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Ecommerce 101 – Online Credit Card Processing
Back in 1998 (through 2000 or so), I worked for a small company (called PaymentNet / then Signio) that handled online transactions. Verisign later purchased this company, and the product team I led integrated the "client" - the portion that took...
eCommerce Solutions
Copyright 2005 Paul Sanford All of the long, grueling nights and an unknown number of working weekends spent converting your dream into reality finally paid off—in a big way! Affiliates are signing up every single day and the clicks have really...
Ecommerce solutions for small business owners
You are running a small business.
Or
You may have a web site but has not been generating a good income.
Or
You may have a web site, which is generating a good income, but you want to increase your income.
Or
You do not have a web site, but thinking...
Oscommerce A Viable Ecommerce Solution !
Ecommerce has become the buzz of the day !! The Internet success
stories revolving around Ecommerce, Online selling or shopping
has been increasing day by day and the late thinkers are losing
a huge market.
The advent of online payment...
Why Ecommerce is Not Ready for My Daughter or Me
As the mother of a teenage clothing fanatic I'm often at my local mall. It occurred to me that the shopping experience for my daughter is attractive to her not because she wants to spend my money, but because the experience of buying itself is so...
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An Arm & A Leg for eCommerce?
As a site designer myself, I realize how much time and effort goes into registering,
setting up, and designing a site; not to mention the creation of content and seamless
navigation. But it is unbelievable how complicated and expensive this process has
become!
Let's face it, very few entrepreneurs and small businesses can afford to spend hundreds
of dollars to set up their dot-com presence without knowing how successful it will
be! We've seen the results of high expectations and over spending with the demise
of many well-known companies as reported in the news recently.
It doesn't have to be this way!
Are you planning to sell products or services?
You do NOT necessarily need expensive shopping cart software or merchant accounts
to sell your products or services. You can begin your online venture by setting
up a few of your most popular items or services that can be purchased online. Once
a customer has made a purchase, you can then follow up with details on how to purchase
additional items.
There are low cost ecommerce solutions that can help you start conducting business
online without breaking the bank.
First, determine exactly how sophisticated your ordering process needs to be. Then
decide which of the following options best suits your business needs.
Option A - PayPal
Set up a Premier Account with PayPal. PayPal is a stable and secure company that
has been around long enough to establish a credible reputation. I can personally
vouch for them, I use them consistently.
Benefits:
Doing Business As:
You have the option of using a business name or your personal name, regardless of
how your bank account is registered.
Low Cost:
There are no monthly fees and no set up fees. Thats right - its free.
A small fee is with-held each time a transaction (purchase) is processed.
Hassle Free
They process all orders and notify you when payment is received.
Referral Bonus
You can earn a small cash bonus for qualified referrals you send to PayPal.
Features:
Shopping
Cart
Premium members can set up a shopping cart that links directly from their site to
PayPal.
Send an Invoice
If your services or product prices vary, you can send customers an invoice from
PayPal once the purchase price has been established.
Option B - eBay
Consider selling your products or services through eBay. You can accept checks and
money orders by postal mail, or you can accept credit cards and checks using PayPal,
or eBays version of PayPal - BillPoint. You can provide links to your site with
each item you list for auction. You can also set up a reserve amount - the least
dollar amount you will accept for your service or product.
Ebay also offers an affiliate program.
Option C - ClickBank
Sign up as a merchant with ClickBank.net. There are some fees involved, plus you
have to determine what percentage of each sale that you will allow the referring
site to earn. Affiliates with ClickBank can choose merchants they like (higher commission
percentages do better) and then place links on their sites. There is a setup fee
for merchants, but you'll also be providing your site a great deal of exposure.
Plus, ClickBank allows you to accept credit cards and other methods of payment.
You'll be setting up your own affiliate program!
ClickBank also offers an affiliate program: http://zzz.clickbank.net/r/?abelle
Option D - Find a Host that provides Shopping Carts
Many hosting packages are set up with shopping carts with a buy feature. Do your
homework. Check on the setup fees and the monthly fees. Make sure its a reputable
company so you arent worried about your money transactions.
These are just some of the options that are available for setting up shop without
going broke. I'm sure that there are many more options available - it just takes
some net research.
About the Author
Sandra Cobb is a work at home site designer and homeschooling Mom. Visit her website
for free resources at http://www.designsbyabelle.com, and sign up for her monthly
ezine - Comets4Him at http://www.sandracobb.com.
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