Gamers Charity

GamersCharity.com is the first website of it's kind - a place where anyone in the Ultima Online Community may donate virtual goods that are sold on eBay with proceeds donated to Red Cross. If you find yourself with a fortune, feeling generous, or perhaps leaving the game and wish your fortune to go a noble cause, simply contact someone on the GamersCharity staff to arrange a delivery of items or find a place you can donate your gold . For anyone in need of riches, be sure to check Ebay for current auctions!

The History of GamersCharity.com

It was New Years Eve, December 2004.

I was finishing up some accounting work at the office and recalling an instant message I got from a friend earlier in the morning. She was feeling as sad as I was concerning the news reports about the Tsunami, which killed over 100,000. She stated she didn't have much money in her bank account to spare, but wanted to help. I suggested she could throw her virtual things from Ultima Online onto eBay - but she replied that she didn't know much about how it works. It took roughly eight hours for that conversation to finally smack the idea gland in the left side of my brain ...maybe nine. I personally solicited funds on two servers of Ultima Online in an effort to eBay the goods and send the money to Red Cross.

I thought to myself I'd probably get a bite or two and send in no more than $100.

There are no words to express how much I underestimated the Ultima Online Community. It only took 24 hours to be established on all but two non-asian servers, and finally became established on all of them within the next 24 hours. I had many players I have never met simply hand me virtual cash and goods. I established vendors quickly on each shard selling "junk" for those that I could not meet in person.

On the second day I stopped telling everyone what "I" was doing - it was now what "we" were doing. Within 24 hours we had several auctions on eBay. We continued to collect a large amount of gold, up to a virtual nest egg of $2,000. Then, our little circus act was shot from the cannon when my website and name "Crazy Joe" was on MSNBC TV. eBay pulled all auctions for a very understandable "violation of policy", Red Cross was contacted for legal help, and my personal Tax Agent was involved as well.

Our virtual nest egg became an estimated $3,000. Legal advice was coming in slow but things started to become clear - the charity work had to be completely separated from CrazyJoe.us immediately! Thanks to the help of Stratics Staff - a website name was thought up, registered, and the site designed.

Sannio, the ex UO Community Relations Representative, contacted me and helped design the site you see now. eBay pulled the auctions again, I got them back online .I realized I underestimated the fees from eBay and made changes, and by the end of January we donated over $4,000 to Red Cross. If my estimates are correct, our virtual nest egg was now at the $10,000 range, assuming I can continue the eBaying!

And that's where we are now....

Crazy Joe