GameTZ-No more Subscription Fees!!

Nephilim

Nephilim

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Posted recently on the site, they are no longer requiring the $20 per year subscription fee. All this and I just paid last week for my first year, hmph.

Check out my Home Page and Tradelist at GameTZ here:
[highlight]Trade List at GameTZ[/highlight]

I like the site better than TGN for the following:
  • Well organized Offers and Trades
  • Serious Users
  • Superior Matching system
  • Great Rating system
  • Much larger game title database and more functional search engine
  • Fast loading site
  • Easy to add to your lists
  • Modifying deals and messages is hella easy
  • Home page for users shows response time, last login, and lots of other useful info

From the site http://gametz.com/

Special Announcement for all Game Trading Zone Users

The End of Subscriber-Only


I have decided to drop the requirement that traders be subscribed to GameTZ in order to make full use of the site's key trading features. Non-subscribers will now be able to send offers, get contact information, post in the forums and use the chat system.

Essentially, the site will go back to the way it was before February 2003. GameTZ Subscriptions are once again voluntary. Subscribers will get several additional features, but the core trading features will no longer be subscriber-only.

The additional features that subscribers receive are: Ad Control (turn the ads off), Filters, Color Schemes, Personal Forum, Forum Avatar and Signature, Font Size Control, GameTZ email forwarding address, Graphics filtering, Swear Filter Disable, and Welcome Page Control. More details are available on this page: http://gametz.com/SubWhy.html

This is a major change for the site and it's not something I take lightly. When I took the site to subscriber only, my hope was to devote myself to the site, making a living off of it and grow the user base. But, after 2 and a half years, and several adjustments, it has become clear that the user base is not growing. In fact, it has been shrinking slowly. While we've retained a core group of regular traders, we've had a lot of trouble gaining new members.

I did manage to make several significant improvements in that time, but the income I got was quite low. It saddens me that I wasn't able to make this work. But, life goes on. I'm still dedicated to trading and keeping the site going. But, it will need to be a hobby for me, not a
career.

The most common complaint we get from new users is that they don't want to pay to use the site. Other sites provide a similar service without the subscription requirement. So, it's hard to compete with that. It's clear that the subscription requirement has been the biggest factor
preventing us from adding new users. Thus, I've decided to take the site back to the way it was and get rid of the subscription requirement.

As part of this change, I have also eliminated trial subscriptions and the "setup" mode (which required new users to make 10 listings and a welcome post). Although, I have kept the requirement that new users take the Trader's Oath.

This change will be a financial challenge for the site. Subscriptions have been the primary source of revenue used to pay the bills and provide some income for my efforts. However, in recent months, I've managed to improve the revenue from advertisements. I'm also hoping to
switch to a less expensive Internet service provider in January when my current contract is up. I believe I can get the site to at least a break-even level and thus ensure its long term survival.

Personally, I will need to spend less time working on GameTZ. It is not going to provide the income I was hoping it would. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I may get a regular job or I may try to develop a new website or two.

To those of you who are currently non-subscribers: Welcome back. Please feel free to use your account to the fullest. Check your matches, make some offers, use our forums and chat. This change will create a big wave of excitement and trading that you'll want to be a part of.

To those of you have been subscribers over these last 2 and a half years: I thank you for your loyalty and support over the years. I know this change is likely a bit shocking for you and I'm sorry for that. I'm doing what I feel is best for the site. In the long run, I believe this change will put the site back on track and bring you all more success with your trades.


Thank you.

Bill Marrs
Owner Game Trading Zone
A Kenyon Hill LLC Website
 
[quote name='Nephilim'] after 2 and a half years, and several adjustments, it has become clear that the user base is not growing. In fact, it has been shrinking slowly. While we've retained a core group of regular traders, we've had a lot of trouble gaining new members.
[/QUOTE]

At least he's honest about it, I always found it a bit funny that most of the other sites lived off of donations and ads but gametz wanted money, even if it was a pretty small amount. Perhaps I'll try out my account there now.:D
 
gametz rocks! It is the best gametrading site. Now that it is free I suggest people try it out. It used to be free when it first started, and now it is again. Gametz.com and Cheepassgamer.com are the best sites out there right now for deals.
 
I find their Matching System to be very intituve and easily understandable, as the system finds suitable matches for you - rather than looking through individual check lists.
 
Sweet, I'll probably put my list up there as well as here and TGN pretty soon. Thanks for the info.

Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if they're just trying to get some fresh meat in there before initiating a fee again. Say you start an account and get 10+ FB there, some would just pay the fee rather than walk away from their hard-earned 'rep'.
 
[quote name='Ziv_Zulander']Now if only the mods and the admin himself weren't such a group of assholes the site would be perfect.[/QUOTE]

Agree. People there like jump on you when your a "noob." And since they have "high feedback" they think they can do whatever they want and just get lazy with it. When they are the ones that should be the most organized and everything else. IMO, TGN is better. It seems more organized and the chat there isnt always just about games. You deal with people at TGN not the usual asshole.(GTZ dose have some people there that are not assholes n everything, its just alot of them are.)
 
I think Ziv is just bitter 'cause he was banned from the site.

Anyways, I've been a user of GameTZ.com since 1999, and it's been one of the keys to my building up my video game collection. Although there will always be users who are jerks, there are plenty of great users around. Now since subscriptions are optional (subscribing will give you additional perks), there is no reason why anybody shouldn't give it a try.
 
I'm "bitter" because while the site itself is great. The biased mods and admin really just ruin everything. I urge everybody to try it but just be sure to not disagree with the staff on ANYTHING.
 
Its so true. I have to agree. The people there in general are little punks. Just because they hve 500-900 trades they think they are high and mighty. Most of them like starting crap.

I mustve got into 3 arguments with idiots there. And BTW I shut fown GTZ Mods/Admins about the DMCA poilicy. HAHAHAHAHAH. and Imma request my money back since i dont use any of those member features anyways.
 
I've been a member at GTZ since 1999 as well. If you were treated badly by the mods or Bill, then you did something to deserve it. Mods/admins are rarely if ever involved in anything that doesn't warrant it.

The $20 a year subscription is literally coffee money. It wasn't a big deal to use such a great service. GTZ was operated by one individual. I'm not sure about the other sites who stayed active through donations only, but I think it would be a bit more difficicult for a single person to be able to maintain such an enormous database with merely donations.

Now that its free again, I urge everyone to check it out. Stop by the chat, I'll probably be there to welcome you if your new. We don't treat people like "noobs", but don't expect to come in and demand that some of our veterans with thousands of trades send first to you or make some kind of exception to the way they do their trading. Be polite and you will be treated the same.

If your new, I recommend trading with the more established users until you can build a reputation for yourself. You will likely not have any trouble with our veteran users, as we have built our reputations for nearly a decade :p. Silver star traders and up is your best bet when your new. It really takes away a lot of the hassles of online trading.

I hope I didn't sound in anyway "high and mighty" because I didn't intend to. Try it out, I'm sure you'll like it if your serious about trading.
 
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