Credit card processing - free alternative to PayPal

Any alternative to PayPal?

[Todd]

Hi all,

I just have a quick question. Are there any FREE alternatives to PayPal for credit card processing? The reason I ask is because I am starting a simple website for selling lecture notes and PayPal's merchant API requires every user to have a PayPal account.

Since the website will let users sell their lecture notes at their own fixed price, I can't use something that doesn't have an API system associated. Are there any free alternatives?

Just for the record, I can't really use Amazon Payments since their SOAP library and overall system are assembled for PHP4 which I do not have. :-(

Thanks,
Todd

[MisterT]

you could just use to "buy it now" or "pay now" paypal buttons - free to use.

you could also check out using mals-e, which is a very simple free shopping cart that can use paypal

[Todd]

The only problem with "Buy It Now" and "Pay Now" buttons are that people can either manipulate the payment (since it's just an HTML form) and there's no real way of automatically confirming payment through the website.

I'd need something that'd be hard to tamper with and would pay users as well as handle the innerworkings (distributing notes to customers).

[piatkow]

You aren't going to get free credit card processing anywhere. The card companies charge and it gets passed on to you.

There are other specialist small payment processors. Many will be specific to certain countries and you haven't told us where you are located. The last thing you want is to end up paying a massive forex conversion fee every time you transfer money to your bank account.

[Todd]

I know it's not COMPLETELY free but I suppose I meant free as in having a fee per transaction charged rather than a flat monthly fee.

I'm located in the United States.

[gpilling]

Paypal's "Pay now" buttons can be encrypted.

You could also use Google Checkout. Spend enough on adwords and you won't even pay a processing percentage.

[MisterT]

Most credit card processors want a minimum monthly fee. Usually no more than $30 or so. If $30 a month is too much to stomach and your transaction volume is really small and cannot cover $30 per month than something like mals-e, paypal, or google checkout is probably your only option.

[piatkow]

There are small payment processors around who charge purely on a per transaction basis. In my previous post I specifically mentioned country as PP and G are the only international operators that I know of.
In the UK Nochex would be an alternative, they have an upper limit on transaction size but absorb any chargebacks. A couple of other players have dipped into the market but pulled out again.

[Todd]

I could afford the $30/month but I'd rather not if I can avoid it. I'll see about integrating Google Checkout or something along those lines. I'm really just looking for a site that'll provide a payment gateway with API for use through applications.

[CreditCardGuy]

When you say, "selling lecture notes," do you mean you will be physically sending out tangible lecture notes or will they be e-books?

If you do not have a tangible product, opening a Merchant Service account can get hairy.

[edited by: tedster at 7:47 pm (utc) on Mar. 15, 2009]

[Wlauzon]

Google checkout charges the same fees as PayPal does.