With SubscribStar on the rise, stop using Patreon.

TungstenDuck

Member
May 6, 2018
477
898
Its great that I'm seeing more creators offer the option to support them via SubscribeStar. We all know the issues with Patreon and their censorship. So why keep using Patreon?

Look I know it takes a few more seconds to use SS during one handed PC operation because it can't utilize your extremely unwisely browser saved Paypal info but do it. There is a perfectly viable "no fucks given" alternative to Patreon so we don't have to tolerate them yeeting games that aren't animations of 90s Cinemax porn.

This crowd should be all over this. If you're supporting a creator on Patreon that also has a SS, stop the Patreon pledge and move it to SS. Not only are you fucking Patreon up for being uptight tyrannical assholes, you're liberating the creator to make what they (and you) actually want.

The only argument against doing this is that you can't be assed to take a hand off your dick for 30 fucking seconds to set up SS.
 

baneini

Well-Known Member
Jun 28, 2017
1,941
2,996
F95 celebrates censorship tho. Whenever theres thread asking why isn't some classic game on f95 people come out to praise it's absence and mods specifically tell people who like the game that they shouldn't feel welcome here.
Seems like the wrong website for anti-patreon speech.
 

Obscure

Active Member
Game Developer
Jul 15, 2018
814
1,367
Every censor is mild by it'self. The problem is when you collect them all together, stack them and run your project through them.
 
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anne O'nymous

I'm not grumpy, I'm just coded that way.
Modder
Respected User
Donor
Jun 10, 2017
10,263
15,073
The only argument against doing this is that you can't be assed to take a hand off your dick for 30 fucking seconds to set up SS.
I see another argument against doing this: The fact to have read their .

Is it safe to use SubscribeStar?
Yes, it is. Unless you engage in any activities clearly stated (but not limited to) in Terms and Conditions.

Regarding the security of transactions, storage, etc. we do have all the proper certificates and protocols to keep your experience as safe as possible, unless stated otherwise in other documents or by the third party.
"It's safe until proved otherwise" isn't the answer I expected.


What are your fees?
Our service fee is only 5%. We can make it lower per our sole discretion.
Does this mean that they can decide to lower the fees for everyone, if one day they make a shit tons of money, or that if they like you, they'll make you pay less ?


How can I get paid?
You make a request on your Payouts page with the amount you want to withdraw. You can submit requests every two weeks. You need to reach $150 on your balance to make a request. The minimum request amount is $5.

Sometimes a single payout is made in multiple transactions.
In-between the money is on the society account... with all that it imply. I know that it's the same for Patreon, except that, as far as I know, they don't have a minimal limit, so you can take your money once it's here.
And there's also the last line. Multiple transactions imply multiple fees.


Do I have to pay VAT?
No need to worry about it, we handle and pay VAT.
[Those 11 words are really the entirety of their answer to this question.]

And now I worry a lot... What do they mean here ?
Each country have it's own fiscal politic, each country expect you to pay, or not, VAT on your incomes even when they are a hobbit. And I totally doubt that they handle all this. As much as I totally doubt that when the equivalent of the IRS in your country will goes after you, quoting this will save your ass.
So... what are they handling and paying exactly, and with which money ?


And it continue like this, more and more, with answers that raise more questions than they solve problems, including :
"Do you make transfers to banks outside of the US?"
Yes, we do.

However, this doesn't mean that we can transfer monies to all countries existing in the world. [...]
And I assume that they also can't transfer monies from all countries existing in the world.



As much as I dislike Patreons changes, at least they are professional enough to be trusted. It doesn't mean that subscribestar is bad, just that actually they really lack the professional side I expect from someone that will have to deal with my money, whatever I'm on the pledging side or on the receiving one.



Edit:
Oh, and also the fact that they registered the domain through an anonymity provided.
Trust works both side, why would I trust them, if they don't trust me to not abuse of the name and address of the society ?
 
Last edited:

sillyrobot

Engaged Member
Apr 22, 2019
2,027
1,798
Fundamentally, subscribestar and all other payment services will end up suffering the same product prohibitions. It's not that patreon decided to be censorious.
Patreon needs access to credit card and banking infrastructure in order to exist.
The credit card companies need access to the banking infrastructure and to adhere to national laws in order to exist. They don't want to get caught up in a fight over 'illegal' content. So they insist their clearing houses not provide services for such content.
 

Obscure

Active Member
Game Developer
Jul 15, 2018
814
1,367
Fundamentally, subscribestar and all other payment services will end up suffering the same product prohibitions. It's not that patreon decided to be censorious.
Patreon needs access to credit card and banking infrastructure in order to exist.
The credit card companies need access to the banking infrastructure and to adhere to national laws in order to exist. They don't want to get caught up in a fight over 'illegal' content. So they insist their clearing houses not provide services for such content.
Nah, the big 5 model, Necrophilia, Bestiality, Pedophilia, Rape and Incest, is mostly an invention of Mastercard.
When you get into the lands of the legal, most countries only care especially about one of those enough to enforce rules for fictional content.
 

sillyrobot

Engaged Member
Apr 22, 2019
2,027
1,798
Nah, the big 5 model, Necrophilia, Bestiality, Pedophilia, Rape and Incest, is mostly an invention of Mastercard.
When you get into the lands of the legal, most countries only care especially about one of those enough to enforce rules for fictional content.
Right. And all the payment processors need the big card companies. So if the card families say "you can't do that" then ALL the payment processors can't do that. It doesn't matter if one goes with paypal or subscribestar. They will end up playing under the same ruleset or get driven out of business.

Heck the U.S. still has editorials demanding all porn get pulled from payment:



AmEx is already there. Which is even more weird in that that card isn't even really a credit card in that you can't run a balance.
 

Obscure

Active Member
Game Developer
Jul 15, 2018
814
1,367
Right. And all the payment processors need the big card companies. So if the card families say "you can't do that" then ALL the payment processors can't do that. It doesn't matter if one goes with paypal or subscribestar. They will end up playing under the same ruleset or get driven out of business.
You can't use Mastercard on Subscribestar. It's super expensive bank transfers all the way.
 

sillyrobot

Engaged Member
Apr 22, 2019
2,027
1,798
You can't use Mastercard on Subscribestar. It's super expensive bank transfers all the way.
Neat! I glanced at the service months ago. I thought it accepted cards as well. It might be able to carve out a small niche then assuming it can persuade payers to absorb the extra cost.
 
Apr 19, 2020
38
49
Right. And all the payment processors need the big card companies. So if the card families say "you can't do that" then ALL the payment processors can't do that. It doesn't matter if one goes with paypal or subscribestar. They will end up playing under the same ruleset or get driven out of business.

Heck the U.S. still has editorials demanding all porn get pulled from payment:



AmEx is already there. Which is even more weird in that that card isn't even really a credit card in that you can't run a balance.
Not "companies", AFAIK there are literally only 2 companies on the planet.

All international online payments go through either MasterCard or PayPal. That's the only 2 global companies. Without those you're stuck with ye olde bitcoin which nobody uses, or only getting paid from within your country which means less money.

Russia tried to start their own but I think it never went anywhere.

Patreon and all the other clones are just a frontend for MasterCard and PayPal.
 

Hadley

Well-Known Member
Sep 18, 2017
1,018
1,832
The problem with Subscribestar are their payment methods. I dont have a single Payment method they support.
 
2

215303j

Guest
Guest
Seems like the wrong website for anti-patreon speech.
This seems like the wrong thread for such comments...

Back to Topic, I found this in the TOS:

In addition to other prohibitions as set forth in the “Profile and Account Termination” chapter, you are prohibited from using the site or its content:
  1. For any unlawful purpose;
  2. For all and any obscene purposes;
To me, no. 1 is clear: no CP and other widely illegal content. Makes sense in my opinion.

No. 2 however is much more vague. I guess that UP TO NOW that point seems not really enforced but it does open the door to banning every game / dev on F95Zone.