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Accepting credit cards online doesn't have to be confusing. Online order processing is a necessity for any web shop simply because it's impossible to deal in cash. There are a lot of options but let's simplify this to the safest and the most accepted methods. In that regard, we recommend one or two options:
- Paypal (including paypal pro)
- And / or a merchant account coupled with Authorize.net
PAYPAL
Most web shop owners will find Paypal to be a good place to start. However, as your volumes increase (to more than $1,500/month), the Paypal per transaction fees start to outweigh the benefits. At that point, it's best to go with a merchant account or at least make it an option. Paypal is well known among online shoppers which lends a sense of security to the transaction as well. Since many online shoppers have PayPal accounts, you should consider always providing the Paypal option. Paypal vs. Merchant Account is not really an either-or scenerio. There's room for both.
If you're just starting this process, go setup a free PayPal account today! Even if you have a PayPal account, you should consider setting up a separate account specifically for your web shop.
MERCHANT ACCOUNT
Setting up a merchant account is a little more complicated than PayPal but a good merchant services provider can walk you through the entire process. We recommend Merchant Payment Services for this simply because of there excellent services and their competitive rates. Once you have set up a merchant acount, the only information that you'll need to set up your shopping cart is the Authorize.net ID and Password.
SECURING CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS
First of all, the process needs to be secure. Web pages as a rule are NOT secure. In order to secure a credit card transaction, a website must have access to a secure site license or SSL for short. This provides a way to ecrypte the transaction so it is not readable by anyone except the credit card processing software. Getting and setting up an secure certificate (SSL) can be a confusing process to set up. Fortunately they are included with Build A Web Shop and you don't need to think about it. You just need to be aware that your clients transactions are secure. You should also know that SSL costs can range from $50 - $250 per year.
OFFLINE ORDER PROCESSING
You also have the option to take orders over the phone or to set up order notifications and punch it into your existing credit card machine. We don't recommend this but it can save you the cost of having to have another merchant account or the higher fees associated with paypal.
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