Hey Steve,
I think it sounds great! and as you said, it would definitely take the load off of one person, which I am ALL for! I am kind of curious about the shipping responsibility though.
If the shipping is dependant upon the person who is donating the item, that would leave a lot of folks out since shipping cost can add up, especially with multiple items or large items. This could mean less items donated or a person only using the donation page once in a while because of not wanting or might not be able to afford shipping for all items they may want to donate. Unless you are one of those that can afford a GarageMajal,/forums/images/icons/wink.gif then of course...$$ would be no object!
When I did the auctions, I did not realize the auction fees were going to climb through the roof. Thanks to all you great contributors and tons of items donated, my e(B)ay fees skyrocketed, /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif thus one reason I finally brought the auctions to a close, as I am not rich and could not afford to continue, no matter how great the cause was. As a matter of fact there is still one part of pending business to be finished before that part of the VMF legacy is completed (I'm sure a lot of you may have thought I had forgot!).
I might suggest, if even just as an option to the seller, that the buyer would use PayPal to send money to Bob for the item, and the seller would have the option of absorbing the shipping fees, or passing them onto the buyer, who in return would need to send a payment to the seller, just for shipping cost. I know it's double work on the buyer, but if they really want the part, then it would be no problem. This could be posted in the ad, along with the purchase price, such as Seller Pays shipping, or Buyer pays shipping.
Anyway Steve, I think you have a great idea. And this would definitely be capable of doing as well if not better than the auctions did!