Ecommerce Information

Do You Need A Merchant Account?


Deciding when to get your own merchant account for internet sales can be a confusing and expensive venture. If you have a small to medium sized business and only sell a small amount of products then having your own merchant account may not be the answer for you. Some of the costs involved include.

Monthly fees. Anywhere between $25-$50 for statements and minimum fees.

Per transaction and charges fees. Usually between 2%-3.5 % in fees and .30-.50 per transaction.

Gateway fees. $10-$30 per month

SSL certificate. Can be as much as $250

Shopping cart fee or software purchase. Monthly can range $20-$70 and software purchase can be as much as $1400.

In addition to the cost is the technical aspect of setting up your site to use a shopping cart and real-time processing. Not all gateways, merchant accounts and shopping carts play well together. You must make sure that each can work with each other. Plus be prepared to properly set up your web server to use all this nice technical information the accounts give you.

Now, if you are a larger business or do a lot of sales each month perhaps your own merchant account is the answer for you. It can save you money in the long run. But if you are just starting out with an online business, then a third party merchant may be the answer for you. Third party merchants handle all the background details, pay the monthly fees, assume the risks of fraud and charge backs, and handle all the secure shopping your customers will expect when shopping online. While the monthly fees may be a bit higher, there usually isn't a set up charge, gateway fees, SSL charges and shopping cart set up. Depending on the service you choose, they can give you simple HTML code to add to your site or allow you to use "buy buttons" or both. Fees range anywhere from 5% to 13.5%. Some companies charge a set up fee and a per transaction fee.

Then there is always Paypal. A useful service for new comers to the online payment arena but it has its drawbacks. With Paypal:

Your customer must set up an account with them

They can FREEZE your account

They can set limits on monthly transactions

I suggest you explore all your options and decide what is best for you financially and technically. A little research online can save you money and time in the long run.

About The Author

Jim Hoffman is the co-founder of Inet Goodies. An internet resource group, focusing on SEO, Hosting, Billing solutions and Traffic.

http://seogoodies.com

admin@inetgoodies.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Green Tips for Ecommerce Packaging
AuctionBytes Blog, MA - 9 hours ago
Jan Ferrigan tackles the issue of environmentally friendly packaging in the July 20th issue of AuctionBytes-Update. We want to hear from online sellers ...


Newport, RI Handbag Designer Launches Ecommerce Website www.mikija.com
PR.com (press release), NY - Jul 18, 2008
Mikija, designers of unique papyrus handbags, today announced the launch of their new, direct-to-consumer, ecommerce website www.mikija.com. ...


eVanity Launches Robust eCommerce Site in Just 100 Days With ...
MarketWatch - Jul 15, 2008
The new eCommerce site was successfully launched in just 100 days with MarketLive(R) FastTrack 2008 and is now processing orders in time for the company's ...


Aussie e-commerce leads the world
Money Management, Australia - Jul 17, 2008
“The US and UK are thought to be the most tech savvy, but the conversion rates suggest otherwise when it comes to e-commerce. US consumers tend to place 3.3 ...


Intermix(R) Upgrades to MarketLive(R) v5.5 eCommerce Suite to ...
MarketWatch - Jul 14, 2008
"The online channel is critical to our success as a high-end retailer," said Don McNichol, eCommerce Director for Intermix. "Not only does it provide an ...


Innovative Military Surplus eCommerce Website Takes Contextual ...
TransWorldNews (press release), GA - Jul 17, 2008
JDM, an innovative, full service marketing firm, announced today the launch of their client, Omaha's GI Surplus, new eCommerce website. ...


InSite Software Expands Partnerships with Top Web Design Firms to ...
MarketWatch - Jul 15, 2008
InSiteCommerce is the next generation in ecommerce software providing B2B and B2C ecommerce features with the deepest level of ERP integration available ...


Infopia Announces Expanded Web Services
MarketWatch - Jul 16, 2008
SALT LAKE CITY, July 16, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Infopia, the leading SaaS eCommerce platform provider, announced today the expansion of its Web ...
SaaS Vendor Infopia Offers 'Expansion' of Web Services TMCnet
all 10 news articles


Business Analyst- eCommerce
iTWire, Australia - Jul 15, 2008
Are you an experienced eCommerce Business Analyst looking for an opportunity to work in a challenging, interesting and complex environment? ...
Technical Business Analyst --- Financial Markets iTWire
all 2 news articles


E-Commerce Solutions and E-Commerce Business Solutions
PR-USA.net (press release), Bulgaria - Jul 14, 2008
This complete, easy-to-use ecommerce solution, offers all the ecommerce functionality you need, including entry-level catalogue, shopping cart and real-time ...

Ecommerce - Google News

home | site map
© 2006