By the way, there are a LOT of scams out there telling you how to create a thousand dollar a day income without any work.  Don’t believe it.  They’re making their money by taking your money and giving you nothing of value in return.  I find it fascinating that they’re advertising on the radio when they’re trying to sell you their expertise at making money on the Internet. 

Don’t misunderstand, there’s nothing wrong with advertising on the radio.  It’s a valid way of attracting business.  People that are making money in the Internet Marketing niche, and I know a lot of them, are doing it on the Internet as a demonstration of how their methods work.

I got kind of side tracked here because I heard a radio ad several times yesterday afternoon on how to make a 7 figure income online, without any work.  It’s a scam.  Certainly not at the level of Berney Maddof, but a scam none the less. 

I’ve run out of time for today, I’ll continue this tomorrow.

The third party has a merchant account with a particular entity, such as a bank. The online merchant who wishes to establish credit card processing privileges uses the third party’s merchant account privileges to accept orders for their own company.

This is generally a very expensive way to go for merchants to accept credit cards, but in some cases is also the best way, since it’s very easy to set up and merchants can be in business very quickly. It’s also a good way to go for online merchants who may not have the credit rating, business history, or other requirements necessary to set up a merchant account directly, themselves.

These shopping cart programs collect the customer’s order information and send it to the credit card processing company to process. The credit card processor then sends it directly to the credit card company, which validates the card and the account. The credit card company then let the credit card processor know that the appropriate amount can be transferred. If a transaction is denied, it is assessed a code that alerts a credit card processor that the transaction has been denied and the reason for the denial.

Once the transaction has been approved, this information is sent to the shopping cart program. This alerts the customer that the order is accepted or denied and that the order is processed for delivery. The credit card processor then passes on what is known as a “settlement request,” or request for funds to be deposited into the merchant’s bank account. The Internet merchant account gathers the funds for a certain amount of time, such as 24 hours, and then transfers monies to the merchant’s bank account, minus any fees it charges. This completes the process.

The monies for purchases are received through the bank and then transferred to the merchant or retailer, minus fees the bank charges for the account and for processing the payments.

Anyone who wants to accept credit cards over the Internet will need their own online merchant account. This type of account is a little bit more difficult to get then a “regular” merchant account is, because credit cards used this way are never actually exchanged so that the merchant can see the credit card and therefore, the merchant never sees the actual signature of authorization.

These days, you can find just about anything you want to online, and your choices continue to expand. Search engines have become much more sensitive, making your ability to find just exactly what you want very easy as a customer.

As an entrepreneur, although these tools do, in fact, make e-commerce easier than ever to build and sustain, you still need to promote your business, in order to have the best success possible. Following are some ways you can do just that.

Pay Per Click Advertising

Pay per click advertising is one way to promote your online business venture. One very well known example of this is Google’s Adsense. This can be very lucrative for e-commerce entrepreneurs, in that the business owner bids on keywords or phrases so that Google can match their ads with others’ web site content.

Those ads then show up on specific web sites, with ads matching the content very closely so that web site visitors are much more likely to read those ads and perhaps purchase products. As an example, if an online business owner decides that he wants to purchase the keywords “best fishing lure,” then his ads will be shown on any web site pages that contain those words on Google’s search engine.

Organic Search

An organic search is one of the most important tools out there for e-commerce entrepreneurs. Anyone who performs an organic search on Google or any of the other main search engines will find content and information that he or she is looking for, based on the keywords typed into the search engine.

What this means is that e-commerce entrepreneurs must use “search engine optimization” practices, also known as SEO practices, to rank well in Google and have his or her pages found. The more relevant the content on your pages is, the higher your rank will be.

Article Directories and Press Releases

Article directories and press releases are other forms of advertising you can use, and they can work well. However, the three previous forms of advertising mentioned do work better. However, if you would like to, you can advertise your online store by writing articles and press releases about your business and its products or services.

Once you’ve done this, you can submit them to free article directories. These directories can help you by placing a link in your article to your store or business. People who read your article can then click on that link and be directed to your web site, thus potentially increasing traffic and perhaps sales. Two examples of these types of directories are Goarticles.com and Ezine Articles.

In short, if you want to promote your online store or business, he you can do so quite easily. However, it does take some time, effort, and perhaps a little bit of money to succeed. Promoting your store is perhaps the largest part of the e-commerce process. Many people if not most already realize the value of it. If you don’t already, take some time to do so.

Licensed shopping carts are purchased and then completely owned and maintained by you. Most licensed shopping carts are available for a small charge, but there are some offered for free download as well. Once the shopping cart has been paid for and downloaded, it is then installed on your web server. This type of cart offers much more flexibility and control than a hosted shopping cart, but requires a more advanced skill level and can be time consuming.

With a licensed shopping cart, you can customize your cart to suit your business and your clients, but the installation, maintenance, and security of the shopping cart is solely your responsibility. You will need a general knowledge of computer languages and internet security to successfully implement a licensed shopping cart into your website.

The other option, a hosted shopping cart, is much less worrisome and requires very little effort on your part, but it is a continuous expense and must be a well-researched decision. Hosted shopping carts are Application Service Models that are integrated into the web server. There are a variety of hosts that offer this service, typically at a monthly or annual rate. Some hosted shopping carts also charge a commission fee based on a percentage of your sales.

It is important to carefully read the terms and conditions before deciding on a hosted shopping cart provider. Look for a company that provides a merchant account, as well as a payment gateway, and review all the possible fees and charges. Also read the company’s privacy policy because some hosts have been known to sell their clients’ personal data to spammers.

Hosted shopping carts aren’t as versatile as licensed carts, but most offer a selection of designs and options to choose from to make your cart more personal. Your host will maintain your shopping cart, keeping it updated and secure, leaving you more time to concentrate on your business and your customers.

Both types of shopping carts are commonly used in e-businesses everywhere. Deciding on the type that is right for you will depend on your level of knowledge and the amount of time you want to put into your shopping cart. You should also consider the cost and how specific your needs will be.

Shopping cart software does have more functions than a standard store shopping cart, however. Not only can you view the exact items your customers are selecting as they shop, the software will help you track your sales and manage your inventory. You can easily compare the products in your system against the items you have sold to ensure an accurate inventory and many shopping cart software programs provide features for handling gift certificates, tracking donations, and even managing coupons.

If you are interested in boosting your sales through affiliate advertising, there are shopping carts available that will help you enroll in the services, as well as track your performance. Participating in affiliate programs usually requires a fee, but the results are usually well worth the expense and, with shopping cart software, you can easily view your sales, your payment, and even your expenses.

Another useful option included in many shopping cart software programs is the ability to promote other products through the cart, thus increasing your sales. When a customer selects an item and places it in the cart, you can designate other related products that the customer may enjoy. You can even offer a discount on a combination of items through the shopping cart. Some of today’s shopping carts can calculate sales tax and include shipping and handling charges in the total. You can also use your shopping cart software to manage your newsletters and email marketing campaigns. Some programs feature stationary functions as well.

The wide variety of shopping cart software currently available can make the task of choosing the right one for you and your business rather challenging. There are many different features and functions to choose from in several price ranges. There are a number of shopping carts that are offered free of charge, but there are often other hidden charges that may arise so always read the terms and conditions before deciding on the right shopping cart solution. PayPal is a great option for businesses looking for a basic payment solution. They offer shopping carts, complete with merchant accounts and a payment gateway, at no charge.

Choosing the right shopping cart software is crucial to the success of your business, so research your options and select the cart that will best meet your business needs. Remember to consider your future needs as well.

The establishment of Paymentech accounts is not at all difficult, once you’ve set up your storefront online you apply for an ecommerce account with one of Paymentech’s partner businesses. If you plan to use credit cards and need a gateway and processing services for those payments, you can contact Paymentech and ask about your options with a sales consultant. Otherwise, Paymentech’s Orbital Virtual Terminal is the right choice for you.
Both retail and direct marketing services are able to be dealt with by a Paymentech account. A sales representative will be glad to contact you should you fill out the online form asking for help. Dialing the 800 phone number will afford you the chance to discuss your needs directly with a sales representative.

Direct marketing accounts have another 800 number that may garner the assistance you need if you call them instead of the online form. The cost varies depending on your needs for the services that Paymentech offers, however you may be able to determine what those will be ahead of time by using an inquiry form on the Paymentech site. The variables such as which payment and card types you will use, as well as other aspects of the service will determine the cost of that service

Prepossession of a Paymentech account means you won’t need a new account prior to beginning Internet transactions. Paymentech will instead set up a unique merchant outlet for your store if you contact your Paymentech relationship manager. In this way you can have the ability to see separate views of your company’s activity in the credit card department. Paymentech does not at this time provide for international services, and accepts only merchant accounts within North America. An international location can however be serviced in international currency support and processing. The time that your account setup will take is normally not more than several days while you are trained in the management of the account as well as to establish it. Please be certain that all information on your account is accurate as failure to do so may delay processing
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Canadian processing will normally take two weeks to accomplish. Your application will ask that you provide a projected income amount. From this information your limits will be built and the company reserves the right to do account reviews at any time that the volumes differ in any significant way from what you projected on your application for the merchant account.

Any merchant account will take into consideration your credit scores and references and Paymentech is no exception to this rule. Because your account is essentially a line of credit for which no security exists, there are certain risks involved in giving you that account. Whatever transaction takes place, the cardholder is charged and the merchant is credited for the amount of the transaction. However, the customer still has certain rights and can dispute the transaction for up to 90 days. Therefore, Paymentech must be certain that you as a prospective merchant are in sound financial shape and have a business that is capable of paying and is operating on good order to be able to give you the merchant account.
MasterCard or Visa will usually be able to handle transactions that are disputed for you,as applicable. As the merchant, you are not liable for bad transactions if a card was swiped through terminal and the cardholder’s signature was obtained as well as an authorization. If the card was not in evidence at the time that the transaction was made, the merchant will have to assume full liability for the disputed charges. These disputed charges may be reversed depending on several factors such as the  nature of the cardholder claim. Paymentech has methods to help merchants manage this process is efficiently as possible.

You will be reimbursed for each of the transactions that you submit to Paymentech or through use of Automated Clearing to House, or ACH. Paymentech remits funds for most credit card transactions, with the exception of American Express or Discover. With those two credit cards, these issuers will take certain details from you and remit your funds to a bank account that you specify. You have both online and off-line access to information about your market account. Should you need to close your previous merchant account once you have switched to Paymentech, you can do so after you have completed the course necessary to process transactions through Paymentech.

Anyone with a checking account or credit card and an email address can become a member of PayPal at no charge. PayPal business accounts allow your customers to pay for their purchases with no additional fees and a small percentage of the transfer is deducted from your account. Many businesses use PayPal as their only payment method, while others integrate PayPal into the payment system already in use. Either way, PayPal operates as a shopping cart, assisting your customers with shopping on your site, then as a payment gateway that processes the transaction, and then returns the customers to your website.

PayPal Merchant Services offer a great deal of flexibility for businesses and their payment needs. Through these services, you can accept a variety of payment methods including electronic transfers and both credit and debit cards. Your customers don’t need a PayPal account to make purchases through your PayPal shopping cart; they can use any major credit card to make their payment. It is easy to sign up for PayPal Merchant Services and your account will be active and ready for use the very same day in most cases. Credit card transactions can be processed online, by phone or fax, person to person, or even by mail.

There are two types of PayPal accounts that offer useful business services. Both PayPal Pro accounts and Merchant accounts provide a flexible shopping cart that can function alone or with other shopping cart software. You can customize the shopping cart based on your usage needs, set up subscriptions and scheduled payments, and accept donations and gift certificates. Both accounts feature Buy Now buttons, Direct Payment API, a virtual terminal, and Express Checkout. PayPal Pro accounts, however, provide your customers with a simple, three step payment process and they never leave your website.

PayPal shopping carts are very versatile and are simple to set up. Your business doesn’t even need a website to use PayPal, you can request payment through your PayPal account or by email. PayPal provides excellent security and fraud protection and offers a number of options to suit a variety of situations. Your PayPal shopping cart can be integrated into your Outlook or Quick Books software or can function on its own. You can use PayPal to generate invoices and can choose between standard checkout or express. There are many different shopping carts available but, for the value, PayPal shopping carts are often the best option for many businesses.

1CartPlus.com provides a simple interface, plus all the ecommerce features that aren’t offered by PayPal

Should you make application and be accepted for an account with Card Service International, you will have the ability to use credit cards through a swiping machine, accept them online and also use a wireless terminal to process the accounts.

Additionally you may do debit card transactions, some ATM cards and create billing that is monthly recurring for those who purchase on a regular basis from your company.

Applications are approved more readily and rapidly when placed on line, and you can receive full support for your company for a very low fee that will include tech support on a twenty four hour a day basis. It will provide such support in over 100 languages and different dialects of each.

Card services International will accept many if not most major credit cards, those they do accept readily being Visa and Master Card. They will also provide to your business Pin secured and debit capacity, electronic transfers of benefits and tele-check services as well as web based commerce through a secured means. You may also add purchasing and gift cards for your business customers for a small additional fee monthly.

Other Alpena solutions for your merchant account will include such things as secure transactions, wireless payment transactions and the capability to take phone offers and shopping card security.

Point of sale transactions have never been easier to accomplish using Link Point, and web transactions may be processed in the same fashion. The API services from LinkPoint will help you gain control of how your payments are processed and help you to build web site applications that may aid you in processing payments from point of sale terminals.

Virtual check services from LinkPoint permit you to take online checks that are processed safely and with no difficulty at all. The main difference between this and some other accounts for merchants is that your monthly rate of transaction will determine your cycle of billing for the merchant account. You have the option to either lease or purchase your equipment and shipping of anything must be authorized to safeguard your business and you.

Presently, the acceptance of offshore accounts is not available in the Alpena merchant account, however that may change. Merchant account benefits which are given free are intended for customers only. Card Service International offers a great price reduction over some of their competitors.