Comments on: Options Besides PayPal For Micro Transactions?

By: Leather Sectionals

Leather Sectionals — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:14:12 +0000

Seems like you put a lot of thought into working out a suitable alternative to Paypal. Sounds like it could be workable.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:06:01 +0000

I kinda like the tip me idea.. first time i have seen it ..

By: Lincoln

Lincoln — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 17:35:17 +0000

Forget micro payments. All i want for Christmas is a Scratchback widget 160px or less in width. :-P

By: Pratham

Pratham — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:49:53 +0000

What about the Amazon Flexible Payments Service ?
I believe it was designed for this purpose.

By: side3

side3 — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:31:20 +0000

Jim,

The problem with a Scratchbucks type solution would be the dollar value of an actual scratchbuck. You could try some sort of preloading program like you spoke of but the issue of where the bucks could actually be used becomes the problem. Remember Flooz?

Think of how frequent flyer programs work and that would be your best model to choose. The points are accrued and and you have a select marketplace to use them. If you don’t use them they expire (the airlines count on that) and if you look at the value of the goods in the frequent flyer catalog 3 billion miles gets you a plane ticket from A to B or a clock radio (cash value $6.99). Its never a 1 to 1 ratio of miles to dollar value.

I think trying to create a system like paypal for micropayments just isn’t in the best interest of the broker company and therefore no one is really persuing it.

I think the real solution would be to somehow be able to pool all your transactions and reconcile in one transaction at the end of say a week. This way you are hit only once with the transaction fees.

-s3