Monthly billing option

[holybell]

We're going through a recession ...Come on...Also i really want to play my characters again Q_Q.....

[Young Ned]

That was a bit vague -- it took me a couple of minutes thought to understand this. You want to pay for a month's membership at a time rather than a year's, because you can't afford the full $20 all at once? That seems pretty reasonable.

You might try emailing the GM and asking if he could add a monthly option, or bimonthly or something. I think there used to be a three-month option, but that seems to have been eliminated at some point. Perhaps it wasn't getting used, so the GM figured nobody wanted it, in which case letting him know you do might make him reconsider.

[holybell]

Yeah i honestly cant afford it this month.

[Oldschool]

You're correct Ned there was a 3 month option and a 6 month option as well. I'm not sure why or when they disappeared. However, I'm wondering if it might have been when the options to donate (at a nice discount) upon renewal were implemented.

And welcome to the forum holybell. I'd do as YN suggests - good luck.

[scout1idf]

I don't remember for sure, but it seems like the 3 month option was $9.00 or $10.00.

I suppose that's ok if you want to try the game out, but since you have the free option, why would you?

[spencer]

It was 9.95 for 3 months....I used it the first time I played.

I think it is a good idea....maybe charge 2.95 a month...though I am not sure how much of a cut Paypal typically gets, which might be the reason our GM does not offer monthly.

[holybell]

I want my account back but i can only afford a monthly sub rate Q_Q...

[smv1973]

You're correct Ned there was a 3 month option and a 6 month option as well. I'm not sure why or when they disappeared. However, I'm wondering if it might have been when the options to donate (at a nice discount) upon renewal were implemented.

And welcome to the forum holybell. I'd do as YN suggests - good luck.

Here is the link to a post I made on the subject.

http://www.srythforum.com/showpost.php?p=8782&postcount=5

Also here is the link to the thread on subscriptions.

http://www.srythforum.com/showthread.php?t=422

[Oldschool]

Nice links and necrothreading SMV.

After reading the thread over I think Spencer may have hit on the reason the GM scraped the "lesser" options.

I glanced the posts pretty fast and my own personal recollection is a bit hazy but it seems that PayPal takes a dollar from the account then puts it back. Since they put it back I guess it's to verify the account. I used a prepaid card via PayPal and didn't lose any money to PayPal for transaction fees, etc...

I can't see PayPal handling these transactions for free. So as Spencer and Psychoadept (in the linked thread) state it would seem their fees come off of the payee's end aka the GM.

But if you mail/post your payment (that option is still available) thus avoiding PayPal he may be more inclined to work a shorter subscription rate out.

[Scarbrow]

I was remiss to bump this, but as I've sold on Ebay accepting the Paypal payment option, I can confirm Paypal gets a percentage of each transaction (only sellers pay, buying is free). In short, it's not a fixed commision.

The percentage varies with volume of sales, but it seems to be the same (2,9% + 0.30 $) for all transactions below 3,000 USD. However, because of the minimum commision, I doubt the GM will allow for the monthly option, at least through Paypal.

A few links:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-fees-outside
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_display-receiving-fees-outside&countries=

There are also Help Center links explaining these, but as they are geolocalized, I can't manage to make them show in English from here. Search them for yourselves.

[Tetracapillactomist]

Bump - so many threads I haven't yet seen...

And I'm bumping because the idea (which I already mentioned as part of another post in an unrelated thread) might be relevant and related.

Donating by installments - question is, due to the fact that it's a "donation," not a "payment," is it at all practicable?

An added trick would be to also make it an automatic payment, thus preventing lapses. You'd pick a monthly level with which you feel comfortable - from the price of a 'gourmet coffee' to $100 and above (with the appropriate payment fees added to the amount being paid, so that the GM's revenue is not lessened) - and have that amount transferred to the GM month after month, automatically.

Here's the other trick: in exchange for signing on to such a plan, you would get a monthly infusion of ATs upon receipt by the GM of each month's payment, which would be 1/12th of of your total ATs earned, according to your chosen donation level, based on the year's total, not the monthly amount.

According to this scheme, if you'd choose to donate $10 a month (+applicable payment fees) - $120 (+mentioned fees) for the year - you'd not receive 16 ATs monthly, but rather 20 ATs, since your yearly total would place you into that higher bracket.
Similarly, if you chose to donate $50 a month (+applicable payment fees) - $600 (+mentioned fees) for the year -, the number of ATs awarded to you monthly would not be 90, but 160 ATs.

I think this may be enough of an incentive and convenience, it looks so appealing, that it would entice players who've been thinking of donating (also equivalent to buying ATs), but were for some reason undecided, to finally take the plunge and part with some of their hard-earned money.

I did propose the idea to the GM in one of a series of suggestion-replies to his replies (by email, not ingame reporting), but some of my posts require some stamina to read, and likewise,this particular suggestion was buried in a rather lengthy list of things, so it may not have been noticed at all.

On the other hand, it may not be feasible (I'm referring to the feasibility of combining "donations" with an "automated payment method" in particular - although there may be a way around that).

Finally, there is the possibility for a certain subscriber dishonesty ("creativity," for the diplomatically inclined) -- or an honest inability (due to financial constraints) to continue payment -- of a player signing up for the plan, but stopping payment, bowing out prematurely (after six months, for example) - but the agreement accompanying the plan could include a clause that would allow the GM to suspend the player's account indefinitely in such cases, or do something else as a preventative or punitive measure, within the game itself;

for instance, Tallys's emporium might shut its doors for the delinquent subscriber, his items might become "unwearable," or, most justly, if implementable, Tallys's items (as well as all other AT purchases) would be offered at a scaled, appropriately higher price to that player, until such time when payment resumes and the terms of the agreement are fulfilled.

(Maybe this proposal should have come with a feasibility study attached, as well as a risk assessment report... :)

And maybe I should have started a new thread for it... Well, that can be done later, if deemed worthy. There may even be a pre-existing thread, unbeknown to me.)