2003-03-20 23:28:07.966995+00 by Dan Lyke 9 comments
Anyone out there got suggestions for an online credit card processor? Charlene's business is about to launch, and while we initially thought we'd be going mainly retail, it's become clear that we'll need a direct-to-consumer web presence. So, anyone out there got suggestions and experience with an online credit card processor?
[ related topics: Dan's Life Consumerism and advertising ]
comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment made: 2003-03-20 23:57:21.223626+00 by: Mark A. Hershberger
2checkout.com is a third party biller that is fairly easy to set up. If you're small, they're probably ok.
#Comment made: 2003-03-21 19:00:25.212405+00 by: phoffman
Kagi.com. They've been around for a long time, and they are very sensible. Their rates aren't low, but their service is solid. I've ordered through them a zillion times over the past ten years, since they are the processor of choice for Mac shareware companies.
#Comment made: 2003-03-21 20:53:39.884548+00 by: TheSHAD0W
I can't recommend a CC processor, but I can certainly recommend AGAINST one. Please, PLEASE do NOT use PayPal. They're a bunch of assholes, you can't trust them, and IMO their business model is faulty.
#Comment made: 2003-03-22 00:32:43.887922+00 by: meuon
and the saga begins.. First you need a merchant account.. Preferably one that uses VisaNet or Vital. Check your local bank first.- Best CC gateway I've found: www.ezic.com, and I'm an agent and can hook you up.. once you have a merchant account. First choice for a merchant account: Your local bank that knows you. Forget the word 'internet'.. but do tell them you may take phone orders (no card present), after you do a 'house party' and people order later. the trick is: established relationship with customer.. no card present, then.. get the merchant account enabled for transactions processed VIA the internet, but not FROM the internet (mail order, via phone..fax.. and in person at your store or parties..).
Worst case.. I have local contacts that will take a flying leap of faith for me.. based on LOTS of past experience.. and get you a merchant account setup.
#Comment made: 2003-03-22 09:17:07.922472+00 by: Shawn
Ditto what meuon says (especially the first sentence). Assuming all the business-end stuff is done, I eventually found a direct link to Authorize.net to be the simplist setup. I hacked a perl shopping cart to communicate directly with their gateway (instead of the gateway it had been originally written for) and cut out two or three middlemen.
This advice makes several assumptions on your question, which actually is kind of vague. (Not really a criticism - e-commerce is a mess to understand from an implimentation perspective.) Are you wanting a full-service, third-party solution (cart, processor, etc.)? Just a processing gateway? Or something in between?
#Comment made: 2003-03-22 19:15:01.186806+00 by: meuon
Authorize.net is a MAJOR pain.. And the management interface SUCKS.
#Comment made: 2003-03-22 19:29:50.885855+00 by: Dan Lyke
A few years ago there were a couple of system with APIs so that I could use my own shopping cart and https site, and just call their libraries with the appropriate data when it was time to complete the transaction. More expensive to do this way, 'cause I have to get my own certificate, but I think it's a much more classy way than "now we're going to redirect you to some off-site place you've never heard of". But yeah, it was kinda vague 'cause I didn't want to limit my options.
Shadow, no worries, I've heard enough bad about being a merchant with PayPal, and I think it makes an operation look somewhat rinky-dink, that they got written off really early.
We'll start with the local merchant account and work from there.
#Comment made: 2003-03-22 23:30:18.543889+00 by: crasch
I haven't used them, but CCNow allows you to accept CC orders without a merchant account.
#Comment made: 2003-03-23 06:22:29.781199+00 by: Shawn [edit history]
meuon; <shrug> I know you've said that before. It worked well for me. The management interface was... odd at first, but I was able to get up to speed pretty quickly and do what I wanted without too much trouble.
Dan; that's pretty much the scenario I described - without the specific library/API. I wrote directly to the Authorize.net API/gateway. You don't *have* to have a certificate, but I recommend it (as I did then, although they still didn't get one). (I know I didn't need to tell you that. I just included it for completeness ;-)