http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/ User submitted comments to Practical Ecommerce's article entitled What You Didn't Know About Payment Systems en-us Copyright 2007 Confluence Publishing Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:23:17 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/rss/ Practical Ecommerce v2.0.1 Ecommerce kmurdock@practicalecommerce.com bgetting@practicalecommerce.com 60 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment5461 Great article, Please do your homework, as we lost $12,000.00 from paypal and wont use them . No joke. as they do not realistically fight chargebacks, as over 30 so called customer filed for chargebacks 3 months later and paypal did not protect us and we have lost over $3,700.00, So again please be safe and read rules,(small print). There are allot of companies out there, and just because they are big doesn't necessarily mean they are good or honest, several smaller companies can offer great deals and sometimes have better options and give better customer service than the big guys.. Troy: www.hostitplanet.com Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:23:17 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment5461 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment4134 Great article! I run a web design company [Puerto Rico en Línea] and my clients have a lot of questions about ecomerce and this is the perfect article to explain to answer all their questions about it... (and some of my own). Thanks, Ruth PuertoRicoEnLinea.com Sun, 18 Nov 2007 06:38:19 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment4134 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment3584 The problem I have with PayPal is the numerous spoof emails I have been receiving that look legitimate. I don't want my customers having to deal with them and possibly being taken in the process. Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:44:20 -0600 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment3584 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment3333 We use Authorize.Net in our retail (swipe) and online stores. We received our Authorize.Net account and merchant account without paying one penny in setup fees from a company named CYBERAUTHORIZE (www.cyberauthorize.com). Our rates are low and the staff in cyberauthorize is excellent. Daryel - Jacksonville Jr NBA Basketball League (naabp.com). Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:48:47 -0600 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment3333 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment1558 Yes, the gateway costs extra, but it is completely worth the peace of mind -- I don't have to store my customers sensitive information. Our gateway stores the info which leaves me without that liability and also helps me convince customers who are leary of straying from paper checks that electronic payments are actually more secure. I've actually heard that unless you are using encryption to store your customers info in QuickBooks, you may be violating security regulations. Wed, 25 Apr 2007 12:14:16 -0600 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment1558 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment1506 How about passing on the gateway. Take the info yourself and skip the gateway. If you have QuickBooks and want to download or enter the info if you're not a large or heavy use site, you'll save hundreds of dollars a year but using QuickBooks or finding a processing company that won't kill you for the keyed in entry. Scott Neuman - Cheapofficesupplies.com. Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:36:19 -0600 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment1506 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment1154 A slight correction to Jordan's post. Your customers do not have to have PayPal in order for you to use PayPal as a merchant. PayPal does offer solutions that allow you to process credit cards where the customer. Also PayPal has purchased Verisign's payment services and so now has a wide range of options including a fixed .10 per transaction one (with $20 monthly fee). Tue, 10 Apr 2007 04:46:42 -0600 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment1154 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment1108 An additional problem with PayPal is your customers need to have a PayPal account, and PayPal--rather than the bank--is actually holding your money. I've found many other businesses blogging that complain about these same probelems. We recently switched from PayPal to PaySimple, which uses the USAepay online gateway, and are extremely happy with the system. Also, getting set up was easy--everyone I spoke with there was very personable and helpful. Fri, 06 Apr 2007 12:03:50 -0600 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment1108 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment812 We are a small ski resort with an online store. Initially used a Yahoo!-based gateway tied into a merchant account other than the merchant account we use for our day-to-day operations. The sales volume was low and the maintainance fees were very high. Then we decided to switch to PayPal and are quite happy with their pricing structure which compliments our sesonal sales fluctuations. There are no ongoing fees, just per transaction costs. The only thing we found difficult with PayPal is the brand integration. PayPal allows you to change the colors and add an image to your checkout page but it is a far cry from a full seamless integration. You can actually see how it works without completing a transaction at our page at Skibrokeback.com Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:15:11 -0600 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment812 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment241 Great article and information, Super. However you forgot about alternatives to credit cards such as digital gold currency. A payment solution such as e-gold can be added to credit card processing and capture that those shoppers who do not have credit cards or are not in PayPal countries. Mark Herpel digitalmoneyworld.com Fri, 02 Feb 2007 09:46:39 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment241 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment202 I'd like to point folks to USA ePay (www.usaepay.com). Just based on our experience, I highly recommend them. They have tons of useful features and various ways to interact with their processing. We initially used them as an API to process cards and when we moved to become PCI-compliant (which they are), they have Payment forms so we can outsource the sensitive information handling. They also have a SOAP interface for the ubergeeks, too. They handle recurring billing and multiple users and revenue sources, which make it easier to delegate tasks and pull together useful reports. Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:39:20 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment202 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment183 Disclaimer - I work for a leading online payment provider by the name of ClickandBuy LLC This communication piece is meant to be an insider's look at online payment processing to help others make an informed decision. Part of my/our philosophy is to be a valued resource and thought partner to those with questions: jamynigri [@] gmail.com. 1) can the solution facilitate global expansion seamlessly with foreign currencies (offer geo gating of offers to protect content owners etc) 2) in foreign countries, is there localized customer support (call center with multiple languages that an online user can call at any time to ensure the highest levels of customer support and user confidence) - example: user in France can call a live support option, and speak to a native French speaker to resolve their concern 3) will the solution calculate and invoice VAT for both the Merchant and end user by country and product type...while providing an online service tool for both mercchant and end... Sun, 21 Jan 2007 10:38:21 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment183 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment178 I was pleased to see that the article indicated how a payment gateway and merchant account can come from different providers. After two years we had the bank where we do all our business, prepare a bid to become the merchant account provider. As a result we have lowered what we pay in fees and have faster deposits of funds to our account. Chris www.catholicfamilygifts.com Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:11:31 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment178 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment177 I've been using Authorize.net on my online store. I am very happy with them. They were clear on their rates and fees from the very beginning, and their customer service is great. Thanks for posting this informative article; it should help out people who are new to online selling. Mike www.eroticemporiumusa.com Thu, 18 Jan 2007 21:11:21 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment177 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment170 I've found hidden, or even outrageous rates with some merchant gateways before I started my store online, Down Home Living Products & Gifts. I went with a sure-fire bet, PayPal. I've used it before to make purchases and felt completely comfortable using it for my own business. Besides, their fees are very reasonable. I requested information from Authorize.net one time when I was in the market, and after deciding I wasn't going to use them, I've been sent several offers (short of hounding me to death) to choose them. I still haven't. I think this article is great for beginners. I will definitely pass the word, of this informative article, to those thinking of starting an Internet store and in need of a payment gateway! Kevin www.downhomeliving.net Thu, 18 Jan 2007 14:43:53 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment170 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment166 I wish I had this article last September when I needed a gateway for my own cart. After reading closer, I noticed monthly minimums, annual fees and surprise charges every month. It was a tough lesson for a small business to learn. Keep up the good work. Ray www.getsafensecure.com Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:59:52 -0700 http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/397/What-You-Didnt-Know-About-Payment-Systems/#comment166