Melon Books， a major retailer of doujin goods， announces suspension of Visa Mastercard acceptance due to “lack of power” and launches new service “Melobu Store Payment”．
Melon Books, which sells books and character goods, both commercial and doujin, announced on November 8th that it will no longer accept credit card payments using Visa and MasterCard. [Image] A long-established manga distribution site has also decided to suspend its services, effective from Thursday, December 19th. From now on, the credit cards that can be used will be JCB and American Express. Melon Books issued an apology, saying, “We were powerless to do anything about it and we apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers.” In addition, stores are expected to resume accepting Visa and MasterCard from mid-December (mail order sales will remain suspended). ■ Calling for customers to switch to other companies’ credit cards such as JCB and AMEX Melon Books is currently preparing to resume accepting Visa and MasterCard in its stores from mid-December. However, as the service will still be suspended for mail order purchases, the company plans to introduce a new service called “Melobu Store Payment.” As the name suggests, this is a service that allows you to pay for products at Melon Books stores when ordering online. On the other hand, for those who plan to purchase products released after December 19th through mail order, they are asking for your cooperation in “preparing your JCB or American Express cards in advance before making your reservation.” In addition, the company stated that “given the current situation, there is a possibility that payments may be suspended before December 19th,” and advised customers to create or transfer to credit cards that are not subject to the suspension. ■Users scrambling to cope with a series of credit card payment suspensions Foreign-owned credit card companies are continuing to suspend the use of their cards to purchase manga, anime, games, and more. Since around 2022, credit card companies such as Visa, MasterCard, and American Express have been suspending payment for services that distribute manga and other media. Most recently, on November 5, 2024, Manga Toshokan Z, a pioneering manga distribution site, announced that it would cease services after its contract with its payment processing company was terminated due to its “handling of adult content.” In addition, certain credit cards can no longer be used on many platforms, including the major download sales site dlsite, the creator support site Fantia, Pixiv’s related service, and Niconico, forcing companies and users alike to respond. 11/8 (Fri) 20:22 Published Major doujinshi retailers Melon Books and Fromagee Books will be holding a “JCB/AMEX transfer campaign” on their online store. If you purchase products with these credit cards during November, you will receive 300 points for every 1,000 yen spent, instead of the usual 30 points per 1,000 yen. [Image] Now is the time to show your support! Details of Melobu’s “We apologize for any inconvenience caused” campaign Melon Books Online Store announced yesterday, the 8th, that it will stop accepting Visa credit card payments from December 19, 2024. The reason for the decision has not been made public, but it is seen as a response from the payment service provider and has become a hot topic. As a countermeasure, it was also announced that a new service called “Melobu Store Payment” will be launched at the same time. In response to this situation, Melon Books has already launched a campaign to encourage people to switch to JCB/AMEX. During the CP period from November 8th to November 30th, if you pay with a JCB or American Express credit card, the company will give you 10 times the usual amount of points. Eligible works include all mail order/digital download titles from Melon Books, Fromagee Books, and melonbooks comic+. From December 19th, credit card payments will only be accepted via JCB and American Express brands. The company is also offering guidance on transitioning to other payment methods (convenience store payment, convenience store deferred payment, atone next month payment, and the planned introduction of Melobu store payment, etc.). Published 11/9 (Sat) 12:15 Related threads [Out-of-print manga distribution service] Founder Ken Akamatsu explains the background to the shutdown of the “Manga Toshokan Z” site, with strong backlash on social media over the “book burning” caused by the payment agency.
>>6 In fact, when erotica becomes easily available, sexual crimes increase. Humans have infinite desires, so when their sexual desires are stimulated, they try to obtain even more intense desires.
Who would have thought that Visa would lose to JCB? If you had tried to get a JCB card 5 years ago, you would have been treated as ignorant and beaten to a pulp.
>>21 The problem isn’t just with that, it’s spreading to Japanese content in general. You will be forced to play a boring gorilla game supervised by Greed Baby. A website for out-of-print manga created by a Japanese politician (after the fact) was also shut down.
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