Online Home Business - Two Payment Processing Choices
OK, so you have your home business [http://www.stepsforonlinestore.com/] up and running and your web site is looking great but you need to be able to take credit card payments online [http://www.stepsforonlinestore.com/recommended/bigcommerce.php]. Where do you start?
You'll need a merchant account and getting hold of one of these is quite straight forward providing you know how to go about it and also you need to be clear what is necessary for your enterprise. There's actually no need to be put off by the process of obtaining merchant account facilities for your home online business. Below I have provided two options that will be worth you looking into as ideal for your business.
I expect you have heard of PayPal. This option is ideal for an entry level merchant account to process your home business online payments. It is very easy to create an account with PayPal without the need to pay to join or sign your life away in a long term contract. Another good feature of PayPal is that they charge for every transaction.
PayPal provides a comprehensive set of tools to help receive payments via your online business. They are highly trusted on the Internet and all your customer has to do is to simply click a "Buy It Now" or "Pay Now" button on your site to be taken to a fast and efficient credit card payment process. After payment your customer will be returned to your web site.
Another option or as an upgrade, so to speak, from PayPal you could opt for a fully fledged merchant account. The beauty of this type of online payment processing is that not only does it provide your clients the ability to use any credit card but when payment is made the whole process is completed on your web site.
Personally, I think that the fact that, when payment is made, your client is not directed to another site,as in the case of PayPal, is the most beneficial part of this type of merchant account both to you and your client. You have total control of the payment process. Also another benefit of not being redirected and then back again is that there are less things to potentially fail during the payment process.
With this kind of merchant account you will, most likely, find that you will have to commit for at least six months and your application will require approval after credential checks have been carried out. You will also, most likely, have to pay a monthly fee to the service provider and other minimum fees should you make any sales from your site or not. Make sure you are aware of the fees before you commit yourself.
If you are just starting out and your online venture is small then my advice is to start with a PayPal account. Once you have the feel of it and business expands then this maybe the time to apply for a fully fledged merchant account.
You'll need a merchant account and getting hold of one of these is quite straight forward providing you know how to go about it and also you need to be clear what is necessary for your enterprise. There's actually no need to be put off by the process of obtaining merchant account facilities for your home online business. Below I have provided two options that will be worth you looking into as ideal for your business.
I expect you have heard of PayPal. This option is ideal for an entry level merchant account to process your home business online payments. It is very easy to create an account with PayPal without the need to pay to join or sign your life away in a long term contract. Another good feature of PayPal is that they charge for every transaction.
PayPal provides a comprehensive set of tools to help receive payments via your online business. They are highly trusted on the Internet and all your customer has to do is to simply click a "Buy It Now" or "Pay Now" button on your site to be taken to a fast and efficient credit card payment process. After payment your customer will be returned to your web site.
Another option or as an upgrade, so to speak, from PayPal you could opt for a fully fledged merchant account. The beauty of this type of online payment processing is that not only does it provide your clients the ability to use any credit card but when payment is made the whole process is completed on your web site.
Personally, I think that the fact that, when payment is made, your client is not directed to another site,as in the case of PayPal, is the most beneficial part of this type of merchant account both to you and your client. You have total control of the payment process. Also another benefit of not being redirected and then back again is that there are less things to potentially fail during the payment process.
With this kind of merchant account you will, most likely, find that you will have to commit for at least six months and your application will require approval after credential checks have been carried out. You will also, most likely, have to pay a monthly fee to the service provider and other minimum fees should you make any sales from your site or not. Make sure you are aware of the fees before you commit yourself.
If you are just starting out and your online venture is small then my advice is to start with a PayPal account. Once you have the feel of it and business expands then this maybe the time to apply for a fully fledged merchant account.
