On the Patreon fee change
Hey all!
I wanted to address the recent Patreon change in fee processing. I think it's a pretty terrible move and regressive, since it hurts people pledging with small amounts. The change is supposed to go through later this month, I have been paying the fee on pledges up until this point with no issue.
I want to put some facts out there:
- Patreon is by far my primary income source (far more than book sales)
- I pay state and federal taxes on Patreon income, around 20%
- I've had very steady growth in patrons up to this point, most of which are $2/month pledges. I think you'll see the same in other people on the platform, which means a majority of my patrons will be affected by this change, which in the long term will be harmful to my income, and the income of smaller creators on here. The long term is what matters to me.
I hope Patreon will renege on its decision due to the (very strong) public backlash, but if not I will probably change up the pledge tiers to accommodate for the fees by lowering them slightly. I intend to stick with Patreon for now because I like the community we've built here and I will definitely let you all know if I'm planning on changing platforms.
Thanks very much! There's some surprises coming soon here I hope will improve the mood.
Comments (6)
I suggest you threaten to leave Patreon outright (maybe moving to Liberapay, or to Kickstarter Drip once it's online) if they don't come to their senses and drop the stupid fixed per-pledge fee. Either way I'll be following you (or stay with you, I can afford it even though I'm peeved).
PayPal Money Pool direct payments could be made automatic. Easiest for me would be to use bank's Bill Pay, also automatic if desired.
I'm confused by the amount of backlash for what is a small change really. Why not revisit your decisions on the pledges' tiers and people you choose to back? It's a good thing to think about your budget for Patreon from time to time anyway (like with all budgets). And Patreon wasn't a charity to start with nor should it be. And our patronage is getting predictability out of this. Patreon is getting a slimer process. And we all know they won't be getting more money out of this, because people hate change.
I see your argument about those that have the least to give. Apart from those it was almost stupid to give a little to many anyway. Moving money costs money because you know, banks. So from my point of view this is moving away from hidden fees to ones you can see up front. And this makes people think about the fact that they are giving money to Patreon too. Which is good. And Patreon obviously needs some money too to provide this great service.
I honestly think this is a sign that Patreon's owners are grabbing as much cash as possible before folding the company up and doing a runner. It doesn't make any sense otherwise. We'd *all* better make other plans, because I doubt Patreon will be operating long into 2018.
I beg to differ. What a cheery outlook on life you have …