Accepting Credit Cards for Payment

"mcp6453" <mcp6453.DeleteThis@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:402FDFC3.12C0@earthlink.net...
 > We are getting ready to sell a music CD online from a web page. Since
 > I'm no programmer and don't have any experience with e-commerce sites, I
 > have tentatively decided to go with PayPal and their no-account-required
 > option. (You can pay by credit card without having to set up a PayPal
 > account.) I've heard all of the good and bad about PayPal, but they
 > appear to be the best solution for our single-product offering at this
 > time. (There are still some issues that I have to resolve with regard to
 > variability in international shipping rates.)
 >
 > My question is, if someone decides to email credit card information, how
 > can I process that credit card through PayPal? Do I just log in and
 > enter the order as if I were them? How do I issue a credit to their
 > credit card?
 >
 > Most importantly, if you can recommend a merchant account service that
 > charges less than 2.% and 30¢ per transaction, I'm interested. There
 > will be no in-person sales, only Internet and possibly telephone.

If you set up Paypal they won't need to email you their credit card info. I
think it's illegal anyway (you should know!) to do this.

I didn't know Paypal allowed sales to non-members, this makes a HUGE
difference. My only gripe about them before was the requirement to be a
member to make a purchase.

With the above in mind, Paypal should be ideal.

Equally good (if not better) for tangible products such as yours is
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.ccnow.com" target="_blank">www.ccnow.com</a> I used them in the past, and found them to be very good.

I wouldn't get hung up on the commission charges. For most people without
Merchant Accounts, they provide an otherwise unattainable service, well
worth the commission.
--
Charles Sweeney
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.CharlesSweeney.com" target="_blank">www.CharlesSweeney.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

"Charles Sweeney" <me.DeleteThis@charlessweeney.com> wrote in message
news:c0oobb$19vjiq$1@ID-162618.news.uni-berlin.de...
 > "mcp6453" <mcp6453.DeleteThis@earthlink.net> wrote in message
 > news:402FDFC3.12C0@earthlink.net...
  > > We are getting ready to sell a music CD online from a web page. Since
  > > I'm no programmer and don't have any experience with e-commerce sites, I
  > > have tentatively decided to go with PayPal and their no-account-required
  > > option. (You can pay by credit card without having to set up a PayPal
  > > account.) I've heard all of the good and bad about PayPal, but they
  > > appear to be the best solution for our single-product offering at this
  > > time. (There are still some issues that I have to resolve with regard to
  > > variability in international shipping rates.)
  > >
  > > My question is, if someone decides to email credit card information, how
  > > can I process that credit card through PayPal? Do I just log in and
  > > enter the order as if I were them? How do I issue a credit to their
  > > credit card?
  > >
  > > Most importantly, if you can recommend a merchant account service that
  > > charges less than 2.% and 30¢ per transaction, I'm interested. There
  > > will be no in-person sales, only Internet and possibly telephone.
 >
 > If you set up Paypal they won't need to email you their credit card info.
I
 > think it's illegal anyway (you should know!) to do this.
 >
 > I didn't know Paypal allowed sales to non-members, this makes a HUGE
 > difference. My only gripe about them before was the requirement to be a
 > member to make a purchase.



Yeah, Paypal just started allowing non-members to pay using them. They are
now cheaper than our Authorize.net account to use. If I trusted them with
more than $1000 at a time...I'd use them for all of our daily processing.

--Tina
--
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 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

Tina - AffordableHOST.com wrote:
 >
 > "Charles Sweeney" <me.DeleteThis@charlessweeney.com> wrote in message
 > news:c0oobb$19vjiq$1@ID-162618.news.uni-berlin.de...
  > > "mcp6453" <mcp6453.DeleteThis@earthlink.net> wrote in message
  > > news:402FDFC3.12C0@earthlink.net...
   > > > We are getting ready to sell a music CD online from a web page. Since
   > > > I'm no programmer and don't have any experience with e-commerce sites, I
   > > > have tentatively decided to go with PayPal and their no-account-required
   > > > option. (You can pay by credit card without having to set up a PayPal
   > > > account.) I've heard all of the good and bad about PayPal, but they
   > > > appear to be the best solution for our single-product offering at this
   > > > time. (There are still some issues that I have to resolve with regard to
   > > > variability in international shipping rates.)
   > > >
   > > > My question is, if someone decides to email credit card information, how
   > > > can I process that credit card through PayPal? Do I just log in and
   > > > enter the order as if I were them? How do I issue a credit to their
   > > > credit card?
   > > >
   > > > Most importantly, if you can recommend a merchant account service that
   > > > charges less than 2.% and 30¢ per transaction, I'm interested. There
   > > > will be no in-person sales, only Internet and possibly telephone.
  > >
  > > If you set up Paypal they won't need to email you their credit card info.
 > I
  > > think it's illegal anyway (you should know!) to do this.
  > >
  > > I didn't know Paypal allowed sales to non-members, this makes a HUGE
  > > difference. My only gripe about them before was the requirement to be a
  > > member to make a purchase.
 >
 > Yeah, Paypal just started allowing non-members to pay using them. They are
 > now cheaper than our Authorize.net account to use. If I trusted them with
 > more than $1000 at a time...I'd use them for all of our daily processing.

From PayPal's web site:

About PayPal Account Optional

When PayPal Account Optional is turned on, your customers who are new to
PayPal will no longer be required to create a PayPal account to complete
a purchase—they will go through an alternate checkout, and will have the
option to sign up afterward. Customers who already have PayPal accounts
will continue to enjoy the privileges of those accounts, such as payment
history and integration with eBay Auctions, and their checkout
experience will remain the same.

This feature is available for Buy Now, Donations, and Shopping Cart
buttons, but not for Subscription buttons.

Note: If you have turned on Auto Return and have chosen to turn on
PayPal Account Optional for new users, a new user will not be
automatically directed back to your website, but will be given the
option to return.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

"Charles Sweeney" <me.DeleteThis@charlessweeney.com> wrote in message
news:c0oobb$19vjiq$1@ID-162618.news.uni-berlin.de...

 > If you set up Paypal they won't need to email you their credit card info.
I
 > think it's illegal anyway (you should know!) to do this.

It's not illlegal to accept credit card payments via email ~

best,
Denise<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

"Denise" <encks DeleteThis @verizon.net> wrote in message
news:5IRXb.9546$wD5.9439@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...
 > "Charles Sweeney" <me DeleteThis @charlessweeney.com> wrote in message
 > news:c0oobb$19vjiq$1@ID-162618.news.uni-berlin.de...
 >
  > > If you set up Paypal they won't need to email you their credit card
info.
 > I
  > > think it's illegal anyway (you should know!) to do this.
 >
 > It's not illlegal to accept credit card payments via email ~


No, its just incredibly stupid.

--Tina<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

"Denise" <encks RemoveThis @verizon.net> wrote in message
news:5IRXb.9546$wD5.9439@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...
 > "Charles Sweeney" <me RemoveThis @charlessweeney.com> wrote in message
 > news:c0oobb$19vjiq$1@ID-162618.news.uni-berlin.de...
 >
  > > If you set up Paypal they won't need to email you their credit card
info.
 > I
  > > think it's illegal anyway (you should know!) to do this.
 >
 > It's not illlegal to accept credit card payments via email ~

We are talking about Paypal and third-party processors here?
--
Charles Sweeney
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.CharlesSweeney.com" target="_blank">www.CharlesSweeney.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

"Denise" <encks RemoveThis @verizon.net> wrote in message
news:5IRXb.9546$wD5.9439@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...
 > "Charles Sweeney" <me RemoveThis @charlessweeney.com> wrote in message
 > news:c0oobb$19vjiq$1@ID-162618.news.uni-berlin.de...
 >
  > > If you set up Paypal they won't need to email you their credit card
info.
 > I
  > > think it's illegal anyway (you should know!) to do this.
 >
 > It's not illlegal to accept credit card payments via email ~

This is from ccnow.com, a case in point:

Can I enter Online Shoppers' orders myself?

This practice is prohibited by U.S. banking law, and by our own client
requirements as listed above.
CCNow's own merchant banking agreements require that Online Shoppers will
directly enter the sales transactions with CCNow. If you enter an order on
behalf of an Online Shopper (for example, an Online Shopper who cannot or
will not place an Internet order), then you would be engaging in an illegal
practice known as "credit card factoring".

<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="https://www.ccnow.com/serviceDetails.html#factoring" target="_blank">https://www.ccnow.com/serviceDetails.html#factoring</a>

This was what I was thinking about when I said it was illegal.

Merchant accounts may be different, but we were talking about Paypal and
ccnow.
--
Charles Sweeney
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.CharlesSweeney.com" target="_blank">www.CharlesSweeney.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

Why would you let someone email credit card info? Isnt that inherently
dangerous?

Bit


"mcp6453" <mcp6453 DeleteThis @earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:402FDFC3.12C0@earthlink.net...
 > We are getting ready to sell a music CD online from a web page. Since
 > I'm no programmer and don't have any experience with e-commerce sites, I
 > have tentatively decided to go with PayPal and their no-account-required
 > option. (You can pay by credit card without having to set up a PayPal
 > account.) I've heard all of the good and bad about PayPal, but they
 > appear to be the best solution for our single-product offering at this
 > time. (There are still some issues that I have to resolve with regard to
 > variability in international shipping rates.)
 >
 > My question is, if someone decides to email credit card information, how
 > can I process that credit card through PayPal? Do I just log in and
 > enter the order as if I were them? How do I issue a credit to their
 > credit card?
 >
 > Most importantly, if you can recommend a merchant account service that
 > charges less than 2.% and 30¢ per transaction, I'm interested. There
 > will be no in-person sales, only Internet and possibly telephone.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

"Bitmap" <email RemoveThis @whyme.com> wrote in message
news:c0orcg$bph$1@hercules.btinternet.com...

 > Why would you let someone email credit card info? Isnt that inherently
 > dangerous?

I remember in the relatively early days of the internet as we know it now,
about 1998, speaking to a chap who had a proper bricks and mortar store, and
a merchant account for his face-to-face customers.

He didn't have an online store, but he would take payment by credit card via
email. He got the customer to break their number down, and send it in two
emails!
--
Charles Sweeney
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.CharlesSweeney.com" target="_blank">www.CharlesSweeney.com</a><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

 > If you set up Paypal they won't need to email you their credit card info.
I
 > think it's illegal anyway (you should know!) to do this.

I don't think it's actually illegal to send your own credit card details by
email, but it's definitely not a very clever thing to do......

 > I wouldn't get hung up on the commission charges. For most people without
 > Merchant Accounts, they provide an otherwise unattainable service, well
 > worth the commission.

Indeed.....A merchant account can cost quite a bit to set up, and when you
do get it set up, you have the problems of integrating a gateway system like
those provided by Protx, which rarely rns as smoothly as you would like it
to.....

As for the slightly increased charges incurred by Paypal......I'd recommend
building transaction charges invisibly into the price of your
product......There really isn't anything unethical about this.....It's just
good business sense......All you're doing is covering your overheads in the
same way that a bricks and mortar shop would......



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 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

"Denise" <encks.DeleteThis@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:5IRXb.9546$wD5.9439@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...
 > "Charles Sweeney" <me.DeleteThis@charlessweeney.com> wrote in message
 > news:c0oobb$19vjiq$1@ID-162618.news.uni-berlin.de...
 >
  > > If you set up Paypal they won't need to email you their credit card
info.
 > I
  > > think it's illegal anyway (you should know!) to do this.
 >
 > It's not illlegal to accept credit card payments via email ~

No, but it's not wise to do so.....


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 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

 > Merchant accounts may be different, but we were talking about Paypal and
 > ccnow.

They are, but then that's why merchant accounts cost so much, and are a lot
harder to get than a paypal account, which get given away free in boxes of
cornflakes......


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 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment 

"Charles Sweeney" <me.RemoveThis@charlessweeney.com> wrote in message
news:c0osac$19o2hl$1@ID-162618.news.uni-berlin.de...
 > "Bitmap" <email.RemoveThis@whyme.com> wrote in message
 > news:c0orcg$bph$1@hercules.btinternet.com...
 >
  > > Why would you let someone email credit card info? Isnt that inherently
  > > dangerous?
 >
 > I remember in the relatively early days of the internet as we know it now,
 > about 1998, speaking to a chap who had a proper bricks and mortar store,
and
 > a merchant account for his face-to-face customers.
 >
 > He didn't have an online store, but he would take payment by credit card
via
 > email. He got the customer to break their number down, and send it in two
 > emails!

LOL.....That's some pretty sophisticated encryption.....I wonder what
percentage of online shoppers would tolerate this sort of payment submission
in this day and age?.....


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 >> Stay informed about: Accepting Credit Cards for Payment