21 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
21 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Best merchant account?

by kevkos30
18 replies
Hi, I'm doing a membership site using Wishlist, and wanting to do recurring payments. However, they do not work with Paypal. I CAN use Clickbank, but their fees are silly. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good merchant account? Should I go with Authorize.net since it seems to be pretty popular?
#account #merchant
  • Profile picture of the author jivens
    Banned
    WHMCS is awesome! They integrate paypal AND have a service desk. You can get it cheaper at licensepal.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5180776].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author doctorvagabond
    Silly question, but what does WHMCS stand for?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5180855].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Eddie Titan
      Originally Posted by doctorvagabond View Post

      Silly question, but what does WHMCS stand for?
      WHMCS stands for Web Host Manager Complete Solution

      WHMCS used to be advertised exclusively to the web hosting industry. There system was originally built for web hosting businesses. However they have since re-branded it to a "complete client management, billing, and support solution" that can be used for most types of business models.

      It is one of the better client management systems out there.

      Originally Posted by kevkos30 View Post

      Does anyone have a recommendation for a good merchant account? Should I go with Authorize.net since it seems to be pretty popular?
      There seems to be some confusion between what the OP is asking and what people have recommended. WHMCS is not a merchant account. It is a client management system.

      You should find a good merchant account and use Authorize.net as your payment gateway. From there you can integrate Authorize.net with a good client management system like WHMCS.

      Take a look at this website: Merchant Maverick

      You can also go with Paypal's merchant account. However, I prefer to keep credit card transactions and paypal as far away from each other as I can.
      Signature
      New Members Challenge! Join me in 2012. Set an income goal for the New Year and achieve it!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5182792].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Norfolk
    From their site:

    Initially designed to work only with cPanel/WHM (hence the WHM part of our name), WHMCS quickly gained popularity as people saw the benefits of having everything integrated, and soon expanded to support other control panels and services.
    Still don't know what CS stands for though.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5180931].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author NicholasCollins
      I always thought the CS was customer service? No idea really. I use United Bank Card and the quickbooks solution which is Innovative Merchant. They both have OK support and OK pricing. I would switch however and will look again at WHMCS too.
      Signature
      GIANT end of year WARRIOR sale on Aged, Established sites. Use password warrior to gain access. http://rankedsites.com/warriors-special-sale/

      I am a startup guy and a proud 11 year Self Employed Veteran. www.NicholasCollins.com
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5180961].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DireStraits
    No idea what it stands for (the "CS" part anyway), but this is the official site.

    I've always been under the impression that this is mostly geared towards web-hosts, though? It used to be the case, at least, though I appreciate that it might have been expanded to be more generally applicable, too, these days. :confused:
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5180959].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sparklers
    shoot me a pm. i can set you up directly with 3 different payment gateways. Authorize.net is good but expensive. We can skip them and hook directly into the gateway provider. Typically this will take some code work if you are using a shopping cart.

    another option is using a virtual terminal and set up recurring billing. i can guarantee that the rates i get are lower than whmcs.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5181371].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author beckey
    Originally Posted by kevkos30 View Post

    Hi, I'm doing a membership site using Wishlist, and wanting to do recurring payments. However, they do not work with Paypal. I CAN use Clickbank, but their fees are silly. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good merchant account? Should I go with Authorize.net since it seems to be pretty popular?
    I used plimus,
    you can have a try.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5181745].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sparklers
    plimus is too expensive. like i said i can set you up with a traditional merchant account that has far less fees associated.

    i guess i dont understand why people dont have a traditional merchant account...

    i will beat any merchant account rate. thats guaranteed. especially for recurring billing.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5181893].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author KrisOlin
    Just go with ClickBank. It is the biggest and the best. I haven't looked back since...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5182686].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author caseycase
    Clickbank/WHMCS are both great options! I would probably go with WHMCS myself.
    Signature

    Free IM Info, No Junk - http://www.ironcladim.com



    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5182702].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ravijayagopal
    If you go with a popular gateway like Authorize.net, you'll have more options finding shopping carts and membership plugins - like DAP.

    But remember, you have to pay fixed fees for the gateway, and also for the ability to do recurring billing. So having an Authorize.net merchant account can add up to $50-$60 per month, even if you don't make a single sale.

    So if you're new to selling online, you're better off starting with Paypal Standard or ClickBank, and then upgrade to a gateway when you're ready.

    - Ravi Jayagopal
    Signature
    Secure Video & Audio Player for S3 & CloudFront
    S3MediaVault.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5183842].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Brendan Vraibel
    Authorize.net has worked great for me. It's on the pricey side but well worth it if you ask me.
    Signature
    Online Reputation Management
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5183889].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author sparklers
      Originally Posted by B and B View Post

      Authorize.net has worked great for me. It's on the pricey side but well worth it if you ask me.
      If you are using Authorize.net for virtual terminal services, IMO you are wasting money. Authorize.net is just a gateway to another gateway!

      They tack on interchange fees, they tack on transaction fees, and they hit you with a monthly fee,

      recurring billing fees? WTF...

      Pricing

      My price, assuming you qualify for all of that...

      $10/month for a statement fee. The terminal and recurring billing is FREE!

      OMG! Wake up folks!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5186023].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author lakshaybehl
        Originally Posted by sparklers View Post

        If you are using Authorize.net for virtual terminal services, IMO you are wasting money. Authorize.net is just a gateway to another gateway!

        They tack on interchange fees, they tack on transaction fees, and they hit you with a monthly fee,

        recurring billing fees? WTF...

        Pricing

        My price, assuming you qualify for all of that...

        $10/month for a statement fee. The terminal and recurring billing is FREE!

        OMG! Wake up folks!
        What do you use?
        Signature
        WARNING EXPLICIT: This is ugly... and this is the distilled truth


        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5186291].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author gahirsh
          If you're not already too deep into Wishlist, you should give DAP a look.

          Very nice integration with Paypal including paypal Standard.

          Glenn
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5189057].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Faisal Karim
    A standalone merchant account powered by a gateway like Authorize.net is essential if you wish to do e-commerce for a sustained period and on a serious level. Therefore, it's a good idea to get a merchant account.

    Regardless of what you market or sell online, as you grow in sales and revenue and as your payment processing needs grow with it, you will note that payment processing is one of the more challenging aspects of managing steady revenue-stream(s) from your ventures.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5186235].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PaymentMaven
    I guess it depends on how much volume you have per month. My ecommerce clients selling $100K per month want the professionalism and client support of a full service merchant account. They use authorize.net gatewau with the first 250 transactions free. And yes, there are fees for processing, but that is part of business...just like electricity, rent, shipping costs, fullfillment, advertising. And most important is client support. You want someone you can call.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5196714].message }}

Trending Topics