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#Paddle #FastSpring #paymentServices

Right, so I signed up with Paddle and with FastSpring (also a merchant of record) and I don’t think Paddle is going to work as you can’t create subscription plans via their API. In FastSpring you can so I’m going to continue to looking at that. So, to update my query:

Anyone know anyone at FastSpring they can introduce me to or have any experiences with them they can share with me?

(I may still end up going with #Stripe.)

Thanks!

Aral Balkan @aral@mastodon.ar.al

I’m sure you’re all riveted to hear my next niche micro-update on finding a payment solution to integrate into #Domain¹ but I’m actually reconsidering #Paddle. The more I think about it, the less custom logic there is in Domain to handle payment providers the better. A very lightweight abstraction over embedding a #payment form and handling #webhooks should make it easier to add others in the future at the cost of more setup in the payment provider itself.

¹ https://codeberg.org/domain/app

Codeberg.orgappDomain is a free and open Small Web hosting platform.

#SmallWeb

May 10, 2023, 08:44 AM··Web

2boosts·4favorites

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 11, 2023

May 11, 2023

* https://codeberg.org/domain/app
** https://codeberg.org/kitten/app

Yep, it looks like I’m going with Paddle (https://paddle.com) as the first supported payment system for Domain*.

(Barring any issues with getting our use case approved.)

So, asking again: does anyone know anyone that works at #Paddle? Would love to talk to them about what we’re trying to do with the Small Web and Kitten ** and Domain and hopefully have them support our use case.

www.paddle.comPaddle - Payments, tax and subscription management for SaaS and digital productsWe are the merchant of record for B2B & B2C software businesses. Helping increase global conversions, reducing churn, staying compliant, and scaling up fast.

#MoR #MerchantOfRecord #Domain

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 12, 2023 *

May 12, 2023 *

#Domain #Kitten #SmallWeb

The initial integration of Paddle into Domain is now complete. I’m happy with how it turned out.

Now the only (“only” he says) bit left is reimplementing the provisioning and setup of Small Web servers running Kitten (or Kitten apps).

It‘s getting there…

Screenshot of top of Payment page under Domain: Settings. Navigation on left has General section with Sign out link, Setup section with Organisation, Applications, Public Suffix List (PSL), Domain Name Service (DNS), Virtual Private Server (VPS) and Payment sections. Payment is selected and all sections have checkmarks next to them. Under that, still in navigation, is a Places section with View and Create links.

On the main part of the page is a Provider drop-down with Paddle selected.

Copy:

Paddle

Paddle is a merchant of record. (They sell the subscriptions for you and handle everything, including global tax remittance.)

Paddle pays you on the 1st and 15th of the month. You must pay corporation tax on this income.

If you are making money with your Small Web Domain, please consider sharing a percentage of your earnings with Small Technology Foundation by becoming a patron so we can continue to develop the software you use to host your community.

[checkmark] Your Paddle settings are correct.

Heading: You’re using the sandbox.

Switch control (off): Live (start taking actual payments)

In the sandbox environment no actual payments will be taken. Please make sure everything works as expected before going live.

Instructions

(page continues in next screenshot)

Page continues from previous screenshot:

Heading: Instructions

Instructions

1. Get a Paddle account.

2. Read Stay Small! and Paddle’s Data Processing Addendum (GDPR).

3. Generate your API keys in both the sandbox and live environments.

4. Create a subscription plan in both the sandbox and live environments.

The plan name, custom message, and icon are not important as they’re overriden by Domain. Set them to values that make sense for you.

Set the other options according to the table below:

Table has Setting and Value columns:

Setting: Billing Interval, Value: Monthly
Setting: Trial Period, Value: 0
Setting: Enable quantity (checkbox), Value: unchecked

Finally, under Subscription Plan Pricing, set your default currency and price (please make this a round number; don’t use psychological pricing to manipulate people) and check any other currencies you want to support (Paddle handles currency conversions for you automatically at checkout).

5. Enter your API and subscription details from your Paddle account into the form below.

Heading: Sandbox environment

Label: Vendor ID (from here)

(Page continues in next screenshot)

Page continues from previous screenshot:

5. Enter your API and subscription details from your Paddle account into the form below.

Heading: Sandbox environment

Form:

Label: Vendor ID (from here [link])
Text input: 12211

Label: Vendor Auth Code (secret API Key; from here [link])
Password input with lots of dots in it.

Label: Subscription Plan ID (from here [link])
Text input: 51009

Heading: Live environment

Label: Vendor ID (from here [link])
Text input: 170742

Label: Vendor Auth Code (secret API Key; from here [link])
Password input with lots of dots in it.

Label: Subscription Plan ID (from here [link])
Text input: 829367

[Save button]

(Page continues in next screenshot)

(Page continues from previous screenshot.)

Stay small!

Commercial payments support in Domain is designed for small organisations that serve their communities.

It is simple by design. You only have one plan and we ask that you please also set prices in whole numbers (don’t use so-called “psychological pricing” to manipulate people).

These limitations are not bugs, they are features to encourage a Small Web.

The idea is that no single Small Web Domain should scale beyond a certain point. Your Small Web Domain should be serving your community and you should let other Small Web Domains serve theirs. This is our non-colonial approach as per the Small Technology Principles.

Support for a commercial option is necessary for organisations that have to exist under capitalism. It doesn’t mean we have to play their shortsighted manipulative games or adopt their success criteria. The goal is for our organisations to provide a bridge to a post-capitalist future (e.g., on where cities can use tokens to provide their citizens with access to the commons from the commons).

You will not become rich by running a Small Web Domain. If that’s your goal, please look elsewhere. However, you will hopefully be able to subsist under capitalism while helping bootstrap a kinder, fairer, and more caring world based on respect for human rights and democracy.

This is a Small Web host powered by Domain.
…
Released with 💕 under the AGPL Version 3.0 license.

Like this? Fund us!

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 12, 2023 *

May 12, 2023 *

PS. Just noticed and fixed the typo in the “Stay Small!” section. It now reads:

“(e.g., one where cities can use tokens to provide their citizens with access to the commons from the commons, etc.)”

(That’s just one example based on the work we did with the City of Ghent a little while back to prototype how something like that could work. In addition to not taking payments, you will also be able to use tokens – not cryptocurrency; just pre-generated tokens that you can distribute to folks.)

**Ω Gus Posey** @Gustodon@mas.to · May 10, 2023

Ω Gus Posey @Gustodon@mas.to

@aral It's all pretty riveting, to be fair. I'm personally grateful for your posts and feel like I learn something every time I see one.

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 10, 2023

Konstantin @konstantin@m.iamkonstantin.eu

@Gustodon

**Konstantin** @konstantin@m.iamkonstantin.eu · May 10, 2023 *

May 10, 2023 *

@aral is it an idea for this to be modular to some extent? I was recently looking into payment providers and Paddle, being London-based, presents certain challenges these days. Stripe and Mollie turned out to be easier to integrate with overall, as they required less administration when used from within the EU (and for example, Mollie has many integrations with popular tools here in Benelux). I am uncertain if these are factors for Domain, of course.

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 10, 2023

@konstantin Yep, exactly. But gotta start somewhere :)

Hadn’t heard of Mollie. Will check them out, thanks :)

**Konstantin** @konstantin@m.iamkonstantin.eu · May 10, 2023

Konstantin @konstantin@m.iamkonstantin.eu

@aral Ah for sure, any option is better than no option

**user not found** @ff0000@chaos.social · May 10, 2023

@aral If Paddle is a service that takes care of the whole integration and as a Domain user you then don't have to fiddle with Stripe or Adyen, i would say that is an improvement.

The 5% + 0,50 is a bit steep compared to (from the top of my head) lower rates that these other companies offer. But having to not deal with most of that payment and taxes stuff would be worth it.

And i think as a platform (Domain) offering a more plug and play solution like this makes it more attractive.

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 10, 2023

@ff0000 Good to have the validation, thanks.

I’m going to start implementing an integration today and see how it goes :)

**user not found** @ff0000@chaos.social · May 10, 2023

@aral Of course! I have experience with integration payments through Adyen and Stripe, both offer plug and play options (which we don't use as a business, because custom checkout and world wide transactions that have to be considered). So once you step outside of their *drop in huge SDK and pray* it becomes a huge hassle.

As i understand, for Domain you want to offer payment integrations that are as easy to do as that PayPal pay now button? (minimal technical know how needed).

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 10, 2023

@ff0000 Want to make it as easy as possible but running Domain (to enable the hosting of Small Web sites and apps) will always require some technical knowledge and organisational investment of time and resources (as opposed to running Small Web sites and apps, which should require none).

**user not found** @ff0000@chaos.social · May 10, 2023

sdevore (moving) @Sdevore@mastodon.cloud

@aral I understand, but if you can keep the threshold as low as possible, that would be nice, so i understand this approach. :)

**sdevore (moving)** @Sdevore@mastodon.cloud · May 11, 2023

May 11, 2023

@aral have you looked at https://www.lemonsqueezy.com it is on my list to look at and looks like a similar but younger paddle

www.lemonsqueezy.comPayments, Tax & Subscriptions for SaaSSell digital products and SaaS software the easy peasy way with Lemon Squeezy. As your merchant of record, we handle the tax compliance burden so you can focus on more revenue and less headache.

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 11, 2023

May 11, 2023

@Sdevore My eventual goal is to support multiple so it’s on my list too. But need to start with one :)

**user not found** @ff0000@chaos.social · May 12, 2023

@aral It looks great in all its "simplicity".

Love the minimal style!

**user not found** @ff0000@chaos.social · May 12, 2023

@aral At what point would you say that it's stable enough to build a full test case with? (for instance a new version of my band's website). For fun, and testing.

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 12, 2023

@ff0000 I’d say you can play with Kitten for that right now (and please report any issues if you run into any while you do) but until Domain is ready, deployment won’t be easy.

**user not found** @ff0000@chaos.social · May 12, 2023

@aral Well good thing i don't have a lot of free time at the moment, so i won't be able to do full pen tests and e2e tests, but once i have i will of course share any issues. :)

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 12, 2023

@ff0000 Thanks; that’ll be hugely useful, appreciate it :)

**Aral Balkan** @aral · May 12, 2023