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Creators cope with chilling charge-backs

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When doing business with an individual over the internet, things can be quite precarious. A lot of trust is being put forth by both parties. The one buying is trusting that they are putting their money toward a quality person and in turn their product. The one selling their service and skill is putting faith in their customer to not yank their money under false pretenses.

Furry sellers as of late have been dealing with some unscrupulous customers. These tend to be those that are younger and may not have their own credit-line or PayPal account as of yet, and so they utilize their parents' accounts to acquire money to purchase what they wish. Some scamps may decide to do this without their parents knowledge. In these cases the odds of an unpleasant surprise for the seller is almost inevitable as the irate parent flags their offspring’s charge as fraudulent. This can leave the seller in the cold as money is taken from them and their product is kept by the little thief.

Today we look at some options that crafty crafters can use in order to deal with these issues, and other options that may show themselves in the future.

PayPal cracks down on publishers of erotic literature, including furotica

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PayPalLogo.jpgE-commerce service PayPal has started a campaign to stop independent e-book publishers from including certain kinds of erotic content in their catalogs, should they be using PayPal to conduct business.

On Saturday February 18, PayPal began threatening to deactivate the accounts of indie book publishers and distributors, if they did not remove books containing certain sexual material – including themes and implied scenarios of: incest, pseudo-incest (including "daddy" fantasies, step-family), fantasies about non-consensual sex or rape, bestiality (widened to include non-human fantasy creatures), and BDSM.

The ban on "non-human fantasy creatures" has prompted some internet commentators to wonder where this leaves publishers of furry erotica, with Bernard Doove's chakats given as an example of what is banned under the new rules.

PayPal micropayments offer new options for artists

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Artists looking to cut transaction costs might consider PayPal's new micropayments.

Fees are 5% + $0.05, compared to 2.9% + $0.30 for a normal Premier/Business account.

Cost Micro Normal
$2 15¢ 36¢
$5 30¢ 45¢
$10 55¢ 59¢
$15 80¢ 74¢

The difference on ten $5 transactions would be $1.50 – enough for a McDouble with tax.

The break-even point is $12, which costs 65¢ in both systems. Those wishing for the best of both worlds should create a new micropayments account, and direct larger and cross-border transactions to their existing account.

The new system is reportedly being adopted by Facebook, and Ustream.