U.S. alternative to PayPal for donations & purchases: Amazon Honor System

from WinCustomize Forums
The subject of how a skinner might set up a system for donations or purchases of his/her work has been mentioned recently in a couple threads or so. PayPal has been one well known alternative to other services which sometimes cost the user to set up, but some people don't like using PayPal.

Well I was browsing a fellow's freeware software site to see how to give donations and in addition to PayPal he was using Amazon. This was the first I'd noticed that Amazon had such a service (d'oh) so I thought I'd pass this along to those who didn't know about this and might be interested in checking this out as a potential donation/purchase mechanism on their websites. (Not a huge PayPal fan myself although I have used it in the distant past.) Presently this service appears to be available only to those with US based credit cards (for payers) and US based checking accounts (for those receiving payments), but it looks like they plan on expanding eventually.

http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/subst/fx/home.html/ref=gw_hp_ls_1_9/102-7062312-6427339

Or just go to Amazon.com and look on the lower left hand side of the page under "Special Features" for the Honor System link. Also here are the FAQ's: http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/subst/fx/help/payee-faq.html/ref=zm_hp_hs_10/102-7062312-6427339#fees

If this is old news, sorry, but I figured perhaps someone might be interested in this.



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7,204 views 16 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
That's really cool sig - it could be exactly what people are looking for. Thanks for posting the info!
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top

It will be a good thing, when they do include international payers.  For now, I doubt this could be solution here. At least not by itself, as more than half the users here are not from the US.

Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Makes a good news story




Although I am not sure about the name Honor System Sound like maybe they will pay you or maybe they won't to me.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well as a current Amazon.com customer and a potential donor, it's an easy unobtrusive way for me to donate to someone's site, software, whatever (or purchase a product). I originally signed up with Pay Pal when all one needed to be a payor was a credit card. Now I think one needs to be "validated" to spend over a cumulative cap and to do that one has to provide them with bank account info? (At least I think that's the way it was the last time I looked.) I'd *much* rather use the Amazon system if it's also an option.

Hopefully Amazon will be able to expand the service so it's not just limited to the US. That would be sweet, IMO.



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Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
ooookay... for those who don't know capitalizing the word wink into give you the crying out of control face
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Capitalized wink



I don't believe it!!! Anyway, this sounds like a cool thing. maybe I should Join Amazon.

Question, do you have to be a member of AAmozon website to join?
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yeah, Joe, the Honor System name kind a threw me at first too. I guess perhaps it started out primarily for donations so that's where the concept of an "honor sytem" comes in.

I haven't checked the overseas Amazons to see if they have anything like this there, like Amazon UK, for example.

Anyway, while this might not be an easy low cost solution for everyone now, perhaps it will be successful enough that they'll make it an international service. Then that would be of use to more folks here, I know.



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Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I originally signed up with Pay Pal when all one needed to be a payor was a credit card. Now I think one needs to be "validated" to spend over a cumulative cap and to do that one has to provide them with bank account info?


The 'cap' is actually pretty high (over $200 at present I believe), and the validation is just a case of them making a $1 charge to your credit card and then requiring you to enter the number that appears under the charge on your bill. So it's really not that big a deal, although you hear all kinds of wild stories about the hoops people think you have to jump through.

The Amazon thing sounds pretty good, but it's very limited as a US-only service.
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well the PayPal cap is actually rather low, for me. (I think it used to be $500 when I first signed up years ago?) Anyway, I recall when PayPal began it primarily was for people who bought and sold on online auction sites (which is what I first used it for as a buyer) and then it branched out as people started using it for other things.

As for PayPal validation requiring banking account info, I wasn't going on rumor but from what the PayPal site required if I wanted to spend beyond my "cap." This was probably now a year or two ago, before eBay bought it, so perhaps PayPal changed it again. I haven't checked recently but will do now since you've mentioned that the current validation process isn't particularly onerous or intrusive (like requiring one's bank acct info).

Anyhow, the more options available the better for those who can use them, I figure. Just as PayPal went from domestic to international, perhaps Amazon will as well.


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Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
"Question, do you have to be a member of Amazon website to join?"

Nah, Joe, you don't have to be signed up as an Amazon user before you sign up for this service. Once you sign up for the service I'd bet your user ID and password are for the Amazon site as a whole as well as your special "honor system" account. No biggie, doesn't mean you have to use Amazon for anything else and I'm pretty sure you can opt out of any Amazon advertising (sales and such) if you wish.




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Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Honor System... that cracks me up.

Asking for 500 dollars cracks me up too...


I still don't like Pay Pal. Although I like how they are making frward motions toward high quality and service as well as making nice business moves, I just don't like the idea of using Pay Pal.... I think its the name
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
No, PayPal didn't ask for $500. At one time the deal was you could use PayPal to transfer up to a cumulative amount of $500 without being subject to any further verification procedures. All PayPal needed was your name, billing address, mailing address and CC info. If you wanted to continue using PP to transfer funds after that "cap" had been reached, then you'd need to go through a verification process. Which now, according to Grayhaze, appears to have changed considerablly.

But just to be clear, PayPal wasn't asking for $500 of the user's money. That's not what the cap means.



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Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Never had any problems with PayPal - been using it without problems almost since it's beginnings.
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Sorry....had to try that. Easily amused at 2am.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Oh, and sorry for changing the subject. I've used the honor system for quite some time now. Never used paypal. Never trusted them. or Ebay. I've used Amazon for all my purchases online except Object Desktop. They should put thet on Amazon.com. That would make them a lot more money. I have my own page. If you want the link to give me some money, I'll get it and email it to you.