Dunno if just me (or what I said in the second to last paragraph below) but I personally find it weird of saying the script is free but not attaching it to the topic because it gets people to go onto another site where I would go regardless to support the script maker. It feels unnecessary and in a way strong arming me to “come look at this page of mine” when it’s already in the topic’s content.
This increases so when the site I’m directed to says: “ye, this is free…but only once you do this one little thing for me…” Now this is providing I even understand what it’s saying as the few times I’ve been directed to Fantia, I’ve just ended up confused and leave.
I didn’t know till recently from someone else telling me “Oh Gumroad? I just put in gibberish” as I thought you had to put in an legitimate email address which is where the script gets sent to. So how is someone whom doesn’t know meant to know since it isn’t explain?
With Patreon, if my account was ever banned I’d be unable to get scripts that require me to sign up. Regardless though, when you become a member you tell that creator “oh hey I’m such and such” since it automatically hands over your email address and name even if you stop being a member right away since at that point in time you want to try before you buy. Well if that creator is someone who’s collecting email address and names to later on send spam to…tough luck if you used your real email.
Maybe this is due to me having seen too much of the bad gaming times of where a ton of games with good hype and done up marketing release to be complete dumpster fires or micro-transactions hellscapes in addition to the kickstarter ‘promising the world, then run away with the cash’ stuff and more recently "oh it's just a beta/early access/alpha don't worry the final product will be as promised and out in a year, keep buying the game to support us though...." For one year later radio silence that becomes eternal and no updates were given after the first few early bug-fixes. I want things to be as they say they are, in the place I expect them to be.
Free samples at fairs/events/festivals let you walk up take the sample and walk away, not told to fill out a survey or provide this and that before you get it or in return for it. When you come back and purchase the actual product afterwards though then that may happen but still not required if it’s not part of you purchasing.
EDIT: Forgot completely about the question of “What happens when the site bans the scripter off their site and vanish off the internet?” that @VeiledPrivateer has brought up. As well then aren’t you forced to hope that someone that checks the topic still has it saved away? The bans are happening as we’ve seen for years of Patreon constantly throwing adult creators off their site and Gumroad now starting to do so recently…Fanitia also started blocking IP’s, so saying “It won’t happen” isn’t valid, since it has happened and proved it’s a matter of time so it seems.