible inconvenience - we could all check in our cell phones and go back to having one on every corner. Just like a stamp, envelope and paper check are not a terrible inconvenience - but they are a little outdated as well.

If the organization (any) is to grow responsibly, then the hurdles to membership must be kept to a minimum and the benefits of membership touted to the maximum. I know some of the members do a very nice job of "recruiting" new members on other sites. It's a standard response to someone asking for detailed info on a Fox gun to steer them this way in hopes of increased membership and I think that is a smart move. But I can't help wonder how many potential new members get here to this great site and then don't dig through thier pockets to find a quarter for the pay phone.

Best regards,

[Stan Hillis]

Here's an idea to eliminate 80% of the "hassle" involved with joining the old fashioned way. Take the offer to join for 5 years and get the free McIntosh book. One check, one stamp, one envelope...five years. Simple enough for me.

Stan

[Brian]

or just man up and pay for life membership. LOL. after all, this is your life as far as guns go. At least to me, its Foxes, pre 64 FW 70's, English BPE double rilfes and Field Bred Springers.

[eightbore]

Way to go, Brian. I became a life member the first time I found out I could do it. What? Am I going to lose interest in Fox shotguns some time in the future? Get serious. Bill Murphy

[mike campbell]

Life membership in anything makes it hard to slam the door on the way out....then sneak back in by a side door.

[CLAYBORN]

Some really good comments about Postings are Not Permitted. The life time membership is an option I do agree. The inconvenience is a possibility, however if one wants something bad enough they will jump through the hoops. Some guys just don't like the security issues of writing checks. Way to much info on the check, and with all the identity theft, some are hesitant. I use the word hesitant, because as someone once said, " he who hesitates is lost". A few potential members are lost I'm sure. Losing one potential member should be a concern. I'm sure the great guys on here would agree with that statement about losing one potential member. I really love this site. I'm not a member, but may be in the future. I have had so much help from guys here. I've learn so much about Fox Shotguns. Has anyone ever penciled it out on what it would cost to make payments secure. Please understand that the security issue is not the Fox Collectors Club, I believe the integrity is at a very high level. In our society most people just operate in the most secure way. Just a thought.
Clay

[MARSHFELLOW]

Mike......guess I'm not the only one who thinks along those lines.

Clayborn, I've gotta ask, your quote "I really love this site. I'm not a member,".............I dont understand....why wouldnt you support the AHFCA by joining if you "love the site"??

tjw

[Silvers]

Again this is just my opinion - but a security issue writing a check? People have been writing checks for mucho years and it's very rare that someone gets the bank ID code and your account number, and tries to access said account. Personally I'm more concerened about doing a credit card on paypal or similar. I've had credit cards numbers stolen, but never checking account info. Bottom line - if someone is concerened about writing a check and having name, address and account info retrieved by someone with ill intentions, there's a simple solution. Get postal money orders to pay for stuff to include your membership. My opinion for whatever it's worth. Frank Silvers

[DSizemore]

Silvers.... I couldn't agree more and I share your view on the risks associated with check writing verses credit card payments. I always feel much more secure when writing a check and am a little hesitant every time I give my card number out. It hasn't been until recent years that I started paying bills via on-line access but I must admit, it makes me more efficient with those bills that I owe along with items, services, and in this case, memberships, that I simply want. I think the point here is to do anything you can that increases memberships and revenue for the club. Sure, guys like you, me, and a whole host of others are going to ensure the payment is made regardless of the method. My renewal is made out and sealed, ready to go out this week whenever I take other items to the post office. In contrast, what I think "Ironman" was getting at when he started this topic is that he thought an on-line renewal might increase the memberships by simply being easier to do. I can see guys, or gals, sitting on the computer and browsing the Fox site and wanting to see what's behind the locked door. Common sense tells me that those folks, again, with an interest level in Fox guns that's just of fraction of yours, might be more apt to grab the credit card right then and there and sign up. From that point, they'll probably be hooked. If they have to take the time to print the application, write the check, buy a stamp, then mail the thing, it might be they loose a little interest and just don't get it done. When selling anything, it's all about convenience for the buyer. I'm going by memory here, and this number could be higher and likely is, but I can recall selling Fox guns to three guys this year that were not members of this organization nor did they even know it existed. Now, these are "shotgunners" who were willing to pay good money for a Fox so obviously they possessed the interest and just lacked the exposure. Of course, I recommended the site to them as a daily informational read and your guess is as good as mine as to whether the on-line payment verses the check payment thing would have made the difference in whether they took the plunge or not. If the cost of setting things up and the work involved by you guys is too exhaustive then that's just the way it is. Only you know that. I just felt the need to express my view here that I don't see this issue as one that's applicable to those of us who really love and think Fox thoughts all day long, but rather to those potential Fox enthusiasts who might need a little push, or lure, to come into the light. Perhaps, at least to some degree, a culmination of several little things might have CONTRIBUTED to the reason the Parker club has so many more members than the Fox club??

Respectfully Submitted.......