Suggestions for accepting payment online please?

Accepting payment on a non-e-ecommerce site

[chiyo]

We run a few small targeted information sites but would like to have a facility to accept payment online. Specifically for a conference we hold annually and maybe for selling pass word protected PDF research reports.

The number of orders would be quite limited and infequent.

Does anybody have any suggestion? Credit card payment services that are reliable and honest (could link to 3rd part secure server?) or any of these new fangled payment methods we are seeing?

Our audience is international, so people would want to be able to pay from anywhere including Asia.

Key is to provide the easiest way possible for people to pay. We use a hosted server so our ability to do server side stuff is limited.

We do get a lot os spam mail regarding merchant accs etc, but I thought i better to ask here first for recommendations.

Any help or advice highly appreciated

[GWJ]

I have a merchant account, an on-line merchant account and a credit card gateway/processor. For the merchant account and on-line merchant account I use my bank. They do a great job and are lower on the % that is taken for each transaction than most. The CC gateway/processor is Authorize Net. It is all automated and on-line for access by anyone for orders on my site. Initial outlay was a little but AN charges $20.00 US a month after that.

Brian

[Marcia]

chiyo, would accessing the password protected PDF files be on a per visit basis or on a membership basis?

I think you'd probably be balancing the expected revenue against the cost of being able to take credit card payements, right?

>>these new fangled payment methods we are seeing?

Would something like PayPal work? They were only for U.S. but are now expanded to a number of countries. I'm not sure about currency, or currency conversion.

There's also a third party shopping cart that's approved by them which works well for multiple product purchases instead of just the one.

[Marcia]

Brian, are you referring to having a whole separate merchant account and online merchant account?

[chiyo]

Thanks GWJ and MArcia.

PayPal and Authorise net both look interesting, though Malaysia where our company is registered is not on the international list for PayPal. Maybe there is a way to get paid offshore.

MArcia, the PDF reports are on a one off basis. There would be a fee associated for each report, and anybody can order. However this is for later - annual payments for our conference are the most urgent one.

[Marcia]

chiyo, maybe checking out some of the listed options at Mal's Ecommerce could give you some helpful leads:

[mals-e.com...]

One called Internetsecure looks applicable, but it can be used for downloadable goods, not goods delivered on the internet.

[chiyo]

Wow, thanks so much Marcia. Highly appreciated.

[GWJ]

Marica
>>whole separate merchant account and online merchant account

Yes, when I set up our business online around 2 years ago this is how it flowed. Seemed realllllly redundant but.

Brian