Buck Swope: You're not being fair. This isn't fair.
Bank Worker: This financial institution cannot endorse pornography.
Buck Swope: Stop saying pornography. Why are you doing this to me? I am an actor. I am an actor.
- Don Amendolia and Don Cheadle in Boogie Nights (1997)
Remember that scene? All Buck Swope wanted was a loan so he could open his own audio equipment store. It didn't matter that Buck had become an expert on hi-fi components. It didn't matter that he had earned his chops selling stereos and speakers in someone else's shop. It didn't matter that he foresaw the home entertainment explosion of the 80's, 90's and today. The moment Swope told the loan officer that he had worked in porn movies, that was that.
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"When it comes to payment processing, times have been grim for folks in our industry. While many of the old third-party billers are history, the adult Internet finds a way to continue." |
The film Boogie Nights was set during the late seventies and early eighties, just as the video revolution had begun to change the world of porn forever. One would hope that banking institutions were more enlightened towards people in our profession today but it would be a false hope. An adult webmaster can walk into a bank with a bucket of gold, ask to open a merchant account and find himself right back in Buck Swope's shoes.
Banks hate us. American Express dumped us. PayPal ditched us for Ebay. VISA categorizes us as high-risk merchants and penalizes us with fees and chargeback caps that are simply unfair. When it comes to payment processing, times have been grim for folks in our industry.
Luckily, the online porn business has been able to rely on companies like CCBill and Verotel for our processing. We're also seeing the rise of phone billing and most of us have implemented check payments.
While many of the old third-party billers are history, the adult Internet finds a way to continue. Every time they close another door, we open another window.
At this moment, things are looking up in the billing arena. I've already written one article about new payment providers and in this article I'm telling you there's more. We webmasters deserve to choose who handles our money and the money of our affiliates and members. Those windows are open and these are just some of the fresh views:
Phone billing is great because it's easy for the surfer. Online porn sales depend on quick and simple transactions. GXBill is there to please. With this company, you can offer access to your own content or have your surfers access GXBill's massive collection. No upfront setup fee. No recurring fees.
The Offshore Billing Company . E-Telegate features same-day setup and multiple payment options. Credit cards, checks, dialer transactions and Web 900. This provider loves adult and specializes in high-risk merchant services.
StandardPay offers a reliable processing solutions including Internet Merchant Accounts, advanced fraud filtering, recurring billing, fast and easy setup, timely payouts and more. No matter how big or small your adult website is, they have a card processing solution for you.
Forget merchant accounts and go with CommerceGate's all-in-one billing solution. Theyre proud of their security and fraud prevention and they accept International payments. With 24/7 support and real-time online reports, this biller is one to watch.
You want to take checks. You want to take credit cards. You want to be sure that your customers encounter a payment gateway that's easy for them and secure for you. They do the check fraud screening. They do the card holder authentication. You reap the benefits.
Your surfers can pay with VISA, MasterCard, SMS or Online checks if you have 365 Billing as your Internet Payment Service Provider. This is a US-based company. Not only will they handle you payments, they even offer your trial subscribers the ability to convert the trial into a full membership with their One-Click Upsell utility.
Buck Swope is a fictional character but the puritanical prejudice of the banking industry towards porn is as real today as it was in Buck's time. True merchant accounts are wonderful and if you can find a lender willing to work with you, you're a damned lucky webmaster. If you're like most of us, you're still in luck because you've got More Cool Billers to review and choose from!
Buck got lucky in a sad and frankly illegal way. He got his money, but I'm no spoiler. If you haven't seen Boogie Nights, go rent the DVD. It's a hell of a movie about a hell of time. It's based on real personalities from the pre-video, pre-Internet era of filmed porn. It's fascinating, tragic and classic.
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