It’s a mysterious thing, and no one seems to be talking about it online, but account holders with the Amazon Honor System got a note this week in their email, saying, in part:
Beginning December 11, 2008, the Amazon Honor System will be discontinued. This means that PayBoxes on member websites and PayPages on Amazon.com will no longer function.
Amazon Honor System members should make plans now to remove Honor System PayBoxes from their websites. This can be done by simply removing the HTML code originally provided for PayBoxes from your page code document.We will provide access to disbursement information through December 30, 2008, to allow all transactions to be settled. After that date, Amazon Honor System account pages will be removed from the Amazon.com website. We urge members to create file copies of necessary financial information before account pages are removed.
Anyone here have any idea why this might be happening?
This is a bit of a shame. It leaves those of us who absolutely hate PayPal with no entry-level alternative for online currency exchange. And even if you don’t hate PayPal, this move essentially makes PayPal a monopoly.
While Amazon Honor System had its detractors, and there were a few aspects of the AHS that irked even its supporters, it allowed a fair number of good-works-style donations. It was a valuable tool for readers to show their appreciation of favorite writers. (Readers of Creek Running North used it generously to support my work.) I was able to use my AHS account to raise funds for Lauren, founder of the groundbreaking feminist blog Feministe, to attend the Blogher conference in 2006, covering airfare and expenses and wages lost by taking a few days off without pay. Readers at CRN also, and perhaps more importantly, gave generously to help Gilgamesh pay his emergency vet bills this summer.
So here’s a belated and repeat and fervent thanks, to those of you who gave to Lauren, Gilly/Tmorph, and/or me, and if you’ve been meaning to do that latter you have two days left. Whatever the reason for the program being discontinued, it’s a blow to the online microeconomy, and it’s unlikely that another company will step up to offer an equivalent service. (Yes, I know about Google Checkout. Unless you’re a PAC or a non-profit, you need to sell something tangible to use the service.)
I know! This sucks. I didn’t get much via the honor box, but it was nice to have a way for my readers to defray my costs.
I hate PayPal. I tried several years ago to get set up to receive money via PayPal, but couldn’t get the bank confirmation thing to go through. And ever since then, PayPal has held my info hostage. I can set up a new account, sure, but I can’t use my Visa # or my checking account because PayPal has them on lockdown. So I can use a backup card or my savings account, sure, but what the hell? If I haven’t used PayPal, how dare they hang onto my information and limit what I can do with it? Bastards.
so many people hate paypal. i guess i feel pretty lucky that it works for me. granted, i hate the interest costs, and it was a REAL hassle getting everything confirmed (they put me through hoops, made me fax in stuff etc) but i’m sure glad i have it. tied into my iPhone, attached to my bank, its very very convenient.
and i dont knw why amazon is killing the honor thingie.
Well, I’ve had good luck with PayPal myself, but I can appreciate others wanting an alternative.
What about GooglePay? Is that a viable option?
oh as a general principle, i can understand people wanting alternatives to everything! absolutely. i didnt mean to imply otherwise. just expressing my gratitude, being that its common to hear people dont like paypal or have had bad experiences with it….
Here’s a recent listing of some alternatives to PayPal. I don’t know if any of these could be used for donations or not
Sorry, nezua! That was intended more as a general observation, than as directed at you. *shakes fist at internet technology*
*smile*