Carrie

I've seen a lot of posts like this tonight, even ones going so far that the fee should be $5k rather than $750 and adult domains should be $5k as well. All revolving around the theme that if you can't pay this fee, you shouldn't be in business.

Step outside of your niche for a moment and take a look around at what else is out there.
One thing immediately comes to mind - amateur single-girl sites. Run not for the purpose of becoming the next Aria Giovanni, but for the simple purpose of paying a college tuition or allowing a mom to stay home with her kids by flashing her boobs on a cam at night.

These ladies run small sites with tight budgets. They've got loyal members that they bend over backwards for. They answer their own emails, they interact with their members, they take requests and fulfill them.

The college girls just handed out a mountain of $$ in tuition, lab fees, and books.
The at-home moms just handed out a mountain of $$ in house payment, car payment, insurance, utilities, groceries, and internet fees.

Just because they can't work up the $750 fee, they shouldn't be running a paysite? I disagree.

Now couple that with the multiple-processor option to increase the chances of your potential member getting his card accepted. Surfer gets declined at processor one, you forward him to processor two on the decline page.
That's a $750 fee for *each* processor. Got two processors? That's $1500 you've got to come up with. Got three processors? That's $2250 you've got to come up with to keep your little paysite.

Some people who genuinely *should* be running paysites - and are doing a damn good job of it with high retention - won't be able to afford these fees.

But that does *not* mean they shouldn't be running paysites.