Tag: skype cam girls and money

Reading Booking Codes and Assessing Risk

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independent camgirl with pink hair posing

Knowledge is Power: The Vital Importance of Booking Codes in Assessing Risk

I wanted to write a post about reading booking/transaction codes and assessing risk levels of new potential clients, due to some questions I’ve been receiving lately about booking declines and how to assess and mitigate chargeback (cb) risk without turning away legitimate clients.

While every processor will occasionally decline the odd legit client, for the most part declines are an indy chica’s best friend, in that they help ensure that you won’t do work you won’t get paid for.

As independent camgirls it’s vital for each of us to know how to read declines, in the interests of  both minimizing our risk and easing any fears of chargebacks that one may experience when interacting with new clients.

Declines are generally pretty rare, but when they occur they generally occur for one of the following reasons:

1) insufficient funds on the debit or credit card

2) no CCV data, which means the user has no access to the back of the
card-meaning the highest risk of cb

It’s really important for all indy cam girls to become accustomed to reading decline codes, as no matter what independent listing site you work the same codes still apply. If you receive a decline with a Transaction ID NSF 51 that means your client needs to use a new card as he’s over his limit on that card, whereas if you receive a Transaction code N7 that means he likely doesn’t have the card in hand (meaning a HUGE cb risk as there’s a good likelihood that the card data is stolen).

For those who are interested in a chart on decline codes, this: https://stats.slimcd.com/documentation/Error%20Codes_full.htm is the best I’ve found, and can really help you guide clients towards making successful payments and avoid the thieves. In all honesty if you want to do skype shows the above should be your bible.

If the decline is simply a matter of an NSF card you can ask your client to switch to another card. However, if he can’t provide a CCV number (the 3-4 digit number on the back of the credit card) tread with extreme caution, as chances are the card info is stolen and he doesn’t have access to the actual plastic held by the legit owner.

 

Risk Level in Not Tied to Booking Amount

Unlike many independent camgirls I’m not afraid of large sum bookings, as I’ve set my scrubbing system up to catch the losers no matter how much (or how little) they spend. If anything I’ve found that cb’s tend to be tied to lower-volume bookings, and that high-volume regs are the least likely to chargeback.

 

Independent Camming is Lower Risk Than Other Adult Niches

Regarding the risk of cb’s, avoiding them successfully is in large part due to a diligent scrutinizing of your bookings, but there are also a few factors that make independent camming far lower risk than other forms of adult entertainment that I’d like to explore below:

First off, please don’t stress out about cb’s too much, as indy is actually very low risk. The main reason why is that with our payment systems the funds are taken from the credit card before the show begins. With many pay per min cam sites the funds are only deducted at a later date, meaning many cb’s are actually card declines. Every now and then you’ll encounter a declined payment from a client with a ‘do not honor’ code, which simply means that the card is either closed or the client is over his limit. That’s a good thing, as an upfront decline means you won’t end up doing work you won’t get paid for like you would on a network cam site that doesn’t cover cb’s. On a site like IMLive for example, that NSF payment for a cam show would result in a cb.

Indy is also less high risk than porn membership sites, in that much of the fraud there is guys signing up with stolen cards to steal the members are material to sell on file locker sites for their own profit. Since there are tons of cam girls performing sex shows in free chat there’s no incentive for guys to use a stolen card to record a skype
show-they can get that for free already all over the net.

 

Main Red Flags for Indy Cam Girls

The main risk factors are female names (indicating either a stolen card or a mom/gf/wife’s card-and she WILL charge back once it’s discovered because her coward partner/son will deny it was him) and disposable email
accounts; beyond that it’s about trusting your gut and knowing how to read the booking info for each transaction notification you receive. Another successful strategy involving geo-blocking nations associated with high fraud risk. In almost 6 years as an indy camgirl I’ve had 4 cb’s worth less than $200 in total, pennies when considering my overall booking volumes. In sum, cb risk is something to pay attention to, but not stress over.

Knowledge is power, and learning how to read transaction/booking codes is a vital tool in both protecting yourself from fraud and in enjoying your new clients as you grow your own independent cam business.

Good luck out there, and happy camming 🙂

Skype Webcam Girls and Payment Strategy: Independent vs Sub Account

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nude skype webcam girls looking cute on cam

Like all entrepreneurs, as skype webcam girls we need to employ conscious strategy when designing our independent webcam businesses. In designing our businesses, deciding how to handle payment processing is one of the most important decisions we can make, and that’s why it’s been such a frequent topic in my information for skype webcam girls blog posts.

Deciding how as skype webcam girls to handle payment processing essentially comes down to a choice between three options: independent merchant accounts, sub-accounts of payment processing companies or a combination of the two. As I’ve explored before here, amazon gift cards, gift rocket and payoneer private loads are not suitable options for skype webcam girls who are creating thriving and expanding independent businesses.

The Pros and Cons of Independent Processing For Skype Webcam Girls

Since true sub-account payment processing companies tend to be very low risk from a security-of-funds perspective, the main benefit for skype webcam girls who handle their own payment processing is financial. When I decided to go completely independent and created my own Zombaio merchant account all of a sudden I was earning an extra 15% from each skype show booking I received, and over the past year that has added up to a pretty significant sum. Strike that, I earn a massive sum of extra money simply by handling things myself. For that reason, despite the hassle of installing the Zombaio script the effort was more than worth it for me from a financial perspective. An additional benefit of having my own processing is that I can scrub my own purchases, reducing my charge back rate by paying attention to the payment codes that are provided along with each customer booking.

The main downside of handling my own processing is that I eat the cost of chargebacks, as some processors charge a fee over and above the cost of the chargeback. Luckily (knock on laptop) I’ve yet to receive a chargeback on my own processing due to my personal scrubbing system, but the risk is there for skype webcam models who use an independent merchant system.

The Pros and Cons for Skype Webcam Girls Who Use Sub Accounts For Processing

The main benefit for skype webcam girls who use sub-accounts is ease of use. There’s no hassle installing payment scripts, and you don’t even need to host your own website since most payment processor companies for skype webcam girls offer payment links hosted on their servers. An additional benefit is that, since most adult payment processors (with the exception of Zombaio) require upfront annual fees, sub accounts can actually be more financially beneficial than independent merchant accounts for skype webcam girls who are still in the process of building their businesses and do not book high steady volumes of funds. The main downside is that sub-account processing companies typically charge 20-25% (a combination of processing fees and profit), compared with independent merchant accounts that typically take 10-15% percent for processing fees alone.

Skype Webcam Girl Strategy: Combining the Two Systems

So we’ve explored the pros and cons of independent vs sub account processing for skype webcam girls, but designing a strategy can be more creative than a simple ‘one or the other’. An additional issue to keep in mind is the concept of cascading billing, which is employed by most large scale adult companies. Cascading billing involves a set-up that provides additional payment options to clients and customers that were declined by the primary biller. This system increases sales simply because it’s not uncommon for legitimate clients to be declined by one processor, only to be accepted by another. For example, my primary processor occasionally declines even some of my most frequent clients, so having additonal payment options to offer them allows them to make a payment for a webcam show even when they are declined by my primary option. While I obviously strive to keep the majority of my clients to my own independent merchant account, having additional payment options increases my income, even taking into account the additional fee charged by sub account companies.

Issues For Skype Webcam Girls to Keep in Mind When Selecting a Payment Processing Company

The twin primary concerns for skype webcam girls who use payment processing companies are payout percentage and security of funds. In regards to the former, look for a company that charges no more than 20%, at maximum 25%. At 20%, you’re only losing 5-10% compared to handling payment processing independently. In regards to security, ideally skype webcam girls should choose companies that use a true sub-account system, where you have access to the ‘back end’ and receive payments directly from the processor, not the company providing you with the sub account. Having access to the back end allows skype webcam girls to ‘scrub’ their own purchases (thus reducing chargebacks) and receiving payments directly from the processing company reduces the likelihood that you’ll get ripped off if the provider of the sub account decides to close their business. Speaking as someone who had to sue my prior payment processing provider to receive the funds I’d earned through their company (happy ending, I sued and got paid back in full), security of funds is not a given when dealing with a payment processing provider. Had I been receiving payments directly from the processor when my old provider closed up shop, I would have received my funds as usual, without having to file a lawsuit.

Not many payment processing options for skype webcam girls offer true sub-account systems, so in choosing companies that handle sending out payments it’s important to select companies that send out funds weekly, with a very low payout threshold. That way, even if the worst happens and the company takes off with your funds, you’re only out at most a weeks worth of funds. Also, I would advise skype webcam girls to only select companies that offer adult-friendly payment options. Payment processors that offer skype camgirls paypal, for example, are doing you no favors. They don’t care about the security of your funds so your chargeback ratio will be sky high, and they don’t care about the sustainability of their payment system (paypal is NOT sustainable) so it’s just a matter of time until they close their businesses.

One of my top choices for skype webcam girls who don’t wish to handle their own independent processing would be CamGirlServices.com, a company that provides low cost and secure payment processing for camgirls. I’ve worked with this company for a couple of years now, and while I no longer use their processing in my cascade for my own customers (as they offer Zombaio, for which I have my own independent merchant account), I’m impressed with their system because it’s a financially optimal and secure option for skype webcam girls who don’t wish to host their own processing script on their own website server. CamgirlServices offers a true sub-account system with a 78% payout sent directly from Zombaio, meaning that security of funds is guaranteed and the cost of their service works out to $12 on every hundred earned, as compared to having one’s own independent Zombaio account. This is a great company that’s been around for quite a while, and I highly recommend ’em to anyone looking for a high percentage and zero risk payment processing option.

Update: In response to payout issues experienced by some merchants who use Zombaio, I’ve also created a payment processing option for skype webcam girls that balances high, frequent payouts with a low payout threshold. For further info please read this post.

There’s No One ‘Right’ Method For Skype Webcam Girls Designing a Payment Processing Strategy

These days it seems like everyone and their brother is offering payment processing to skype webcam girls, but out of all the options out there only a few offer secure payment processing at a low cost. While I highly recommend that established skype webcam girls with their own customer bases select independent merchant accounts, sub account payment processing companies do fill a legitimate need and can be a tremendous ally in building and maintaining successful and growing independent webcam businesses. The decision on how to handle payment processing is an individual choice each of us needs to make for ourselves (as each skype webcam girl will have her own unique business needs), so design a system that works best for your needs, think strategically and choose your partners wisely if you decide to go the sub account route.

Options for Skype Webcam Girls

CamGirlServices.com:

High payout (78%), no risk payouts (sub-account system)

PayMyShow.com:

High payout (80%), low risk payouts (immediate withdrawal of funds with no minimum), wide variety of payment processing options

LiveCamModelShows.com:

Highest payouts (80-85%), low risk (weekly withdrawal of funds with a $20 minimum, (plus I own it and I’m not about to fuck over my peers).

Options I’d Suggest Skype Webcam girls Avoid

ANY site that offers paypal as a payment option to customers

Skyprivate.com:

This is a relatively new addition to the payment processing scene, and while their payout is within the standard range of 75% their model contract contains some glaring issues. The contract grants the site exclusive use of one’s cam name (this is NOT standard in independent camming) and the right to sell your content commercially. This means that not only are you giving the site a percentage of each show, you’re providing the site with free content they can resell. Also know that selling adult content within the US requires that the seller provide 2257 documentation, which means your private information (ID scan, full name, etc) could be passed along to the purchaser of the content. The contract also (bizarrely) appears to prohibit ‘hard core sex shows’.
Additionally, skype camgirls who have joined this site have reported that charge-back ratios are unusually high and that receiving payments can take up to a month, which is not ideal from a security of funds perspective.
For the above reasons I’m personally quite wary of this particular site, and I haven’t been impressed by the owners refusal to respond to questions regarding his unusual contract terms.

Indy Camgirls, Gift Cards and Wishlist Issues

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indy camgirls in erotic art

In my last post regarding alternative payments for webcam shows I touched on Amazon Gift Cards, which seem to be one of the most popular options used by indy camgirls who dabble in indy camming. While Gift Cards are assumed to be a risk-free payment option, I wanted to clarify how to use gift cards safely and to clear up any confusion regarding gift cards and wishlists, which are two entirely separate systems with their own respective procedures and risks.

How Indy Camgirls Use Amazon Gift Cards

In selecting any payment method, security and anonymity are vital factors. For this reason, smart indy camgirls create ‘work’ amazon accounts that don’t have their real names or addresses attached. This is because it is possible for customers to contact Amazon and inquire about the personal info of the individual to whom they sent the card. From there, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you need to redeem the gift card prior to performing a cam show or sending content. Up until the gift card is redeemed it can be cancelled, so waiting until a later date to redeem to gift puts you at risk of being ripped off. Receive the card, redeem it and then perform the cam show. 🙂

Many camgirls assume the it’s impossible for shady customers to chargeback gift cards, and while chargeback rates with this payment option are very low, it is possible to have a gift card refunded if a stolen credit card was used to purchase it. Know that even after redeeming the gift card there is a very slight chance you’ll have the value of the card refunded.

Amazon Wishlists and Indy Camgirls: Issues To Keep in Mind

The main thing to keep in mind when creating an Amazon wishlist is that as an indy camgirl your privacy needs to be a top concern. For that reason, smart indy camgirls set up a P.O. Box through which to receive wishlist purchases, as the wishlist system does leave quite a few holes in security of private information. The primary issue with Amazon wishlists is that many items featured on Amazon are sent via a third-party distributor, and third-party distributors tend not to uphold Amazon account privacy settings. This means it’s quite easy for customers to track down your name and address if a wishlist purchase is sent through a third party. Unfortunately even confining one’s wishlist to items delivered straight from Amazon itself isn’t a guarantee, as I’ve heard of indy camgirls who had their account information shared with purchasers when the purchase was confined to Amazon itself. For that reason, I’d suggest no indy camgirl set up an Amazon wishlist without having a P.O. Box or other anonymous address through which to receive gifts. The risks of having your address and full name revealed to any random person on the internet is just too high to take chances.

Another issue with wishlists is that they aren’t viable options for cam show payment. Up until the time an item is shipped the purchase can be easily cancelled by the purchaser, so wishlist purchases are NOT a secure payment option for skype cam shows or custom videos. If you do want to accept wishlist items as payment, wait until the item actually arrives prior to performing the skype cam show or sending the video, as up until the day it arrives at your door there is no guarantee you will actually receive the item purchased.

Amazon Gift Cards and wishlists will never replace secure and reliable payment processing for skype cam shows, but for indy camgirls who do want to avail themselves of these systems it’s important to know how to do so safely, protecting both your personal information and your time. In sum, never attach your real name and address to an Amazon account you use for indy camming customers, and always redeem gift cards as soon as you receive them, prior to completing a skype cam show or video order. Lastly, let your customers know that wishlist purchases are not a viable form of payment and never perform a cam show based on a wishlist purchase you haven’t yet received.

While I don’t accept Amazon Gift Cards and don’t have a wishlist, these are great services for indy camgirls provided they’re used appropriately. Safety first, always 🙂

Alternative Payment Methods For Webcam Shows

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camgirl in blue silking performing webcam shows

Before I begin, let me state that I think the processing rates for so called ‘high risk’ services such as adult-oriented webcam shows are ridiculously high. That said, many new independent camgirls don’t seem to understand the importance of having sustainable payment processing such as Zomabio, CCBill or Epoch, so I figured I write about the pros and cons of the ‘ad hoc’ alternative payment methods most commonly used by newer independent camgirls.

Gift Rocket

Gift Rocket is an American-based system through which camgirls with a Gift Rocket account can receive ‘gifts’ or payments from customers. The pros are that the cost of sending money to another party are borne by the person sending the money, not the recipient. This means that processing costs for the camgirl are zero, and the customer pays the fee of $2 plus 5% of the total gift amount in processing costs. The other main benefit of using Gift Rocket is that the customer does not need to have his own Gift Rocket account in order to send money, he simply uses his credit card to send the agreed upon amount to the camgirl’s email address that is registered with the site. The customer never sees the camgirl’s name, address or identifying info, making Gift Rocket safe and anonymous, which is important for our purposes.

The main downside of using Gift Rocket as payment for skype webcam shows is that only customers located in the US can use it, the service does not allow people from outside the US to send funds through their system. Independent camgirls outside of the US can create a Gift Rocket account, however non-Americans can only withdraw funds through paypal, which is NOT a safe or sustainable solution. If you use Paypal as an independent camgirl in any capacity related to your webcam sex work, it really is only a matter of time before your Paypal account gets frozen or suspended.

Another negative about Gift Rocket is that while the recipient of funds receives the ‘gift’ immediately, Gift Rocket only debits the customer’s credit card at a later date, meaning that there is no guarantee you will get paid for the webcam shows you perform. If the credit card is declined at that later date you are totally out of luck.

Amazon Gift Cards

Amazon gift cards are a popular payment option for independent camgirls providing skype webcam shows, as these cards are anonymous and safe, provided you always redeem the gift card prior to starting the cam show. The main drawback to these cards, and the reason I don’t accept them myself is because I can’t pay my bills with gift cards or deposit them into a savings account, I can only spend them on consumer goods. That’s great if you’re a fan of online shopping (I am not) but even for those of you who are Amazon gift cards will never be able to replace payment processing.

Payoneer

Payoneer private loads are an efficient and low cost payment option for camgirls offering yahoo and skype webcam shows, but there are significant drawbacks to the service as well. First off, the good: the fee for private loads is 3.75% and customers only need the email address attached to your payoneer account, they don’t need to create an account themselves. The downside is tha as of now only payoneer debit card holders can accept private loads, you cannot do so if you receive payoneer payments via direct deposit/global bank transfer. This means that while the fees for receiving payments are low, the expenses attached to card maintenance and withdrawal of funds from the card are expensive. Further, unless you regularly receive payoneer payments from a registered partner (such as a cam site) your card will be deactivated and your ability to accept private loads removed.

Payoneer is a great service but they aren’t a payment processor, and are quite vocal about it. As a camgirl you are not permitted to put a Payoneer payment link on your website, and your ability to accept private loads is at the sole discretion of the company. Expect that as your volume of payments rises your ability to receive private loads will be curtailed.  See this link for further information on the payoneer private load policy.

Another drawback to using Payoneer as a payment option for webcam shows is that customer payments are not transferred immediately, there is often a two day hold on the customer making a payment and the funds being removed from his credit card and appearing in your account. This means that if a payment is declined you only find out after the fact, unless you always require Payoneer payment two days in advance. Not a great solution for spur-of-the-moment webcam show requests.

Paxum

Paxum is a similar service to payoneer although unlike the former they encourage private use. Paxum is anonymous and the low costs of payment (which are paid by the customer) are 4.95% of the total amount + $0.50 + 25 cents. Still, fees to withdraw ones funds from a Paxum account are quite steep, at 5$ for check and $8.95 for ACH (EFT). There is also a $40 surcharge if a payment from a customer is charged back, which means that in the event of a chargeback you lose the cost of the webcam show plus an additional $40. Another drawback is that customers must create a Paxum account in order to send payments to your Paxum account, and creating your own verified Paxum account in order to withdraw funds can be quite a bureaucratic ordeal.

Money Pak/Blue Bird

Money Pak and Blue Bird are two great safe, secure and anonymous alternative payment options, but since they can only be used by Americans within America I don’t consider them to be a general viable option for webcam show payments. I’m not American, but even if I was easily half my customers are located in nations outside the US, simply put these services would be useless for a great percentage of my webcam show clients. Feel free to do your own research if you own circumstances are more US-centric, however.

 Why Alternative Payments Do Not Replace Adult Payment Processing for Webcam Shows

All of the options listed above have their uses and pros and cons, but they don’t replace adult payment processing for skype webcam shows because none offer the protection offered by processors such as CCBill, Zombaio and Epoch. Adult payment processors blacklist customers who have charged back, and cards that are declined for innocent bank errors appear immediately, before you have performed the agreed upon webcam show service. Anyone who uses adult payment processing knows how frequently innocent errors that cause credit card declines occur, and few of the services listed above offer any method to protect independent camgirls against that. Further, many of the options listed above offer low cost processing but carry high fees to withdraw funds, in effect raising the cost of accessing your money far above the initial processing fee.  I’m not saying don’t use these services, I’ve used many of them myself and been pleased, but I could never run a thriving business without adult payment processing that notifies me immediately of card declines. If you want to be a full time independent camgirl you need to either get your own merchant account or use a site for payment processing that offers a sub-account system of the same. That’s the only way to protect yourself as you grow your business.

 

Independent Cam Girls Do It Better

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The Independent Cam Girls Scene is Changing: We Need to Be on Our Toes

independent cam girls on webcam in black lace

I feel a bit odd writing this, but the topic of changes to the independent cam girls ‘scene’ has been on my mind a lot recently so I figured I’d just write it out 🙂 Like cam sex itself, the niche of independent cam girls is a new niche and the field is constantly changing. New technology emerges rendering the old obsolete, independent cam girl listing sites rise and fall, but through it all the tough (that’s us) 🙂 keep thriving. First off, I want to make something clear. I’m not averse to change, while I’m somewhat cat-like in the sense that when things are good I want them to stay exactly the same for ever and ever, I’ve come to realize over the past few years that change is pretty much always for the better, if we use our minds creatively.

Sites With Problematic Payment Options, Camgirl Contracts and Business Plans

There’s been a couple of new independent cam girl listing sites that have emerged recently that really concern me. One features really questionable payment options, and the other has an independent cam girl contract that makes me cringe. It’s seriously that bad. I don’t want to put these sites on blast publicly, partly because I don’t think it’s fair to critique a site without giving the site reps an opportunity to respond (and I’m not about to turn my beloved cam sex blog into a mouthpiece for PR) and partly because I don’t want to  give the site any extra traffic from the independent cam sex fans who read here. What I would hope is that if you’re a cam girl who is new to independent camming, that you would scrutinize the model contracts of every independent cam girl listing site you join. Think critically, and when in doubt ask questions, both to your cam girl peers or to the site reps themselves.

If you’re wondering about the sites to which I’m obliquely referring, feel free to drop me an email at jesse@quinn69.com. I would never try to tell other independent cam girls how to run their businesses or which sites to use or not use, but at the same time there are a few lessons I’ve learned the hard way. I don’t want anyone to get burned simply because they don’t know what to look out for. With that said, there are a few (old and new) listing sites for independent cam girls that are run by open, honest and legitimate webmasters, so if you need some rec’s on the good guys (and girls) feel free to hit me up via email for those as well.

In being independent cam girls we occupy a pretty unique space, when ya think about it. On the one hand we’re entirely independent, but on the other we rely upon each other to help build this niche, as not a single one of us can do that alone. In that way I do think of each one of us as members of a pretty wicked community, even those independent cam girls who have never exchanged a word between each other. That’s where I’m coming from with this post…I see a couple of sites that have huge warning flags waving and I don’t want to just sit by silently and watch my peers potentially get burned.

In closing, just watch out for yourself. Read your contracts, question anything that seems odd and never feel you NEED to join any given site in order to succeed. Have faith in your own judgement and ability to turn hard work into something awesome.

*drops dildo and steps off soapbox*