We’ve had some close calls in the short history of our industry. It seems like every month, there is a new law or ruling from on high, that is fated to destroy our industry. 1998’s COPA law was going to force us all to kill our free sites, our top lists and TGPs. American Express, Discover and MasterCard bailed on us. Public backlash rose against us because of circle jerk pop-up sites and auto-downloading dialers. Acacia tried to extort us with copyright fees and fines. John Ashcroft (and his replacement Alberto Gonzales) turned 3 pages of TITLE 18 record-keeping requirements into a stack of bullshit so convoluted; I still can’t make sense of it.

"For a time, for a while, the future of billing looked bleak. What a difference a little duration and ingenuity make. At this excellent moment, there are more billing options and providers than will fit on this page."

Guess what? We’re still here. We’re still making money and bringing adult Internet entertainment to the masses. We have our ups and downs but for the time being, things are pretty good. There is still the opportunity for the little guy in this business. Most of us communicate with each other - CEOs included. We hold conventions and some of us host helpful, informative, educational, adult webmaster resource sites like Cozy Frog.

The point desperately trying to surface is that the adult Internet will always face hazards from both outside and in. While it’s important to keep up with such news, we’ll forever be highly scrutinized and regulated. That’s just part of being involved in a sex-based profession. What you have to do is look at the big picture and there you will find hope.

Take billing.

My goodness. What a fuss we made when Visa decided they wanted a cut of our third-party processor model. All the advantages of a merchant account with none of the headache. Visa horned in and now third-party billers are IPSPs and that means adult webmasters have to pay seven hundred and fifty bucks. Not to mention, Visa demanded a lower percentage chargeback ratio for our “high risk” accounts.

Then came PayPal. Actually, PayPal was fine. It was better than fine. PayPal’s e-money payment system worked like a charm, especially for small paysites, content providers and such. So what if PayPal had a vague, no obscenity policy? They never enforced it. Then came Ebay. The auction behemoth bought PayPal and ended e-money processing for adult. That was sad.

For a while there, billers were dropping like flies. Some ran off with money owed. As mentioned above, dialers had potential but were horribly abused by scandalous rogues. Visa sort of let the wind out of the AVS model. For a time, for a while, the future of billing looked bleak.

What a difference a little duration and ingenuity make. At this excellent moment, there are more billing options and providers than will fit on this page. Well, not this webpage, it can go on forever but you get the idea. Heaven’s to Betsy! There are bunches of processor choices for the adult webmaster. From good old IPSPs to SMS billing to actual merchant accounts. The selection is ample. Take online checks. Try the fully rehabilitated dialer payment systems. Wherever you live, whatever your budget, chances are there is a payment processing option for you. All you need to get started is a nice, friendly site that lists these very important adult webmaster resources. How about Cozy Frog?

Hop over to our Billing page and browse the categories. We list Credit Card processors, Merchant Account providers, Online Checking, Phone/Dialer billing and the ever popular Other. To gain a deeper insight into online payment processing, leap to our massage board, Cozy Campus and ask some questions. Our moderators are accommodating and our members are the best in the Internet!

Adult webmastering is a reliable business but there will always be roadblocks and rocky rides. People in the sexual entertainment field have managed to thrive despite law and social stigma and they were doing so long before the World Wide Web. Enjoy what’s working. Take satisfaction from the fact that you have the freedom to succeed and that we’re still witnessing the beginning of an amazing future. Look outside the details and get a better view. We’re still here. You still have a chance to make it and for now, billing is good.