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10-21-10  07:22pm - 4950 days Original Post - #1
messmer (0)
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Location: Canada
Regional Pricing!

I know everyone gets upset if a site's price is listed as
$ 24.95 US and they end up paying 24.95 Euros instead but wonder if the outrage is really warranted?

Without wanting to offend anyone, honestly. It's just curiosity motivating me.

Wouldn't it all depend how much the average European household earns in a month?

The reason I even bring up this touchy and controversial subject is because friends of ours just got back from Zurich where they paid SF 15.00 for a hamburger at McDonald's. The Frank is currently listed as .097 to the U.S. dollar. Quite obviously the Swiss don't believe that 15 Franks are too much for a burger while we would say I'll die first before I pay $15.00 for a Big Mac!

Can one of my European friends clue me in how many Euros are found in the average monthly pay envelope? I know that here in Canada, especially in the Atlantic Provinces people consider themselves lucky if they make more than 10 - 12 dollars an hour. Just curious.

10-21-10  08:33pm - 4949 days #2
lk2fireone (0)
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Posts: 3,618
Registered: Nov 14, '08
Location: CA
I live in California, which is not really part of Europe.

But I would not pay $15 for a Big Mac. Actually, I like Burger King's whopper or Hardee's hamburgers or Wendy's hamburgers more than I like McDonald's Big Mac. I don't know why, I just never liked the Big Mac.

There are hamburgers that cost a lot more than the Big Mac at restaurants, but I've never paid anywhere close to $15 for a hamburger.

In your post, you misplaced the decimal point:
"The Frank is currently listed as .097 to the U.S. dollar"
It should be: The Swiss Franc is currently 0.97 to the U.S. dollar. But why haven't they replaced the Swiss Franc with the Euro? Even though California is better than the rest of the United States, we still accept U.S. currency instead of printing our own. So Switzerland should show the same type of generosity to their neighbors and convert to the Euro, so people won't have to look at those coins and bills and try to figure out what they are really worth.

If California printed its own currency, we could print enough dollars to pay our way out of the current deficit we've been running.

Getting back to the regional pricing issue:

There is an emotional aspect to regional pricing. If you see someone paying $5.00 for an item, it usually seems unfair for you to be charged $10.00 for that same item, unless there is a really special reason for the difference in prices.

I went to Europe. In Denmark (and some other country), I saw "natives" paying one price for cokes and other items, while us tourists (we were in a group) were being charged a higher price for those same items. At the time I thought it was unfair. Did we have the word "sucker" tattooed on our foreheads? Because we were tourists in a group? We were paying in the local currency, because we had exchanged our US dollars for the local currency. But we were still being charged a higher price.

So I can understand the anger (and outrage) some of the Europeans are expressing over being charged a higher regional price.

Edit01: I still don't know why we were being charged a higher price. Maybe the tour guide company set up the price difference and got a kickback from the sales they brought to the vendor. But if you wanted a coke or whatever, you paid a higher price, because you didn't have time to go wandering around to find a different place to buy food before you got back on the tour bus. Edited on Oct 22, 2010, 12:07am

10-22-10  04:11am - 4949 days #3
anyonebutme (0)
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Posts: 294
Registered: Aug 23, '09
See here's the thing, regional pricing does not equate to "screw Europeans". Regional pricing just means the site owner can place different prices for different regions, for example he can set up $30/20 euro per month, it's not forced to be the same number for all regions. In the end it's all up to the site owner to set the prices, it is just a tool for sites to use any way they want, there is nothing inherently evil about it, as many around here will claim.

10-22-10  04:18am - 4949 days #4
tangub (0)
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Posts: 132
Registered: Feb 03, '10
Location: UK
Originally Posted by messmer:


I know everyone gets upset if a site's price is listed as
$ 24.95 US and they end up paying 24.95 Euros instead but wonder if the outrage is really warranted?

Without wanting to offend anyone, honestly. It's just curiosity motivating me.

Wouldn't it all depend how much the average European household earns in a month?

The reason I even bring up this touchy and controversial subject is because friends of ours just got back from Zurich where they paid SF 15.00 for a hamburger at McDonald's. The Frank is currently listed as .097 to the U.S. dollar. Quite obviously the Swiss don't believe that 15 Franks are too much for a burger while we would say I'll die first before I pay $15.00 for a Big Mac!

Can one of my European friends clue me in how many Euros are found in the average monthly pay envelope? I know that here in Canada, especially in the Atlantic Provinces people consider themselves lucky if they make more than 10 - 12 dollars an hour. Just curious.


It's generally considered that the cost of living in Switzerland is much higher than most of the rest of Europe so that's probably not reflective of what you would pay for a Big Mac almost anywhere else in Europe, it's certainly double the cost of what you would pay for a Big Mac meal deal here in the UK. Of course there will always be tourist hotspots wherever you go where the prices are ramped up, I remember paying £10 or around $15 for a Hamburger and Fries in the Old Town Square in Prague where the cost of living is supposed to be much less expensive.

10-22-10  05:15am - 4949 days #5
RustyJ (0)
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Posts: 79
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No Rest Network that was recently reviewed has a discussion of the same thing in comments section. It gets ridiculous when a Russian or East European site starts charging locals more when it is obvious that the lesser paying Americans earn a lot more. In other industries the regional pricing at least makes some sense. They give poorer areas cheaper price to prevent piracy.

There's also the thing that some sites that have special price for TBP and PU do not actually give it to non Americans. I wonder if they even mention it when doing the deal with TBP... Since we are an international community no matter where the actual server might be located, I strongly think TPB should take a more stern attitude towards regional pricing.

I've joined one site with regional pricing because I was able to navigate around it. I'm not going to join a single one where I have to pay more than some other people for no reason.

10-22-10  05:22am - 4949 days #6
Peelarry (0)
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Posts: 32
Registered: Jun 22, '09
Location: Germany
I live in Germany and I don't know how much an average worker gets in the US.
For me that regional pricing can be a reason not to join a paysite.
Here in europe we have so many countries with very different incomes. So from that point regional pricing is unfair.

Finally I have to decide for me if the content is worth the 20, 25 or more Euros.

But when I think about years ago, where I paid about 18DM (9 Euros) for only one porn magazine, the actual prices are "affordable".

10-22-10  06:52am - 4949 days #7
Capn (0)
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For me it is more a matter of principle.

There are extra costs involved in transporting tactile goods around. Those costs have to be met & a profit has to be made.

I used to have a Harley in the late 1980s.
When I bought parts from the US I knew I had to pay at the exchange rate + carriage or accept the & pound for $ pricing & buy the parts locally.
That is a totally different issue & I have no problem with that.

There is no or negligible extra effort or costs involved supplying virtual goods to the internet region for region.
Sure there are varying costs for connecting to the internet & hardware for doing it country to country, but the costs for the Webmaster supplying the content to Europe or US remain the same.

Presumably the webmaster is still making decent money with the US pricing, so attempting to charge substantially extra for differing parts of the world to access content is profiteering.

That is why I get so irate when I see it used.

Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award
Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award
( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/
Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder!

10-22-10  07:06am - 4949 days #8
Denner (0)
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This is the place to put the pressure on sites that do not tell their billing companies to GET RID of that regional pricing...!

And agree with Capn: It's a matter of principle.

I do not know if I did myself a - what do you call it: a disfavour......when signing up and agreeing to higher Euro-pricing on these sites:

Nubiles

Babespotting.tv

But I did it, because, I WANTED the material....and I regret it now - as a matter of principle - and this is a PU promise: I won't do it again.

Messmer: Generally an average "working man" in Scandinavia has an income of about $ 20 an hour - which is the minimum agreed with the labour unions - some workers coming in from the old east euro contries makes less, but thats another story.

Still: We tend to TBP for good pricing and lean on that/those deals here. So the it's a bummer to have to pay more - just because some bad asses feel they can make more money because of the still increasing difference between the US Dollars and the Euro.... "I don't drink anymore - I freeze it, and eat it like a popcicle"

10-22-10  10:02am - 4949 days #9
messmer (0)
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Location: Canada
Originally Posted by Denner:


This is the place to put the pressure on sites that do not tell their billing companies to GET RID of that regional pricing...!

And agree with Capn: It's a matter of principle.

I do not know if I did myself a - what do you call it: a disfavour......when signing up and agreeing to higher Euro-pricing on these sites:

Nubiles

Babespotting.tv

But I did it, because, I WANTED the material....and I regret it now - as a matter of principle - and this is a PU promise: I won't do it again.

Messmer: Generally an average "working man" in Scandinavia has an income of about $ 20 an hour - which is the minimum agreed with the labour unions - some workers coming in from the old east euro contries makes less, but thats another story.

Still: We tend to TBP for good pricing and lean on that/those deals here. So the it's a bummer to have to pay more - just because some bad asses feel they can make more money because of the still increasing difference between the US Dollars and the Euro....


Thanks, Denner, and to everyone for responding and giving me a bit more insight into this matter. I agree with all of you that regional pricing should be resisted as much as possible.

When I subscribe to a site I expect to pay whatever US $24.95 converts to in Canadian dollars and no more. I like Epoch better than CCBill for that reason because there always seems to be a small extra charge attached to the bill with CCBill.

I was just wondering if European companies sometimes charged extra because Europeans generally make more money than North Americans. I know that the European standard of living has been higher (at least in the countries I'm most familiar with) for quite some time when compared to North America, or at least my neck of the woods.

Thanks again to all, I appreciate the individual contributions to this discussion and would normally respond to each and every one but today, even though I'm retired, I have very little time because of a doctor's appointment, so must restrict myself to this one reply.

10-22-10  10:05am - 4949 days #10
Ed2009 (0)
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Posts: 509
Registered: Sep 12, '09
Location: Wales, UK
My sites are priced in Pounds and US Dollars but I try (within reason) to match them to the same value. Basically I work in Pounds and then convert my prices to US Dollars for the wider market. However fluctuations and restrictions of billing company systems do make it difficult to be precise. Sometime paying in US Dollars will get you a slightly better deal, sometimes slightly worse. I don't bias in favour of country.

I know the latest figure for the UK average salary is equivalent to about US$45,000 based on the current exchange rate, but that figure is largely meaningless. US house prices seem to be drastically lower than ours (US TV and news shows routinely show average Americans living in houses which would cost several million here) and your fuel prices are much lower too.

I once looked at buying a house in Canada. For what my 3 bedroom semi-detached house in the UK cost I could have bought an 8 bedroom 3 storey house in 12 acres of land, with a cinema in the basement.

The way I see it there is almost no point trying to compare value between countries. The only thing which really matters is the value to you the customer. Webmaster of StripGameCentral and A Measure of Curiosity.

10-22-10  12:51pm - 4949 days #11
Wittyguy (0)
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Posts: 1,138
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Location: Left Coast, USA
The reason we dislike regional pricing is because the web is supposed to "make the world flat" (borrowing from Thomas Friedman). When it comes to everyday expenses, you certainly pay different prices depending on where you live/work than others. I imagine that that I could rent my place in NY City for around $2k a month while it would only rent for about a 1/3 of that here. The point is that we choose to live/work in certain areas and, to a certain extent, choose to expose ourselves to higher/lower local prices in exchange for other opportunities (career, family, money, lifestyle, etc).

The internet is supposed to be the ultimate arbitrator of democracy. So long as you have an internet connection and some computer device, you should ideally have access to the full offerings of the web. The economics of the web are pretty flat/universal as well. In the porn world, once you're done with the production costs (aka - the video/photo shoot) the post-production costs are probably about the same everywhere since everyone relies on the same technology to bring it to and maintain it on the web. If server or bandwidth costs are too high, just shift your virtual operations to an overseas virtual location (easier said than done but it can be done). So really, regional pricing is just the application of "real world" economics to a virtual world where those economic principals and barriers don't really exist.

The effect is basically where there is only one McDonald's but you charged a different rate for your burger solely based upon where you came from, not the fact that you came into the store. To most of us, that flies in the face of fairness. To others, it's just a justifiable real world display of capitalism. In either case, it's an example of how the new web economy and old economy clash.

10-24-10  09:01am - 4947 days #12
mbaya (0)
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Location: new jersey
I hate regional pricing. The cost to maintain the site doesn't change or it does to a negligible degree based on the location of the subscriber. There is just no reason that can justify discriminating. Those who do it, do it because they can get away with it. If you want their product, what can you do? My answer is that there are a lot of websites that you can join and very few sites are so unique that I would go along with something I feel is unfair.

10-24-10  06:08pm - 4947 days #13
Goldfish (0)
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Posts: 265
Registered: Jan 19, '08
Location: Boston, MA
Originally Posted by Ed2009:


I know the latest figure for the UK average salary is equivalent to about US$45,000 based on the current exchange rate, but that figure is largely meaningless. US house prices seem to be drastically lower than ours (US TV and news shows routinely show average Americans living in houses which would cost several million here) and your fuel prices are much lower too.

I once looked at buying a house in Canada. For what my 3 bedroom semi-detached house in the UK cost I could have bought an 8 bedroom 3 storey house in 12 acres of land, with a cinema in the basement.


It depends on where you look in the US. Houses in the South or Mid-West will cost a lot less than the Northeast or California.

10-24-10  06:12pm - 4947 days #14
Goldfish (0)
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Location: Boston, MA
I don't understand the passionate responses here really. Is it because the price doesn't match what you see on TBP or PU?

10-31-10  05:41pm - 4940 days #15
Belthazar (0)
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Posts: 27
Registered: Jan 13, '07
Location: Prague
I will never ever join a site, that uses regional pricing. 10 USD is much more for me than 10 EUR. I am lucky, that I am living in a country where obtaining porn material from "other sources" is absolutely legal Women: Different hardware, same software

11-01-10  07:20am - 4939 days #16
Denner (0)
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Posts: 1,217
Registered: Mar 03, '07
Location: Denmark
Originally Posted by Goldfish:


I don't understand the passionate responses here really. Is it because the price doesn't match what you see on TBP or PU?


Goldfish - One thing is exactly the disappointment for many - non US PUs when trying to get that nice deal via TBP - and you suddenly has to pay what is about $10 more, sometimes - JUST because of another place you live...

Another deal here is that you probably can't help to get a bit upset of what looks like a cunning way of getting more money out of PUs living in Europe, Asia or wherever....

It's also somewhat interesting, that at a lot of sites with this kind of deal - typical via CCBill - you can mail them and ask for a link to another billing-provider (Epoch, for one) - and THERE get the price in $ stated at TBP......

We've been over this a lot of times here - but generally and especially CCBill hold on to that price in Euros........and BTW: that Euro is getting higher and higher compared to the $, so.....joining a lot of sites is getting more and more expensive for non US PUs....I still can NOT see the relevance in this.. "I don't drink anymore - I freeze it, and eat it like a popcicle" Edited on Nov 01, 2010, 07:23am

11-01-10  11:13am - 4939 days #17
Capn (0)
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Location: Near the Beer!
Originally Posted by Goldfish:


I don't understand the passionate responses here really. Is it because the price doesn't match what you see on TBP or PU?


Not so much that per se.

TBH I thought I had covered my reasons & opinions on it in post #7 ?

Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award
Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award
( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/
Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder!

11-02-10  06:46am - 4938 days #18
nostromo (0)
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Posts: 131
Registered: Sep 22, '07
Location: madrid/spain
i'm with Denner on this subject.

regional pricing is outright thievery. Worse, the sites which use it take euros and brits for dimwits.

To hell with CcBill, fuck them. Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.

H.L. Mencken.

11-02-10  07:18am - 4938 days #19
Secretease com (0)
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Posts: 18
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Location: UK
CCBill put it as an option - it's up to the webmaster whether they want to try it or not.

~Mitch~ Secretease.com - A 100% exclusive site for lovers of Sexy Executive Secretaries hard at flirt in short skirts, stockings, high heels, tight shirts and other sex-ecutive attire. More than a tease...

Secretease operates non-regional pricing.

11-02-10  07:31am - 4938 days #20
BadMrFrosty (0)
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Posts: 124
Registered: Mar 05, '10
Location: Prague (Czech Republic)
I have a feeling that it was my review of norestnetwork.com that inspired messmer to post this thread

Like others here have said, it is the principle of the thing that really irk's me. The cost to the site to provide me with the content is exactly the same, regardless of where I live. Why should the price be different just because I happen to be sitting in Europe? It makes absolutley no sense. If the memberships were priced at what the market could bear, while still reprehensible, it would at least follow some kind of logic. But no, here I am sat in the Czech Republic where the average salary is considerably lower than that in the USA and I am expected to pay more for my porn? Something is certainly rotten in the state of Denmark. The problem with the world is stupidity. Not saying there should be capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
Frank Zappa

11-02-10  09:50am - 4938 days #21
nostromo (0)
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Location: madrid/spain
Originally Posted by BadMrFrosty:


I have a feeling that it was my review of norestnetwork.com that inspired messmer to post this thread


BadMrFrosty wrote: "- REGIONAL PRICING!!!!! For me it cost 32,95 EUR which is about 43,50 USD vs the 32,95 USD that US residents pay."

Spot on. Thieves! Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.

H.L. Mencken.

11-02-10  10:12am - 4938 days #22
Capn (0)
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Posts: 1,740
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Location: Near the Beer!
Originally Posted by Secretease com:


CCBill put it as an option - it's up to the webmaster whether they want to try it or not.

~Mitch~


Yes, but it is CCBill providing this questionable service.

As I have said before, it is a bit like a hitman blaming the person that hired him.

Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award
Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award
( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/
Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder!

11-02-10  01:25pm - 4938 days #23
Secretease com (0)
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Posts: 18
Registered: Oct 23, '10
Location: UK
Originally Posted by Capn:


it is a bit like a hitman blaming the person that hired him.


What makes you say that?

And has anyone approached CCBill about this? Would be interested to know what response they got. Secretease.com - A 100% exclusive site for lovers of Sexy Executive Secretaries hard at flirt in short skirts, stockings, high heels, tight shirts and other sex-ecutive attire. More than a tease...

Secretease operates non-regional pricing.

11-02-10  02:25pm - 4938 days #24
Capn (0)
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The fact that it is a less than commendable service to provide,for the reasons I stated earlier.

Since 'Regional Pricing' first raised its ugly head, I have made a deliberate point of not using CCBill where there is another billing option, regardless of whether the Webmanager has requested it.

If more boycotted as I do, I hope eventually they will realise they are pissing off a substantial proportion of their world market by providing this deeply unpopular 'service', apologise ( as if! ) and drop it.

Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award
Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award
( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/
Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder!

11-02-10  02:30pm - 4938 days #25
mbaya (0)
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Location: new jersey
Mitch, I have complained to CCBill. They wash their hands of any responsibility. I even told them that I would never use their services ever again. No response.

11-02-10  03:07pm - 4938 days #26
messmer (0)
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Location: Canada
Originally Posted by BadMrFrosty:


I have a feeling that it was my review of norestnetwork.com that inspired messmer to post this thread

Like others here have said, it is the principle of the thing that really irk's me. The cost to the site to provide me with the content is exactly the same, regardless of where I live. Why should the price be different just because I happen to be sitting in Europe? It makes absolutley no sense. If the memberships were priced at what the market could bear, while still reprehensible, it would at least follow some kind of logic. But no, here I am sat in the Czech Republic where the average salary is considerably lower than that in the USA and I am expected to pay more for my porn? Something is certainly rotten in the state of Denmark.


Nope, it wasn't your review that inspired me to start this thread, BadMrFrosty. Let me say, first of all, that if a site is listed for $ 24.95 U.S. that's what you should pay, converted to the value of your currency, and NOT regional prices. So I am not in support of it.

This thread was set off by folks from Canada visiting Zurich having to pay 15 Swiss Franks for a MacDonald's Big Mac. That's very close to $ 15.00 CA, a price we would find outrageous yet which seems to be quite acceptable in Switzerland.

You can argue about the taste of my friends but it gave me the idea that someone in Germany, for instance, might find a price of 35 Euros or so per subscription not unreasonable because their hourly wages and benefits might be higher than ours and some web sites might take advantage of that fact. So I was hoping someone would come up with a ball park figure what people make in various countries.

This was stupid of me because reading the posts I now realize how many intangibles play a part when it comes to incomes and cost of living.

In any case, down with regional pricing!

11-02-10  05:30pm - 4938 days #27
Capn (0)
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I draw the distinction from cost & profit rather than regional income or cost of living.

As I said earlier, there are no extra costs involved for supplying virtual goods worldwide for the vendor, so there is no justification for regional pricing on them.

To do so is simply profiteering, ie. robbery.

Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award
Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award
( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/
Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder!

11-03-10  02:06am - 4937 days #28
tangub (0)
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Registered: Feb 03, '10
Location: UK
Perhaps a webmaster who uses regional pricing would be good enough to come on here and let us know the reasons for using it and defend it's practise....is there anyone brave enough???

04-27-11  05:18am - 4762 days #29
nostromo (0)
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Posts: 131
Registered: Sep 22, '07
Location: madrid/spain
Originally Posted by tangub:


Perhaps a webmaster who uses regional pricing would be good enough to come on here and let us know the reasons for using it and defend it's practise....is there anyone brave enough???


it appears not. The pair EUR/USD is currently at 1.496

http://www.ecb.int/stats/exchange/eurofx...ef-graph-usd.en.html

Europeans are the laughingstock of pornsite webmasters.

Once you've been a member to the sites that are not heaping derision upon europeans, what's left?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6JQ2Vzr0bQ Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.

H.L. Mencken.

04-27-11  06:17am - 4762 days #30
Tree Rodent (0)
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Originally Posted by nostromo:



Europeans are the laughingstock of pornsite webmasters.


No don't think so, not while we download pirated material for free from sites that have regional discrimination.

Subscribe to the good guys, rip off the bad guys.

04-27-11  06:41am - 4762 days #31
lk2fireone (0)
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Posts: 3,618
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Location: CA
Originally Posted by nostromo:


Europeans are the laughingstock of pornsite webmasters.


I think of porn webmasters like bloodsucking vampires. For some reason, they like to drain the blood faster from their European cattle (customers).

04-27-11  06:49am - 4762 days #32
Tree Rodent (0)
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Posts: 708
Registered: Oct 29, '08
Location: UK
Originally Posted by lk2fireone:


I think of porn webmasters like bloodsucking vampires. For some reason, they like to drain the blood faster from their European cattle (customers).


MOO!....I mean BOO!

04-27-11  07:44am - 4762 days #33
nostromo (0)
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Posts: 131
Registered: Sep 22, '07
Location: madrid/spain
Originally Posted by lk2fireone:


For some reason, they like to drain the blood faster from their European cattle (customers).


At a 1.496 faster ratio. Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.

H.L. Mencken.

04-27-11  07:55am - 4762 days #34
FuckingGambler (0)
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Originally Posted by Capn:


As I said earlier, there are no extra costs involved for supplying virtual goods worldwide for the vendor, so there is no justification for regional pricing on them.

To do so is simply profiteering, ie. robbery.

Cap'n.


We are one company to agree with you, we have never done it, and are not going to do it. On our sites Europeans should always have an option to pay with a credit card in USD, and pay exactly the same amount as members from US. If paying in EUR, exchange rate will be somewhat different from Forex, but it still should stay within reason. If anybody will ever see ridiculous difference in rates on any of our sites - it is not because we have such an intent, but because of complexity of CCBill forms, please write us here or via e-mail and we'll fix it ASAP for everybody, not just for you.

To webmasters: while calculations like "hey, we've got 100 users from Europe, so if we charge them EUR25 instead of $25, we'll make extra $1200" are indeed very tempting, it doesn't take into account one simple thing: how many Europeans you lose as customers because of this kind of pricing?

04-27-11  09:09am - 4762 days #35
Capn (0)
Active User



Posts: 1,740
Registered: Sep 05, '09
Location: Near the Beer!
How very true.

I am pleased to see you coming out on the side of the end user.

Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award
Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award
( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/
Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder!

04-27-11  11:36pm - 4761 days #36
asmith12 (0)
Active User

Posts: 79
Registered: Oct 17, '07
It is not that Europeans are richer, it is that we (en masse) are ready to pay more for the very same thing .

Switzerland and McDonalds IMHO isn't the best example (Switzerland is damn expensive place, and McDonalds isn't that mainstream in Europe as in US), but why the very same car which costs about $20K in US, should cost like EUR25K in Europe?? Why I've met a professional photographer who's flying from UK to US to buy cameras and so on and saves money even after counting in tickets??? Why download of the very same Adobe Photoshop should cost almost TWICE more if downloading it from UK, then downloading it from US????

It is a crazy world, and it weren't adult sites which has started it being crazy . Motto: "All niches except for boring one!"

04-29-11  04:23pm - 4760 days #37
Ed2009 (0)
Suspended Webmaster




Posts: 509
Registered: Sep 12, '09
Location: Wales, UK
Can I point out that I am a European webmaster, and I use CCBill as one of my main billing agents and I have never agreed to their Regional Pricing scheme.

From my point of view it is set up all wrong. I would like to set a price in UK Pounds and have the US Dollar price move according to the exchange rate, ensuring that I get the same amount per sign up. Otherwise when the US Dollar takes a dive against the UK Pound, I end up getting much less from US customers. By pricing in Dollars I get no direct control over what people pay for memberships! I'm left having to occasionally adjust prices when the exchange rate moves by a large amount.

I've asked CCBill to give this option several times but they're just not interested. Webmaster of StripGameCentral and A Measure of Curiosity.

04-29-11  05:02pm - 4760 days #38
messmer (0)
Disabled User



Posts: 2,582
Registered: Sep 12, '07
Location: Canada
Originally Posted by Ed2009:


Can I point out that I am a European webmaster, and I use CCBill as one of my main billing agents and I have never agreed to their Regional Pricing scheme.

From my point of view it is set up all wrong. I would like to set a price in UK Pounds and have the US Dollar price move according to the exchange rate, ensuring that I get the same amount per sign up. Otherwise when the US Dollar takes a dive against the UK Pound, I end up getting much less from US customers. By pricing in Dollars I get no direct control over what people pay for memberships! I'm left having to occasionally adjust prices when the exchange rate moves by a large amount.

I've asked CCBill to give this option several times but they're just not interested.


This may have nothing to do with regional pricing but I have noticed with CCBill that they always charge an additional $ 2.50 or so on top of the regular subscription price. (No it's not originating with my bank). I could never figure out what that one is for. Epoch doesn't do it!

04-29-11  05:46pm - 4760 days #39
JuicyBunny (0)
Active Webmaster




Posts: 17
Registered: Aug 30, '10
Location: Santa Monica
We tried it and quickly dropped it.
It would be nice if regional pricing was meant to level price playing field between territories but it does not, which is too bad for everyone.

I would not mind a system that gives one world price in local equivalents.

How do you guys feel about mini memberships? Like 5 days or 2 weeks or something? JuicyBunnyCash.com

04-30-11  02:47pm - 4759 days #40
Ed2009 (0)
Suspended Webmaster




Posts: 509
Registered: Sep 12, '09
Location: Wales, UK
Very short memberships or trials have never worked for me. I've tried them a few times but have never come up with a way that it isn't better for long term members to simply sign up to a short membership once every few weeks than maintain a recurring membership.

I tend to stick to keeping the initial price reasonable (ie not so high as to put people off) and the site good enough that the recurring membership fee is well worth the money. Of course everyone has different opinions as to what they like, but it practice this has always worked best for me. Oh and I try to get my sites reviewed everywhere I can so people know exactly what they will be getting. Webmaster of StripGameCentral and A Measure of Curiosity.

05-02-11  09:29am - 4757 days #41
nostromo (0)
Active User

Posts: 131
Registered: Sep 22, '07
Location: madrid/spain
I joined today BikiniRiot and they charged me 17,69 euros, which it isn't exactly the USD/EUR exchange rate but it is very reasonable, and the biller is CcBill. Once they accepted me as a member you could read at the bottom of the page: "Any subsequent (future) charges will be billed in the above selected currency [Euros], and are subject to adjustment (adjustments are based on the selected currency value = to US Dollars), at the time of each subsequent charge."

As Secret Tease pointed out above -and other webmasters- it is an option that CcBill provides to webmasters. Still, that doesn't take anything away from Capn's argument. Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.

H.L. Mencken.

05-04-11  12:13am - 4755 days #42
JuicyBunny (0)
Active Webmaster




Posts: 17
Registered: Aug 30, '10
Location: Santa Monica
Originally Posted by Ed2009:


Very short memberships or trials have never worked for me. I've tried them a few times but have never come up with a way that it isn't better for long term members to simply sign up to a short membership once every few weeks than maintain a recurring membership.

I tend to stick to keeping the initial price reasonable (ie not so high as to put people off) and the site good enough that the recurring membership fee is well worth the money. Of course everyone has different opinions as to what they like, but it practice this has always worked best for me. Oh and I try to get my sites reviewed everywhere I can so people know exactly what they will be getting.


I am with you on all points. I dont like tours much and after checking our stats with biller found all/most of the fraud attempts were coming through the 1 dollar trials...

I am getting to the review point but first I have some work in converting our video content to mp4 so it is more versatile on playback machines.
Quality seems to be really high for the same kbps as wmv.
We want members to be able to move the content around on THEIR machines ONLY. But we do want to make that easier and more fun.
We also opened last year and then closed after some tech issues and a server move made updating, even logging in a real pain...if not impossible, so, we plan to give free members time to those who joined and had issues. I agree about keeping site pumped with content. Models have to eat and the Director here needs to shoot hot amateur girls regularly or he starts to go deaf. Dunno why.
This board has best smileys ever...

Btw, I like your sites ALOT. Great work in sig... JuicyBunnyCash.com

05-07-11  02:34am - 4752 days #43
RustyJ (0)
Suspended

Posts: 79
Registered: Aug 04, '10
I've voiced my opinion on this before but here goes again: Regional pricing works exactly the wrong way. When it should give cheaper prices to those living in countries of lower GDP thus reducing piracy, it actually makes the sites more expensive in poorer countries.

Well, Switzerland and Norway may be exceptions to that. I guess you get euro prices there too and people probably earn more than Americans. Not sure if 1.43 times more though and that's the current exchange rate.

I repeat also my comment that TBP should make sure that the special prices they are given by sites apply to members from all countries

06-17-11  06:08am - 4711 days #44
Capn (0)
Active User



Posts: 1,740
Registered: Sep 05, '09
Location: Near the Beer!
I wonder if there is an international equivalent of the UK's Office of Fair Trading that it could be reported to?

Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award
Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award
( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/
Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder!

06-21-11  11:56am - 4707 days #45
manholelover (0)
Active User



Posts: 37
Registered: Jun 17, '11
Location: London, UK
Very selfishly, being from the UK so not using dollars, euros nor Swiss francs, the US pricing usually works in my favour!! Also, I've personally found that there's little difference in price for those sites I pay for in US dollars, and those which are converted. In fact, the UK sites, where I automatically pay in pounds sterling, seem to be a little bit pricier. Ultimately, there is a problem here as there's a lack of consistency, but since regional pricing isn't simply about converting one currency to another depending on exchange rates, but also dependant on cost of living, different countries' taxation rates etc. etc., I don't think it will ever be resolved...

06-21-11  12:18pm - 4707 days #46
Capn (0)
Active User



Posts: 1,740
Registered: Sep 05, '09
Location: Near the Beer!
Yes, it would do if you are identified as having a US IP.

If CCBill's software identifies you as being UK / Europe you will be hit by the Regional Pricing, if the Webmanager has requested it, whether or not you are concious of it.

It has little to do with real costs, just what the Webmanager decides he wants to charge you, dependant on where you happen to live.

Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award
Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award
( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/
Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder!

06-21-11  12:25pm - 4707 days #47
manholelover (0)
Active User



Posts: 37
Registered: Jun 17, '11
Location: London, UK
I like the idea of a mini membership to save the hassle of cancelling, but obviously if it was value for money. Fixed term membership is pricier than recurring, as a disincentive.

07-10-11  01:26am - 4688 days #48
Capn (0)
Active User



Posts: 1,740
Registered: Sep 05, '09
Location: Near the Beer!
I suppose it is OK if you regard a 'mini membership' as a trial or a taster.

If it is a large site, it is not any use to a collector though.

Cap'n. Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU Award
Hilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award
( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/
Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder!

07-10-11  09:40am - 4688 days #49
pat362 (0)
Active User



Posts: 3,575
Registered: Jan 23, '07
Location: canada
Originally Posted by manholelover:


I like the idea of a mini membership to save the hassle of cancelling, but obviously if it was value for money. Fixed term membership is pricier than recurring, as a disincentive.


I've been lucky in my porn search over the years because I have found a couple of trial memberships that gave you full access for a limited amount of time. These are quite rare because someone with a decent internet service could download a lot of content in 3 days. Long live the Brown Coats.

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