accept credit cards, but keep look of my site

credit card gateway

[will1480]

I want to maintain the look and feel of my site, while accpeting credit card transactions. Paypal is easy to setup, but does not do this. Should I attempt to build one myself (Im new to online security game) or does anyone know of a good payment gateway for me to look into?

[Corey Bryant]

Most third party processors have their own gateway & do not provide an API. If you are looking to capture CC data on your website - a merchant account is a much better way to go. LinkPoint offers an API ($10) as well as Verisign ($25.00) a month.

-Corey

[Compworld]

For experience, Linkpoint service is horrible. I believe you can do the same with AuthorizeNet as well.

CompWorld

[Leosghost]

Try "mals e commerce" ( I'"m being a "goodie" and not posting the url but "G" brings it up top of the page )...you only have the buttons ..you keep your design ...and its a reasonable deal......

[PCInk]

If ease of use and good security is your concern, then you should take a look at WorldPay. You can upload files to their server to use as headers and footers as well as graphics and css files (to their secure server so the customer never sees the 'parts of this page are not secure' message). The main form, you cannot change too much - but you can alter all of the text (for a foreign language, for example) and you can change the colour scheme using hex reference or html colour names.

[will1480]

thanks for all of the input, but one last question. Is building an interface worth my time or not, seeing i am not skilled in https and SSL? Would it be worth me doing?

[Corey Bryant]

The interface is actually already built. LinkPoint supplies you with the API & the instructions. You just add it into your site. Pretty easy & they have customer suport for their API Monday-Friday 8a-5p.

As far as SSL - not too much to really be familiar with. You need with an SSL or you can use a shared SSL. I would recommend getting your own from: [ev1servers.net...] - a lot cheaper.

Also you can use this code if you are using ASP to make sure that your order page is called via HTTPS:

<%
dim servPro 
servPro = Request.ServerVariables("HTTPS")
if servPro = "off" then
 response.redirect "https://www.yourdomain.com/order.asp"
 response.end
end if
%>

-Corey

[dotme]

I am in a similar situation. I have a client who has a part time web business, revenue under $400 monthly. No money to set up a merchant account. But the client feels she is losing sales due to PayPal's convoluted processes.

We are looking for a processor that works like paypal... handles checks, and credit cards then makes the funds available for deposit to the client's checking account.

Except... we have access to an SSL certificate and would like to process the sales without the customer ever leaving the client site. I am experienced in writing com objects, but am stumped... is there a processor that offers the front-end capabilities of, for example, AuthorizeNet (where the client never leaves the e-commerce site) and the back-end capabilities of PayPal (no merchant account required)

If anyone can help, please reply or sticky me!

Thanks!

[Corey Bryant]

dotme, you might check out [payquake.com...] - they might be able to help you. I am not certain if they offer an API or not.

The other option, would to possibly see about getting a merchant account & asking if the monthly minimum could be reduced to $15 dollars. That is a little over $600 a month in revenue but it might save you some money & time in the future

-Corey

[claus]

Uhm... does anybody know of a solution for an European website?

That is - one that does not cost 10x the amount ;)

[jamie]

claus,

in spain, most banks will set up a payment gateway for you (TPV) which is fairly simple to connect to invisibly. you only pay their visa charges, no merchant processing fees on top. might well be possible with uk and de as well, worth asking?

[kjbrown]

most will disagree with me, but i like 2Checkout. The rates are a bit higher than paypal. But they do allow you to define your own header and footer HTML files so you can maintain the look of your site. If you set up direct deposit I find payment is on time and accurate. Besides the hacker attacks, I really enjoy 2CO.

[danieljean]

For 2CO:
# $49 Setup Fee
# $0.45 per Sale
# 5.5% of Sale Amount

I mean... YEE-OUCH! after all this looking around, I'm thinking I'm in the wrong business. Plenty of other webmasters have told me if I set up a payment gateway, they would switch to me in no time... sigh.

This should be easy: a service like Paypal that doesn't require exorbitant fees, and can be accessed via SOAP/XML calls, integrated on any platform you like.

I guess if we don't find anything reasonnable, I'll be going to the next pub conference to drum up business from all of you :)

[dotme]

danieljean, you'll get my business! That's all my client is looking for. A PayPal-type service but one that let's her use her own SSL certificate to keep buyers at her site throughout the purchase process.

I know - AuthorizeNet does that, but her business is part time, generates only $200 or so monthly, and so setting up a Merchant Account and paying the monthly gateway fees these providers charge is simply not cost effective for her.

If anyone comes up with a solution, please post it here!

Thanks

[will1480]

Well, I got a simple solution. I dont mind if my url changes, I just want to maintain the look of my site. If my url changes for 1 page, no clients would ever notice. just get one SSL certificate, register a domain like securepurchase.com and create many subdomains with whomevers site. So my business is toysRus.securepurchase.com . Simply setup an upload in php for every subdomain, then people can add pages as they feel fit (removing is a different story). Then we all split the merchant account. You get maybe 10 people on a domain with only 1 or 2 pages each, that would make a merchant account real cheap. The only next problem is distrubing the sale to the rightful owners account. I am considering setting something up like this.

[Corey Bryant]

How are you going to determine who to let share the merchant account? This is actually called factoring & it is illegal. When Visa / Mastercard finds out about it - your account can be terminated.

-Corey

[will1480]

Well I honestly have never looked into it and I am not certain about the laws. The gateway would charge a minimal fee and would be set up as its own corporation. So when you setup the merchant account you are setting it up for that business, the cc gateway. The only problem is tracking and delivering people the money who use your gateway. Was never implying that it would be as loosly structed as I made it sound. It would still be a business, just seems like the prices being delivered right now are exorbanent (cant spell) for the service(s) being delievered.

[danieljean]

I had thought of something similar, but an SSL certificate would be required for each sub-domain. Plus, as Corey points out, they won't take kindly to you doing this.

It is however possible to swing a deal with some of the key players. The wholesale prices are *much* lower.

[Corey Bryant]

Well you can fix the sub-domain part by getting a wild-card SSL cert.

But you cannot let others "share" your merchant account. You are basically factoring - like aggregating - but you are not informing Visa/Mastercard that you are allowing other merchants to use your merchant account.

-Corey

[will1480]

Fair enough, how does Paypal do it. Are they their own bank then, so they can do what they please?

[Corey Bryant]

They are a third party processor & have been around for a very long time. Back then - it was very easy to do. But Visa / Mastercard have made that even more difficult to do so. You have to locate a sponsoring bank & build your system. We did do this for one of my companies - I will tell you in a few more years if it is really worth it. Take a lot of money & patience.

-Corey

[will1480]

Thanks for the input. Im still not clear on why it would be hard or illegal. If I start a company, lets say, 'CCgateway', We would be strictly in the business of doing online transactions. I would write my business plan and and show it to bank I am setting up online merchant account with. When they see a 5 year potential of $100,000,000+ of credit transactions, they will love to take that 3-5% cut (although, credit is not quite real money). Dont see a good reason for why they wouldnt do it. More I talk with you about it, the more I want to try it. Could you elaborate on what your troubles were, or why it will be real hard to do?

[will1480]

Also, if you are an entrepreneur, you should join a blog my friend started. It is in its infancy for sure, but hopefully will turn out good. sticky me and I will give you the guys email to join it or you can visit at columbusentrepreneur.blogspot.com . Not sure puttin this up is kosher or not, but not tryin to advertise.

[Corey Bryant]

Well let's put it this way - when you apply for a Paypal account - what information is asked for? When you apply for a merchant account - what information is asked for?

When you set this up - how are you going to determine who is going to use your merchant account. Even at paysystems - an underwriter reviews the account & the account holder.

What happens if I sign up on your service, charge people $99 per year for my web site. And I sign up 100,000 people. And then in two months - I am gone. Who is responsible for the $9.9 million dollars that I just bilked out of those people. You are. And then it is up to you to get your money back from me.

Right now - we only market to the healthcare industry. That keeps our liability low. Reading all these problems that merchants have with chargebacks etc - I do not ever know if I want to implement this into the mainstream publics.

-Corey

[will1480]

you make a good point. There would still be a submition and application. If you couldnt get a merchant account through a bank, we wouldnt take you either. I imagine that the bank would require that inorder for us to do business anyway. Im just saying currently there isnt a service out there that makes it 1 step to getting transactions processed on your site. You have to get an SSL, then get approval by bank for merchant account, then setup a CCgateway account with someone. Dont see why this has to be 3 steps, bring all these people together so it is 1 step.

[Corey Bryant]

Well most do offer their own SSL (like LinkPoint Connect, Authorizenet.com, Verisign PayFlow Link).

Actually there is a lot more that happens via the gateway. The gateway needs to be licensed with Visa / Mastercard. When you submit via LinkPoint (which is owned by First Data) or Authorizenet.com - they transmit the data to the First Data platform. And then that information is transmitted to VisaNet or the other appropriate entity.

-Corey

[will1480]

This has been my first 'true' online transaction endevor and it has been a pain to get done what I want to (still isnt exactly what I want, since I actually leave my domain to my host's subdomain for shared SSL, but change in URL is ok for me). These CC gateways do not have an intuitive or simple way to get things done.

I will continue to research this topic and thank you for your information.

[j4mes]

I must say, I am in exactly the same boat as most people here - small turnover so unable to afford a decent merchant account, but don't want to be stuck with PayPal.

I would certaily be first in line if anyone here could put together their own transaction system.

For the time being, however, does anyone know of a means of completely altering the Paypal interface (eg. the shopping basket) so that transactions at least look very un-PayPal, and more like an integrated part of my site?

[will1480]

nope, none. There are some though that have headers and footers which can be changed, look through this entire post ofr some of those.

I am setting up a merchant account with my bank and then using my shared SSL to post credit card info to 3rd party CC gateway like authorize.net. Will cost a little money, but worth it for me.

[JonR28]

2CO is costly but for small companies its well worth it I think. You can fully customize your shopping checkout's look so people don't know they are leaving the page. I tried for a long long time to do that with paypal and would not work.