Ebooks
-- Self-Publishing Your Way to Internet Success Part 7 Accepting
Payment
Once you've completed your ebook and have taken the necessary
steps to protect your work, your next step will be to set
up an online payment system.
Don't let this process intimidate you, as it is much easier
than you may think. There are many professional companies
on the Internet that will assist you. If you'd like to get
your own merchant account, you can do so right online. If
you'd rather not have your own merchant account, there are
companies online that will process your orders for you.
Merchant Accounts
If you decide to get your own merchant account, you will also
need access to a secure server and a shopping cart system.
A secure server will protect your customers information. A
shopping cart system will provide your customer with a running
total of what they have ordered and the total cost.
The following websites can provide you with a merchant account:
Total Merchant Services (TMS)
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/web/jump.cgi?ID=2332
This outstanding company comes highly recommended by Corey
Rudl -- author of the #1 selling online marketing course,
"Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet."
The TMS Merchant account, for Internet transactions, will
enable you to accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and
Discover. They offer two merchant processing software packages
to choose from. The first package is the TotalPay powered
by Authorize.Net™ Virtual Terminal. This package will
enable you to authorize, process, and manage credit card transactions
from any computer with an Internet connection and a Web browser.
This package ordinarily runs $995, but for a limited time
is being offered for only $397. The second package is the
TotalPay powered by Authorize.Net™ Virtual Terminal that
includes the Total Merchant Manager Shopping Cart. This package
includes everything the first package includes, plus all of
the following:
- Customizable Shopping Cart System
- UPS Shipping Module
- Links to Virtual Terminal
- Free Initial Installation
Their discount rate is 2.4% and $0.35 per transaction fee.
Monthly fees include a $10 monthly statement fee and a $10
gateway fee that includes secure, online, real-time credit
card and e-cheque processing and only applies to merchants
processing transactions through their Internet payment gateway.
Third Party Credit Card Processors
If you'd rather not have your own merchant account, third
party credit card processors will process your credit card
orders for you. There are usually no monthly fees. They charge
a "per transaction" fee and send you payment for all of your
orders processed, minus their fee and a reserve fee. A reserve
fee is withheld to cover any charge backs you may have. If
you have no charge backs within a period of time, your reserve
will be refunded to you. Each company has their own guidelines
in regard to reserves.
The following websites will process credit card orders for
you:
=> iBill
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=ibill
IBill will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American
Express, Discover, JCB and online checks. They also offer
a telephone billing service (900 toll phone number). There
are no setup fees. They charge 12%-15% per transaction fee
for credit card and check purchases and 20%-30% per transaction
fee for phone purchases. Services available for US and non-US
merchants.
=> PayPal
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=pp
PayPal will enable any business or consumer with an email
address to securely send and receive payments online. You
can also accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover
and electronic checks. You can sell with PayPal through an
online auction, on your own website, or as part of an online
marketplace. They also offer recurring billing. There are
no setup fees. They charge 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction.
Services available for US and non-US merchants.
=> ClickBank
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/t.cgi?l=cb
ClickBank will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American
Express, Discover, Eurocard, Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit,
Novus cards and electronic checks.
They charge a one-time $49.95 activation fee, and a $1 + 7.5%
fee per sale. There are no monthly fees. The great thing about
this company is that they'll enable you to run an affiliate
program. Services available for US and non-US merchants.
=> Revecom
http://www.revecom.com/
Revecom will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American
Express, Discover and JCB credit cards in real-time. They
also offer Check Processing in Real-time and recurring billing.
There is a $49 set up fee. There are no monthly fees. They
charge 3.95% + $1 fee per sale. Services available for US
and non-US merchants.
=> 2Checkout.com
http://www.2checkout.com/
2Checkout.com enables you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American
Express and Discover. They also offer recurring billing and
a free shopping cart. There is a $49 set up fee. There are
no monthly fees. They charge 5.5% + $0.45 fee per sale. Services
available for US and non-US merchants.
If you're just starting out, you may want to use one of the
third party credit card processors, as this is the easiest
route. Each company provides you with step by step instructions
to assist you in getting your web site set up to accept credit
cards. The great thing about third party credit card processors
is that they handle everything for you. You don't have to
hassle with processing your credit card payments or charge
backs, as all of this is taken care of for you.
In order to successfully sell your ebooks on the Internet,
you must accept credit cards. In addition, you must make the
ordering process as simple as possible. With today's technology,
even the smallest home-based business can now accept credit
credits almost instantly. Visit one of the web sites mentioned
above and get your web site set up today. Your success depends
on it.
In part 8 of this series, we will focus on setting up your
own affiliate program.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
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