Cash Shop = EVIL GAIA? (Debate & Discussion)

[~ Anime Betty ~]

In recent weeks I've decided to stop buying things from the cash shop on Gaia. I might donate for letters still through the cash cards but I will no longer spend real money on pixel items like everyone else is doing. I came across a thread on Gaia where a girl pointed out how greedy Gaia is turning. Most of the item updates on the site are all going into the Cash Shop now. And you can't buy them with Gain Gold unless you buy it in the marketplace and some of those prices are ridiculous. And I was reminded of a quote in a movie from a villain. He said; "Imagine a business where people hand you money and you give them back absolutely nothing." And thats basically what Gaia is doing. I understand that they are turning into a business site, but the cash shop isn't really selling anything real. They will never be truly our items. We can't take them off of Gaia, or use them anywhere else online. If Gaia were to disappear tomorrow, everything people paid for would be gone. And Gaia isn't offering refunds either. So as one girl put it; "It's theft." It might even be illegal in the US. All of the items we are supposedly paying for are not really ours. If Gaia bans you, they can take away everything you rightful paid for. So thats why I support the donation idea to support the site and Gaia. But anything else is dishonest. What is your opinion?

(Please keep the conversation civil and respect everyone's views, thank you!)  

[Foghorn_Moonlight_Goddess]

But at the same time.. when they are relasing new clothes in the stores.. in general they have been cheaper.. specially the new hair.. the one I got is only 25 gold.. and to me its they best they have ever relased..

As well.. as.. gaia was dying because they were not getting enough money to pay there staff.. its only because of the cash shop and they're ability to pay the staff better that you have the Hills set.. and the updates to the towns.. and you have the V.J.. that takes a lot of server usage.. and as gaia gets more members and bigger and bigger. It takes more money to run servers.. and they just were not getting it from just the donation items..

Plus they are releasing more items in the envolopes remember when the monthly items where only one..
But at the same time that made them more rare.. and inevitably none of the donation items ever grow up to be worth much anymore..

But at the same time they are giving away lots of free items.. I think its balanced.. for the most part. Though they are getting a bit carried away... If it gets worse.. I might get mad..  

[Foghorn_Moonlight_Goddess]

Though if you get banned you get banned for a reason.. for violiting they're terms of policy.. which you agreed to when you sign up .. So if you violate them you are risking the items you paid for .. if you lose them its your fault nt gaias.. as far as that goes...
If your hacked though thats a different story .. they need to do more on repairing the items for people who where hacked.. they lack very much that department  

[~ Anime Betty ~]

I guess you're right. And now Gaia is having a sale on their real merchandise. I should put my Gaia Cash into buying the real stuff. I need to buy another OMG hat irl. I gave mine as a Christmas present to my nephew irl.  

[Foghorn_Moonlight_Goddess]

Yeah I need to buy some real merchandise I have ment to for awhile now .. just have not had the money though I got a new job with some real money coming in so maybe here soon .. I can.. I hope so  

[SkyKat]

I have to say that I'm not sure, at this time.

Grant it that most of the Gaia Cash Shop Items' cost more than the Donation Letters but I can see why they're trying to make more money.

Pardon the expression... "God forbid if Gaia ever decides to charge an Annual Membership Fee."
oO;

 

[Foghorn_Moonlight_Goddess]

They would never.. They would lose to many people and they now that .. hence the cash shop  

[oXPorkChopXo]

As the site gets bigger everyday, they need to employ more anore staff. How are these staff members getting payed? by us of course.
To be honest I dont know, maybe I have more money than sense, but I buy from the cash shop >.>;
Its like donating to me, yea its not offcial classed as donating right? but in away it is, if it wasnt for us people who actually put money into the site...there would be no site.
They have to find ways for more money to come in a pay for all thoughs damn servers they are using at one time. Just imagin the bandwith there using when theres over 100k of Gaians on here at once O_O;

So basically we are just keeping the site running by buying from the cash shop. Yea the girl has point if gaia goes it all goes....but isnt that what happens to all sites we put money into?
Bingo sites...lotto sites.. ect ect
I suppose just knowing I am helping to keep the site going makes me feel that it wont go away anytime soon, and I will be able to keep these items forever ^_^

*~**~*

 

[SkyKat]

Great... I just decided to read the "Announcment" and see that they came out with "Easter Items" in the Cash Shop.

*shrugs*

They're cute; however, Gaia needs to keep their/ Ours "Traditions" going.

confused

 

[Foghorn_Moonlight_Goddess]

Quote:

Gaia needs to keep their/ Ours "Traditions" going.

I cant make any sense of that???  

[SkyKat]

foghorn_moonlight_goddess

Quote:

Gaia needs to keep their/ Ours "Traditions" going.

I cant make any sense of that???

confused

Ummmmm...

Gaia needs to keep and maintain The "Holiday" Events.

People, like me, enjoy them besides the Free Items' that comes with them.

If more than One Event is running at the same time, they should just have them either back-to-back or have a few days between them but still have them.

Basically, If Gaia isn't going to have any "Free Items" &/or Events and have them in the Gaia Cash Shop, Gaia wouldn't be so much as a "Free" Forum when they are technically forcing people to give money for the New Items and have the true Inflators/ Greedy people sell them at ridiculous Prices' in the Marketplace.

If that still doesn't make sense to you Foggy, sorry and please tell me what it is.

=^_^=

 

[Foghorn_Moonlight_Goddess]

no that makes sense. .though they need to makr rvents shorter.. i know they ant people to get items.. but, its making event items impossible to be rare wink  

[marquess klink]

i think you all over estimate the costs that gaia needs to run
most donation letters now have three items in them quick question how many letters do you all buy a month?  

[Foghorn_Moonlight_Goddess]

one every other month or so.. and no i dated a guy who hosted websites and had his own company and held up servers.. for 3 websites.. starting with an average flow of about 3000.. people a day for all put togther the proccessing and the 3 room office.. and the server all there bills cost.. about 2500 a month.. thats probablly at least 10 times for gaia..
Servers are not cheap to upkeep..  

[marquess klink]

foghorn_moonlight_goddess

one every other month or so.. and no i dated a guy who hosted websites and had his own company and held up servers.. for 3 websites.. starting with an average flow of about 3000.. people a day for all put togther the proccessing and the 3 room office.. and the server all there bills cost.. about 2500 a month.. thats probablly at least 10 times for gaia..
Servers are not cheap to upkeep..

and on standard donation items sales they make more than 10 times that plus they all the sponsor money they get from the adds and the stuff they get for movie and promotion for other things there are something like 200,000 active gaia members if each buys 1 donation letter and we all know more than that is sold (cause a lot of people buy extras to sell and such) is $500,000 so actual sales for donation letters would exceed that now we have the cash shop as well as all of the other forms of income such as the adds the promotions the paid programs in the gaia theater and their physical sales merchandise they make far more than they spend be assured also another note notice how much less attention they have put into NPC development and event stories on gaia it seems their only focus is donation items and cash shop items they have added a some updates to the forums and other systems but not too quickly and dont think they spend a lot of money on staff either i know for a fact all beta testers are not payed and the same goes for moderators the core development team of programmers and such are the only people seeing the profit that does come in yes it does cost to run a site like this but because of member size in relation to cost and income gaia is not hurting for money