debating a tier restructure (Patreon)

Thinking on it, I think I may need to reassess my tiers.

The rates I have currently kinda scale wonkily, and the base tier in particular is in a poor spot where a sizable portion of each pledge is eaten up by processing fees.

What I'm debating for the changes:

• $3 - Formerly the $2 tier. Get early access to content, see WIPs, etc. Drive access would be moved to the next tier up.
• $7 - Formerly the $5 tier. Get name in credits, get access to the digital archive / drive.
• $11 - Formerly the $10 tier. Get access to source files, commission ability.
• $20 would stay where it's at and would mostly be a bonus / flavor tier like it is currently.

Some other ideas:

I could also consider patreon produced merch. A $12 tier would be eligible for a monthly sticker, or a $30 tier would be eligible for a monthly poster. (I need to actually look into this if this actually interests people cause I can't see it anymore in my role management, so I dunno if I missed my chance.)

I want to remove the SFW / NSFW split to reduce the number of tiers I manage, and would just limit image previews so if someone isn't interest in NSFW, they just don't have to look at the post. Patrons in tier II and up would be able to message me and preemptively mention if they wanted to be excluded from NSFW credits.

I may start distributing the drive link via PMs instead of posts, to make it harder for leak sites to access too, and may start dividing the access by monthly folder (so it doesn't become a permanent benefit even for people who withdraw their pledge--it'd only work for the months you were pledged to. I don't lock out my content however so the drive is and has always been mostly be a convenience matter).

Additionally, I would be a bit more strict with early access. Most art would be 1-2 weeks before it goes public, rather than just a few days, while animations would be about a month rather than a week. I know for sure I do not want any permanent paywalls on my content, but I do notice that a lot of my friends have had wildly more success with longer exclusivity periods. Early access isn't that much of a feature if it's not that much earlier.

For current patrons, I'd grandfather you guys in, so you're getting equivalent access for what you're currently pledging. The current roles would be hidden, so no new pledges could be made to them. There wouldn't be any obligation for you to change your pledge unless you wanted to.

I've been debating reintroducing monthly polls too, with a power level influenced by your tier.

If you have any thoughts / feedback / suggestions / complaints / ideas etc. please share.