aurahack
patreon
Why is Patreon Like This: Part 999 (EU/UK Patrons Only)
🕑 Added 2020-08-06 19:37:07 +0000 UTCIf you're in the US, Canada, or outside of the UK/European Union, this does not affect you so don't fret.
First, here's the announcement:
https://blog.patreon.com/growing-your-membership-globally
The TL;DR is that starting October 5th, Patreon will be charging you in whatever your local currency is, meaning you will be charged for a set EU/UK price, and not the price I set myself. If that's Euro or Pounds, Patreon—not XE or any intl. market—will set a conversion rate that will make it so you'll pay closer to what you should pay in your market.
At face value, this should be a change that affects nobody. If currency conversion is happening then it should theoretically mean that the price of tiers be reflected to your actual currency, and you'd have a more transparent idea of what you're actually being charged for. The reality, however, is that Patreon will set these prices themselves as they do with their current Price Book and pass the "costs" down on to us, the creators. Starting October 5th, a 2.5% fee will be deducted from all "currency converted" pledges meaning I will now earn -less- from you, and any new Patron that pledges after the change will be charged less than you, and I will get less income from them total because I will be charged in what your currency is, not mine. It's essentially overruling what I choose to value my work at.
There's more info about this here.
I'm pretty at my limit here, because this will essentially encourage those of you in the EU/UK to delete your pledges and re-pledge since you'll be charged less but I will in turn earn far less income. I will not have a choice in this, as the option is currently "opt-in" but will be forced on everyone come the 5th.
Patreon has, and always will be, a place where a faceless company promises grand things for me and make none of them happen, but (seemingly by accident, at this point) shows me that the people out there making a difference are y'all. I pay bills and make a living off your care, love, and generosity. I always have and I hope I always will, even when the systems that allow me to do that very much don't want me to do that. I can express my disdain at this but volume speaks and if you can spare it, I'd greatly appreciate you expressing your disappointment and lack of support, if you feel that way, to them either on Twitter or through their Contact page. I hope it's not asking much but also like, this is ultimately my problem to deal with and I'm essentially asking you to not save money which I know is a pain to ask in this current 'world' situation.
