Hi Jacob, welcome form Texas! Doesn't look like the money question has been answered, so I will give it a shot. This amazing forum is fueled by input from rabid pen fanatics (which you will soon become!) at no cost whatsoever. However the rest of the world runs on cash, so we come up with various cool ways to get cash into the coffers so Jeff can keep the website running. It's like magic - we put a little bit in, we get a lot out. Partly because this site also made it possible for several of our friends to make a business out of supplying the greatest pen blanks and kits in the world to us. They throw in large amounts of prizes because we have been loyal customers throughout the year. The first year I was like you -- too new to know what I had found. Second year I wanted a mug - $50!!! $50!!! Well, I finally decided to bite the bullet and get one. Then I won more than $50 worth of stuff from our vendors, plus I got the mug! So this is Bash 3 for me and I am like a 3yr old at his birthday - I am not able to grasp all that is going on, but the parts I do get are great and I am looking forward to the next one. The Bash just keeps getting better better and there are lots of cool events that go on throughout the year.
