Can a TD provide used merch for payouts?

[Skamanda]

At the tournament I played today, the merch available for payouts was used plastic - scuffs, names and numbers inked, the sort of stuff you'd expect in the used bin at a shop. I've never seen anything about rules pertaining to that, but it seemed odd (among other things). Is that allowed? I've never seen it in 21 years on the course before today...

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Used merch for payouts seems pretty bush league to me. But if the stuff is hard to find, old school plastic, maybe its moar acceptable .

But I can't imagine there are any real rules governing payouts, other than no cash for Ams.

 

[Skamanda]

Used merch for payouts seems pretty bush league to me. But if the stuff is hard to find, old school plastic, maybe its moar acceptable .

Stock stamp, stock run, current product. They used Great Lakes Disc's logo as the main image in the DGS post for the event. That would tend to make one think GLD was handling the payouts.

 

[Hampstead]

Sounds like someone wanted to make a buck by getting rid of some old plastic.

 

[biscoe]

I have had that happen at exactly one event I have played in. Coincidentally it was the first (supposedly) PDGA event I ever played in many many years ago. Turned out the TD was a crackhead and spent all the money on that. No results ever sent to the PDGA.

While there are no codified rules against it it is definitely bush league and I would certainly be done with playing events run by the people in charge. I would drop the PDGA a note too if it were a PDGA event.

 

[Skamanda]

I have had that happen at exactly one event I have played in. Coincidentally it was the first (supposedly) PDGA event I ever played in many many years ago. Turned out the TD was a crackhead and spent all the money on that. No results ever sent to the PDGA.

While there are no codified rules against it it is definitely bush league and I would certainly be done with playing events run by the people in charge. I would drop the PDGA a note too if it were a PDGA event.

It was a C tier. Who would I reach out to? Event support?

 

[Cgkdisc]

I would think the only time providing used discs would be acceptable is if they could be optionally purchased from the tournament or other vendor's table using merchandise scrip as part of player packs or as Am prizes (or cash), but definitely not the only merchandise available.

 

[DavidSauls]

Ruleswise, couldn't it depend on how the merchandise was valued?

For example, if your payout is $25 and you receive 5 used discs (valued at $5 each), doesn't that meet the guidelines?

Reputationwise, of course, the TD and event would be trashed.

 

[biscoe]

It was a C tier. Who would I reach out to? Event support?

Yeah- event support is pretty much the catch all for everything event related these days.

 

[biscoe]

Ruleswise, couldn't it depend on how the merchandise was valued?

For example, if your payout is $25 and you receive 5 used discs (valued at $5 each), doesn't that meet the guidelines?

Reputationwise, of course, the TD and event would be trashed.

I would guess this is correct.

 

[ru4por]

I don't have any issues with this. As long as the discs are appropriately marked as used and fairly priced.

As a club with a half dozen tournaments and five leagues a year, we end up getting A LOT of lost discs. We spend quite a bit of time calling/texting and arranging for return of some, but MANY end up as residents of our lost and found. Finding a strategy to get rid of these disc is just one small task, in the club's laundry list. We have discussed doing the above. We ultimately ended up running a year end charity event, through my league. We bag a driver and mid/putter in a brown bag, charge $20 and play a "TWIZBEE Lost and Found" round, on a smaller course in the area. We have done very well and made some nice donations to our charity.

We recently gave away used comic books for National Comic Book Weekend, in our league and ended up with about 60 left overs. We showed up to an A Tier a couple weekends ago and donated some left over can koozies and the comic books to the player packs. The used comic books were a hit! Of course, they were not counted in the player pack defrayment.

 

[ru4por]

It was a C tier. Who would I reach out to? Event support?

I think it would be appropriate to reach out to the tournament director with any questions. I am confident that a PM would be appreciated. Most of your questions could be answered via that route. There is a "contact tournament staff" link on the Disc Golf Scene tournament page, in addition to a link to the TD's DGS page.

Despite having a title sponsor [disc manufacturer/seller or not], we often run payouts via our own club inventory.

 

[DavidSauls]

I don't have any issues with this. As long as the discs are appropriately marked as used and fairly priced.

It's enough of an aberration from the norm, that I think the TD should make it clear in advance.

 

[Nick Pacific]

I don't have any issues with this. As long as the discs are appropriately marked as used and fairly priced.

.

That's what I was thinking. I mean if all they had was bins of used discs, I'd be pretty surprised/disappointed. But a couple extra bins at the end of the merch table of lower priced used discs would seem pretty acceptable if not a downright good idea. Used discs are the best discs IMO.

 

[Skamanda]

That's what I was thinking. I mean if all they had was bins of used discs, I'd be pretty surprised/disappointed. But a couple extra bins at the end of the merch table of lower priced used discs would seem pretty acceptable if not a downright good idea. Used discs are the best discs IMO.

There were used discs in every bin, with new (but old) discs mixed in. I grabbed a couple 2021 tour series Fierces that had stickers from being marked down at whatever shop had them before - and they were 2 of the 3 best discs they had.

 

[PastorofMuppets]

As a TD I would never offer ONLY used products as payouts for AMs. I do, however, always offer a large variety of used discs for purchase (and allow AMs to use part or all of their payout vouchers towards that if they so choose). To be honest, if for some reason I couldn't find a way to provide new product for AM payouts; especially at C-Tier level, it would be a trophy only event with an insanely low entry fee. I would drop a note to the event committee, or you can click on the Event Feedback tab in the upper corner of the event page (for the event you played) and submit your complaint there. (*Note a copy of that feedback goes straight to the TD).

 

[txmxer]

The key is being up front about what you are doing. You don't want people to be surprised by the "payout" unless it's more than originally offered.

And more means everything originally offered PLUS additional, not instead of.

That said, I don't enter events to get the players pack. I think this whole thing needs to be revamped. It shouldn't cost much to go throw plastic on a public course--then again, people shouldn't be expected to spend their weekend running an event as a volunteer.

 

[BillFleming]

Ruleswise, couldn't it depend on how the merchandise was valued?

For example, if your payout is $25 and you receive 5 used discs (valued at $5 each), doesn't that meet the guidelines?

Reputationwise, of course, the TD and event would be trashed.

But who puts the value on used discs? Your value for a used disc might not be the same value I would put it at.

So, the TD's X dollars of used discs might not be X dollars to me.

 

[DavidSauls]

But who puts the value on used discs? Your value for a used disc might not be the same value I would put it at.

So, the TD's X dollars of used discs might not be X dollars to me.

This is true, to some degree, of all merchandise payouts. I've seen disputes of how new discs were valued (MSRP? Internet prices? Wholesale?), lunches, customized items, and other prizes and players packs items.

It might be truer of used discs -- I, for example, would value them as "zero". But they do have a value, as evidenced by used disc sales. What's fair? $10? $5? $2? Debatable.

But if the TD valued them at the price of new discs, I'm pretty sure that's a breach of the rule.

 

[kenjiac]

It was a C tier. Who would I reach out to? Event support?

On every pdga event you play there is an event feedback link on the top of the result page.