Internet Merchant Accounts For Innocents Abroad

If you want to sell on the internet, you need toThey allow you to block whole continents from
accept credit cards. To accept credit cards, youtrying to buy your product, and that is good. The
need a merchant account, or access to one.odds are that a $25 order for an ebook, from a
There're two ways of getting this: Get your ownthird-world country, is fraudulent.
merchant account, or 'pimp' off someone else's.If an order looks dodgy, it probably is. Contact
The latter is the option most new merchantsthe customer by 'phone or email. If you don't get
choose. You use a third-party to process youra satisfactory reply, refund the card.
payments, and they take percentage. Here are aWhen you're making $1000+ a month, get your
few popular ones:own merchant account.
( )MerchantSeek ( )
I don't recommend them as your main processor.A useful collection of affiliate links to merchant
See PayPal is popular because it was 'firstest withaccount and processing providers. Scroll down
the mostest' on auction sites. For this reason,their front page to their search tool. You can find
eBay bought them out. alleges that if you have aan account that suits your needs. This is most
bad order they freeze your account, and canhelpful to non-U.S. merchants, or those seeking
even dip into your bank account to make up any'international merchant accounts'.
shortfalls. Mitigating circumstances are not takenIn the UK, look for 'merchant services' at:
into account. I've read enough complaints aboutBarclays bank ( )
PayPal on webmaster forums to heed them.NatWest ( )
The usual rejoinder is; "But I've never had anyBank Of Scotland ( )
problems with PayPal". To which is usually retortedRoyal Bank Of Scotland ( )
"Just wait 'till you get a chargeback!"Streamline ( )
A chargeback occurs when someone asks theirUK processing services are:
credit-card company for a refund. They say theySecpay ( )
didn't get the goods, or they never made theNetbanx ( )
order, or the goods were not as advertised. ThisProtx ( )
is passed on to the processor, who in turn debitsHaving one's own merchant account means
the merchant. Or drops him entirely. You don'tpaying less in processing fees.
want too many of these.IMPORTANT: You should specify up-front that
I've used them for years for small amounts, withyou are looking for an internet merchant account.
no problem, but on the basis of others' complaintsInternet transactions are viewed as higher risk
in webmaster forums, I wouldn't use them forthan those by bricks-and-mortar businesses. The
large ones. Don't leave large amounts 'on deposit'technical term is 'card not present'.
in any internet-based company; they're not banks,Some things you may need, if applying for an
and even banks go bust occasionally.internet merchant account of your own:
The best use for PayPal is to entice customersBusiness bank account;
who already use it. Find another provider to bePhotocopy of a voided cheque for said account;
your main one. One like ...Copy of the articles of incorporation of your
( )company;
This is a factoring service like PayPal. Unlike them,Photocopy of your return policy information;
they have a pretty good reputation withTrade references;
webmasters. Like PayPal, they don't provide youPhotocopy of your driver's license or passport.
with a merchant account; they process yourIn short, you need to prove that both you and
orders through their own.your company are what you say they are. Your
This is why such sites have to be very stringent;account provider is taking a chance on you. You
they are answerable to their own merchantmight send them a ton of bogus orders. A bank is
account provider. Too many bogus orders, anda business too, not a community service. Help
they go out of business.them to make the right decision! The more you
This is why third-party factoring services likecan establish that you are bona-fide, the lower
2Checkout are very useful to a newbie merchant:the cost of your account.
fraud prevention. They can screen out suspiciousThings to avoid, if you can:a) Expensive
orders.credit-card processing software rental or
Most merchants would like to think they can sellhire-purchase.b) Monthly fees.c) High discounts (
worldwide. The fact is most of the world is poor;the % of your sales they keep ).d) Fat fees up
MOST countries can't afford your goods. Sofront ( anything over $500 is a joke ).e) Salesmen
some citizens try to get them fraudulently.calling you up with a spiel.f) Getting lumbered with
A smart merchant would bar most of the worldhiring their shopping cart as well.
from accessing his cart, and only accept ordersThings to look out for at sites offering merchant
from the USA, Canada, western Europe, Australiaaccounts:
and New Zealand, and his home country. Harsh,If you need to maintain a U.S. presence - full U.S.
but you'll sleep better at night.incorporation, U.S. server, U.S. offices, U.S. bank
WorldPay ( )account - or NOT.
A well-regarded service. I found adding it to theAlso if they want a deposit, and the size of their
Oscommerce cart ( ) a bit of a chore, but itapplication fee. And the usual monthly minimums,
worked. More expensive to join than 2Checkout.discounts etc.
You don't hear many gripes about WorldPay,Avoid getting into any software purchase or
which is rare in webmaster circles.equipment rental. You can sort all that out later,
( )for less money. There are plenty of good
Handy if you're selling a few items of inexpensivepayment gateways, like Authorize.net ( ) just
software to start off your business. They'll letitching for your business.
you up the price once they're sure of you. IPS: Don't accept a merchant account from an
managed to get them to go up to $150 ( whoo! ).Eastern European bank. I did, some years ago.
I was very jealous of their system. It's wellThe bank went bust. One guy wailed on Usenet
designed and extremely 'viral'; they're basically athat he'd lost $10,000 dollars. Luckily for me,
huge affiliate program. Join ClickBank, and othersbusiness was bad that year!
will try and sell your product for you.