Webcam-chat-x

General:

Funny name for a chat site and probably a mistake as at first glance it looks like one of those spammy affiliate gateways.  But actually it is a real stand-alone website, originally French I guess, which know has a wide range of chathosts online - many of them German.

Ok maybe not a wide range, but quite a large number - if you choose "online" it lists anywhere from 50 to 250 thumbnails, but as they are all not doing free chat you can't peek into their rooms to see if they are really there.  Presuming that all or at least most of them are though makes this a quite substantial site.

Although the system supports free chat rooms in practice I found that there is no one in free live video chat at this site.  That's not a technical or business decision, more a "commonly accepted style" at Webcam-Chat-X.com.  Every one is just "go private", not even free text chat.  The webmaster tells me that they are going to start providing free-text chat only, ala ifriends, so we will see how popular that is.  Given today's environment of free hardcore shows it's not clear how far a nothing-for-free/privates-only style will do.

And the privates are mostly 2.20 chips / minute - each chip is US$1 to buy in batches of 20 with a few, a very few, extra thrown in if you bulk buy.  So for $80 you get 83 chips which is not exactly exciting.

So at $2.20 a minute it is a very reasonable price, down there with camcontacts, and though hosts are allowed to set higher prices you don't see it often.   And I don't think you'll see any at the theoretical minimum of 1.89/min.

Chip purchase is in packs of multiple of 20 and is done via verotel.com with your credit card.  I don't see any alternative.

As their faq says they "prefers quality to quantity" and indeed you won't see some of the more basic studios or hosts from around the world here that you may find in other places.  So if your preferences if for those then this is not the site for you.

However if the first world blond, but not necessarily native English speaking, chathosts are to your taste and you don't mind paying to even see and chat at first then this is certainly a good site to try out.

For Models:

To sign up,

1. Before you sign up, have a soft copy of your passport/ID document already saved in your computer.  A webcam is required for you to hold your passport/ID next to your face to take a snapshot later.
2. find the "Models area" at the bottom of the page.  As you don't have an ID yet, you click "Register".
3. choose a username, password and email address.  Note that this is not your screen name for viewer to see. 
4. read the "Terms and Conditions" and FAQ before you click "register".  There are clauses about no nudity and hardcore show outside private chat so beware of the rules.
5. In this new screen, you are asked to enter your real name, birthday, ID no., ID expiry date, address, ethnicity, nationality and languages you speak.
6. Next screen you will be asked to upload your passport/ID document.
7. Then take a snapshot of you with webcam holding the ID next to your face and you are almost done.
8. A pending account is created at this point such that you can and you are logged in to the model area.  I suppose their staff will look at the snapshot to see if the face match with the photoed ID.
9. Next, choose payment method.  Minimum payout limit is $150. 
10. Start customizing your profile, update your gallery and select countries to ban if you have any concern.

Here is a quick link to the model FAQ  Percentage is 38% on live chat, but 50% on tips and selling videos, with twice monthly payments with a 3 week delay via Paxum/Payoneer or wire and a $150 minimum.  They do chargback though.  So in all an ok but not wonderful offer.

With a range of offers include private/nude/peek shows, tipping and some geoblocking options it is not a basic site, there is a reasonable range of features for the host.    The quantity of traffic is not high though compared to some major sites, but when divided among the smaller number of hosts it may be ok.

What puzzles me is how you can build up a fan base though with no free chat at all and not even very interesting profiles pages.

If you'd like to comment more on webcam-chat-x.com please drop me a line in the forum.  Thanks.