Hello, and thanks for taking your time with this :)

I've been developing a website that will have clients buy my services
for prices like $6-$10... and of course, it would be easiest to accept
credit cards, and make the transaction right there on the the webpage.

First, let me give my situation:
I made the site with PHP, and it uses MySQL for its database. I like
to have as much control as possible with anything I write/make... so
I've already have the ability for clients to have accouts with me, I
have https access with www.oneworldhosting.com (my host), and I have
the "enter your credit card number" form ready to go... I even have a
merchant account with my bank, that says it is capatible with what I
am doing.

Now, here is my question (sorry for the delay, hehe):
Who or What do I use to process the credit cards, and deposit the
money into my account? Or has the "internet" made this far more
complicated than I'd like to think? lol. I looked at the ones that
first came to mind, like Verisign... but $300 for a setup fee, and
close to $50 a month is insane for what I'm doing. I don't think there
should be a "setup fee" at all, since I'm the one implementing it into
my own site. There has got to be someone out there that charges per
transaction, that offers some PHP functions/support. Lemme know if I'm
living in a fantasy :) Thank you

---

Clarification of Question by trentguy-ga on 14 Jul 2003 19:46 PDT

"charge per transaction", i mean.. like 5% or something.. not
something crazy like $2. Thanks :)

Hi trentguy,

This question comes up often on a newsgroup that I belong to and
overwhelmingly, the response is ProPay (assuming you are in the
States). I just browsed the archives and could not find one person who
had had a bad experience with them - I found nothing but happy people
(all small businesses). Essentially, ProPay is a very reasonably
priced merchant account.

PROPAY:

ProPay:
http://www.propay.com/index.html

ProPay Annual Account Fee – $35.00
Service charge processing: 3.5% 
Transaction fee: 35 cents
No deposit up to $1000 per month transactions 
($250 deposit for $2,000) ($500 for $3,000) 
IVR Fees (optional phone processing) - $24.95 annually
Discover Processing (optional) - $9.95 annually
XML Authorization Interface (shopping cart integration) - $395.00
annually

Click on the FAQ link for a complete list of fees:
http://www.propay.com/customer_service.html

You mentioned that you have a "credit card form" on your website. Is
it "secure" (safe)?  If yes, than ProPay is an good choice. If no,
than you may want to consider PayPal. The difference between PayPal
and ProPay is that with PayPal the transaction is made through them -
PayPal gets the credit card number, not you. A customer has to have an
account with PayPal in order to pay you with credit card. With ProPay
you receive the credit card number from the customer, ProPay just
processes it (your name will show up on the customer's account
statement, not ProPay's).

PAYPAL:

PayPal Business Account:
http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/mer/index-outside

Open an Account: Free
Receive Funds: 2.9% + 30¢
http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/fees-outside

Rates:
http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/fees-receiving-outside

I believe either of the above options are a good way to get your
business up and going. As it grows you can look around for the "best
buy" in merchant accounts with banks but for now, PayPal and ProPay
offer a quick, reasonably priced way to get started.

Additional Links:

IKOBO Money Transers:
"The pricing for merchants is as follows:
2.75% + .95 for each purchase a buyer makes. The minimum fee that we
charge merchants is $2.00. For Merchants outside of the United States,
there is an additional 2% fee."
http://www.ikobo.com/info_merchant.htm#

If you don't have a secure order form on your website, here is a free
alternative (originally made for booksellers but I don't think you
have to be a bookseller to use it, although I may be wrong):

123Pix:
http://www.123pix.com/register.cfm

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, if I've misunderstood
your question or if this hasn't satisfied your request, please post a
clarification request before rating my answer.

Thank you,
hummer

Google Search Terms Used:

paypal
propay
123pix
ikobo

---

Clarification of Answer by hummer-ga on 16 Jul 2003 07:27 PDT

Hi again trentguy,

Here is some additional info and rate comparisons:

Credit Card Primer:
http://www.evolt.org/article/Credit_Card_E_Primer/18/12694/

COSTCO: 
Executive Membership ($100. a year)
Discount Rate - 2.04% 
Transaction Fee - .28 ($20.00 monthly minimum)
http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=Info%2Fexecutivemembership%2Fcredit%2Easp&log=

Total Merchant Services:
Discount Rate - 2.40% 
Transaction Fee - 35¢ 
Statement Fee - $10.00/mo
http://www.merchant-solution.com/merchant-acct/moto.html

Monster Merchant Account Rates:
Internet  Discount Rate - 2.39%
Internet Order Transaction Fee - 32 cents 
Statement Fee - $10.00 per month
http://www.monstermerchantaccount.com/internet-merchant-account-rates.asp

Electronic Transfer Rates:
Discount Rate - 2.25% 
Transaction Fee - 30¢ 
Statement Fee - $10.00/mo
http://www.electronictransfer.com/rates.html

ECHO Rates:
Discount Rate - 2.11% to 2.61% 
Transaction Fee - 30¢ 
Statement Fee - $10.00/mo (free if you don't make any transactions)
Start-up fee - $99.00
http://www.merchantseek.com/echo.htm

Charge.com Rates:
Discount Rate - 2.95% 
Transaction Fee - 35 to 50¢ 
Statement Fee - $12 to 20/mo
http://www.charge.com/?404 

2CheckOut:
Discount Rate - 5.5% 
Transaction Fee - 45¢ 
No monthly fee /  Set Up Fee - $45
http://www.2checkout.com/

Good luck with your new business!
hummer

Thank you so much for doing the research for me :) I love the idea of
propay for a start up. Of course, if it gets big.. i would need to
switch to one of the automatic ones. Sorry for the late reply-- I saw
your answer as it came in, just didn't have enough time to say
anything-- and thanks for the extra clarification :D
-trentguy
hummer gets 5 stars... google answers rock

Great news, trentguy! I agree, ProPay sounds just like what you are
looking for but it bothered me that I hadn't really given you many
choices or comparisons. *When* you get big, trentguy, not *if* -
always think positively - hummer's rule.
Good luck! Thanks again, hummer