i'm pleased to see that we're discussing this in such a pleasant and purely conversational manner. :-)
my only objection is to the allegation that the original retail source is an irrefutable indication of its relative quality or value. i've been at this for a while, too, and have seen more than sufficient proof otherwise. only the fabric itself is an accurate indicator.
those who sell here, or who are planning to, should keep a few things in mind:
1. our classifieds section was never intended to function as a commercial selling site. it never will be. it's primary purpose is for members to help each other make ends meet by exchanging excess fabric, supplies and tools. that exchange can involve either money or trade for items of similar value, but the principals remain the same in either case.
2. if the intent is to set up a permanent store front, we'd prefer you do so elsewhere so that our classifieds section is not overtaken by professional resellers and thus crowd out those members who use it only occassionally for its intended purpose.
3. for the most part, we don't interfere with pricing choices. there have been a very few extreme cases in which the seller was obviously price-gouging or deliberately misrepresenting the fabrics offered. in such cases, we will step in and do what little we can to protect our members. an example of that would be someone selling fabrics known to be available only at discount prices but referring to them as "LQS fabrics" or mixing them with LQS fabs and pricing all of them at LQS levels.
buyers should also consider a few things when shopping:
1. the fact that somebody is selling a fabric for a price higher than it would cost "in person" does not automatically indicate a lack of ethics on the part of the seller. most fabrics are available to us through a variety of retail sources. the prices for specific fabric vary widely depending upon where we buy them and how much we buy. i can find a fab for $2.99 every day from one source, and see the same fab for $3.99 - $7.99 in other places. for that reason, it's unfair to assume the seller is trying to take advantage just because their price is higher than what we'd pay if we bought it from one of our own typical sources. the seller may, in fact, be honestly pricing it to cover her/his own expenses. and don't forget that those expenses may include the taxes and/or shipping costs the seller paid when buying those fabs.
2. in a lot of cases, the fabrics we sell to each other come with "value added". they might already be prewashed and pressed. they may be measured more generously to ensure that 1-yard sold does in fact provide a minimum of 36 usable inches. they are likely to have already been used in a project, which amounts to "quality testing/verification." for some buyers, those little extras might justify a slight markup in price over the lowest price from a retail source.
the point of this admittedly long essay is that we should not jump to conclusions. rather, we should look at each ad and offering. evaluate each based on its own merits and value to you as the buyer.
if sellers are dishonest, we'll figure it out pretty quickly and they'll find few or no buyers here.
if buyers are thoughtful and educate themselves beforehand, they'll be able to shop with confidence.
:-)