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