Lost microtransactions and Closed Beta supporters who bought stash tabs

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Chris wrote:

We do this because of credit card fees. Smaller transactions have much larger fees. If people spend more in one go then we save money. This allows us to give you more points for those purchases.

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KalROFL wrote:

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Chris wrote:

We do this because of credit card fees. Smaller transactions have much larger fees. If people spend more in one go then we save money. This allows us to give you more points for those purchases.

I'm not a troll and this post isn't intended to be malicious or insinuate that you guys are evil. So far, GGG has done a fantastic job with the game and with the microtransactions. But, with the peculiar exchange rate for $5 and $10 purchases, I think there is an obvious problem. I want to make clear that your logic is faulty: the marginal cost on items you sell in the micr-transaction store is zero or near-zero. This means that, at worst, you only have to worry about transaction fees. In other words, any price scheme, as far as the exchange rate on points per dollar, will work. It's disingenuous to claim that a lower transaction fee (as a percentage of what has been paid) allows you to give more points.

Now, I've always argued that a better exchange rate on $5 and $10 transactions is not only less shady (as forcing players to have 1 or 6 leftover points appears scummy), but also prudent. There are going to be two types of players:

1) Those who can afford to spend more than $10
2) Those who can't

At an exchange rate like

$5 - 50 points
$10 - 100 points
$20 - 200 points

the players in 1) won't be affected. If they were planning on showing support, I don't think they are going to really be discouraged from spending more because of the price scheme. If, however, this turned out false, you could just set the $20 exchange rate at 215 points or something similar.

Anyway, those players in 2), I imagine, are less likely to spend anything at all. There is going to be some proportion of players who simply cannot afford to spend more than $5 and $10, and when they see that they are getting shafted by the silly price-points (which don't actually save you any money, as these transactions are all digital), they're less likely to spend anything at all.

For example, I have 150 points. I can't afford to spend more than $5, but I want to buy the bundle of six premium stash tabs. I see, however, that in order to do this I have to spend at least $10. Now, I'm discouraged because I am required to spend more than $5, but also because, unless I spend $20 (four times what I really need to pay), I get a lesser exchange rate on points that will necessarily result in leftovers. I'm more likely not to spend any money at all than I am to spend more!

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folderpirate wrote:

This guy is on the ball. There's no doubt GGG would make MORE money by allowing more sales of the smaller amounts. Who cares if you as a company get charged more, you still MAKE A PROFIT. But as it is right now, you're making it seems like 5 dollars and 10 dollars aren't enough for you guys to worry about.

Selling more smaller items than less big items is going to increase your revenue GGG!

I don't get less food from a restaurant because it costs them to accept credit cards as payment. Nor do they expect credit customers to pay more.

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BRavich wrote:

So, um, sorry to be that guy, but who exactly do I PM about the extra stash tab?