I’m not sure if there’s some secret channel where this is being discussed, but having gone through a few of this, i think it would be beneficial to all if i put the information out here.
It started with the 1st transfer sometime in Feburary, i didn’t think much of it. Then subsequently a few more came up and it got me thinking.
There has been instances where subscriber A, decides to stop his subscription, and transfer it over to another subscriber B. The first time it happened, it was rather subtle. The subscriber says he wants to change the email and the card for payment. After it was done, i started getting a lot of questions from the subscriber which only a new subscriber will ask.
I clarified with him and he told me the truth. I explained that i’m perfectly fine with it, just want to understand what is happening.
A month later, someone else asked for the same thing.
Since there is a recurring sub which involves money and payment, you can’t exactly hand over your email and password. So they chose to do a transfer.
On my end, i would love to have someone continue the subscription. It gives the site a steady recurring income which will lay the foundation for me to write fulltime.
I keep a record of who transferred their sub to who by means of a simple excel sheet.
123@Jmail.com to 456@Jmail.com ( date transferred)
I did make it clear that Subscriber A will not be able to go back to his original sub price though.
I’ve done a total of 5 this year, and thought it would be good to clear the air with a simple FAQ for those who are considering the same thing.
How to transfer your subscription?
It’s ok, no need to paiseh, just tell me. It’s just some simple admin stuff. We can get it done in 5 minutes together.
Send me a msg either by webchat or email. Let me know your intent, and the new subscriber you want to transfer to. All of us will need to be online at a agreed timing.
I’ll wipe the old sub records, remove your email, and get the new subscriber on at the price you locked in.
It’s a win-win situation. Someone gets to come on board the subscription at a lower cost, while i get to keep a stable base of subscribers.
What if i want to get back my old sub account after transferring it?
Please work this out with the person you transferred to. If he wants to give up, we can go through the process again.
Are there any cost to this transfer?
I’m going to add 25 cents to the transferred cost. It’s more for my own record purposes when i sort data.
So for Eg, if you want to transfer your sub at $9, the new subscriber will get it at $9.25.
This is also to discourage frequent transfer. Imagine every alternate month i have to do this with the same account. You’ll have to at least buy me a beer.
Can you help me sell my subscription?
I can’t, but if you intend to let go of your sub. I can put up a note for people who would like to take over. They can get in touch with you either by your telegram handle, wechat ID, or email.
I used to be a subscriber. Can i get back my old sub price?
I’m sorry, in order to be fair to other subscribers, i can’t do that.
Subscription started at $9, and for those who locked in their sub at $9-$14 a month, it’s a really great deal with the amount of content you get access to.
Monthly sub cost will only go up.
Eventually it will get to a point where no one wants to subscribe or roll over anymore. When that happens, i will probably stop new subscribers from coming on and focus on individual sales.
My take is that any premium sub accounts <$15 are probably worth something given that the current sub cost is almost doubled. Now i do not know if money changed hands privately between the sale/transfer of the account.
That is between you guys. I don’t want to know.
I’m happy enough to be able to keep a stable base of subscribers for my content.
James S