Why transition to this model?
The fact is that once a critical mass is reached, donation perks are just not sustainable. TF2 Outpost reached that size long ago, and this is the best way we have found to continue the website without destroying it. In addition, item trades are very problematic and a legal grey area in terms of income, we can't continue to be taking them in such volumes.

From https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/groups/tf2outpost/discussions/0/864979455694536929/

Probably a problem with your connection or somewhere between you computer and TF2OP servers. Is it still not loading?

You were banned 4 times in a row for the same offense (relisting) in less than 2 months. Your appeal responses were contradictory and full of excuses. I have no idea why you linked a SR appeal as it has nothing to do with your case.

Your appeals were declined, and it's not allowed to appeal site bans here. Locked.

Happy, just use noparse tags to show him the tags you used.

Sneeza flushed the CF cache shortly after you posted, it should have been resolved by now.

Try logging out of Steam and all related websites, clearing your browser cache and then logging it again.

You can't, just let it expire.

Originally posted by Skullriot:

Yep. Thats how it is. Thank you gesture or not, paying for a site like this based on a subscription model is exploitative at best.

You are free not to pay for it. You don't need to pay to use it.

Originally posted by Skullriot:

I'm not asking you to take my word for it, check the forum threads and you will see the only other thread I have posted here was about how I don't like that you can only post 8 things per trade. Past that, i've never contacted anyone about anything.

You just proved why it's not good to take someone's word for it.

Originally posted by Skullriot:

And yes, I didn't pay for what I have now, you guys stripped me of what I paid for, something of which would have been met with a much larger outcry with a larger community, but because of the size of the userbase, relative to other websites, it was more or less shoveled onto the userbase.

You didn't pay for anything, look up the meaning of the word donation. The whole thing was a misunderstanding.

Originally posted by Skullriot:

Is it just that the upper management has said no? Is it that the code does not exist for it? Telling me it can't be turned off does not answer why it can't be turned off.

It really doesn't concern you why, you asked if it was possible and we said no, that's enough information for you to carry on with your "protest".

Originally posted by Skullriot:

You are correct it's convenient, but I doubt I will come back to this site considering what I've been met with in this thread alone and the things I have encountered in my time on your website.

We are not forcing you to stay and you are wasting our time (that could have been used elsewhere) with all this ranting. If you don't want to use the site then don't. Just be reasonable and don't ask us to hold your privileges while you are at it. "Protesting" is easy when you have nothing to lose. Locked.

You did not pay for what you have now. You donated and received perks as a thank you gesture. Therefore, what you have is a gift worth 3 times what new subscribers are paying now.

Someone previously requested their donator rank to be revoked and had their request denied. Why would the site accept your request?

Such feature would allow a great deal of abuse, and if it was my call I wouldn't simply take anyone's word for it. I suggest you make up your mind. Either stay here and deal with the fact that you have free premium for a few months (and leave afterwards if you want) or leave now. You want to "protest" by asking your privileges to put on hold... then after your "protest" is over you will come back and ask for your privileges back? How convenient.

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

Well ladies and (for the most part) gentlemen, nearly three weeks ago, I was banned from Outpost for one day. Just a simple temp-ban for violating the non-existent rules. Their reasons behind the temp-ban? This trade: http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14783675. The trade violated non of Outpost's rules in any way. It was a legitimate trade, the items advertised were being sold, I wasn't building weps to an unusual, I had not commented on the prices of items, I had not hijacked a trade, I had not posted a phishing link, etc... So why then was it closed? Because Garry *insert generic insult here*.

So, that's how you start your argument? Using expressions like "insert generic insult here"? That's why you quoted the forum rules above? Trying to push it into a ban here too?

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

So in a nutshell, I was banned (temporarily) for violating NONE of Outpost's rules about trading.

Quoting from the rules page:

Most rules are common sense and it would therefore be impossible to list all the things you could do to get yourself banned. This page is not acting as a complete list of bannable offenses — it instead aims to clear up some confusion about those rules that may not be obvious. All moderators and admins have the power to close trades as they see fit (with reason, of course).

It's impossible for us to list all possible offenses. That's why there's this common sense note. It is considered common sense in any professional/public environment to censor/forbid NSFW content, as well as racism or any other public known inappropriate behaviors. But oh! This is the internet! Yes, this is the internet, but TF2OP is a privately owned site with its own set of rules and administrators, who decide and judge what/how things should be done. This is no different in many many other places.

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

That sure doesn't sound corrupt in any way! Nope. Not at all.

Inappropriate, really. You are upset just because it happened to you.

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

First, let me show you some of the market for explicit objectors (there's much more I've seen but most trades are either closed by staff or are sold quickly and quietly in order to avoid bans; this is all I could scoop together in the amount of time I spent researching this):
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14808628 (sold all)
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14693801 (sold for 10 ref)
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14543686 (sold all for idk how much) ZEMN APPROVED :O
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14308513 (sold all for 12 ref in items)
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14281538 (sold all for 10 ref in hats)
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/13911192 (sold all for 1.8 keys in items)
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14303955 (sold for 1 ref)
In the past I remember seeing a user who was specifically buying objectors with pictures of his favorite pornstar on them (closed, assumedly by staff)
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/15012154 (seems to have accepted 2.66 on his objector)
On the above trade, someone said that they had had their trade closed for having explicit material on his objector as well.

7 of trades were created by the same user. This results in 2 offending users total from the sample you provided. And the creator of those 7 trades was also banned for the exact same offense. Therefore, he didn't slip by the system, he was punished for the same thing you did. And the other probably didn't get the punishment because noone reported him yet, and I will take care of this after I finish this post.

Thousands of trades are created every single day, we simply can't monitor every single one. That's why we have the report system - for users to help us make TF2OP a better place by reporting the bad trade(r)s so we can remove them from the site. An open offending trade doesn't mean that we are "ok" with its status, it could mean 1) nobody reported it, or 2) we didn't get to it yet.

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

These trades show some of the market that explicit objectors have, and TF2 Outpost, a website used for marketing items and assistance in trading, would sound as though these would be allowed as they have a market.

This argument gives everyone the freedom to sell whatever they want for whatever they want. Would you like to see a humiliating image of someone you care being displayed as a decal and sold too? There are no explicit rules against this either. And also no explicit rules against racism, drugs, crime, etc.

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

1. Easy. OP has no rules concerning younger audiences or explicit material

Already explained.

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

2. I understand that younger children use this site, but that means younger children are playing/are exposed to a game with blood, killing, and all kinds of users of varying ages who say and do questionable/explicit things such as cuss and spray mature content in-game. LONG STORY SHORT: It's the internet, look away and live on with your life (even though I do understand his concern about this one)
Well, if OP is so kid-friendly, why are things like this not closed (inb4 two trades =/= every trade)?
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14972664
http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14762028 (not explicit as in "17+", but it's a guy giving you the finger... that's DEFINITELY younger-user-appropriate..)

Already explained.

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

3. It's also common sense in TF2 trading to make profit off of sales and to have objective progress.

Already explained.

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

4. Against the ToS eh? I think not. I've read over the ToS three times now, and this is the closest thing to explicit material in the rules:

http://steampowered.com/index.php?area=online_conduct states:

• Restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying Steam services, software or other content.

I believe this is enough to consider these inappropriate under Steam terms. But that's not necessary, as it is already considered inappropriate under our terms.

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

http://www.tf2outpost.com/trade/14887240
Finally, is this allowed without having the trade closed? If this is the case, those of us with explicit material'd objectors can set up our trades in a sort of "child-friendly" way so that younger users do not see our products while allowing those interested to buy/sell via Outpost.

This is something we will discuss, as it could be seem both as a good and a bad thing. We can't forbid people to own specific items, and if they do own they will be visible in their backpacks anytime (having a trade pointing to it or not).

Originally posted by Smoothly-Running Applesauce:

inb4 TL;DR
inb4 anti-bronies
inb4 people who are biased
inb4 people who are stubbornly passionate about whatever side they choose
inb4 Garry banning me
inb4 Blue Screen banning me as well
inb4 Zemn laughing
inb4 using as BP.TF proof
inb4 staff closing this without giving any consideration to anything
inb4 cc. Tyc oon facepalming
inb4 Gaben smiting me dead with lightning for posting this

Completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the discussion.

This is probably a cloudfare caching issue, it should fix itself.