SneakyDave.com

At Ross’ posted by ToyRanch….

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Ethical To Stay Offline
scott_honestycomfounder

04/03/06 09:23 AM

Hello,

This is going to be a very difficult post to write, so I ask that you all please bear with me. It’s not something, nearly three years ago when we first discussed another PSP, we felt would ever have to be stated on any message base.

Yet, in looking for a silver lining, it would have to be that we’re able to make this announcement in a forum to a group of professionals, many of whom I consider close friends.

After making numerous calls, sending and receiving many emails and engaging in internal discussions, it has been decided that the Ethicaltools.com website, and for all intents and purposes Ethical Technologies has come to an abrupt end, regardless of our personal wishes.

We want personally to thank you all for your amazing effort and support over the last few weeks, no, make that the last few years.

Granted, we’ve been offline for a little over two weeks and do have the ability to restore the site at this point. Yet, after countless discussions over these past few days, many of which were with PESA members, we felt it was best to not do so, and instead, effectively cease operations.

In short, we felt it wouldn’t be prudent or fair to bring Ethical back online, without being able to offer any real assurance of our long-term viability as an independent entity and PSP. Also, it wouldn’t be right to go to our customers, a vast majority of which are members of PESA, and state that all was well and good, when in reality this was not the case.

As many of you know personally, and as had been reported in various news sources, we’d been having financial difficulties for quite some time. Without going into detail, that solitary aspect has had us concerned for quite some time, even prior to the mass-outage.

Simply put, the sheer amount of debt coupled with the outage, turned out to be too difficult for us to overcome. And, once again, stating any different would’ve, in our view, been deceptive.

Whereas there are no specific plans for Ethical, under-the-table deals formally in the works, nor hidden agendas, we’ve internally discussed some options available to us. Still, no conversations regarding any future entity have been taking place, nor are there any realistic plans on the table to resurrect Ethical in a different form in any foreseeable future.

Thus, it is with great sadness that we announce the official permanent closing of the ethicaltools.com website.

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On a personal note, some of you have asked what the future holds for the folks still with Ethical? Others asked that I try to take a more active role in PESA. And a number of people have requested that we share our knowledge of the online world, eBay and e-commerce in a more open fashion here on the PESA board.

Really, at first, I was at a loss for words when posed with these questions, and still don’t have a clear answer. Yet there was one common thread that dawned on me after every conversation — it is critical to remain upbeat in general. A positive attitude often will generate positive results. And I’ve yet to see a negative attitude (including, at times, my own) generate anything of merit.

Life, as we all know, can spin on a dime and one never knows what the future truly holds.

Like PESA itself, at first there was Joe and basic eBay group with a small number of members. Back then at that point in time, I don’t recall talk of summits, organizational sponsorships or contact with eBay.

Now there are over 900 members globally, and all of the above has taken place. I recall one PESA member just this past week stated in a conversation that they didn’t want to lose contact with us, when I’d mentioned the possibility we may have to cease operations.

For those matters we have set up a temporary mailbox at:

ethicaltemp*gmail.com

Even with Ethical officially shuttered as of this point forward, in my way of thinking, each ‘loss’, put in the proper perspective, could just as easily be an opportunity in disguise. Adversity comes in many forms, often with the result of fostering an inner strength.

That said, we believe in you folks as individuals.

We believe in PESA.

We believe in the concept of Pierre Omidyar, that, for the most part, people are generally good.

Myself, I always have, and still do, believe it can and will get better for sellers and for buyers over time. The road may not be easy, the path not always clear, but perspective and positive action, again, is the key.

But I can sum up my personal feelings in five simple words:

I still believe in eBay, because, as I said in Atlanta a little more than a year ago.

We are e-commerce.

With Respect, Gratitude And Thanks!

Scott Samuel for Ethical Technologies, L.L.C.

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