Purchases and Subscriptions on DLsite and Ci-en

How to make Payments and Support Creators on Ci-en and DLsite

みなさん、こんにちは。
DLsiteやCi-enなどでJCB以外のクレジットカードが使えなくなったり、色々制限などかかって結構どう対処していいかわかりにくいところがあるかと思うのですが、海外の利用者へのサポートや説明がもしかしてあまりないのでは？と思い、海外向けの説明をここで書こうと思います。

基本的には英語の記事になるのですが、フォロワーでなくても自由に読める記事とさせていただきますので、もしよかった自由にこの記事を紹介したり、リンク先を張ったり、好きに使っていただければと思います。

状況が月々変わってきているので、少しでも助けになれればと思います。

Hi everyone.

I'm writing this article to help explain the situation of payments and support with Ci-en and DLsite to overseas users.
It's been a little confusing even for Japanese users, and I realized there has probably not been much explanation or support for anyone who doesn't speak or understand Japanese.
I'm going to try to provide some explanation and a step-by-step manual to help you continue making purchases on DLsite and support creators on Ci-en.

This article is free for all to read (you do not have to be a follower).
Please feel free to introduce the article, post links to it, and in general spread the word so that it will be easier for others to understand what's going on and what to do.

If there is any information that needs updating or you would like, please let me know!

What is Happening (The Current Situation)

Written: 2024/06/21

Many adult-oriented sites in Japan, including DLsite, have been having problems with the credit card services for VISA and MasterCard. This has essentially led to DLsite (and Ci-en) no longer being able to provide support for VISA and MasterCard transactions.

The primary reason for this has to do with the content of the services provided by DLsite and other adult-oriented websites in Japan.
VISA and MasterCard have provided an ultimatum to many Japanese adult-oriented services to remove/limit certain types of content.
This includes any non-consentual content (such as hypnotism, Master/slave, rape, etc.), loli/shota or underage-themed content, and various taboo content such as interspecies/bestiality, incest, and generally rougher sex such as g*ngbangs.
This includes not being able to use any of the aforementioned words (such as "slave") within product titles or descriptions, searches, and all previously released products have to be either censored or removed.
DLsite has done their best to provide a workaround, creating different search terms and categories, but it seems the credit card companies did not find such changes acceptable, as it was (most likely) a superficial change.

Now, both sides have their arguments for and against, and I'm sure many people have their own opinions, but the purpose of this article is not to discuss the merits of either side, but to provide a manual on how to continue purchasing digital goods and supporting creators on Dlsite and Ci-en.
Please do not discuss who or what side is right or justified here, as this is neither the place for that nor can I provide you any information or support.
There is absolutely nothing I can do other than explain the situtation and provide options for payments.

DLsite provides a variety or payment options, but honestly, most of them are not convinient and are not reasonable if you live overseas.

The current payment options

- Credit Card (JCB): JCB is a Japanese credit card company. I do not know if there are worldwide credit card applications, but I can look into it if there is interest. (This is the easiest payment option for those currently living in Japan. As you can imagine, JCB has most likely seen an increase in credit card application from anyone who purchases porn in Japan - which is pretty much everybody.)
- Convinience Stores/Net Banking: You pretty much have to be in Japan to make a purchase at a local convinience store.
- Payment Apps (Paypay, paidy, LINEpay, FamiPay, WebMoney, BitCash, dPoint, au): If you can use one of these apps, great. (The most popular in Japan is Paypay) In that case use the app as you normally would to make a purchase through DLsite.

Yeah, those are your basic options.

The last option, and the one I will be explaining here, is to purchase DLsite Gift Cards online.

DLsite has a dedicated service to purchase DLpoints, called DLPay, with which you can purchase points using PayPal and all credit cards.
This is currently the easiest option.
(It seemed to be discontinued at one point, but is back now??).

You can also purchase DL Gift Cards through a third party site, ForBooks.jp, but it is completely in Japanese. They do, however, have more Gift Card options.

How to purchase DL Gift Cards through DLPay

The DLPay site is available in English and other languages. Select the Language at the top of the page, and everything else should be self-explanitory.

You can go to the DLPay site:
https://dl-pay.com/

How to purchase DL Gift Cards through ForBooks.jp

In case DLPay stops working, I've included another site you should be able to make purchases from.

You will HAVE TO CREATE A ForBooks ACCOUNT first in order to purchase DL Gift Cards from their site.

I've added a step-by-step below, with translations IN PURPLE.

Step-by-Step

Create a ForBooks Account

1) Go To the following page to create an account:
https://forbooks.jp/account/login

2) Click "Create and Account"

3) Input your Family Name, Given Name, and E-mail Address, and then click "Send E-mail".

If sent successfully, you should see the following message:

4) Check your Inbox for an E-mail from For Books (info@forbooks.jp).
The E-mail should looks something like this:

Click "Activate Account".

5) Create you password. (Enter it twice.)

Then click "Activate Account".

6) You should land on this page, and have completed registration!

You should also receive an e-mail that looks something like this:

Purchase A Gift Card

Go to the DLsite ForBooks page here:
https://forbooks.jp/products/dld003p

You can also jump to the page from you DLsite "Buy Points" Page:
https://www.dlsite.com/home/mypage/user/buy/point

You should get a page like this:

Though it's a rather standard purchase page, I've added the translation IN PURPLE.

1) Select the amount of points you want to purchase

2) Select your quantity and click "Add to cart"

3) You may get a pop-up message like this.

It is a disclaimer that reads

"It may take a few hours until you receive you serial code. Please be patient and wait.

Please make sure you are able to receive e-mails from '@forbooks.jp' and '@sendowl.com'. If you still do not receive the e-mail, please check your spam folder.

There have been cases where e-mail addresses have been incorrectly entered. Please be sure to enter the correct e-mail address."

Click "OK".

4) Another pop-up will appear saying the item has successfully been added to your cart.

Click "Checkout".

5) If you're not logged in, log in.

6) Enter your credit card information (VISA, MAsterCard, AMEX, JCB, Diner's Club, Discover) and billing address.

For the Billing Address, the inputs will automatically change depending on you "Country". Try to use my translation as a guide, as it should mostly be similar. If there's something you can't figure out, post a comment and I'll add it.

Click "Pay Now".

OPTIONAL
You can check the "Save my information for future purchases box", after which the form show below will appear.

7) Your purchase should be complete, now wait to receive your code by e-mail. (It may take a few hours, but I received mine right away)

You should receive and e-mail from ForBooks with your gift code that looks something like this:

There will be a 16-digit code at the top of the e-mail you will need in order to obtain your points.

Disclaimers for purchases on ForBooks.jp:
- Only up to 3 Gift Cards can be purchased at one time.
- DL Gift Card purchases cannot be made in conjunction with other products.
- Purchases cannot be cancelled or refunded.
- DL Gift Cards can only be used for DLsite and Ci-en, and cannot actually be used on ForBooks.jp
- The DL Gift Card will expire in 6 months. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REDEEM THE CODE AFTER THAT. (Only the Gift Card code will expire. The points you obtain will still be able to be used after 6 months.)
- Stolen or missing gift codes cannot be returned, reimbursed, or reissued.

Redeeming your Gift Code and obtaining DL Points

1) Go to the following DLsite page to input your code:
https://ssl.dlsite.com/home/mypage/user/serial/point?locale=en_US

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE LOGGED INTO THE ACCOUNT YOU WANT TO ADD POINTS TO!!

2) Copy your code onto the form and click "Send".

If successful, you should get a screen like this:

You have successfully added DL Points to your account!

You should now be able to make purchases on DLsite using the points in your account.

Supporting Creators on Ci-en

When purchasing a NEW subscription, simply pick "DLsite Points" at checkout.

Changing setting for Creators you ALREADY support on Ci-en

You will have to change your settings on Ci-en in order continue supporting creators.

1) Go to "Support Information" on your Ci-en MyPage.

2) For each individual creator, select the triple dot menu

3) Click "Change Payment Method"

4) Select "DLsite Points"

5) Repeat for each individual creator

6) You're all set!

DISCLAIMER: Any problems with purchases, point, expirations or other issues related to the use of the provided sites or information provided in this article are not the responsibility of the author. Please be responsible and make good decisions when making purchases.