Ok, I need your help, my Patrons & Followers. Please - every one of you vote in the poll. I need your feedback to decide what to do.
They're changing the fee structure as of 12/18/2017 so that instead of Creators paying the fees, and ending up only getting around 85% of what people pledge to give me, the PATRONS now pay the fees. Patreon is trying to sell this as being so that Creators will be able to receive MORE money - a full 95% - of what is pledged, but it is having a horrible side effect.
This results in each patron now paying a $0.35, + 2% fee for EACH pledge they make. So the $1 pledge now no longer exists - the minimum people can pay is $1.37. And that fee is amplified by every pledge that Patron makes to different people.
So someone who was supporting 75 creators at $1 a month, is now going to be paying out $102.75 a month instead of the $75 they had budgeted - just to keep the SAME level of support. And the amounts only go UP with each tier.
This is causing a lot of people to drop their patronages. And since we creators have been relying on what we get from Patreon to pay bills and the like, I know several Creators who are now terrified that they won't be able to pay bills next month because SO MANY $1 and $5 patrons are dropping off.
The solution to this is that the $1 tier is being removed voluntarily by a lot of creators, and other tier prices are being adjusted so that the Patrons will only pay what they signed UP to pay. So a formerly $5 tier will be reduced by the Creator to $3.65 so that when the $1.35 fee is tacked on, the Patron will still only be paying $5. The Creator will receive $3.47.
If I do this, here is how it breaks down for my tiers:
$1 tier is either left alone, and a note will be made that you will actually be charged $1.37 for your pledge, OR it is removed entirely and a new bottom tier is put in place - a $2 tier, of which the pre-fee tier is actually $1.61. Patrons will pay $2 flat. I receive $1.53.
The $5 tier becomes a $3.65 tier. Patrons still pay $5/month. I receive $3.47.
The $10 tier becomes a $7.65 tier. Patrons still pay $10/month I receive $7.27.
The $20 tier becomes a $15.65 tier. Patrons still pay $20/month. I receive $14.87.
I have one Patron pledging $30/month - since that isn't a tier, I can't adjust it. But I suggest they drop it to $23.65 so that they're still paying out $30/month.
The $50 tier becomes a $39.65 tier. Patrons still pay $50/month. I receive $37.67.
And the $100 tier becomes a $79.65 tier. Patrons still pay $100/month. I receive $75.67. My over all take at the end of the month goes from $127 of the $138 pledged (now) to $120.67.
As a result, instead of the 85% or so of what is pledged that we were getting with the old fee structure, us ethical Creators who altering our pay structure to eat the fees on behalf of our Patrons, are going to end up LOSING an extra 5-10% of our income. Patreon claims they were trying to create a 10% INCREASE on what Creators take home. They have done the exact opposite by forcing US to be ethical FOR them.
However, I personally am in a very tight situation...so I'm also going to break down what it would be if I don't change ANYTHING AT ALL. This is why I need you to vote in the poll and PLEASE give me your comments. I don't want to lose any of you if I can, so I want to know what's comfortable for EACH of you.
If I change NOTHING (except adding a note to each tier explaining the fees and what they will actually be charged), here is what changes for you:
Tiers:
$1 patrons will be paying $1.37/month. I receive $0.95.
$5 patrons will be paying $6.35/month. I receive $4.75.
$10 patrons will be paying $12.35/month. I receive $9.50.
$20 patrons will be paying $24.35/month. I receive $19.00.
$30 patrons will be paying $38.35/month. I receive $28.50.
$50 patrons will be paying $60.35/month. I receive $47.50.
$100 patrons will be paying $120.35/month. I receive $95.00 My over-all take at the end of the month goes from $127 of $138 pledged (now), to $131.10 of $138.
What I make through Patreon right now goes right back out to pay my car insurance and two other first-of-the-month bills. With this new way of it working, I will likely not be able to pay one (if not both) of those bills next month. I SHOULD still have enough to cover my car insurance, though...I hope. Assuming none of my Patrons drop me, which - yes - is VERY MUCH IN YOUR RIGHT TO DO. I'm just hoping we can come to an agreement so you don't feel you HAVE to.
A third option is to create DUPLICATE tiers - A second tier of each kind. The current tiers become the "Fee" Tiers (I'll come up with a more creative name later), and I will add in tiers with the fee factored into MY end in between. You can all switch to those tiers if you like, and keep paying exactly what you're paying, and I'll cover the fees. If you feel like the fees won't be a problem for you, you can remain on the tiers where you are now.
These are the only ways I can think of to handle this ethically. I don't want the patrons to foot the fees without knowing about it, and honestly I don't feel they should have to at all. And neither do most creators I follow. But Patreon isn't giving us a choice in this matter - nor do I know ANY of the creators they claim to have polled during the process of coming up with this crazy idea.
What's worse is that when contacted to give a quote about the situation, Patreon OUTRIGHT SAID: "We would rather our platform was represented by a smaller number of Creators who's lives have been truly changed, than by a large number of Creators making a few extra dollars a month."
Basically, they say screw you to us little guys.
So please...vote in the poll, even if you aren't currently a Patron of mine. I need all the feedback I can get. If you have another idea of how to handle this, please let me know.
