Using Boosty.to

[James]

Russian artists are moving to using Boosty.to.  The good news is that Boosty also works for Ukrainian artists, as Paypal doesn't function (normally).

Navigating to the site, click "Sign Up" which pops up this window:

We utilized a facebook account.

Once you get set up and confirm your account, you can start paying artists.  Please note, when I tested this the site did not accept Google Voice numbers.  I had to use my actual phone number.

The artist that you're paying will tell you how many RUB to send as the site only accepts RUB and not USD.  Paypal's currency converter is here.  Note: You have to be logged in to see it. 

You can either subscribe to an artist or add a "donation" to their pool.

Subscriptions act just like Patreon:

 

While a "goal" is set to a high number of RUB where you will submit your commission payment.

Once you hit "Pay" you will be able to choose where the funds will come from. 

Note:  Once you've chosen where the funds will come from, they will always come from there.  You may have to unlink and relink your Paypal in order to change this.

 

 

Some questions you didn't know you had:

Will I be charged an international fee for paying in RUB?

As far as I can tell, no.  The conversion takes place on Paypal, so when it hits your bank it will be in USD.

 

If I have to file a chargeback, will Paypal side with me or consider this a donation?

Because this form of payment is very new, there is no telling how Paypal will treat these.  These are listed as "donations" on site, so there is a chance that depending on if you use their automated system you may lose the case automatically.  Please be sure to call Paypal if you have troubles.

 

More info will be added here once I've tested with a bank card.

[GreenReaper]

Boosty site terms also state that donations "shall not be refundable". Whether this applies to PayPal funding is unclear, but I suggest assuming the worst case when considering whether to use it, as well as the fact that artists in Russia cannot currently have a beware opened on them.

[James]

19 hours ago, GreenReaper said:

Boosty site terms also state that donations "shall not be refundable". Whether this applies to PayPal funding is unclear, but I suggest assuming the worst case when considering whether to use it, as well as the fact that artists in Russia cannot currently have a beware opened on them.

We're revisiting that stance!  I just need to make an official announcement.

[pinyon]

Boosty has informed me during a refund case via paypal that they in fact refuse refunds since they are considered donations, on top of this, they also say it is against their ToS to buy/sell art using their platform (And then promptly suspended my boosty account for buying art) I can provide the exact text they sent me if you need it. 

[James]

7 hours ago, pinyon said:

Boosty has informed me during a refund case via paypal that they in fact refuse refunds since they are considered donations, on top of this, they also say it is against their ToS to buy/sell art using their platform (And then promptly suspended my boosty account for buying art) I can provide the exact text they sent me if you need it. 

If you can please do!

[pinyon]

Sorry, I'm talking back and forth with them and I am getting told a few different things. At the moment I'm trying to confirm all the details of their policy. I'll update when they get back to me, but this is the most recent message which at the very least doesn't look good for any sort of purchase protection.

Quote

The service was a donation that was free in relation to the transacted sale. The service is possible only for authorized users on BOOSTY. During registration, the user read and accept the Rules, Policy and Terms of services (https://boosty.to/app/offer/user). The transaction was made by registered User and represented a donation. Service was provided to the User. The donation was successfully remitted to the Creator. There are no dispute rights under Condition “Service Not Provided” when the User does not receive the merchandise or service that was to be free in relation to the transacted sale. Please, take into consideration that the BOOSTY Platform is the online platform that provides possibility to receive donations from authorized Users aimed to support Creators on the User’s good faith basis. The service was fully provided to the User. The amount of donation was determined by the User on his/her good faith.

 

[NekoMerodii]

As proof of this just happening to me by an artist who scammed me using boosty, PayPal declined said it was not covered I lost almost $160

Edited October 31, 2022 by NekoMerodii

[baja]

A comment was hidden under item 1 of our commenting rules.

If you would like to contribute your experiences with Boosty as a platform, we will require any interested parties to post constructively and clearly, with provide proof of your process, as other users have done so in this thread already.

We will not be approving comments that do not provide any insight and just boil down to flippant and vague commentary.

[ThorpenAlnyr]

Wanted to add to this discussion. Yes, this reply pic I got from my discussions seems like a tangent, but might make a little sense and also be a bit concerning. The way Boosty is describing their business model throughout my discussion with them might be summed up as a throughput. The payer (the one who wants an art piece), uses Paypal to send money to Boosty, which then sends that cash to the Author (the Artist). However, Boosty doesn't hold the money (maybe, I'm asking them about this right now). However, the Artist (don't know if I should post their name because they seem to be all right, though they do have an entry on this website) noticed that they have a negative balance on their account. The money is essentially somewhere. But the kicker about why I said this stuff makes me go back to the related pic.

The company is asserting a Fraud claim now. Which is a very odd accusation to make. I'm going through PayPal because of the Payment Protection Plan/Program. If this is fraud, I don't know what is. The artist failed to produce the art commission in a reasonable time frame, so I initiated the dispute via PayPal. Since I cannot get a refund directly from the Artist, international conflict reasons, so I had to go up the chain that favors me, hence PayPal. However, in the eyes of Boosty, this is considered Fraud because it's taking money from their pocket, instead of the Artists...Despite the fact that now the Artist has a negative balance (Redacted transaction log below). The money is somewhere, and Boosty might be dishonest about something. 

 

Added context to when I made the purchase; I made the initial transaction in November (pic related below). The money, just before my dispute, must have been in the Artist's bank account. Boosty, is not saying something here, because the Artist's money is gone. I have until March 12th before this case closes automatically, so any advice might be useful.