Display your works in the front lobby

Has Makerspace considered adding a dedicated position / chair for web sales? It would seem to me a conduit to help members sell their goods on the web would perpetuate the space. Classes would include courses on general small business, web sales strategy, collections, etc. The chair would maintain a sales website for members that haven’t reached a commercial sales level or independant business level and after an administrative or listing fee, proceeds could be routed to pay the member’s monthly dues as we do with teaching honorariums. Sticky part would be some sort of waiver keeping DMS out of all sales disputes but as ETSY and EBAY do it, seems doable.

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This does not work within guidelines.

It makes DMS a store responsible for YOUR product and YOUR sales and worse, your returns. Think about the money co-mingling. What are your return policies. How does a refund work? Etc.

I am pretty sure this would violate our 501©3 status which would then make us a for profit entity. Yikes.

Inurement. For those selling, they get special opportunities. For those not selling, they do not have that financial opportunity. More trouble.

Meanwhile, having a SIG for craft sales would be cool. That is well within DMS guidelines. The people interested can talk about sales opportunities, frustrations, and having joint booths at choosen events.

We have had several events for Amazon sellers.

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I am interested in joining a SIG for craft sales. I have too much going on to be responsible for the SIG though.

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As a non-profit, we can have incidental sales for the Corporation, e.g. mugs and tee shirts. But running a website, with items for sale might be stretch, unless there were a very healthy percentage that is given to DMS, then it might be considered a fund raiser. They rules typically speak about “donated” property being sold.

Some references for your reading pleasure:
Section 51. Fund-Raising Activities The IRS recognizes fundraising:
4.76.51.2 (12-13-2013)
Background

** Most, if not all, tax exempt organizations need money. Many exempt purposes can only be achieved via the application of money. Thus, large numbers of organizations devote significant resources to acquiring money. These organizations employ a variety of methods to obtain funds, ranging from selling a product or service, conducting a fund-raising event, to just asking for money.**

** Traditional methods of obtaining funds include soliciting donors via the mail, phone calls, newspapers, radio, television, and now via the Internet. Organizations have become creative over the years, conducting activities and events, such as the sales of foodstuffs, car washes, raffles, casino nights, auctions, and pledge drives, evolving towards more sophisticated means of fund-raising, such as targeted solicitations, the use of patronage levels, crowd-funding, and tax planning considerations, such as conservation easements, lending arrangements, and charitable gift annuities.**

I highlighted auction because we are doing one with donated materials and should be safe harbored by this IRS document.

I think if an article on display has creator’s name (reasonable), description (reasonable), and a contact such as a phone number or email (email to be overly cautious, I’d advise shouldn’t have business name). If that is all, I think it would be fine. People “know” what it means and can contact the creator and work out any business arrangement outside of DMS, but making clear DMS is in no way involved in the transaction.

I’ve seen some beautiful items - I’d love to have bought some items I’ve seen but too poor to even make a non-insulting offer. But DMS isn’t a gallery.

I personally would like to see a way to have Maker Trade Fairs, just not sure how to do it.

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Is mine too ‘racy’ to display. I ask because I once got kicked out of the old man do nothing group which is the N. TX CNC group for similar work. But I figure DMS is more open minded. This is cut in brass and is 3" tall. It is the positive version of one of my embossing plates and cut on the HAAS today.

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