The Birth of a
Successful Internet Business
Part seven of ten -- Accepting Credit Card Payments through Your Website
By Shelley Lowery
Accepting credit card
payments through your website is an absolute essential part of doing
business on the Internet. If you're not accepting online credit card
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 credit card
payments 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 credit card payments 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
credit card payments through your website:
=> 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 credit cards 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 credit 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.
=> 2Checkout.com
http://www.2checkout.com/
2Checkout.com enables you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express
and Discover credit cards. 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 credit card payments 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
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web
Design Mastery.
http://www.webdesignmastery.com And, Ebook Starter - Give Your
Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book.
http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a
complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed
ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies."
http://www.web-source.net
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print,
in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author
bylines are included.
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