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The Add Me! Newsletter *** ISSUE #68 ***
"Free tips for promoting your website and business"
Add Me, Inc http://www.addme.com
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...TODAY'S ARTICLE...
>> Taking Orders Online! <<
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October 12th, 1999 *** ISSUE #68 ***
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.....TODAY'S ARTICLE.....
Taking Orders Online!
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By Curtis Stevens
http://www.imsnewsletter.com
Is your online business accepting credit cards? There are
many ways to take credit cards and to process your orders
online. We have spent weeks researching how to get set up
with a merchant account to process orders, and here are the
options that we found:
- Using Someone Else's Merchant Account -
Merchant accounts are agreements with banks and transaction
processors that allow you to accept credit card charges.
First consider if you want to get your own merchant account
or use someone else's. Many companies will let you use their
merchant account for a percent of the sale. Fees for such
services start at 9% and go higher.
There are disadvantages to using another company's merchant
account. You are going to pay about three times or more
than you would if you had your own merchant account. You
do not have complete control, and there are transaction
limits, such as minimum charge amounts. Finally, most
companies do not give you your money until a month or
longer after the transaction.
- Finding a Merchant Account Provider -
Just like web hosting, the number of companies offering
merchant accounts has grown substantially, and there are
now thousands of providers to choose from. You can search
for providers at < http://merchantworkz.com >. When you
find a company that you like, you might want to call them
up and talk to them. Ask them questions like:
- How will the merchant account work?
- Are there any hidden fees?
- Do you charge a Programming Fee, if I have my own software?
- Is there a monthly minimum fee.
Get to know the company and ask any questions you can think of.
Make sure you are completely comfortable about their service
before signing up. At the above web site, there are some
articles that might help you better understand this subject.
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- Software -
If you get a merchant account, you also need software. The
software you choose depends on your business. If you are
taking orders exclusively over the Internet and do not have
the physical credit card, then you might be better off with
a computer program. You can use a terminal, but software
might be easier if you have customers that order more than
one time. Because it has a reoccurring charge feature.
There are a few programs available online and a very popular
one is PC Charge from Go Software Inc. This software lets
you enter and store the customers' credit card information
to charge at ease.
PC Charge is available from most merchant account providers.
The PC Charge and terminals usually cost around $400 and up.
If you are a retail business and use the physical credit
cards for transactions, then you can use a terminal to get
charge authorizations. A terminal will let you enter the
credit card number or you can swipe it. You can use a
terminal no matter what business you have. Terminals are
also available from most merchant account providers.
- Automatic or Manual? -
You need to decide if you want your orders to be processed
automatically or manually. To manually authorize transactions,
you have to enter the credit card information into a software
program, terminal or swipe the card with your terminal. If
you have the physical part of a card, then using a terminal
will be the best and fastest way for you.
Automatic processing is best for Internet based companies,
or businesses that will not have the physical part of the
card. How this works is people will order online and the
order form will be setup with a program that will process
and charge the credit card for you. Most companies offer
this and use a program called Authorize. This program can
save you time, but it is more expensive. Most companies
offer the above program, and fees can range from $495 and
up. Either two ways are efficient for online businesses.
- Complete Control -
If your business is strictly online, then a program like
PC Charge or a terminal might be the best way. Though it
takes a little more time, it gives you the control to stop
orders if you think they are fraudulent. Conversely,
automatic order processing offers convenience, but with
less control.
- Programming Fee -
If you don't buy the operating software from your merchant
provider, most companies will charge you a large fee for
programming third-party software. All this consist of is
changing a few things in the software. I have seen fees
ranging from a few hundred dollars to $500. There are a
few companies available that will not charge you this fee.
Search around and you should fine one.
-Taking Orders -
There are basically four ways to take orders online. You
can set up a form on your web site so orders are emailed
to you, or you can use shopping cart software. You might
want to use a shopping cart if you have many products or
services, because it's easier for customers to
point-and-click their purchases than manually entering
numerous item numbers, colors, sizes, etc. Ask your web
hosting provider and see if one is included with their
service. If not, then you might want to look at Dansie
< http://dansie.net/ > It is a professional shopping cart
that should meet your needs. The other two ways are by
phone and fax. These two methods are not as popular, but
some customers prefer them.
- Secure Server -
For anyone to order from your web site, you are going to
need to make your order forms or shopping cart secure. Ask
your web hosting provider if you can use their secure server
(SSL). This feature might be an extra fee if it is not
included with your hosting package.
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Curtis Stevens is the owner of the Internet Marketing Success.
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Go here: < http://www.imsnewsletter.com > or send a blank email
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