The Birth of a Successful
Internet Business
Part seven of ten -- Accepting Payment Through Processing Companies
By Shelley Lowery
Accepting payment through your website is an absolute essential part of doing business on
the Internet. If you're not accepting online payments and processing orders online, you're
losing a massive amount of business. Studies have shown, you can increase your online
sales up to 400% simply by accepting credit cards. In addition, by offering a combination
of payment options, you can increase your sales even further.
With today's advanced technology, you can start accepting payment through your website
almost instantly (depending on the service you select). Preparing your website to process
orders online can be as simple as pasting some HTML code within your web page.
There are many professional companies online that will enable you to accept payment
through your website without a merchant account. These companies are known as third party
payment processing companies and provide an invaluable service for homebased businesses.
Most companies will enable you to accept all major credit cards and electronic checks.
Some companies will also provide telephone billing and recurring billing for paid
subscription and membership sites. There may or may not be a set up fee and there are
usually no monthly fees. Some companies charge a "percentage" and a "per
transaction" fee. While others simply charge a set percentage fee per transaction.
They will process your orders and send you payment for all your orders processed, minus
their fee and a reserve fee.
A reserve fee is withheld to cover any charge backs you may have. If you have no charge
backs within a period of time, your reserve will be refunded to you. Each company has
their own guidelines in regard to reserves.
Once you've applied with a company and/or have been approved and paid the setup fees, you
can immediately begin accepting payment. You will then be provided with special coding to
place within the HTML of your order page. When your customer clicks on your order link or
image, they will be taken to the processor's secure server to process their purchase. Once
their order has been processed, they will then be directed back to a page on your website
that you specify. This page may be a download page, or even a "complete your
purchase" page that you can use to collect your customers' name and email address and
then direct them to your download page.
Once your customer places an order, you will instantly receive an email notification
letting you know that you've made a sale. Your account will be instantly credited, minus
the company fee, and you will be paid according to the company's payment schedule.
Third party processing companies are great for startup businesses, as if you don't make
any sales, you won't be charged a fee. You are only charged a fee when and if you make a
sale.
The following third party processing companies will enable you to accept payment through
your website:
=> iBill
http://www.ibill.com
IBill will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB and
online checks. They also offer a telephone billing service (900 toll phone number). There
are no setup fees. They charge 12%-15% per transaction fee for credit card and check
purchases and 20%-30% per transaction fee for phone purchases. Services available for US
and non- US merchants.
=> PayPal
http://www.paypal.com
PayPal will enable any business or consumer with an email address to securely send and
receive payments online. You can also accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover
and electronic checks. You can sell with PayPal through an online auction, on your own
website, or as part of an online marketplace. They also offer recurring billing. There are
no setup fees. They charge 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Services available for US and
non-US merchants.
=> ClickBank
http://www.clickbank.com
ClickBank will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover,
Eurocard, Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit, Novus cards and electronic checks.
They charge a one-time $49.95 activation fee, and a $1 + 7.5% fee per sale. There are no
monthly fees. The great thing about this company is that they'll enable you to run an
affiliate program. Services available for US and non-US merchants.
=> Revecom
http://www.revecom.com/
Revecom will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and JCB
credit cards in real-time. They also offer Check Processing in Real-time and recurring
billing. There is a $49 set up fee. There are no monthly fees. They charge 3.95% + $1 fee
per sale. Services available for US and non-US merchants.
=> 2Checkout.com
http://www.2checkout.com/
2Checkout.com enables you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. They
also offer recurring billing and a free shopping cart. There is a $49 set up fee. There
are no monthly fees. They charge 5.5% + $0.45 fee per sale. Services available for US and
non-US merchants.
Accepting payment through your website is an essential part of your online success. Don't
put it off another day. Take your time and select a company that will best suit your
needs. It will be well worth your effort.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery 2002. All Rights Reserved
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of several successful ebooks including Web Design Mastery -
An in-depth guide to professional web design. Ebook Starter - A Complete Ebook Design Kit,
and eZines: A Complete Guide to Publishing for Profit. Subscribe to Etips and receive a
free copy of her highly acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies."
http://www.web-source.net
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