Friendly reminder that if you sign up for Paid “by accident,” then ask for a refund an hour later, the writer is charged $9.80 by Stripe to reverse the transaction.

This is NOT a judgment-fueled PSA. I genuinely don’t think that readers realize that refunds carry real, immediate costs for independent writers. Substack doesn’t absorb those fees; Stripe passes them through to the creator. For small publications, a handful of these sign-up/refunds can wipe out the value of multiple paid subscriptions.

If you’re curious about a publication, most writers offer free posts, previews, and samples to help you decide. And if you do mean to support a writer, thank you—those subscriptions fund the hours of unseen work (reading, revising, responding to comments, etc.) 💛