This is AudioKarma; it has nothing to do with the Polk site and vice versa. Regular membership in AK is free. Please do not lightly brush aside the generosity of the owners and take for granted what is free. Running a site is a huge expense of money and time. There is a wealth of information, assistance and sharing available here. If someone allows you to have dinner in their house every day but asks you to pay if you want to stay overnight, that is their choice.It's almost the same thing over at the Polk Site. Here you pay $25 to be a member. At the Polk site you need at least 100 posts to start to sell stuff in the for sale area and no fee involved.
As for the $25 fee to be a subscriber; unless you have previously subscribed, on what basis can you judge on the value or compare to what is offered elsewhere?
A final comment: please also do not overlook the fact that many AKers value the site and services and choose to subscribe and contribute to making this a popular choice, irrespective of whether they use BarterTown or not. There is value in knowing that the members who do contribute are folks who are willing to support and share; that they are not just a casual surfer looking to offload something and then disappear.
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