Life Path : $10 for an invite.
lifepath.me
lifepath.me
So far, 24 invitations have been purchased. Which is amazing, considering that I just put the form up there as an experiment (and a joke) to test a new client-side javascript payments thingy.
Turns out, apparently, that people are willing to pay for things!
1) the page had SSL
2) you show what cards you accept (i.e. logos)
3) you require the buyer's name (sounds suspicious to not require it)
4) you show a paypal button as an alternative option*
It sounds like you're just doing an MVC for payments to see if people would pay. If you're pleased with the MVC conversion rate now, I bet you'd be ecstatic if you implemented the above. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 5~10% uptick in conversion.
*anecdotally speaking, I would have totally clicked through if you had a paypal button.
Worked in ecommerce, handled millions of credit card transactions, tested extensively.
I wasn't really trying to do a controlled experiment, otherwise I would have done the other things you describe.
the illusion of security is just as important as actual security!
I paid the money because I really like your work, I loved the visual style you had going and how smooth it seemed to be, and I figured if I could help in someway to keep you being able to be doing what you're doing and making more awesome things, then it's worth it: a more tangible "like" button or a concrete confirmation that you're doing something right. It's the same reason why I'm a subscriber to Marco's fantastic Instapaper.
This is kinda cool...