I’ve been using FastSpring for selling my software for some time, it works well so I’m OK.
However, I’ve just received an email to me telling me I need to submit $150 for a risk screen. It does reference their terms which does state they can.
That said, the email just stinks of a scam. The payment link breaks down to a slight variation of the main domain. onfastspring.com rather than fastspring.com
Anyone else seen similar. I will reach out to their support.!
I can confirm that onfastspring.com is really them. For example, you can license my tools from https://devtimi.onfastspring.com/
I haven’t been contacted about a risk assessment. Can you share the link to their terms? My quick searching hasn’t turned up a result with a fee amount.
That said, the last time I sent support an email I got no response 
I have been debating integrating Stripe into TPLM somehow, but the tax services FastSpring provides are still quite valuable to me.
Here it is.
Terms of Service for Vendors - FastSpring
Section 4.1
I’ve been considering moving it all inhouse but I read that the EU wants Stripe to report all EU transactions next year so that US company skipping EU Tax may take on a new life!
Sounds strange. I’ve been using them for years and never got such an email.
Maybe you could just email support@fastspring.com and ask for confirmation of whether the request for your account is legit.
Just to double check, that you are not paying a scammer.
I’ve submitted a ticket through the support portal logged in. It looks like a FastSpring store to get the payments which seems weird! lol.
Part of the Terms of service reads this:
To account for its administrative and overhead costs, FastSpring expressly reserves the right to charge you a Vendor Risk Verification Fee of $150, no more than annually. FastSpring’s decision not to charge you the Vendor Risk Verification Fee in any given year is not a waiver of its right to charge it in any subsequent year.
Highligting is mine. Looks like they would not charge that fee to all customers.
I can tell you I was put through that screening recently.
The process went very badly - having to upload photos of driving licence and passports / utility bills etc to an automated system that had the Artificial Intelligence of Artificial Sweeteners.
They didn’t ask me for money - I think I may have been in a pilot wave, or they may have been embarassed about the whole thing.
It was extremely stressful, and I had already begin the process of setting up a new provider before FS recanted and ‘called off the dogs’
If they try again next year, they may lose my business.
@Gilles_Plante Yes, I either was selected or I’m being scammed. We will see.
@Jeff_Tullin The other odd thing is the email was sent at 13:25 making reference to an earlier email and that was sent at 12:56! They make mention of using ShuftiPro. That seems to be an AI based solution.
If this is genuine, I’m gone. There are other options. 
Yes. ShuftiPro it was, and it is terrible.
FastSpring have replied and confirmed it is genuine. So, looks like I will be migrating soon! lol.
Not really that big a deal.
I have said my piece, politely to FastSpring. I’ve been with them for over 7 years, no chargebacks and very few refunds. Maybe my sales volume is too low. I shall wait to see what they say, but I may be looking elsewhere very soon. Not a heavy integration if needs be.
With this and the price hike for Windows App code signing, the winds are blowing against small indie stuff. At least Apple is playing in the sandbox better in some respects.
Damn… I had to leave Paddle for this exact same reason. After 3 months, they decided that they couldn’t validate my drivers license and gave me a weekend to move my business elsewhere.
I had to e-mail their CEO and show them their own damn contract, stating they have to give 30 days notice.
Even then they acted like the scummy company they became, when I wanted confirmation of final payment, they told me, I’m lucky they don’t refund all my customers.
ha ha ha… None of these companies give a damn about us Indie developers. All they care about is how rich their CEO can get.
Don’t forget, Apple can end your business at the press of a button. All they need do is revoke your developer license and even previous versions of your app will no longer launch.
Its a shitty time to be an indie dev. I’m hoping the next Apple CEO actually cares about the company, products and customers, not their own personal gain.
I started accepting Paddle payments a few months ago (in addition to PayPal, which I’ve been using since the start and never had a problem), and it’s been constant problems with payouts. Once they didn’t bother to do anything until I emailed them when the month was almost over, and this month I received the automated email that payment has been sent, my account shows $0.00 balance, and I have not received the payment. Good stuff.
So, yeah, I’d probably avoid them if I had it to do over again.
I use Paddle and have now twice had to do validation (it does not cost anything).
But its basically EU that is hard pressing them to do the validations to fight money laundering. So the 2nd time then even if they had validated me in exact way before then it just came because of new order from the EU.
Rant coming:
The EU screwed us over with VATMOSS too, in 2015. (30% of my gross gone to cater for that.)
I’m sick of this.
You should not set it to Vat included in the price. The norm is to set it to price without vat and then VAT is added to that if applicable.
Then your gross sales don’t reduce.
People in EU are very used to having pay VAT on everything.
Thanks for the replies. I have no problem validating, but I have no desire to pay $150 nor do I want AI involved in my PII data.
My response has been sent “to the appropriate person” in FastSpring so we will see what they come back with.
Looking at Gumroad, Paddle and LemonSqueezy (I like what they offer right now).
People in EU are very used to having pay VAT on everything.
Not the issue. In the UK I am not making enough to register for VAT
But the EU since 2015 demands that I work out where the buyer is, know what the VAT rate is in their country, charge it even though I am NOT VAT registered, and send it to each individual country.
To avoid that , I have to work on a Business to Business relationship with FastSpring in the US. (I used to use nice simple Paypal buttons)
For the privilege, FastSpring takes a cut and the EU takes a cut.
Let us know how you get on?
The Limit in Germany is 22000€ for current year and below 50000€ for the following. so if you stay on 22000€ or below, you would be exempt . If you would exceed it, then you would charge vat on top of your prices and deliver that to the tax department.
Paddle or similar would report your sales per country, but if you stay low enough, nobody cares.
An like letting Fastspring and MyCommerce do it all for me.