Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

PayPal and or Google checkout are the usual choices because there is no monthly fee only a % of the transaction.

~Roland

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I work in the merchant services industry and can help you with establishing a merchant account (if you are interested in alternatives to paypal or google checkout as recommended above).  Paypal and google checkout are not bad solutions when you`re first starting out, but you`ll definitely want to upgrade as your business grows.

The biggest concern most businesses have when opening a merchant account are the monthly fee`s associated with the account.  Many companies charge monthly minimums and also inflate monthly service fees.

I`ve written a guide to things you should know before opening a merchant account.  You can view the guide here http://ipsinc.ws/page2.html

Also, I`ve posted up the rates/fees that I can offer for an ecommerce merchant account which you can view here http://ipsinc.ws/page4.html

I hope this information is helpful for you.  If there is anything I can do to help you along the way don`t hesitate to get in touch with me either via message here on SuN, or even via telephone if you`d like.  I wish you all the best as you work towards the opening of your web store.


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Oliver Mupas
United Bank Card
866-207-6007 ext 303
omupas@ubcnetworkonline.com

I would recommend looking at paypal standard merchant services. It works better than just having a paypal account, but there is no monthly fee and the rates are comparable of other merchant accounts.

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Josh Christy

http://www.81designs.com
Email: josh@81designs.com
Phone: 701-203-4336

81designs.com
Your Vision, Our Designs

Yes, go with paypal.  I have looked at tons of merchant accounts and many of them have hidden fees and cancellation fees that you don`t find out about until later.  I love paypal because you can sign up in a way that makes it transparent to your customer (they won`t know you are using paypal) and you can cancel any time.  The fees might be a little higher PER transaction, but you aren`t paying all the statement fees, etc. that other accounts have.  And, you can cancel at any time. 

I`ve used paypal for 6 years and never had a problem with it.  And, they have recently added new features for tracking your sales that I like.

The other one that I liked and found to be very easy and honest to work with was Authorize.net.  I never had a problem with them and everything was clearly explained to me before I signed anything. 

~Kim

 

If you want to be taken serious on the internet, do not use PayPal to take credit cards over the internet.  If you choose PayPal Pro, and accept the cards through your website, that would be acceptable.  There is something unprofessional about a site that accepts payment only by paypal.

As everyone has said, keep an eye out for: transaction fees, processing fees, and gateway fees.  Also, be careful of setup costs.  Also, a lot of places have some room for negotiation.  I was able to get my rate down to 1.75% per transaction through www.FreeAuthNet.com

Authorize.net is a very good payment gateway for internet based accounts.  With Authorize.net you utilize authorize.net for the payment gateway and then you also sign a merchant account.

A few things I noticed.  On the site you added freeauthnet.com it shows that they are charging a monthly auth.net gateway fee of $15.95/month and the merchant account statement fee is $8.95/month.  You mentioned that you negotiated your rate down to 1.75%.  What card types does that 1.75% cover?  What is the non qualified rate?  Is there a monthly minimum?  There are some things that are not visible in the website and I`m trying to find out what the total package is with what this site is offering.

This is directly from their website "**The above rates and fees are not meant to be entirely inclusive; other rates and fees may apply to certain transaction types."  What is the full pricing program?  A lot of companies quote this way, where they don`t disclose all of the fees.

For a full quote for an authorize.net account that I am able to offer you can view it here http://ipsinc.ws/page4.html  Notice that the quote includes all the pertinent fees to the account.

Whenever you`re looking for a merchant account, make sure to have all the details before you sign the paperwork.  Most of the time, a lot of the fees are not disclosed up front.  Do a google search for merchant account and see how many companies publish all rates (Qualified, Mid, Non, etc), you`ll be surprised how few actually do.


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Oliver Mupas
United Bank Card
866-207-6007 ext 303
omupas@ubcnetworkonline.com

I would say that you can accept by either paypal merchant account (standard or pro). You wouldn`t have to necessarily go with the pro if you are not as familiar with the api programming. But I agree that you should not just accept paypal, but to include credit cards as a transaction medium.

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Josh Christy

http://www.81designs.com
Email: josh@81designs.com
Phone: 701-203-4336

81designs.com
Your Vision, Our Designs

Wow, why don`t you push your services a little harder. 

I`m pleased with the value I`m getting through Capital Merchant Solutions that`s why I recommended them. And of course always ask about the unpublished rates, just because they`re not published doesn`t mean they`re always going to be an exuberant amount.

I apologize if it seems that I was pushing my services, I`ve learned in this business that people need to know pertinent information, especially in the merchant services arena since pricing can be so different across the board.

It was not my intent to seem pushy or anything along those lines.  I think it`s important for people to have the information to make the right decision for their business.  It`s sometimes hard to do that when you don`t have all the details available, that was the main reason I was asking, not to provide an attack.

If you notice in my original response, I actually recommend that someone start with paypal or an equivalent, especially if the major concern is monthly fixed expense.  Even if you`re paying a higher rate, depending on volume, it may make more sense to pay a higher rate and a lower or no monthly fee.

The fact of the matter is, these days, the non qualified rate is very important to know.  In a 100% keyed environment, such as a website, most companies are now putting rewards cards into the non qualified bucket.  50%-60% of the cards being issued now are rewards cards, so it`s information that needs to be known.

Again, I apologize if I came off as pushy, if you look through my discussion history on SuN, I`ve tried my best to be as helpful as possible.  Sorry if I have offended anyone here.


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Oliver Mupas
United Bank Card
866-207-6007 ext 303
omupas@ubcnetworkonline.com

US Merchant Services are great. ask for Tim O`Rourke....look them up, they`re in LA


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My site: www.entreplanet.com

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