What is Pay The Dølls?
A queer marketplace for artists, brands, creatives, divas, and more to buy, sell, list, and promote their work. Three ways in on one ladder: start a fundraiser (3%), join as a partner brand (6%), or launch a store (9%). Built by trans people, open to everyone. Real infrastructure for the queer community — we keep the money in our community, support other artists, and build it out.
Why "Pay the Dolls"?
"The dolls" is queer / trans community vernacular for trans women, broadly extended to everyone in the family. The platform is named for who it’s for — and who it sends money to. Pay is a verb. The dolls are the recipients. The brand is a directive, not a vibe.
Do I have to be queer / trans / a doll to use the platform?
No. The platform is open to everyone. Anyone can start a fund, join as an affiliate brand, or launch a store. What PTD is built for is real infrastructure for the queer community — keeping the money in our community, supporting other artists, and building it out. Broad in. Focused out.
How do donations work?
When someone donates $100, you receive the full $100. The donor covers the fees on top — a $100 gift bills the donor $106.50 (3% platform + ~3.4% card). No tipping mechanic, no all-or-nothing.
Why does the donor pay the fees?
The recipient is usually the one who needs the money. Putting the platform fee on the donor — the side choosing to give — means the doll gets exactly what was intended. On GoFundMe the same $100 nets the recipient ~$96.80; on PTD it’s $100.
Why three rates instead of one?
The ladder reflects intensity. 3% for fundraising is lowest because the recipient is usually the one who needs the money. 6% for affiliate brands because the brand brings most of the assets; PTD is the listing + checkout layer. 9% for launching a store because PTD does the most work — full storefront, fulfillment integrations, brand-launch help. The number scales with what we actually do for you.
Partner brand (6%) vs launch a store (9%) — what’s the difference?
Partner brands bring their own product and fulfillment — PTD provides the queer/trans-positive shelf and the audience; you keep 94%. Launch-a-store creators get the full stack (storefront, fulfillment integrations, launch help); you keep 91%. If you have a website you’re currently shipping product from, you probably want partner. If not, you probably want Launch a Store.
Is the 3% donation fee really all PTD takes?
Yes. 3% of the underlying gift, charged to the donor on top. No tipping. No optional "support PTD" prompts. No buried platform-contribution sliders.
Why does PTD take 9% on stores when Kickstarter takes 5%?
Because Kickstarter’s 5% isn’t the all-in. Add Backerkit or equivalent fulfilment tooling (~8%) and processing (3-5%) and you’re at 13-18%. PTD’s 9% is the all-in, the storefront persists after the campaign, and the fee funds the build — it keeps the money in our community.
What about Stripe / payment processing fees?
Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per card transaction. That’s a passthrough — PTD doesn’t keep any portion of it. On donations, Stripe’s fee is charged to the donor (rolled into the grossed-up total). On affiliate / store sales, Stripe’s fee is absorbed by the seller as a cost of card commerce.
Where does the fee actually go?
It funds the build. Hosting, support, fraud protection, payouts, and the people building the platform out. The fee is how we keep real infrastructure running for the queer community — lower than the platforms that came before, and it stays in the family.
So who profits — where does the money really stay?
In the community. PTD exists to build real infrastructure for queer artists and keep the money in our family — support other artists, charge less than the platforms that came before, and put it back into the build. The platform fee runs the platform and grows it. That’s the whole point.
Is my donation tax-deductible? / Is PTD a 501(c)(3)?
No. PTD is a for-profit Public Benefit Corporation, not a 501(c)(3). Fundraisers are peer-to-peer personal gifts — not tax-deductible donations, same as a personal GoFundMe. The platform fee funds the build; it’s not a redistribution fund or a grant pool. The for-profit structure exists so the platform can scale, take investment, and keep building real infrastructure for the community. Consult your accountant for your specific situation.