# How much SDMB stuff would we have to buy to make SDMB profitable? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 12, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979 "2003-10-12T12:14:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/1 "2003-10-12T12:14:37Z")
After reading in one of the threads that SDMB operates at a loss, I decided to check out the “Buy Stuff” link. I think I’m going to get a couple of the books and maybe a coffee mug, but will it make that much difference? How many Dopers would have to buy a coffee mug to get SDMB operating in the black? Has anyone bought anything? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/2 "2003-10-12T14:54:40Z")
**General Questions Answer** I think it would be a simple matter of finding out how much the SDMB costs to run per month and the profit margin on various items for purchase. But I doubt that any of the staff would go public with the information. **IMHO Answer** A whole bunch of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/3 "2003-10-12T15:21:22Z")
Several hundred tons of books. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/4 "2003-10-12T17:15:31Z")
I bought a T-shirt and mug months ago, around the same time I finally de-lurked and registered. I wish the mug were larger, I might actually use it then, but I adore the feeling of smug superiority I get wearing the T-shirt. I’ve had lots of folks ask me what the illustration means, and then I wind up explaining and showing them the URL and inviting them to have a look. It’d be cool to somehow know if any of them had ever actually made it here and signed up. Since the books come out so infrequently, maybe they could offer a new mug/mouse pad/sweatshirt/t-shirt design yearly. Generate more revenue if we all decided that having SD-wear was the coolest thing to show off at dopefests. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/5 "2003-10-13T00:59:24Z")
There is no SDMB merchandise, just SD merchandise. Which is what you’re talking about, so I’ll stop being pedantic. AFAIK, they don’t have any way of tracking whether a purchaser of SD merchandise is registered here on the MB. And they’ve got no reason to attribute a portion of revenues from SD merchandise to the SDMB, or allocate a portion of the profits to the SDMB. So buying an infinite quantity might not make the SDMB profitable, for all we know. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/6 "2003-10-13T01:03:12Z")
Why, Kim! How cynical of you. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/7 "2003-10-13T02:16:56Z")
So that means that if an infinite number of posters bought an infinite amount of merchandise the hamster might run infinitely long on a wheel of infinite diameter. Ouch. I think I just hurt my brain… ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/8 "2003-10-13T02:21:57Z")
We could take an infinite number of dopers and put them before a computer keyboard for an infinte amount of time and we would still talk about pie, boobies and LoTR’s. I’d like to see SDMB window decal that read **SDMB: Fighting Ignorance since 1973 .** ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/9 "2003-10-13T02:39:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shirley Ujest \* > \*\*I’d like to see SDMB window decal that read **SDMB: Fighting Ignorance since 1973 .** \*\* They had the internet in 1973? ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/10 "2003-10-13T03:14:16Z")
Now see, there ya go again. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sdmb-stuff-would-we-have-to-buy-to-make-sdmb-profitable/206979/11 "2003-10-13T08:13:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kyla \* > \*\*They had the internet in 1973? \*\* Sort of. It was originally manufactured out of cork and installed primarily in laundromats.