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| Porn Users Forum » Hopefully a very easy solution to regional pricing! |
| 1-19 of 19 Posts | Page 1 |
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| 08-06-12 03:45pm - 4521 days | Original Post - #1 | |
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otoh (0)
Active User Posts: 159 Registered: Sep 17, '10 Location: UK |
Hopefully a very easy solution to regional pricing! Just happened upon this: http://www.tunnelbear.com/ It's basically a VPN service, that allows you to connect to a remote network. There are other services like this, but this one: * Is extremely easy to set up; download the app, register, and turn it on * Is cheap, and gives you 500MB/month free Once you turn it on, all your activity appears to come from a US IP address. I've not joined any sites using it yet, but the join pages show the expected price in $ so I don't see any issues with joining. The free 500MB account is plenty to get joined up; you could just turn it off after joining to continue browsing/downloading the site. Arguably some sites may block you for using a different IP; but you'd just be using one to register and then your regular one to log in afterwards. For US users, it can also provide a UK IP address for watching BBC stuff etc; but you'd get through that 500MB quickly and need to upgrade to a paid account (although unlimited is only $5). Very cool! Edited on Aug 06, 2012, 04:00pm | |
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| 08-06-12 05:53pm - 4521 days | #2 | |
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pat362 (0)
Active User  Posts: 3,575 Registered: Jan 23, '07 Location: canada |
^I'm no expert so what I'm about to say may be way off but I know that when I join a site then my IP is registered with the CC processor and I assume with the site itself and I think that joining under one IP and then downloading the content from acompletely different one might be a breach of contract and you could lose your membership. I'm also not so sure that you can switch this on and off without actually losing access to the site? Then there is the obvious issue that it's suppose to be free. Somebody once told me that there is nothing free in life and I believe him so what's the catch with this product? Long live the Brown Coats. | |
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| 08-06-12 06:56pm - 4521 days | #3 | |
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Toadsith (0)
Active User  Posts: 936 Registered: Dec 07, '07 Location: USA |
If the CC Processing goes through, it shouldn't matter what IP you log-in through. Otherwise they'd be shutting your account down every time you log-in from a hotel or at work (nobody EVER does that). I know I've logged into to sites from dozens of different IP addresses without problems - they just don't want simultaneous log-ins. If they are smart enough to simply track the country of origin rather than the specific IP, then you might have an issue. However, if I'm right and it won't matter where you are logging-in from once you have purchased the account, then you could only use the VPN only for CC purchases in which case it would be very unlikely you'd burn through their 500MB limit in one month. What the site is counting on is for people in China or other countries where their own government is restricting access and so all traffic must go through the VPN. Youtube can burn through 500MBs in seconds. "I'm not a number, I'm a free man!" Second Grand Order Poobah in the Loyal Order of the Water Buffalo | |
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| 08-06-12 11:23pm - 4520 days | #4 | ||
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otoh (0)
Active User Posts: 159 Registered: Sep 17, '10 Location: UK |
Exactly - even many home accounts can change IP addresses between connections, so it would be a very strict site that only allows one. As TS said, they will be looking out for simultaneous connections, and lots of different IPs, but not allowing a couple would be unreasonable.
Again, as TS said, you can get through 500MB very quickly; this is aimed more at folk wanting to connect to eg iPlayer from outside the UK or Hulu etc from outside the US - in which case you'd definitely need the unlimited package (which is still very modest at $5). I guess the free 500MB is just so you can see how (extremely) easy it is to use. I have a site I want to join with heinous regional pricing - I will try it out in a week or so and report back! | ||
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| 08-06-12 11:35pm - 4520 days | #5 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User  Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
My IP is a dynamic one. It has been for years & I have never had any issue. Good find for you. I still maintain a customer shouldn't have to go through hoops to get a fair deal though!  Cap'n.  Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 08-07-12 08:21am - 4520 days | #6 | |
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gaypornolover (0)
Active User Posts: 153 Registered: Jul 09, '11 Location: Birmingham, UK |
It sounds a good idea Otoh but I was put off using VPNs as I read that putting your credit card details through one could potentially allow them to be seen - I don't know if this is true but maybe someone more techy than me can confirm or deny? | |
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| 08-07-12 08:50am - 4520 days | #7 | |
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otoh (0)
Active User Posts: 159 Registered: Sep 17, '10 Location: UK |
If you are on an unsecured site, then yes - everything that goes through can be spied on by any computer/router/whatever between you and the host site. This applies to public wifi, your own ISP etc, just as much as to VPN suppliers. But as long as you are on https, it's encrypted between your computer and the server - and no more visible to a VPN host than anyone else who may be in between. | |
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| 08-07-12 12:30pm - 4520 days | #8 | |
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Claypaws (0)
Suspended Webmaster Posts: 144 Registered: May 16, '12 Location: UK |
I think it would be a sensible precaution to turn on the warning that Firefox can give you when you try to send data over an unencrypted link. The fact that you are entering data on a form on an https address does not mean that your data will be sent over an encrypted link; it just means that the page was sent to you over an encrypted link. With banks and billers such as CCBill and Epoch, I trust that the link is encrypted so I usually do not turn the warning on. With a VPN, I think I would want the warning on until I knew I could trust it. | |
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| 08-08-12 07:08am - 4519 days | #9 | |
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Ed2009 (0)
Suspended Webmaster  Posts: 509 Registered: Sep 12, '09 Location: Wales, UK |
Pretending you're in a country you're not could throw up interesting tax problems. Systems are coming into play soon which will enforce local tax rates. For example, sites which are VAT registered within Europe will have to charge European customers the appropriate rate of VAT (and declare it to the tax authorities). If you fake your location on the purchase and evade paying that tax, I believe that is an offence? To be honest I can't see anyone chasing up something like that (yet), but I couldn't recommend it as a course of action. Governments and tax offices will eventually get wise to tax. While I agree that CCBill's method of regional pricing is unfair, I don't agree that the principal of charging different amounts in different countries is fundamentally unfair. If the costs are different then I don't see the problem in adapting accordingly. Webmaster of StripGameCentral and A Measure of Curiosity. | |
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| 08-08-12 10:16am - 4519 days | #10 | ||
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otoh (0)
Active User Posts: 159 Registered: Sep 17, '10 Location: UK |
Well, that's not entirely what I'm suggesting; in the join pages I've tested via the VPN, I see the USD price, but it still asks for my address, and allows me to choose UK. So I'm fully stating where I am - if they need to charge a different price, then it should be on that basis. This often happens when I buy software online.
I agree - but tax is really the only cost that could be different when delivering a subscription to a user. I'm not sure how many sites would be VAT registered here - but if they show me their VAT number and itemise the VAT, I will gladly (well, not quite gladly) pay the extra. I guess UK-based sites have to charge VAT to UK customers; some probably take the hit so as not to appear unfair; although a check on eg Only All Sites shows $45 vs £35 - $45 is closer to £29, but 20% VAT makes it up to £35. If that's the case, and they explained it on the site, I'd feel better about the difference. Anyway, if any regional-charging sites are reading this, I suspect they are thinking what I think when looking after my own e-commerce site for work, and having to ensure that discount codes, offers etc are not overused... if somebody thinks they are pulling a fast one on me by actually buying more stuff, then I'm not complaining! | ||
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| 12-31-12 02:30am - 4374 days | #11 | |
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otoh (0)
Active User Posts: 159 Registered: Sep 17, '10 Location: UK |
An update on this... I have used this maybe 2 or 3 times now to avoid regional pricing on CCBill and it works as expected. Yay  | |
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| 12-31-12 02:45am - 4374 days | #12 | |
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elephant (0)
Active User  Posts: 585 Registered: Jan 11, '07 |
Cool, thanks for the info Otah, I've only just noticed this thread so made for a good read, I hate regional pricing with a passion so will come in handy. Did you turn on this firefox alert thing to make the order and if so how do I enable it.  "Women are like tricks by sleight of hand, Which, to admire, we should not understand." WILLIAM CONGREVE | |
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| 12-31-12 03:07am - 4374 days | #13 | |
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Capn (0)
Active User Posts: 1,740 Registered: Sep 05, '09 Location: Near the Beer! |
As I said earlier in this thread, but I will put it in different words. If the Webmanager is trying to rip me off, they don't get any of my money. For me this has always been a matter of principle. Cap'n.  Admiral of the PU Hindenburg. 2009 PU AwardHilarious Post of the Year 2010 PU Award ( I would have preferred it to be Helpful Post of the Year for Guys who Hate 'Retail Therapy' ) :0/ Sanity is in the eye of the Beholder! | |
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| 12-31-12 03:09am - 4374 days | #14 | |
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otoh (0)
Active User Posts: 159 Registered: Sep 17, '10 Location: UK |
You don't need to do anything in your browser. You just install the software - it's a separate app, not a browser thing - sign up (unfortunately required) and click the big on/off switch (the other switch is UK/US). Then any sites think you are in the US, regardless of browser. There is a bandwidth allowance for the free version - but if you just turn it on to sign up, you can turn it off again when you actually use the site to download stuff. | |
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| 12-31-12 04:58am - 4374 days | #15 | |
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elephant (0)
Active User Posts: 585 Registered: Jan 11, '07 |
Cheers Otah for the additional info mate, appreciate it. Capn full respect to you too for sticking to your principals, I certainly don't join regional priced sites either but it's good to know this is available to stop them getting that extra money surcharge for living somewhere outside the US. "Women are like tricks by sleight of hand, Which, to admire, we should not understand." WILLIAM CONGREVE | |
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| 01-01-13 08:38am - 4373 days | #16 | |
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elephant (0)
Active User Posts: 585 Registered: Jan 11, '07 |
Just tried this and couldn't get it to work on my PC, just kept saying when I was signing up contacting servers but never connected, tried numerous times, gave up in the end, oh well. "Women are like tricks by sleight of hand, Which, to admire, we should not understand." WILLIAM CONGREVE | |
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| 01-01-13 03:18pm - 4373 days | #17 | |
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gaypornolover (0)
Active User Posts: 153 Registered: Jul 09, '11 Location: Birmingham, UK |
A useful idea, but I was put off as I'm sure I read somewhere that if you send credit card details over a VPN, a unscrupulous VPN operator can intercept them, so I'd be worried about security. | |
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| 01-01-13 05:23pm - 4373 days | #18 | |
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Tree Rodent (0)
Active User  Posts: 708 Registered: Oct 29, '08 Location: UK |
Absolutely. That's the reason my money does not go to sites who have either pre checked cross selling or regional discrimination. I'd rather rip them off, than have them rip me off. My money goes to sites who really deserve it, not con artists. | |
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| 01-02-13 12:16am - 4372 days | #19 | |||
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otoh (0)
Active User Posts: 159 Registered: Sep 17, '10 Location: UK |
A shame -the software installed and turned on as expected? I sometimes have a delay when loading a page after turning it on; suspect the computer has DNS or some such issues to figure out. But otherwise it works well for me.
On an HTTPS page, the encryption happens on your computer before it gets transmitted; the VPN operator have no more or less access than anyone else who can intercept your connection - eg your ISP etc. The connection is still encrypted between you and the target site. The could, however, check where you have been and intercept any non-HTTPS traffic. Again, just as eg your ISP can. Either way, TunnelBear seem legit.
I remain more pragmatic; I will not join a site that charges £30 vs $30 - but if I can get round it, I will. Eg Joymii have some of the most enjoyable material I found last year; I would not miss out on it purely on principle. | |||
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