It takes different tools to keep this Trade-O-Ree Website functioning.
It costs several hundred dollars per year to use all these tools.
The Trade-O-Ree website was created in late 2012. At the time, I had the site hosted through Yola. There are different subscription levels that yola offers. I was paying for the Yola Silver Membership Subscription. ($119.40 per year – $9.95 per month)
The domain name: www.bsator.com is being hosted through godaddy.com. I pay to have the domain registered each year.
In February 2014, I added a new “Search By State” feature to the site. I was using a service called “Maps Alive” that charged $49.00 per year. This service was discontinued in March 2015.
In August 2014, I created an account with wufoo which allows people to submit their Trade-O-Ree flyer to me via the site and was used to create the ISCA survey. This service costs $259 per year. This service was discontinued in August 2016.
In May 2016, the site went through a redesign. All files and folders were transferred from Yola and is now being hosted on Hostgator. The site is now using WordPress. Transferring all the files / folders / pictures / etc. cost $800.00. Three new logo designs were created costing $300.00.
In June 2016, some premium plugins were purchased. The Events Calendar Pro By Modern Tribe plugin cost $99-$149 per year and is the main tool in searching for Trade-O-Ree’s on the site. Several other plugins were purchased in order to make the site more functional.
In December 2016, I paid $2,250 to have 5,000 Trade-O-Ree patches made. These patches are geared to help promote Trade-O-Ree’s taking place throughout the country. I passed them out to people free of charge at every Trade-O-Ree I attended, in every package I mailed, and people I traded with at national events; such as NOAC and Jamboree’s.
In January 2017, the Home Page of the site under went a redesign to feature the top selling Boy Scout Memorabilia listings that are currently being sold on eBay. This Home Page redesign cost $600.
In July 2018, we had stickers, business cards, and patches created to advertise the site at the 2018 NOAC event at Indiana State University.
In March 2022, I paid $358.20 for hosting with Hostgator for 3 years through March 2025.
In June 2022, we created a Free eBook that features nearly every patch design that was created for NOAC. When people download the free eBook, they will also receive details about all the Trade-O-Ree’s taking place throughout the country. There were 2,500 stickers created and a Foam Board that was placed in the patch trading area. The stickers / foam board cost $293.78.
It costs $31.99 each year for an SSL Certificate. This makes the site secure.
In March 2025, I paid $514.41 for hosting with Hostgator for 3 years through March 2028.
In February 2026, the Trade-O-Ree site was experiencing major issues on the backend of the site. Certain plugins I rely on stopped functioning. Since the site is built on WordPress, the theme the site uses no longer receives updates. The PHP was outdated. When an update was made, the site crashed. Based on the age of the site, I was informed a new site will need to be created from scratch. So far, the cost comes to: $1,434.59
In June 2026, I paid $103.76 to Vista Print for the Jamboree Patch Guide inserts that will be on display in the patch trading area. There will be additional fees to ship the signage to / from the Summit.
It is very costly keeping the Trade-O-Ree website functioning each year.
If you enjoy the site and what it has to offer, please consider leaving a monetary donation or becoming a site sponsor. Any donation would be very much appreciated.
