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Q: Opening up a Merchant Account ( Answered,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Opening up a Merchant Account
Category: Miscellaneous
Asked by: wfm68-ga
List Price: $200.00
Posted: 02 Oct 2003 20:11 PDT
Expires: 01 Nov 2003 19:11 PST
Question ID: 262340
I am doing research into opening a Merchant Account. I am looking
specifically for the following information
1) Is there any data or findings that support opening an account such
as ticket items tend to be larger when the buyer can use a credit card
Or __% of merchants increased sales when they offered the option to
pay by credit card.

2) I would like to know what the competitive market place for merchant
accounts looks like? What are the range in prices I would expect to
pay? Are all merchant accounts pretty much the same or do some have
special features?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Opening up a Merchant Account
Answered By: umiat-ga on 04 Oct 2003 11:32 PDT
 
Hello, wfm68-ga!


 I have tried to answer your question(s)in a comprehensive manner.
However, if I have overlooked some specific areas of concern, please
let me know. Compiling an answer took a bit longer than I anticipated,
so I do thank you for your patience!


Key points:

*Credit Cards are the major payment instrument used for online
purchases.
*Sales increase when measures are implemented to protect credit card
transactions.
*Impulse buying coupled with online credit card acceptance is a
primary factor in increased sales.
*The addition of alternative payment methods provide an additional
boost to online sales.
*Choosing a Merchant Account Provider depends on the type of business
involved, identifying hidden fees and sifting through the myriad
companies to find the provider that best suits your particular needs.


CREDIT CARDS AND ONLINE PURCHASE
=================================

"More than 90% of online business-to-consumer transactions are
conducted via credit and debit cards, with most of the rest controlled
by online-payment service PayPal Inc."
 From "A Delicate Balance: Privacy, Security, And Convenience," by
Christopher T. Heun Information Week. (Jan. 7, 2002)
http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020102S0005

==

A 2001 study of consumer payment preferences by Dove Consulting found
that the majority of consumers use credit cards for online purchases.
 From "ABA/Dove Consulting Survey Shows Electronic Payments Ready to
Surpass Cash and Checks." (2001)
 http://www.consultdove.com/article_download/RS-2001CPPS.pdf

==

 In Europe, "two thirds of online buyers own a credit card and 36% of
online purchases are made with them, making it the single most popular
form of online payment."
 From "Seeing Beyond Credit Card Payment Online." Consumer
Technographics Europe. (May 2002)
http://www.atlanticpayment.com/gc/seeing%20beyond%20cc%20payment%20online.pdf


========
QUESTION 
========

1) Is there any data or findings that support opening an account such
as ticket items tend to be larger when the buyer can use a credit card
-  Or __% of merchants increased sales when they offered the option to
pay by credit card?


==


 Certainly, the ability to purchase with a credit card is a major
factor in "impulse buying". Shoppers who might otherwise change their
mind about a product if they had to sit back and write a check have
less time to do so when they can make an immediate purchase.  However,
a large number of consumers are still very wary of security issues.
Therefore, while it is true that credit cards are the main instrument
used in online purchases, it is also important to consider that MANY
WHO OWN A CREDIT CARD AND WOULD USE IT, DON'T!
 
 Any measures that can be taken to enhance transaction security will
further increase sales by enhancing consumer confidence. Further, the
addition of a variety of payment options will further increase sales
attracting customers who have no desire to use a credit card no matter
how much security is in place.



 Read the following excerpt from "Online content suffering from lack
of payment." By Internet Wire via NewsEdge. Computer Users.com (May
08, 2003) http://www.paymentone.com/news/media/ComputerUser5-8-03.pdf

 "A recent poll by Payment One, called "The Online Payment Strategies
and Preferences Poll", reveals that online consumers still have
serious concerns about using their credit cards for online purchases,
especially in respect to security. In fact, security concerns
outweighed product comparisons 2-1."

 "The study was conducted in cooperation with Javelin Strategy &
Research and eContent Magazine, which surveyed more than 10,000
consumers and top marketing executives at 300 Internet, content, and
premium service providers. According to the research, consumers
continue to perceive serious shortcomings with today's online payment
options, particularly with respect to security. In fact, when
consumers who have not made online purchases were asked what would
persuade them to buy online content, 53 percent cited more secure
payment options. Payment security was chosen over price or
product-related responses by more than a 2-1 margin."

 "A further research study from the third UCLA Internet Report, titled
"Surveying the Digital Future," found that "92 percent of consumers
have at least some level of security concern about using their credit
cards online. Slightly more than 63 percent said they were either
"very" or "extremely" concerned."

 "The message is clear. Online content will not be king until
consumers believe payments are secure," said James VanDyke, principal
and founder of Javelin Strategy & Research, a leading analyst firm
tracking online payment trends."

 "Most importantly, 61% of the consumers surveyed stated that they
would "be more likely to make online content purchases if there were
an easy and secure alternative to the credit card."



==================================================
A "BEFORE AND AFTER MERCHANT ACCOUNT SUCCESS STORY
==================================================

 This article addresses how credit card payment options were a boon to
offline sales as well:

"Since our meager beginnings, we accepted cash and checks. It didn't
seem like too much of a restriction at first. We had the opportunity
to get involved in fundraising activities for a local sports
organization. We decided to market certain teamwear and giftware items
specific to this group. We began by selling directly to the league,
then marketing the items retail, with a percentage going back to the
organization. Soon, it seemed as if every customer asked the same
question: "What credit cards do you accept?" When we stated we only
accepted cash and checks, we got the universal response "Don't have
much cash on me, I'll only take this one item."

 Pertaining to the transition to an online presence:

"..within the first two months I had far surpassed the average ticket,
with most of my sales doubling or tripling that amount. I even
accepted an order online from a customer for more than $2,000 in
custom printed shirts and jackets for his staff members. Needless to
say, I also surpassed the monthly limit."

".. find that customers usually spend 30-50% more when paying with a
credit card. And giving customers an opportunity to spend money is
what it's all about. Isn't it?"

(Read the entire article for a good insight into the considerations in
choosing a merchant account provider.)

"Case Study: Choosing a Merchant Account Provider," by Aaron Spitzer,
Contributing Author.
http://www.workz.com/cgi-bin/gt/tpl_page.html,template=1&content=2331&nav1=1&

==

Another interesting article:

"Do You Make Your Prospects and Customers Jump Through Hoops?" by
Marty Foley, ProfitInfo.com
http://www.successsecrets.co.uk/Articles/boost-sales.html


===

From "Steps To Accept Credit Cards In Your Business," by Bruce
Keiffer. President, National Card Systems, Inc.
http://www.merchantseek.com/article6.htm

Is It Really Necessary To Accept Credit Cards To Be Successful?

"Yes, it is. Here are just a few reasons why:

"The average cash sale amount is $9.00. The average credit card sale
is $40.00. That is a 450% increase per transaction. Is it any wonder
why you do not see VISA/MASTERCARD signs disappearing from store
windows? This is no different in a home based, and more importantly an
Online business."

"Another factor is this. Without giving your customers the convenience
of accepting payment via credit cards, your sales are going to be far
less than your competitors that do accept credit cards. This is a
basic fact of business."

"The bottom line?... If you are going to be in business, it is vital
to the success of your business to offer your customers the
convenience of paying by credit cards."



=======================================
INCREASED SALES WITH CREDIT CARD OPTION
========================================

 As is the usual case with sites touting merchant accounts, these
statistics are not backed up with references. Take it for what it's
worth.

From "Accepting Credit Cards Can Increase Your Business."
MerchantAnywhere.com
http://www.merchantanywhere.com/pdfs/Increasing%20your%20Business%20with%20credit%20cards.pdf

"These are some key points of how credit cards can help your business
grow:

 Bigger Sales: Customers who make purchases with credit cards spend
2.5 times more on merchandise than those who buy with cash.

 Payment Options: By giving customers the option to pay with a credit
card, you are increasing the buying power of your customers. They can
make the purchase and pay at their own pace instead of paying a lump
sum right away.

Internet Strategy: Credit cards are the primary method of payment over
the internet. If you don’t accept credit cards, you will miss out on a
sale. Accepting credit cards also separates your business from those
merchants who do not.

More Expensive Merchandise: Customers who use credit cards are usually
not aware of slight price differences as are those who pay by check or
cash. Usually, they are more interested in businesses that offer
credit rather than those that offer discounts or wholesale items and
do not accept credit, thus increasing the average amount of each sale.

Impulse Buying: Customers have a sense of freedom when using their
credit cards to make unplanned purchases.

Increase Sales Volume: Accepting credit cards has shown a sales volume
increase of up to 40%.

Steady Sales: Customers who use credit cards, make purchases whenever
the need arises. Customers who use cash on the other hand, only make
purchases on payday or during the holidays.

Return Customers: Studies show that customers who use their credit
card, usually like to return to the place where they made their
previous purchases.

Card Usage: There are 243 million MasterCard and Visa cards in the
United States equaling a total spending of $215 billion.

No Risk: When credit cards are processed and approved, you can be
certain that the funds will be there for you. You don’t have to worry
about taking a risk because the customer deals directly with their
credit card provider in case they can’t pay their bill. Remember, your
money is already in the bank. (However, please remember that any
customer can dispute a charge on their card statement) As you can see,
accepting credit cards is vital to the success of your business.
Allowing people to use credit cards is the easiest, fastest, and best
way to increase your profits.


==



==========================================================================
SALES INCREASE WHEN METHODS ARE IMPLEMENTED TO BOOST CREDIT CARD
SECURITY
==========================================================================

Security-Scanning Software
--------------------------

 "Can you boost sales on your Web site by promoting your use of tough
security? Web-site security-monitoring firm ScanAlert argues that the
answer is yes and says it has the facts to back up that claim.
ScanAlert says it has analyzed the shopping behavior of more than
300,000 visitors to 11 online retailers. Sites showing "proof" of
increased Web security enjoyed a 10.5% to 33% boost in converting
browsers to buyers."

"In a test begun in October, half the visitors to participating Web
sites were shown the Hacker Safe certification, while the other half
were not. Online retailer Clubfurniture.com reported a 33% increase in
buyers among those shown the certification, Binoculars.com improved
sales by 32%, and CDconnection.com saw an increase of 13%."

From "Security Could Boost Online Sales," by George V. Hulme.
Information Week (April 28, 2003)
http://www.scanalert.com/pdf/press/2003_04_28.pdf


Controlled Payment Card Technology
===================================

"The correlation between an online shopper's comfort level with credit
card number security and how much is actually spent on the Internet
may be a good deal stronger than many analysts had thought, at least
according to one look at consumer spending habits."

"New York City-based Orbiscom, which markets what it calls Controlled
Payment Number (CPN) technology, said that online shoppers spend two
to four times more when they use substitute card number technology."

"An analysis of consumers using this technology, comparing last year's
second and third quarter Internet sales totals with this year's
figures, shows an average increase in spending of about 220 percent
compared with only 29 percent for the typical online shopper, Orbiscom
said, citing figures from e-business research firm eMarketer."

"Orbiscom said eMarketer figures show that CPN users who spent between
$101-$200 last year increased spending by an average of $658 this
year. Consumers who spent over $1,000 online last year during the
six-month period increased spending by an average of $1,184 -- more
than doubling their Internet purchases."

Read more about CPN technology:

"E-Commerce and the Warm Fuzzies," by Beth Cox. InternetNews.com (Dec.
3, 2002)
http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/1551131 
 

 
==========================================================
IMPULSE SHOPPING IS FUELED BY CREDIT CARD PURCHASE OPTIONS
===========================================================

"The Internet is a direct marketer's paradise -- no, make that an
impulsive shopper's paradise. And when customers can buy on impulse
and do so in the privacy and convenience of their own homes or
offices, the likelihood that more sales will be generated will
definitely be higher."

"Since most impulse orders are processed by credit cards, then having
a merchant account is one of the key ingredients to a thriving online
business if not an necessity."

"When people are offered the benefit of both convenience and
immediacy, the quality of your service will perceptually increase.
According to research, options and value were key factors in the
decision to buy from one company over another -- price and quality
were at the bottom of the list. If you offer the same product that a
competitor does for instance, and if in addition you provide different
payment options, you will undoubtedly be in a much stronger position."

From "How to Increase Sales With Payment Options," by Michel Fortin.
http://www.4hb.com/0503sdpaymentoptions.html

==

"It has been said that to allow the use of credit cards on a web site
that sells products will at least double sales compared to having
clients mail in checks. While this may be true for some sites, it is
far from certain that this is true for all sites. And the issue is not
whether it doubles sales as much as whether it keeps potential buyers
from leaving the site without buying. Clearly, offering credit cards
does not increase traffic, so any sales increase must be due to your
ability to meet the needs of EXISTING visitors that REQUIRE the
convenience in buying online."

"The most important issue will be the sales cycle. If you sell an item
that is purchased on impulse, then you MUST accept credit cards. The
impulse must be acted on right then.....If you sell an impulse item
and your payment process is not able to be online, then you are
already losing half of your potential clients. In this case, offering
a credit card payment option will help you keep consumers that you
have already attracted to your site from leaving before they purchase.
In this case, credit cards don't double your business as much as let
you close the business that walks away because you don't offer credit
card payments."

From "E-Commerce Considerations." Bruce Clay LLC. 
http://www.bruceclay.com/web_ecom.htm 


===


CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN TRANSACTION PREFERENCES SHOULD ALSO BE
CONSIDERED
==========================================================================

Owning a credit card does not necessarily mean that online consumers
"prefer" to use them:

 A study of European consumers found that although credit cards are
the most popular payment option for online purchases, consumers would
prefer to have other payment options at their disposal. The study
revealed that while "credit cards are used by 20 million European
online shoppers, the other 34 million prefer to use alternative
payment mechanisms like checks, cash on delivery or direct debits."
Many consumers that do own credit cards do NOT use them to pay
online....amounting to more than 19 million online buyers.
 From "Seeing Beyond Credit Card Payment Online." Consumer
Technographics Europe. (May 2002)
http://www.atlanticpayment.com/gc/seeing%20beyond%20cc%20payment%20online.pdf


===

"Europeans have wildly different expectations about payment for goods,
both online and offline, and consumers who prefer using credit cards
or debit cards to pay for online or offline purchases are much more
likely to shop online. The Swedes, the Swiss, Spaniards and Italians
prefer using cash, while the French are fondest of checks and Germans,
the Swiss, and Austrians want the option to pay by invoice. Only U.K.
consumers cite credit cards among their top three payment preferences.
So to succeed, retailers selling online across Europe must offer a
multitude of payment options."
 From "European E-Tailers Face Regulatory, Cultural Barriers," By
Michael Pastore. Internet.com (July 2001)
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/geographics/article/0,1323,5911_780501,00.html

  

========
QUESTION
========

2) I would like to know what the competitive market place for merchant
accounts looks like? What are the range in prices I would expect to
pay? Are all merchant accounts pretty much the same or do some have
special features?


=================
MERCHANT ACCOUNTS
=================

 Type in "merchant account" on a search engine and you will get an
immediate feel for the intense market competition in this industry.
However, hundreds of hits doesn't necessarily translate into quality
companies.
  
 There are different types of merchant accounts depending on your
specific needs. Each type offers different services and fees.
Therefore, you will need to define the type of merchant account best
suited to your business and narrow down the playing field from there.

Types of Merchant Accounts:
--------------------------

Traditional Merchant Accounts:
 "Traditional Merchant Accounts offer businesses of all kinds the
ability to accept payment by credit card. In the past, these services
were offered almost exclusively to storefront business, but today the
most progressive companies are actively working to accommodate
Internet-based businesses."
 
Integrated Merchant Accounts:
 "Integrated merchant accounts provide complete online business
solutions, from offering merchant account and payment gateway services
to actually hosting, and possibly even designing your web site. These
services make it very easy to get a complete e-commerce setup, often
for very reasonable fees.

Personal Merchant Accounts" 
 "Personal Merchant Accounts work a little differently than other
merchant accounts, but still offer the ability to accept credit card
payments. They are mostly used by individuals trying to sell products
directly to each other through places like Ebay, but these companies
are expanding their services to meet the needs of all types of online
merchants.


Read "Types of Merchant Accounts." 
http://www.aota.net/E-Commerce/merchanttypes.php4

==

 The "Virtually Ignorant" website provides a good insight into the
murky Merchant Account industry:
http://www.virtuallyignorant.com/merchants.htm

 "If you want to compete in the e-commerce arena you need to accept
credit cards on-line, and if you want to accept credit cards on-line
you need to have a merchant account. Unfortunately, there are few
areas of web building more difficult to get a grip on than merchant
accounts. The other components we've dealt with on this site mainly
involve a straight forward product with a straight forward price.
There are two reasons why this doesn't apply with merchant accounts:
1) These accounts are very lucrative, resulting in tons of advertising
on the subject, much of which is intentionally misleading; and 2)
There are more ways of putting hidden fees into merchant accounts than
into just about anything else on-line."

"There are two basic fee components involved in merchant accounts, a
percent of each transaction and a set transaction price. For instance,
for accepting an order of $100, you may have to pay 2.5% of the
transaction as well as an additional transaction cost of $0.35, making
your total cost $2.85. If you took an order for $200, the total cost
to you would be $5.35. Merchant account rates are almost always higher
for internet transactions than they are for in-person transactions or
telephone transactions. Thus the same order may have cost you a dollar
less if the purchaser had handed you a credit card rather than
entering it online. The fees used in the example, 2.5% and $0.35, are
about average merchant rates for internet transactions. If you're
paying more than this, you find a better deal."

"Here's where things get complicated, there are a number of other fees
that are associated with merchant accounts. Not all merchant accounts
charge you all of the following fees, but every merchant account will
charge you at least some of these fees. They are:

An initial setup cost; 
Initial or ongoing hardware costs; 
Initial or ongoing software costs; 
A monthly service charge; 
A monthly statement charge; 
A monthly minimum. 

"Since there are so many different charges, it is exceedingly
difficult to set up an easy way of comparing the different accounts
around. Many of them advertise low or non-existent rates in one area
in order to entice customers and then wallop them in another area.
Even putting dishonest business practices aside, merchant accounts are
difficult because your business has particular needs individual to it.
Those planning on doing a great deal of e-commerce shouldn't be as
concerned about set up costs or monthly fees as they are about
individual transaction costs. Companies which sell high cost items
should look for the best percentage transaction rate and be less
discerning regarding the set transaction costs, whereas those that
sell low cost items should look for the exact opposite."



OVERVIEW
---------

The Merchant Account Advisor is a Great Place to Start:
http://www.the-merchant-account-advisor.com/index.html

 The 9 Minute Tutorial provides an excellent overview  
 http://www.the-merchant-account-advisor.com/nine-minute-tutorial.html

 How to Choose the Best Merchant Account for You 
 http://100best-merchant-accounts.com/article-choosing-merchantaccount.htm

Also read "All About Merchant Accounts." Alexis D. Gutzman. (July 1,
2003)
http://ecommerce.internet.com/news/insights/econsultant/article/0,,9571_208591,00.html
 


FEES
----

100 Best Merchant Accounts has a good overview of common fees:
http://100best-merchant-accounts.com/article-merchantaccount-fees.htm#1


Standard Fees
=============

Application/Setup Fee - 
---------------------
 This fee is a one time cost, and usually ranges from $100-$200, but
can vary greatly depending on the provider. Almost all merchant
accounts charge this fee, but some integrated solutions may waive the
setup fee.

Discount Rate -
---------------
 This fee is usually a percentage of the transaction amount. The
average real-time processing rate is around 2.35%. For card-present
transactions (traditional retail stores, etc.) the rate averages
around 1.59%-1.89%. The discount rate is always taken off the top
along with the transaction fees before any money is deposited into
your account.

Transaction Fee -
----------------
 Each time you process and charge a customer's credit card, there is a
transaction fee involved. This fee is meant to pay for the network and
computers required to process the transaction and is common to most
merchant accounts. Providers may charge anywhere from 20 to 50 cents
per transaction.

Statement Fee -
--------------
 Depending on how your account is set up, your bank and/or your
payment processor will send you a monthly statement detailing the
transactions and deposits made into your account during the month.
This fee may vary from provider to provider, but is usually set around
$10 per month.

Monthly Minimum Fee -
-------------------- 
This is the minimum amount you will be charged each month by your
Merchant Provider. This fee is usually imposed only if your credit
card transactions and fees don't reach the specified minimum for the
month. The majority of merchant providers have a set monthly minimum
fee, generally around $25-$30.


Additional Fees
================

Gateway Fee - 
------------
 Your payment processor may charge a monthly gateway fee to pay for
the privilege of processing credit cards in real-time. This fee
generally ranges from $10-$30 a month.

Swipe Terminal Hardware Fee -
----------------------------
 This is the cost of the actual card swipe terminal used in most
retail transactions. They usually cost around $300 to purchase, but
price will vary based on the type and quality of equipment you select.
You may also have the option to lease the equipment month-to-month,
but this usually adds up to be more expensive than buying the
equipment up front.

Programming Fee -
---------------
 This only applies to businesses using card swipe terminals who are
moving from one provider to another. This fee can range from $0-$100.

Batch Fee/Daily Close-out Fee -
-----------------------------
 Some companies charge a daily fee for batching your transactions
(when they finally submit all the transactions you've accumulated
throughout the day.) This fee can range from 10 to 20 cents a day, but
may be avoided by shopping around for another provider.

Chargeback Fee - 
---------------
 This is the cost to the merchant each time a charge is refused or
contested by the customer. This may be due to a fraudulent charge,
undelivered products or services, or some other cause. This fee can
range from $5-$25 per chargeback and can quickly add up when you run a
business vulnerable to fraud, such as an internet business. It may pay
off in the long run to shop around for a lower chargeback fee.

Annual Fee -
-----------
 Some providers charge an annual fee for their services, ranging from
$0-$100 each year. This fee doesn't serve any real purpose other than
increasing revenue for the merchant provider. You'll probably be able
to avoid this fee by shopping around.

Reserve Fund - 
------------
 Some companies withhold a portion of your earnings as "insurance"
against chargebacks or other future costs. Some companies may even
require that you establish a reserve fund before processing your
transactions. Since you'll probably want to have access to all of your
money, all of the time, avoid this extra expense if possible (very
high-risk businesses may not have an option.)

Termination/Cancellation Fees -
------------------------------
 The majority of merchant providers enforce a set "term" to their
contract and many charge some type of penalty for early termination.
Be sure to find out the exact term of your agreement, as well as the
amount you'll be charged if you decide to cancel your service. Also,
find out whether the contract will be "automatically renewed" each
year. With this type of contract you may be charged a penalty for
cancellation any time after the initial term.

Foreign Card surcharges -
-----------------------
 These fees are passed down directly from Visa and MasterCard, so most
companies will charge them. Surcharges can range from 1.5% - 2.0% .

Debit fees - 
-----------
 Some companies charge access fees to accept ATM/Debit cards with a
pin pad. They may also charge an additional statement fee, if they do
not integrate the credit and debit statements. If you're a retail
business that accepts debit cards using a pin pad, keep shopping.
There are many other companies who do not charge these fees.


Fees to Avoid
=============

Retrieval Fees
Non-refundable or hidden set up charges
Pass-through Fees
Software fees
Licensing fees
Amex/Discover setup fees



Merchant Account Links and Descriptions
========================================

Click on Company Review for Type of Account, Description, Services
Provided and Fees.

Merchant Account Top Picks
http://100best-merchant-accounts.com/category-merchant-accounts.php

Overview of Other Merchant Accounts
http://100best-merchant-accounts.com/search-results.php?bool=%22merchant%20account%22&style=1&title=Merchant%20Accounts


Also read "The Inside Information on Merchant Account Providers - How
to Find the Best M.A.P. for Your Business." The EComm Connection.
http://www.ecomresourcecenter.com/ecom_connection/0901_03.html



==============================================
Alternatives to traditional Merchant Accounts 
==============================================


"... obtaining a merchant account and administering an e-commerce
enabled web site require a great investment of both time and money.
Many businesses would love to skip the hassle and expense of offering
online credit card payments, and others do so for those very reasons
-- even when they are fully capable of accepting credit cards."

"Moreover, many banks turn down online merchant applications since the
Internet is regarded as an increased risk (i.e., the lack of
signatures heightens the risk of chargebacks and fraud). In addition,
the greatest portion of online commerce is made up of small businesses
-- many of which are incapable of obtaining merchant accounts.
Fortunately, there are solutions."

"Some companies now offer alternate e-commerce solutions where even
the single-person business can profit from the web. They act as
resellers or third party billing companies that, for an additional
fee, will process orders for non-merchant client businesses. Some of
these companies also offer a variety of online tools, such as
administrative functions, shopping carts, scheduled payouts, and
seamless, secure transactions -- often at no extra cost."

"Their transaction fees may be substantially higher than those of
standard merchant accounts (anywhere between 8 and 15%), but keep in
mind that most of them do not require any setup fees, expensive
software, equipment leasing, or security deposit."

However, while many people own credit cards there are many others that
do not (for one reason or another) or others that will simply refuse
to buy online because of security concerns. These potential customers,
while a minority, are often ignored as a result. It therefore makes
perfect sense to offer clients several payment options -- the more the
better.

For instance, some companies offer the ability to accept online checks
(or what banks call "demand drafts"). Similar to credit card orders,
online checking allows visitors to supply their checking information
online (or even by fax or email). Once entered into a specific
program, checks are then printed out and then deposited like standard
ones

From "How to Increase Sales With Payment Options," by Michel Fortin.
http://www.4hb.com/0503sdpaymentoptions.html


=======================================================


 Well, this has been a long-winded answer to a complex subject. I hope
I have helped to answer your questions. As always, if anything is
unclear or you need additional clarification, PLEASE don't hesitate to
ask and I will be happy to help if I can!

umiat


Search Strategy
selecting a merchant account
do online consumers buy more if they can use a credit card?
do credit cards increase online sales?
payment preferences online
cost range for merchant accounts
increased online sales AND credit card
comparing merchant accounts
do business sales increase with credit cards?
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