Being 95% through a rare group buy here, I just want to say that the "Non Profit" dictum is a very severe limitation. I'm glad I did what I did (at this point in time) and I was happy to return something to this community, but I will think long and hard before doing this again, especially for something more complex such as a PCB.
It is not possible to do a "Non-Profit" group buy if "Non-Profit" means breaking even. You can't break even; you either lose money or you make money. Yesterday, I was $60 in the hole. Tomorrow, I may be even depending on certain known issues that are unresolved at the moment. I will not know where I stand for weeks... until all my shipments are received and my "products" are "accepted" by my "customers".
If someone is unhappy with their purchase, it's either tough luck for them, or I am back in the hole. Theoretically, everybody could send their product back, and I am in the hole for the entire deal ($1000).
I am not addressing the philosophical issue of for-profit vs the forum needs and requirements, etc. I am only addressing the practical aspects of organizing a group buy. My group buy was very simple, yet frustratingly difficult to implement given the rules, which I followed (probably foolishly) to the letter.
Any commercial transaction that involves procuring a product and distributing it inevitably results in unexpected costs. The forum rules effectively put the group buy coordinator at risk for all these unexpected costs. That's a losing proposition.
