Author: Jamie Osterman
Credit card processing is something even small online businesses should take
advantage of.
The other day I saw something that I haven't seen in quite a while, and I'm
not talking about black and television. I found a new online shopping site
and their checkout page had directions on how to send in a check for
payment.
I had two immediate thoughts. First, this might be an old version of the
site because in my experience no one does paper checks online any more. Two,
if it was current I didn't trust it. With merchant services so easy to
establish why would anyone not accept payments online?
There may have been a time in the online shopping arena when only
established larger businesses had credit card processing, but that time has
come and gone. Consider the following examples:
a.. A buddy of mine buys and sells baseball cards, working from his extra
bedroom, and he is set up to accept credit cards
b.. My uncle makes holiday ornaments from discarded aluminum cans and he
accepts payments online
c.. The guy next door sells genuine BMW accessories online, working out of
his garage, and he has credit card processing
The lesson here is that small online businesses – even very small online
businesses – can benefit from having credit card services.
First, it makes their business operate more efficiently. Instead of dealing
with the hassle of processing checks, all transactions are done in real time
and organized for easy reconciliation.
Second, it gives people a greater sense of confidence when they deal with an
online merchant. There are enough people that have been burned by sending a
check to a bogus online business – including me – that seeing credit card
services offers a greater sense of confidence when placing an order.
And third, with merchant account services so easy to establish and so
available to e-store owners there just seems that something is not quite
right about anyone who would make the decision not to accept payments
online. At worst they might be crooks – at best they aren't very savvy about
running an online business.
But if you are a small online business wanting to add credit card services
you may be wondering how to best go about making your choice. You may have
even entered "merchant services" into your search engine and found that
there are hundreds upon hundreds of providers. And maybe you're feeling that
you're in over your head.
One way to ratchet down the anxiety is by speaking with other small e-store
operators that have made the leap into credit card processing online. They
can help you navigate the processing of making a decision. Indeed, thy can
show you where they may have stumbled during the process to make sure you
avoid the potholes that can trap rookies.
If you don't have this resource, contact four to six credit card services
providers and talk to them about what you need. See what solutions they
offer and make side-by-side comparisons to see which one seems to be
offering the best fit for your business.
Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Osterman is a Web content developer with Charge.com, a leading merchant
services company that offers innovative credit card processing solutions.