Re: [AGA-sc] Contest Awards -- Prizes and costs to contestants

["Karen Randall" <krandall@rdrcpa.biz>]

I think it might make sense to drop the prizes for those below 1st place 
too.  Or send them a "certificate suitable for framing".<g>  It's more about 
"gragging rights than the money when the prize is just $25.

Karen

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Erik Olson" <erik@thekrib.com>
To: "Aquatic Gardeners Association Board" <aga-sc@thekrib.com>
Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 3:27 PM
Subject: Re: [AGA-sc] Contest Awards -- Prizes and costs to contestants


>I beleive that only one or two winners fall into the category of "country
> without paypal".  One of the winners was in a country that had paypal, but
> he himself did not want a paypal account (didn't pay his entry fee
> either), so we are sending him $20 cash wrapped in the CD case or
> whatever.
>
> I'm sort of on the fence about this one.  Personally, I'd rather just drop
> the 2nd and 3rd prizes altogether in future events than muddle around with
> all this.  Or maybe give out memberships as 2nd and 3rd prize (actually,
> maybe we can offer this as an alternative to this years' winners -- 1.5
> years AGA for 3rd place, 3 years TAG as 2nd place).  The whole point of
> going to cash was to have an award that was "universal".  But the $20
> transaction fees for a $25 prize is silly.
>
>   - Erik
>
> On Fri, 24 Nov 2006, Kathy Olson wrote:
>
>> What about paypal??  I think this is a good option for them rather than
>> have us absorbing the costs.  How many countries don't ahve paypal.
>>
>> K
>>
>> On Fri, 24 Nov 2006, Karen Randall wrote:
>>
>>> I think that until we think of a better solution, AGA should absorb the 
>>> transaction costs.
>>>
>>> Karen
>>>
>>>  ----- Original Message -----
>>>  From: S. Hieber
>>>  To: aga-sc@thekrib.com
>>>  Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 11:42 AM
>>>  Subject: [AGA-sc] Contest Awards -- Prizes and costs to contestants
>>>
>>>
>>>  Foreign winners in the Aquascaping Contest can face substantial 
>>> transaction fees of about $20 or so to process a foreign check. They 
>>> would like to avoid these costs, especially when the prize is only $25. 
>>> These transaction fees are the result of the prices banks charge for 
>>> dealing with out-of-country checks.
>>>
>>>  We didn't adequately consider the transaction costs when we decided to 
>>> offer prizes. We committed that oversight when we were going to use 
>>> vendor donated items and then came upon the shipping costs and related 
>>> problems. We did it again when we switched to "cash". This is a 
>>> Victorian "we;" as the money guy, the transaction costs are something I 
>>> should have thought about and brought up way back when. My apologies to 
>>> the group.
>>>
>>>  So, in belated restitution let me offer the following options for 
>>> consideration.
>>>
>>>  I think there are four ways to deal with this:
>>>
>>>  Whistle-past-the-graveyard options:
>>>  1) Advise prospective contestants that prizes will be award by check 
>>> drawn upon a USA bank and winners might
>>>      incur transaction charges when they process prize checks  (no added 
>>> costs to AGA)
>>>  2) do as we have been, offering Paypal or mailed cash;    (no added 
>>> costs beyond what we pay now, i.e. paypal);
>>>
>>>  Bite the bullet options:
>>>  2) getting a credit card and using Western Union; or         (added AGA 
>>> costs for card and WU -- about $20-25
>>>      per transaction)
>>>  3) Going to the bank and purchasing cashier checks.        (added AGA 
>>> costs for cashier checks--about $20-$25
>>>      per transaction)
>>>
>>>  None of these will eliminate all transaction costs for all overseas 
>>> contestants but the last two will mitigate for nearly all and eliminate 
>>> for many. The latter two options would basically mean that the AGA eats 
>>> about $20 in additional costs per transaction.
>>>
>>>  I don't think it would unreasonable for the AGA to take on an 
>>> additional $360-$450 in contest costs to try to absorb most of the 
>>> transaction fees. I know contest participation isn't about the money, 
>>> but sending someone a prize that is virtually consumed by the winner's 
>>> acceptance of it, well, it just doesn't look like our best foot forward.
>>>
>>>  sh
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
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>
> -- 
> Erik Olson
> erik at thekrib dot com
> _______________________________________________
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> AGA-sc@thekrib.com
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> 


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