Gift Policy

The weekend did not turn out as planned. This probably should not have been a surprise, since it is October, after all. I always have a problem with October.

Since I am still in the middle of several small projects that should have been finished by now, I think it’s a good time to reiterate and clarify my policy on gifts, gifting and other forms of compensation with regards to this blog, since it has become an issue lately.

I consider this blog to be one of my "contributions" to the hobby, so there is no expectation of compensation. I haven’t enrolled in any ad, banner or rewards programs, because I feel the amount of compensation would be far outweighed by the amount of visual (and moral) clutter they would bring.

While I am flattered by the offers of models I am sometimes given, please be aware that my collection is currently in a state where I need to remove items, not add more. The handful of items I would run through a busy intersection for are fairly obscure and not likely in your possession.

If you happen to point me in the direction of one, I’d be happy to venture there myself and negotiate. And if you yourself have it, I want to pay a fair market price for it, whenever possible.

I grew up in a family atmosphere where gifts were never really "gifts", either: there was a price attached to everything, literally or figuratively. This is not said to elicit an emotional response of any kind, I am just explaining that this is how I was raised and constitutes a part of my moral matrix. I have a hard time accepting gifts, plain and simple.

(If sometimes I forget to say "thank you" in response to a gift, it is because that’s not how it worked in my family, weird as it sounds. It’s not a learned reflex: it’s something I have to actively remember to do.)

Information is always welcome, though. As are gossip, history, insider information, ephemera, pictures, and stories of a salacious nature. (More ordinary ones, too!) You should know by now that these are the kinds of stuff I treasure more than physical objects, anyway.

I do provide a Paypal donation button somewhere on the sidebar if you ever are in a giving mood. It’s mostly there because when I did the initial research into starting this blog, all the sites I visited said having one was a good idea. I forget that it’s there most of the time.

I will accept compensation for other services rendered to the hobby, but my schedule at the moment precludes me from doing much beyond rendering opinions on photos or questions sent my way. (And as you may know from personal experience, even that might take a while.)

There are always exceptions, naturally, like providing the location of another Copenhagen Belgian, or being in dire need of assistance and within a not-horrible driving distance from my house. Offers to either visit, or be visited are also welcome and will be accommodated whenever possible, especially if your family and non-hobbyist friends are anything like mine. (Familiar with the "Not the horses, again!" eyeroll?) Because sometimes "talking horses" is an absolute necessity.

I think that covers anything. More actual horsey stuff in a couple of days, I’m hoping.