Merchant Solutions from InfoQuest.Com
Once you have a shopping cart picked out, you'll want to determine if you are going to accept payment by credit card. If you don't currently accept credit cards but want to, there are a couple of choices you can make.
Option One - Use PayPal, Google Checkout, or a Similar Service
One option would be to use a service like PayPal or Google Checkout that accepts payments on your behalf and trafers funds to you after the customer makes a purchase. This is ok for a few products or single purchases and its benefit is that you yourself do not need to have a merchant account. If you go this route, be sure the shopping cart you select supports PayPal or Google Checkout. Most do.
Option Two - Obtain a Merchant Account
Another option is to obtain a merchant account. In the late 1990's, back when a domain name cost $150.00, it was extremely difficult to obtain a merchant account. My how things have changed. Today, any legitimate business can obtain a merchant account in less than a week. Merchant accounts allow you to accept credit cards directly (you become the merchant). Merchant account providers charge monthly fees, transaction fees, discount fees, batch fees, etc. for the services they provide. Don't let all these fees scare you, it is a part of doing business whether you are selling online or in a traditional brick and mortar store.
MerchantPlus offers the Internet's best all-inclusive package for accepting credit cards on-line, over the phone or for mail orders! In addition to years of experience enabling Internet businesses, our rates are unbeatable and we guarantee you won't find a better deal anywhere.
Payment Gateways (The connection between your online store and the bank)
Merchant accounts give you the capability of accepting credit cards. Payment gateways make it possible for someone to purchase a product from your online store and have you automatically receive the funds in your business checking account.
Payment gateways are setup for you by your merchant account provider and you have several payment gateways to choose from. One we've come to recommend is AuthorizeNet www.authorizenet.com. Not only does AuthorizeNet connect your store to your bank, it also allows you to issue refunds, setup fraud screening, manage your transactions, run numerous reports, and manually process orders directly from the AuthorizeNet website if the need arises. AuthorizeNet also makes it easy to implement simple "buy" or "donate" buttons right on your website without the need for a shopping cart. Now shopping carts are "way" more functional, but should the need arise for a quick "buy" or "donate" button, you're covered.
The Authorize.Net Payment Gateway can help you accept credit card and electronic check payments quickly and affordable. More than 212,000 merchants trust Authorize.Net to manage their transactions, help prevent fraud, and grow their business.