Friday, June 22, 2012

How Can Any New Business Accept Payments Online?

Many businesses have begun to accept orders online. The 24/7 availability of an online store, combined with the many advantages of an online marketplace, allow many new businesses to make sales they would otherwise not be able to take in. There is a problem, though, in that since there is no physical storefront, electronic banking is required. This is most commonly done through the use of a charge card, however not all businesses are set up to take online credit cards. Luckily, any new business can quickly and easily be set up to take credit card payments online, and many services have cropped up to assist companies in taking in revenue.
Originally, card payments were taken manually. A person entered their information into an online form, and then a physical person would run the card through an old-fashioned credit card machine to have it checked by a bank. This option is still available for persons who do not take many online orders and do not anticipate they will have much need for it. It is, however, primitive and not automatic and does not allow a merchant to immediately deny credit card information that was not typed in correctly or is fraudulent.
More commonly a business will have an integrated secure platform which will run the information on the bank and the charge card issuer and ensure that the card number is legitimate and that it's use is not fraudulent. Most large companies have complex, in-house coded programs integrated with those of the credit card issuers and banks, however this is not an option for new or small businesses. Luckily, there are a number of credit card processing services which will, for a fee, process the information.
One of the most common processors on the internet today is actually PayPal. Originally intended as a virtual money transfer system for eBay users, the versatility of PayPal has made it a preferred system for many thousands of small businesses. PayPal has been in the business of taking charge card information via the internet for years, and as such they have developed simple storefronts which allow even those who are not computer literate to take online orders. They have the disadvantage of high fees, however, and all processing is done through their system.
Persons looking for a smaller fee system or a no fee system of running credit card numbers online can purchase simple software packages, often ones which are custom designed for specific types of virtual storefronts. There are many options in this regard, and customers should pick one with a good reputation and technical requirements that they can meet. A good way to find out which services are of high quality is to talk to other small business owners, along with banks and card issuers. Not all credit card services are alike, after all!
There are a great variety of options when a new business looks to take payments online, from PayPal and virtual processors to old-fashioned pen-and-paper based order forms. In any event it is important for an online retailer to pick a system they are comfortable with and which has a good reputation and fees they feel are appropriate. The best way to find out which payment system is best is to contact card issuers and small business services and see which ones they recommend. Odds are that most new businesses will need to contract out their card processing, but there are a great variety of high quality services in this regard. It's simply a matter of finding out which one is best for each new business.

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