Thanks to @rabid_cowolf@twitter.com I now have a link to Patreon's new fee structure.
https://patreon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005631963
Apparently every pledge is now gonna get service fees tacked on top, instead of coming out of my cut: 2.9%+35¢ extra for every patron.
The big question for me is how they calculate this for pay-per-thing creators like me. If I make eight things a month, is a $1 patron going to pay
($1+2.9%+.35)*8 things = $11.032
or
($1*8 things)+2.9%+.35 = 8.582 ?
Their page on this sure does make it sound like it's the first, which... I dunno, it feels like they're nickel-and-diming everyone here? Maybe that 2.9%+35¢ fee should be calculated on the sum total of ALL of the pledges you're paying this month instead of applied to every single pledge separately?
We shall see, I suppose. And I will probably hear about this second-hand since they couldn't be bothered to send me any email about this.
Patreon is definitely hitting per-thing creators hard.
Okay so Patreon has updated the FAQ on their new fee structure, and:
Q: How does this impact me as a per-post creator?
A: As a per-post creator, your patrons will see the 2.9% + $0.35 service fee added to all paid posts. For example, if you are a per post creator making two paid posts per month, your patrons will be charged 2.9% + $0.35 for each paid post.
Their example is a $5 pledge on a month you made two things, which is now two $5.50 pledges. Which is... I guess it's an *average* pledge but more than 50% of my backers are pledging $1.
So consider the case of a $1 pledge, with ten things made in a month (which is much closer to my numbers, and probably most webcomics folks'):
($1+2.9%+35¢) = $1.379
$1.379 * 10 = $13.79
versus
($1*10)+2.9%+35¢ = 10.64
...and what the hell Patreon why are your processing fees suddenly so huge now where are those going ffs.
Patreon is definitely hitting per-thing creators hard.
@anthracite HOLY MOLY NO this is very very bad? I thought it would be per month, like, if I made two comics the fee would be applied to the pledges for that month as a whole. GOOD LORD.
Patreon is definitely hitting per-thing creators hard.
@anthracite Definitely. :(
Patreon is definitely hitting per-thing creators hard.
@cassolotl yeah this basically feels like a giant fuck you to moderately prolific per-thing creators.