A user on the Fatwallet.com forum pointed out that there is a way to pay up front: "When checking out, choose the 'Add a gift' option to your cart also, then remove the original non-gift order - the gift option includes the 12 x $5 annual subscription, giving you the exact $159 option that you're looking for." http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1046972/

Definitely noted. Also, still prohibitive for international users due to high shipping cost.

To give you guys a reference point:

It's $62.95 for shipping it to Germany. Ouch.

This includes a prepaid Fedex envelope to return the sample though, so it amounts to €23 each way which isn't that unusual. Last time this offer was on (without the $5/month recurring payment mind), I noticed on Ebay a while later that some smarts were selling the kits $300. The $5 puts me off doing that though. I wonder if they'd sell as easily.

If you order more than one, you even get an enveloppe for every kit to send them back seperatly. You get another free kit if they can't read your sample. The shipment fee doesn't increase with the number of kits you order.

Not only the cost. They don't ship to some countries (e.g. Russia), though they do not object if I order it to an address in a supported country and have it delivered from there myself. I doubt they will get a lot of clients this way, though.

I assume there are some legal barriers in place. I would like to know what are they, but haven't had the time to investigate myself.