[Foundation-l] Alternative to paypal

[Uber Halogen]

On 05/08/2007, Delirium <delirium at hackish.org> wrote:
> Ben Yates wrote:
> > The new amazon payment API looks really good.  Support for micropayments, etc.
> >
> > http://paulstamatiou.com/2007/08/04/why-you-shouldnt-ignore-amazons-new-fps/
> >
> >
> If I recall correctly, when proposals like this come up, the canned
> reply from foundation-type people (if a reply comes at all) is that at

Curious, isn't it odd that we voted in a board that ignores our proposals?

> the moment the benefits of adding another option outweight the negatives
> of having to manage yet another account---between Paypal, moneybookers,

Do the board members really not have enough time to do this, if they
don't then they shouldn't be board members. It would take a few
minutes every week or month - not much time to ask.

> direct bank transfers in both Germany and the US, and mailed checks,
> most people are able to donate with reasonable ease, a large number of

It really isn't about ease, the Amazon thing AFAICS has lower fees and
therefore would be preferred by users who don't have much money to
donate (every little helps).

> currencies are covered, and the fees aren't *too* unreasonable. At
> least, that was the reply to previous suggestions that we add support
> for e-gold and for Google's payment system.

Perhaps our Foundation is in a secret deal with eBay and co. ;) -
really we should be providing as much incentive as possible for users
to donate and remember one of Google's corporate philosophies is:
"Don't be evil" (source: Wikipedia).

>
> Perhaps at some point in the future they'll do a reevaluation and choose
> a new set of two online payment systems (maybe moneybookers is no longer
> the best 2nd choice?), but I don't think it's likely that Wikimedia will
> ever want the hassle of simultaneously supporting a large number of them,
>
> Of course, I speak as someone with no particular knowledge of the
> foundation's inner workings; these are just my observations of past
> practice.
>
> -Mark
>
>
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-UH.