Privacy Seals Are they worth it?

Privacy seals

[BlackRaven]

hi, just wondering if anyone can guide me any valuable information on privacy seals. i recently started a new ecomerce site and wondering if customers appreaciated seeing a privacy logo? I do have the privacy statement displayed promptly in all my pages...but am curious if seeing the privacy seal will force undecided buyers to come aboard and buy from my site.
Thanks Again.

Oh...and also anyone know of any good privacy seal programs that don't cost an arm or leg. THanks Again.

[kodaks]

Welcome to Webmaster World, BlackRaven!

I support privacy seals, because of the sense of security the buyer gets. Your buyers may feel more inclined to buy, because they know they are dealing with a trusted seller.

You should consider a privacy seal, if you sell a large amount of mercandise or services a month. Even though smaller sellers may once in a while benefit from them, they are usualy much too expensive if you are only selling a small amount each month.

The two largest providers of privacy seals are Truste and BBB Online. Both Truste and BBBOnLine charge an annual fee based on your yearly revenue. With Truste, companies making less than $5 million are charged $599, while those grossing over $2 billion must pay $12,999. With BBB, Small firms are charged $200, while those grossing over $2 billion pay $7,000.

I would recommend you wait until your ecommerce site starts to pick up quite a few sales per month, befor you consider a privacy seal. If you do not wish to wait, I would recommend you choose BBB, because of overall ease of use and price.

I hope this helps, and best of luck with your new ecommerce site!