June 7, 2008

Payment Services for Online Merchants



If you are an online merchant, one of the biggest obstacles making a successful business is getting paid from your customers. When the internet first started out, very few people had credit card processing technology, so the only way you can get paid was via a check or money order. While that definitely had an impact on ecommerce, today it is easier than ever to transfer money online from customers to merchants. Here are some tips on payment services.

There are two main payment services; Paypal and credit card processors. Paypal has completely revolutionized the industry since its inception and has made many people expand their business and ease their operations by transferring funds from buyer to seller, fast, easy and reliably.

Paypal holds each members personal and financial data on their server, so it is very difficult to conduct fraud. Paypal is also a very secure and reliable way to transfer money.

Credit Card processors are also a viable option. Used primarily by larger businesses, credit card processors allow a web site to take credit card orders over the phone, or through a ecommerce shopping cart. Credit card processors usually charge a monthly and per transaction fee. They are a little more expensive than Paypal but are open to more customers that shop online. Fraud is a little more rampant with credit cards because there are more ways to use stolen credit cards then using a Paypal account. So if you are looking for a great way to complete transactions online, check into these payment services.
If you are starting a business online, you probably will be checking out many types of software that can help your business. Before you go out and spend your money, do some research on the right software for your business. You can save a lot of time and money picking out business software that will benefit you.

Many people that start either an auction site business or ecommerce business think they need to spend thousands of dollars in special marketing software, business management software and inventory software. Many people who purchase software are usually unable to take the time out of their daily schedule to learn each software program to use it to its potential. In effect lots of wasted money.

If you are looking to buy software for the first time, ask your self if it is absolutely necessary in the immediate future? Is it something that you can use right away? And will you make your return on investment? Answering these three questions are critical to finding out if the software is really necessary.

Another great idea is to ask people in forums or chat rooms with similar businesses, if these software programs helped them out and what are the pros and cons of the software. Many people will be honest and tell you pitfalls and great features about each software you plan to buy. Forums are a great place to go to get honest information on many products. So if you are starting a business, choose your business software carefully.