tenpastmidnight blog
Making hay while the sun shines
» Monday, October 18, 2004 «
Payment gateways
I've been investigating e-commerce payment gateways for one of my clients today. Usually you get a merchant ID for your business bank account and then choose between a range of service providers for which best matches how your website is doing. EROL has a handy payment service provider comparison chart to help you work out which service matches your needs.
However, my client wants some options if they don't get a merchant ID. The only ones I've found at the moment are Paypal and WorldPay's Payment processing and internet merchant account. Looking at the costs of both, at the moment Paypal is looking more attractive for them. At my last freelancers meeting someone had a client who is trying to get a load of money back from Paypal after his account was frozen, which doesn't fill me with confidence, although I've used their service for small amounts in the past. I've also heard complaints that WorldPay can take many weeks to pay a completed transaction to the client, which doesn't bode well either. I'm going to recommend SecPay whose service seems to match their needs the best, and if they don't want the merchant ID, Paypal seems the next best system. Still, I'll make the complaints I've heard about them known so the client can decide with their eyes open.
However, my client wants some options if they don't get a merchant ID. The only ones I've found at the moment are Paypal and WorldPay's Payment processing and internet merchant account. Looking at the costs of both, at the moment Paypal is looking more attractive for them. At my last freelancers meeting someone had a client who is trying to get a load of money back from Paypal after his account was frozen, which doesn't fill me with confidence, although I've used their service for small amounts in the past. I've also heard complaints that WorldPay can take many weeks to pay a completed transaction to the client, which doesn't bode well either. I'm going to recommend SecPay whose service seems to match their needs the best, and if they don't want the merchant ID, Paypal seems the next best system. Still, I'll make the complaints I've heard about them known so the client can decide with their eyes open.
