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Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 4:23 am

by dap-addict

Good news first: Compared to dvd times around 15y ago, these porn prices we have now are paradise! Back than I would ever so often pay 30-50$ for a dvd featuring a girl I craved for or a sex act or side fetish I was hunting down. Nowadays in Pornbox its usually around 12$ for 1 such scene.

Bad news start if you pay with tickets, because here tkt price went up to 36% depending on studio during last 5-7 days. This gives you a feeling of paying more, like also inflation of common goods gives you. In Czech inflation in March was about 12%. Thus if a scene cost 8tkt in March you expect her to cost 9tkt now, but not 12tkt. This said it is still much cheaper a utility for me than in those dvd times.

However, I feel I'd better economize and apply these tactics now:
1) For each scene released after April 9th I first check in my wishlist, which scenes I have there for the same tkt price and which value I would get buying this one instead.
2) same again with older scenes in wishlist for half the ticket price, currently 5-6tkt. What value I get if I buy 2 old scenes instead of 1 new? - Here I reach my limits because I buy 80% DAP and only 10-20% 1on1 anal scenes.
3) Dont buy anything at all, but watch an old scene by the same girl offered that day instead - ideally a DAP scene.

Did some other users already develop some anti-TKT-inflation tactics?

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 4:55 am

by drevokocur66

Will just become even more selective.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:02 am

by YumYum74

- Not buying anything that has a price of 10 tickets or more (exception: any scene with Mina)
- Not buying any 1v1 that has a price of 7 tickets or more (and being much more selective about scenes below that price)
- Deleting all 2nd tier studios (NF, LTP etc) from consideration

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 11:06 am

by ryukenmaster666

YumYum74 wrote:- Not buying anything that has a price of 10 tickets or more (exception: any scene with Mina)
- Not buying any 1v1 that has a price of 7 tickets or more (and being much more selective about scenes below that price)
- Deleting all 2nd tier studios (NF, LTP etc) from consideration

That

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 11:40 am

by avanfurwet

As XXX has explained, studios set their own prices in USD, and Pornbox manage the "exchange" of TKT by customers for scenes. I think USD to TKT "exchange rate" for customers was changed by PB across most studios around 6 April. I think this increased the number of TKT we exchange for scenes by about 27%.

As XXX said, he held back introducing the new TKT rate for some studios and scenes which he owns, and the new rate is only now appearing on some of his scenes. So for the past 10 days the site has offered scenes at a mix of old and new TKT prices which is confusing.

On top of that, studios may be applying their own price increases in USD. So we customers may be hit by a double blow as both studios and PB adjust their selling rates.

Anyway, prices at PB are increasing.

Everybody has their own individual circumstances to cope with. Everybody faces cost-of-living increases. Luckily I'm not a heavy porn consumer, I can buy what I want and I usually only want maybe a scene or two per week anyway.

I have a wishlist of older scenes at lower prices which I mean to buy eventually, and also a stock of the old free tickets to spend on older content.

So luckily I don't need to do anything drastic like setting a hard ceiling on TKT prices for a scene, or eliminate any studios from consideration.

I try to keep within the monthly allocation of TKT from my recurring subscription. Since the same number of TKT now buys fewer scenes, obviously I'll need to be more selective. That's OK for me since I know exactly what I like and which scenes tick all my boxes.

But, as I said in the locked thread, this does mean I'm less likely to buy scenes to support new or up-and-coming models unless the scene ticks all my boxes.

My worry is that price shocks generally result in consumers jumping back and cutting purchases, and some models with new scenes being released at this time may suffer reduced sales numbers just because they were unfortunate enough to be released at this time.

As XXX said, it's a hard and unforgiving business. It would be a shame if PB lost any good models who got caught by the backlash and weren't booked again because "she didn't sell enough".

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 12:51 pm

by ryukenmaster666

That too. Not eavy consumer, instead of buying like 2 scenes per week, I do only 1 max. And I am considering stopping subscription if prices stays that range, but that is anoher subject.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 6:35 pm

by sexaddict251

If studios hire more Russian, Brazilian, Mexican, south korian, dubai or indian models inflation rate won't affect videos. Travelling will be difficult from Russia, contact online escort agencies of these countries, some of them may agree. Never underestimate these countries, there are many beautiful/sexy girls their

See how beautiful this girl is...
https://youtu.be/66mTbvF2Ang

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 7:30 pm

by netzerkaiser

dap-addict wrote:Good news first: Compared to dvd times around 15y ago, these porn prices we have now are paradise! Back than I would ever so often pay 30-50$ for a dvd featuring a girl I craved for or a sex act or side fetish I was hunting down. Nowadays in Pornbox its usually around 12$ for 1 such scene.

Bad news start if you pay with tickets, because here tkt price went up to 36% depending on studio during last 5-7 days. This gives you a feeling of paying more, like also inflation of common goods gives you. In Czech inflation in March was about 12%. Thus if a scene cost 8tkt in March you expect her to cost 9tkt now, but not 12tkt. This said it is still much cheaper a utility for me than in those dvd times.

However, I feel I'd better economize and apply these tactics now:
1) For each scene released after April 9th I first check in my wishlist, which scenes I have there for the same tkt price and which value I would get buying this one instead.
2) same again with older scenes in wishlist for half the ticket price, currently 5-6tkt. What value I get if I buy 2 old scenes instead of 1 new? - Here I reach my limits because I buy 80% DAP and only 10-20% 1on1 anal scenes.
3) Dont buy anything at all, but watch an old scene by the same girl offered that day instead - ideally a DAP scene.

Did some other users already develop some anti-TKT-inflation tactics?

Theres no good news. I'm just sorry for ladies like Julia Maze, caught up in this situation.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 7:59 pm

by netzerkaiser

netzerkaiser wrote:
dap-addict wrote:Good news first: Compared to dvd times around 15y ago, these porn prices we have now are paradise! Back than I would ever so often pay 30-50$ for a dvd featuring a girl I craved for or a sex act or side fetish I was hunting down. Nowadays in Pornbox its usually around 12$ for 1 such scene.

Bad news start if you pay with tickets, because here tkt price went up to 36% depending on studio during last 5-7 days. This gives you a feeling of paying more, like also inflation of common goods gives you. In Czech inflation in March was about 12%. Thus if a scene cost 8tkt in March you expect her to cost 9tkt now, but not 12tkt. This said it is still much cheaper a utility for me than in those dvd times.

However, I feel I'd better economize and apply these tactics now:
1) For each scene released after April 9th I first check in my wishlist, which scenes I have there for the same tkt price and which value I would get buying this one instead.
2) same again with older scenes in wishlist for half the ticket price, currently 5-6tkt. What value I get if I buy 2 old scenes instead of 1 new? - Here I reach my limits because I buy 80% DAP and only 10-20% 1on1 anal scenes.
3) Dont buy anything at all, but watch an old scene by the same girl offered that day instead - ideally a DAP scene.

Did some other users already develop some anti-TKT-inflation tactics?

Theres no good news. I'm just sorry for ladies like Julia Maze, caught up in this situation.

People are not running out to sex shops, wearing anoraks, like they did 25 years ago. I did it once, about 2000 in Soho & bought a handul of videos, including Monica Sweetheart while she had the nose. Quite a liberating experience actually!

But in general, for everyone, for better or worse, those days are GONE.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 10:04 am

by sexaddict251

She's from dubai airport, there are many cute arab girls, any chance to get them?

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 10:12 am

by dap-addict

avanfurwet wrote:Everybody has their own individual circumstances to cope with. Everybody faces cost-of-living increases. Luckily I'm not a heavy porn consumer, I can buy what I want and I usually only want maybe a scene or two per week anyway.

Lucky you!
I usually bought 1-2 DAP scenes per day, depending on releases. I also tended to buy bulk of wishlist DAPs once every few weeks.
At the moment I could still allow for that, but the ticket price rise of cross 27% as you say - up to 36% for some studios I used to buy a lot of scenes! - is revolting me inside.

IF I'd always just paid in $$ instead of being on subscription nothing would have changed. So maybe its only due to my consumer habits and not very unfortunate and much too late PB biz communication. Its maybe just me to blame?

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 10:22 am

by YumYum74

dap-addict wrote:IF I'd always just paid in $$ instead of being on subscription nothing would have changed. So maybe its only due to my consumer habits and not very unfortunate and much too late PB biz communication. Its maybe just me to blame?

It’s not you.

On topic: as you know I also used to buy 1-2-3 scenes a day on average. That has dropped significantly since this week. I keep careful track of what I spend, so at the end of this month I should be able to tell how much my spending has dropped as compared to the ‘normal’ months of January through March.
Since it only went downhill mid April it will only give a partial view, but by the end of May there is probably a good idea of this.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 11:16 am

by avanfurwet

dap-addict wrote:
avanfurwet wrote:Everybody has their own individual circumstances to cope with. Everybody faces cost-of-living increases. Luckily I'm not a heavy porn consumer, I can buy what I want and I usually only want maybe a scene or two per week anyway.

Lucky you!
I usually bought 1-2 DAP scenes per day, depending on releases. I also tended to buy bulk of wishlist DAPs once every few weeks.
At the moment I could still allow for that, but the ticket price rise of cross 27% as you say - up to 36% for some studios I used to buy a lot of scenes! - is revolting me inside.

IF I'd always just paid in $$ instead of being on subscription nothing would have changed. So maybe its only due to my consumer habits and not very unfortunate and much too late PB biz communication. Its maybe just me to blame?

I agree with YumYum. It's not you.

(1) My math was faulty (and not for the first time). You're right. It's more like a 35% increase in tkt, not the 27% I quoted.
Today's Hot Pearl scene is 10.81 tkt when before it would probably have been 8 tkt. So regular customers are feeling even more pain.

(2) I think the % increase is the same for every studio, effective from the date the new exchange rate is applied to new releases.
Older releases are still at the old rate, e.g. past releases by VK still typically cost 8 tkts.
XXX has delayed applying the devaluation of tkts to some content which he controls. For example today's Pornworld release GP2293 is still at the old rate which costs 12 tkts or USD 18.

(3) Your consumer habits seem reasonable.
The Pornbox business model is set up to encourage us to buy tickets in advance with bulk discounts which makes scene prices cheaper if we pay in tickets.
A heavy or even regular buyer will probably want to deal in tickets rather than making many small individual credit card or bank transactions.
In the past I wasn't paying attention to the "buy now" prices in currency. I just assumed those prices were high because of PB charges for the admin overhead and banking fees incurred for small one-off transactions. I assumed that only a few "walk-in" surfers would buy that way.

(4) But the hidden danger for us customers holding pre-bought tickets is that Pornbox can move the goalposts and devalue our ticket reserves when we come to exchange them for scenes.

(5) This big devaluation of tkt reserves has really got customers' attention. Is it profiteering? Or were we just getting a great deal in the past and now reality has caught up? I don't know. But a few years ago the scene prices at PB were way cheaper and the biggest change I can see in the market since then is OF (and Xvideos Red etc.) have enabled models to sell high priced content for themselves. But that's another story.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 12:22 pm

by MackZatis

Dap, as I've mentioned to you before. (linked below, with GIO's direct response. If only to cry poor as per usual) You simply can not compare price of "DVD times" to "now times". You just can't, not if you wish to garner any sort of useful info from it. "Paradise" is subjective. One man's paradise is anothers hell. Wouldn't 4-6 years ago be a better "paradise"??? Things were WAY WAY cheaper in those times. Or not so much a paradise? (now I remember) that with much less output/quantity from only 2 or 3 studios, days with no DAP released were not uncommon at all. And I remember you being unhappy on those day as one would be.
So, would you rather a MUCH higher price (compared to 4-6yrs ago, not 4-6 days lol) with pretty much a guarantee for DAP, or a MUCH lower price with 3:1 odds (33%) of no DAP.

I know you've always been a BIG GIO supporter, fan & sometime critic. Not as much in regards to GONZO. And as shown by my stats provided in the locked thread regarding price increase (%) over the past 6 years (kinda bummed nobody seemed to even really notice it as I felt it gave you guys good ammo to back you up). It shows Gonzo by far the worst offender... and GIO pretty much stable comparitivly.

To take a page from your playbook. (oh god you're rubbing off on me)
viewtopic.php?f=96&t=35524&p=539834#p539834

To be clear, I agree with you here (well really the other thread that's now locked). I clearly remember back 2016-2017 when this snowball started rolling downhill. You and I were the same head-space (I feel). Although we didn't really communicate directly. You were upset about something regarding TKT or sub packages or something... No wait I remember. It was removal of the "free tkts", like completely removed as if never existed or something. I do believe you got that semi-reinstated, correct? But at that time it wasn't just the removal of the "free scenes" section, but all the aquired "free tkts" now (then) worth dog-poo. And much like now, was done without ANY heads up what-so-ever. That's when I made my mental note that they (XXX &co.) clearly don't give shit about LOYAL customers, and are solely focused & invested (literally & figuratively) on new member/customers.
Well I feel like they gotten away with that mistake for far too long. They were probably able to get by with that for a while by the simple fact that new members are mostly young/younger and this places main focus (hard DP/DAP). Being a newly acquired taste to those new members they were unable to discern good from bad. Not an "educated" consumer. I mean, nobody STARTS out with DP & DAP as their favorite "flavor of porn, they grow into it, right? So visually it checked all the boxes to them and turns them on (hmmm check boxes, sound familiar). and all was good. Probably great for ownership. Prices went up and so did sales. But as these new members grow older & wiser, they're now able to see the difference between "good & bad". Not every scene is AMAZING as it once was. For any number of reasons. That's not what matters. What does is porn is not being consumed as it once was. Like totally differently. Up until recently one used to have to PHYSICALLY obtain and store their collection. Be it on magazines, VHS/Beta-max/DVD's, or hard drives. Now an overwhelming majority consume porn & "dispose" of it immediately after. (a.k.a streaming). And therefore the new memberships have SLOWED way down.
I'm rambling on, so I cut to the point.
I believe "they" underestimated the value of a loyal customer base. Keeping them satisfied with the "product" they're selling, keeping them coming back (when they can EASILY and I mean EASILY get that product for FREE) and keeping with good customer relations. It was a short-sighted decision for a quick gain, and it's coming back around now.
As it seems, they've crossed a line with you and several other long standing members that won't easily, if ever be repaired.

If we as members (the consumer) could exhibit some solidarity and self-control we could be the change we want. But we know that'll never happen. Unfortunately there will always be the selfish ones unwilling to make any sort of "sacrifice" (however superficial as it is compared to current wold events)

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 4:41 pm

by dap-addict

MackZatis wrote:So, would you rather a MUCH higher price (compared to 4-6yrs ago, not 4-6 days lol) with pretty much a guarantee for DAP, or a MUCH lower price with 3:1 odds (33%) of no DAP.

To be clear here: I meanwhile need 1-2 DAP scenes per day.
Thus: Higher price than 2016/18 is okay in my POV.
But not a sudden price rise of 35% for those paying in tickets, like me.
This I why I have to develop survival tactics now.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2022 4:57 pm

by dap-addict

Btw, I know you would never quote yourself as in your POV it would turn you into a post-wh...

But since that great post of yours got lost in the heat of the battle, let me do it here.
Question however remains: If price hike (for those paying in tickets) is too much, which are feasible tactics to apply to still get your porn needed but play fair and pay for it?

MackZatis wrote:And as shown by my stats provided in the locked thread regarding price increase (%) over the past 6 years (kinda bummed nobody seemed to even really notice it as I felt it gave you guys good ammo to back you up).

viewtopic.php?f=96&t=41089#p628659

GIO STUDIO (GIO ONLY, NOT GL OR XF, JUST GIO Proper)

April 2016; 10 scenes released Avg Tkt price 5.3

April 2018; 27 scenes released. Avg Tkt price 4.98 (6.03% decrease from 4/2016)

April 2020; 19 scenes released. Avg Tkt price 4.95

March 2022; 31 scenes released. Avg Tkt price 8.04

April 2022; 15 scenes released (so far). Avg Tkt price 8.05 (38.5% INCREASE from 4/2020 & 2018)

GONZO (SZxxxx)

April 2016; 30 scenes released Avg Tkt price 1.865!!!

April 2018; 15 scenes released. Avg Tkt price 3.8 (98.17% increase from 4/2016)

April 2020; 9 scenes released. Avg Tkt price 5.16666 (35.7% increase from 4/2018)

March 2022; 21 scenes released. Avg Tkt price 7.547

April 2022; 5scenes released (so far). Avg Tkt price 7.68 (50.58% increase from 4/2020
102.1% increase from 4/2018
312.9% increase from 4/2016

Make of it what you will. Those are the hard numbers. FACTS. Especially in case of GONZO, I don't feel there is ANY way those prices could be explained away with any thing other than; they're pushing the limits of the very max amount people will pay. (XXX has said himself (and I'm paraphrasing here) "I'd rather sell a scene to a few people at the highest possible price, then sell a scene cheaper to MANY more POTENTIAL people.") Something along that ilk...

And as long as there is people here with little to no impulse control or more money than sense, the prices will continue to rise.

Just go back 2 years at a time, any month, but keep same month each time. Look at the kinda scenes you got for the money, better quality scenes, with more invested "workers" all the way around. But now they're all jaded, or burnt out, lazy or what have you. And you get scenes that are about as fun and erotic as watching someone get lobotomized or chemically castrated...
Now in GONZO case, back in 2016-2018 I'd agree that they were WAY too cheap, but that's on them, not us. There's no way that GIO & GONZO both kept producing & selling at a loss for 3+years straight. NO WAY IN HELL. Come end of year, they had be in the "black". I believe that GIO's pricing from 2016-2020 (pretty much unchanged) is the best representation of a "fair" price for both sides. Whereas seller gets good return on investment, and customer feels they get a VERY GOOD deal. Gonzo should've been priced closer to GIO's model back then (of course slightly less, because GIO was the "harder" of the two back then)

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 4:31 am

by bake0213

Have the discipline not to buy scenes or prices will only go up from here.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 5:10 am

by petermc934

Like a few on here, I have a ton of older scenes on my wish list that I need to buy and I’m assuming they are still at the lower prices. I could just concentrate on that old stuff but it raises another issue. If we don’t support new scenes by the stars we like, LP will likely stop shooting them as their scenes are not selling well. Poor example as I would assume she’s a big seller but let’s say Eden Ivy’s next three scenes hardly sell at all as we’re all buying old scenes off our wish lists on the cheap. At what point do LP say this girl isn’t popular so let’s not shoot her anymore?

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 5:35 am

by dap-addict

petermc934 wrote:At what point do LP say this girl isn’t popular so let’s not shoot her anymore?

2-3 times medium to low sales in a row I'd say.
One more problem I haven't thought of before carefully enough: They might lower tkt prices again because of survival tactics and protests but start to increase bulk ticket selling prices instead. Do we want to provoke that? Its all a tricky issue.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:25 am

by YumYum74

How are WE provoking anything? We’re not the ones raising the prices by 30% on average. Don’t make this into our problem. The worries expressed by PAF in the Miriam Mari thread are quite telling btw…

Anyway, due to this I am currently on track in reducing my expenses by 20% already in April, as compared to the first three months of the year. I’m a big buyer (or I used to be) so that’s a pretty big decrease, especially considering the first 10-12 days of April still had normal pricing. I might be able to reduce by 40-50% in May.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:48 am

by avanfurwet

Personally I doubt Pornbox will reverse the exchange rate devaluation (which is hard to follow) but increase the prices to buy tickets (which are easy for potential customers to see). Easier for PB to sell tickets at the same attractive discounted rates and then devalue the tickets after customers have already bought them. But who knows what will happen in future?

This worry about the risk of models losing work because "she didn't sell" has also been raised in the locked thread so we know that Giorgio and XXX are aware. They should have anticipated it anyway since they do this for a living and are not fools.

There are many moving parts to this devaluation, and we customers can only see the tip of the iceberg. We don't see what is happening inside the partner businesses. And as customers we have no reason to know.

We only know how much we paid for tickets and that the rate at which we can exchange tickets for scenes has suddenly devalued for most content, which causes an effective 35% price increase for us.

Probably that will cause some fall in the number of copies sold for scenes. Because when prices increase then consumers usually buy less.

But we don't know how much less. We don't know how sensitive the volume sold is when prices increase.

We don't know how many customers pay the "buy now" price and how many pay in tickets. (I guess most still pay in tickets).

And we don't know how Pornbox calculates the price which they pay to the studios when we customers buy scenes and "pay" in tickets. Is it simply the "buy now" price minus a fee for Pornbox hosting? That seems too simple given the discounted prices at which the tickets were bought by customers.

Maybe the studios are now getting more money per copy sold as a result of the ticket devaluation? Maybe that increased money offsets any reduction in copies sold? Maybe both studios and Pornbox are happy with the new rates and therefore will continue to book models as before?

However, XXX said in the locked thread that "no one truly raised their prices (they are not even *our* prices). It's just the system that was updated for accuracy, not for the sake of making more money." And the discussions between DAP-A and PAF suggest the whole situation has not been well communicated or understood by their partner studios.

So as customers, we're really in the dark.

So we plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 11:57 am

by dap-addict

avanfurwet wrote:Personally I doubt Pornbox will reverse the exchange rate devaluation (which is hard to follow) but increase the prices to buy tickets (which are easy for potential customers to see). Easier for PB to sell tickets at the same attractive discounted rates and then devalue the tickets after customers have already bought them. But who knows what will happen in future?

This worry about the risk of models losing work because "she didn't sell" has also been raised in the locked thread so we know that Giorgio and XXX are aware. They should have anticipated it anyway since they do this for a living and are not fools.

There are many moving parts to this devaluation, and we customers can only see the tip of the iceberg. We don't see what is happening inside the partner businesses. And as customers we have no reason to know.

We only know how much we paid for tickets and that the rate at which we can exchange tickets for scenes has suddenly devalued for most content, which causes an effective 35% price increase for us.

Probably that will cause some fall in the number of copies sold for scenes. Because when prices increase then consumers usually buy less.

But we don't know how much less. We don't know how sensitive the volume sold is when prices increase.

We don't know how many customers pay the "buy now" price and how many pay in tickets. (I guess most still pay in tickets).

And we don't know how Pornbox calculates the price which they pay to the studios when we customers buy scenes and "pay" in tickets. Is it simply the "buy now" price minus a fee for Pornbox hosting? That seems too simple given the discounted prices at which the tickets were bought by customers.

Maybe the studios are now getting more money per copy sold as a result of the ticket devaluation? Maybe that increased money offsets any reduction in copies sold? Maybe both studios and Pornbox are happy with the new rates and therefore will continue to book models as before?

However, XXX said in the locked thread that "no one truly raised their prices (they are not even *our* prices). It's just the system that was updated for accuracy, not for the sake of making more money." And the discussions between DAP-A and PAF suggest the whole situation has not been well communicated or understood by their partner studios.

So as customers, we're really in the dark.

So we plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 11:59 am

by dap-addict

Well, experience of last few days tells me that everything in PB can happen - and suddenly!

dap-addict wrote:Maybe the studios are now getting more money per copy sold as a result of the ticket devaluation? Maybe that increased money offsets any reduction in copies sold? Maybe both studios and Pornbox are happy with the new rates and therefore will continue to book models as before?

avanfurwet wrote:Maybe the studios are now getting more money per copy sold as a result of the ticket devaluation? Maybe that increased money offsets any reduction in copies sold? Maybe both studios and Pornbox are happy with the new rates and therefore will continue to book models as before?

Both studios as GIO and gonzo?
But than why did gonzo actually pretty come back to old prices (plus maybe those 12% inflation in Czech Rep.) and GIO not? Maybe they test the market and user acceptance of the new regime now, while all other studios loose out. I just remember Giorgio writing that all xxx does is also good for him and vice versa. For the girls it wouldnt be bad option since both studios gave them 80% of the work. Also it seems to me the the low bottom studios are not affected by ticket price rise, but here I am not sure actually, because I ignore them usually in my new scene scan.

Anyway, I reduced shopping by 90% the day that thread got closed.
But I know preparing for the worst will be hard and I have to come back to OP outlined tactics.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 12:21 pm

by foreddy

I m much more selective and i will be more and more exigent for what i purchase: lingerie, nice new girl(s), limited number of guys in scenes.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 3:29 pm

by dap-addict

avanfurwet wrote:Personally I doubt Pornbox will reverse the exchange rate devaluation (which is hard to follow) but increase the prices to buy tickets (which are easy for potential customers to see). Easier for PB to sell tickets at the same attractive discounted rates and then devalue the tickets after customers have already bought them. But who knows what will happen in future?

It would be too obvious maybe, you are right.
Another option could be to rise also prices of old scenes.
Just trying to project the future based on what suddenly happened last few days, but also doing my best to stay optimist somehow.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 5:00 pm

by avanfurwet

dap-addict wrote:Well, experience of last few days tells me that everything in PB can happen - and suddenly!

dap-addict wrote:Maybe the studios are now getting more money per copy sold as a result of the ticket devaluation? Maybe that increased money offsets any reduction in copies sold? Maybe both studios and Pornbox are happy with the new rates and therefore will continue to book models as before?

avanfurwet wrote:Maybe the studios are now getting more money per copy sold as a result of the ticket devaluation? Maybe that increased money offsets any reduction in copies sold? Maybe both studios and Pornbox are happy with the new rates and therefore will continue to book models as before?

Both studios as GIO and gonzo?
But than why did gonzo actually pretty come back to old prices (plus maybe those 12% inflation in Czech Rep.) and GIO not? Maybe they test the market and user acceptance of the new regime now, while all other studios loose out. I just remember Giorgio writing that all xxx does is also good for him and vice versa. For the girls it wouldnt be bad option since both studios gave them 80% of the work. Also it seems to me the the low bottom studios are not affected by ticket price rise, but here I am not sure actually, because I ignore them usually in my new scene scan...

I think the exchange rate for most studios changed around 6 April. This includes GIO and all the smaller/newer studios. Pornworld seems to have stayed at the old rate. Gonzo appears to have a mix of old and new rates.

It's easy to see because at the old rate, the USD price was exactly 1.5 times the tkt price. So a scene could be priced at 7.4 tkts or "buy now" for USD 11.10.

At the new exchange rate, the USD price is only about 11% more than the tkt price. So a scene could be priced at 10 tkts or "buy now" for USD 11.10.

But if you look at the price difference today between Monika Fox for GIO at 10.81 tkts and Manea Valentina for Gonzo at 8.2 tkts, the difference in tkt prices is driven by the USD price asked by the studio. Both scenes are at the new exchange rate, but Gio asks for $12 for his scene and Gonzo ask for $9.10 for theirs.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 5:02 pm

by avanfurwet

dap-addict wrote:
avanfurwet wrote:Personally I doubt Pornbox will reverse the exchange rate devaluation (which is hard to follow) but increase the prices to buy tickets (which are easy for potential customers to see). Easier for PB to sell tickets at the same attractive discounted rates and then devalue the tickets after customers have already bought them. But who knows what will happen in future?

It would be too obvious maybe, you are right.
Another option could be to rise also prices of old scenes.
Just trying to project the future based on what suddenly happened last few days, but also doing my best to stay optimist somehow.

I think if they were to go back now and raise the prices of older scenes they would lose their argument that prices for new scenes need to increase because of today's cost inflation.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 6:38 pm

by dap-addict

MackZatis wrote:To be clear, I agree with you here (well really the other thread that's now locked). I clearly remember back 2016-2017 when this snowball started rolling downhill. You and I were the same head-space (I feel). Although we didn't really communicate directly. You were upset about something regarding TKT or sub packages or something... No wait I remember. It was removal of the "free tkts", like completely removed as if never existed or something. I do believe you got that semi-reinstated, correct? But at that time it wasn't just the removal of the "free scenes" section, but all the aquired "free tkts" now (then) worth dog-poo. And much like now, was done without ANY heads up what-so-ever. That's when I made my mental note that they (XXX &co.) clearly don't give shit about LOYAL customers, and are solely focused & invested (literally & figuratively) on new member/customers.
Well I feel like they gotten away with that mistake for far too long.

Oh, thanks for reminding me, Matt!
I forgot about that and I am not sure it was re-installed due to my fight, but if I was effective than I might also me now? I need something positive to focus on currently the more as recent talks with a few porn performers I happen to know have shaken my old core studio trust a bit anyway. I have my habits and its difficult to change them, but than this 35% ticket devaluation might be last drop that breaks the camel's back.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 6:49 pm

by dap-addict

MackZatis wrote:But at that time it wasn't just the removal of the "free scenes" section, but all the aquired "free tkts" now (then) worth dog-poo. And much like now, was done without ANY heads up what-so-ever. That's when I made my mental note that they (XXX &co.) clearly don't give shit about LOYAL customers

Btw, I am not sure about loosing all aquired free tickets. I just can't remember. You are sure here? You remember how many you lost then?

I ask because it might have been sort of consumer trauma for you, but not me, others.
But truth is loyalty was always important for me, because I always strived for a sustainable and responsible user-provider and studio-worker (girls, studs, scouts, MU etc) relations. Its so easy for users to just steal porn nowadays and download/stream it for free. I tried 8 years here to educate porn fans, make them more critical for the sake of grassroots biz support, and for a long time I was supported by directors in that strive. Meanwhile however core studios seem to give a fuck, and only underdog newcomer studios seem to care. It makes me sad, what can I say?

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 12:32 am

by justinwarren41

For me, I will be more selective as others have mentioned. Study the forum, see reaction from members, some girls are still insta-buys for me of course.

One thing I've been doing, older scenes like for me Gio 2017-2019 was incredible stuff and some scenes got missed unfortunately. Monika Wild Born to be Wild woman-handles Julia Red 4on2 for example. 5 tickets for 50 minutes scene plus BTS! All in 4K, Monika at her full strength. But eventually I will catch up but these scene hold up!!

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 1:11 am

by Starrio

1) Not buying any scene that cost more than costs 9 tickets or more, unless it is justifiable, like if the scene is at least 90 minutes of mostly anal then 10 tickets is fine.

2) Not buying any 1 on 1 scene that costs 7 tickets or more (thanks Yum Yum for bringing that out).

3) It is a good time to buy older scenes, so I will be collecting those on my wishlist and from studios I like.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:56 pm

by misangrenegra2

I think my case is some different, as i read here, looks most of you buy regulary scenes from different studios.

Mainly i'm focused in Gio studio as a principal choice, later some GL/Busted t-girl studio as a secondary priority.

Is quite rare that i get something from other studios except if find something that i really like, normally are from Gonzo, N&F or LTP(Alexa lewis mainly or corey).

So the point is in my case is rare spend "extra" TKT in other studios and there are a "kind of limit of TKT" that i really need each month, but is clear that that quantity is more expensive than before, for sure looks worse for some of you but is a reality that we need more money/TKT to get our usual number of scenes.

justinwarren41 wrote:For me, I will be more selective as others have mentioned. Study the forum, see reaction from members, some girls are still insta-buys for me of course.

One thing I've been doing, older scenes like for me Gio 2017-2019 was incredible stuff and some scenes got missed unfortunately. Monika Wild Born to be Wild woman-handles Julia Red 4on2 for example. 5 tickets for 50 minutes scene plus BTS! All in 4K, Monika at her full strength. But eventually I will catch up but these scene hold up!!

As some of you, a good alternative too is get some of the old content of that years with a very low price if we compare the current prices.

I can tell you that some days ago, i spend almost 112 TKT and i was able to purchase 24 good scenes, it was totally worth, something impossible currently with these prices.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 7:23 pm

by dap-addict

YumYum74 wrote:How are WE provoking anything? We’re not the ones raising the prices by 30% on average. Don’t make this into our problem. The worries expressed by PAF in the Miriam Mari thread are quite telling btw…

Well, what I have learned here in those discussions with PB management is that its us loyal users to blame always, at least partly. Be it because we bought scenes for a too cheap price, be it because we bought too little, be it because we bought too much old scenes by using free tickets, be it because we wanna discuss and understand reasons behind decisions etc.

Thus I asked for sustainable tactics, tactics trying to forsee also what could happen next and what could be claimed that we loyal users had been provokeing by our consumer habits.

Because ideal customer doest ask but just pay.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 1:12 pm

by dap-addict

I just wanted to report that FAPLX (https://pornbox.com/application/studio/204) after intervention about >9tkt 1on1 anal scene price lowered price again to pre-April 15th level of 6,7tkt for 1on1.

It just shows it can be made by studios by themselves and some studio still adhere to FairPlay. Here is the thread: viewtopic.php?f=104&t=41553

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 5:29 pm

by starboy1337

If scene is really good (or with someone who is not easy to get or needs to be paid very well) I don't have problem. For example Elena Lux is imo worth 10+ tokens (even i was sceptical at first), but some prices in last few days are out of mind. Better to check something 4-5 years back and get it for 1/5 price.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 5:34 pm

by bdsmpretty

My strategy is quite simple and probably that which most (depending on wether you are model-focused or act-focused) apply.

If they are my super- favourites (Valentina Milan or Cyber Shot) and it's the stunning-as-always thing, then insta-buy.
If they are one of my favourites, and the stills/trailer make a good case, then it's a highly likely.
And then new performers and 'wild cards' (scenes by performers you have an ongoing curiosity about, who release a scene that really stands out) then they are next.

February and March were quiet months for me, what with Cyber Shot's releases stopping, and Valentina Milan not releasing, so I had tickets carried over. But with newbie Sara Bork and Valentina and Jayla all releasing in the same couple of weeks, it goes.

As for inflation, that's not the studios fault, that's your politicians' fault (EU particularly), so critical voices really need to address all complaints to them (or vote 'Washington-compliant' economy-trashers out - France gets a chance to do just that this weekend).

Overheads are overheads, essential and non-negotiable productions costs, and the studios have to recoup not only the extra overheads for themselves, but pay models more to cover their increased costs (cost of living and travel, expenses).
It seems clear that the studios are only raising prices in line with (record) inflation to simply to rebalance overheads-to-income (not to increase profits).
And the same will apply to performers who are asking for inflation-rate increases (simply to cover their increased overheads). There should certainly be no downward pressure on the performers to accept less for their work, as they are delivering the same quality product. Why harm them? They are just trying to make ends meet like everyone else.

Personally, by number I have bought fewer scenes this month due to price increases, and I would much rather do that while inflation is as it is, than see models pressured into cutting their performance rates.
I can watch less, but models can't eat less, heat less, look after their families less.

So if you are angry-annoyed, blame your politicians, and loudly. Protest. Roadblack even. Whatever it takes to make your voice heard.
Because every time your elected politicians prioritise US/NATO interests above their country's interests, they are spitting in their your face (as citizens and voters to be represented) and ultimately turning their backs on democracy.

They have a choice every step of the way. Bite (with extreme sanctions, as ordered by the US) the hand that feeds you (Russia), or reach a diplomatic/financial understanding to make whatever geopolitical point they want to make, but not destroy their own citizens lives.
Committing economic suicide (or forcing your country's poorest to, while the rich can weather rises) is not a viable long-term policy.

Yes, that's a political point not a porn point, but these raises are not happening in a vaccuum, and the wider economic (which is entirely a political matter) context explains the issue fully.

: Euro (EUR) to Russian Rouble (RUB) exchange rate history - Copy.png (31.68 KiB) Viewed 9743 times

: Euro to Ruble Dollar - Copy.png (124.23 KiB) Viewed 9743 times

: angst - Copy.png (18.15 KiB) Viewed 9743 times

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2022 5:45 pm

by starboy1337

I don't think that MOEX is currently something transparent. Or can I get EUR/USD for that price in Russian bank currently?

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 3:13 am

by dap-addict

bdsmpretty wrote:So if you are angry-annoyed, blame your politicians, and loudly.

Ok, but look, inflation in Czech is 12% and price increases for those paying in tickets is 36%.

Now this said, this scene back at 8tkt might actually herald a turning point: https://pornbox.com/application/watch-page/161075 - Might, but nothing has been stable last few days, so lets carefully observe further ticket prices development on Pornbox. Anyway, if it would stay like this at GIO/gonzo than prices would have gone up 5-6% maybe and they could go up 5-6% again in Mai or June and it would be fair. But 36% price rise/ticket devaluation is for sure not fair and has nothing to do with EU politics at all.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 11:23 am

by Iddaoeeok

Don't you understand by now dap-a? Everything that's wrong on the planet Earth, even price increases on porn sites, is the fault of NATO and the EU.

Re: Heavy LP/AV/PB user survival tactics in times of inflation

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 3:34 pm

by number1s

dap-addict wrote: 36% price rise/ticket devaluation is for sure not fair and has nothing to do with EU politics at all.

It’s total baloney of course like most of the stuff emanating from that particular source.

You’re just referencing the recent de facto ticket devaluation but if you go back just two years (March 2020), most scenes for both Gonzo and GG fell within a range of 4 to 5.5 tickets. And lately we have seen scenes with ticket prices well in excess of 10. No country in Europe has had inflation of 100% over 2 years, far from it.