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Payment
Processors: “Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket”
Stan Colcombe
SIX Alternatives to PayPal
Here’s a twist: I’ll guarantee you that, if you read
through this article, and then use the link I’ve inserted, you
will get Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00) for FREE, no strings attached.
Deal?
Ok, here we go...
Thousands, or millions of people deal online using PayPal and never
have a problem. But then, everyone will tell you how safe you are
when flying in a commercial airliner. Its true, of course.
Statistically, only a few people die while flying, per hundred
million miles or so. The trouble with statistics is, they can
cloud, rather than reveal the problem. The simple truth is, if you fly -
and experience just ONE mid-air collision while doing so, you can
forget all about statistics.
For you, the ratio becomes
one-out-of-one, or 100%. The odds are clearly on your
side, but the underlying fact remains.
Today, PayPal is a big business, and processes millions of online
transactions - mostly without a hitch. The real problem is the
“heavy-handed” tactics they sometimes employ when something goes wrong.
This is especially true since they were taken over by eBay, the
auction giant.
Stories abound on the internet of online marketers having accounts
frozen and funds seized - with little or no recourse, since PayPal
is an unregulated financial service, and not a chartered bank. Some
savvy internet marketers have advised never keeping more funds than
necessary in your PayPal account for that reason.
Bottom line in all this? If you do any kind of business
transactions online, its wise to have more than one payment
processor - as a backup, if nothing else.
Is there no alternative? Actually there are several. But, the
only one that could be called a direct, almost feature-for-feature
competitor is a relatively new player. Its called “Revolution
MoneyExchange.” And the accounts are actually issued by a bank,
First Bank & Trust, Brookings, SD, Member FDIC.
All Services FREE?
Did I mention that all services (both sending and receiving money
online) are FREE? They also have "Buy Now" and shopping
cart buttons available...
And no, I didn't forget... Here’s your $25.00 - for
FREE At least until May 15, 2008, not only can you sign
up for free, but Revolution will actually PAY YOU $25, just for
opening an account with them. Does it sound like they want your
business?
And, here is your link to get there:
Now, the above is really a
"no-brainer." Still, some of these others could be useful too.
So here are 5 more possibilities:
AlertPay
AlertPay.com
http://www.alertpay.com/
According to founder Firoz Patel, PayPal and other payment
processing companies catered well to mainstream merchants, but fell
behind when it came to less serviceable markets. In 2004, Patel
launched Montreal-based AlertPay to make online payments easier.
AlertPay.com simplifies bank transfers, bank wires, direct deposits
and other payment methods - everything except cash. The introductory
rate for AlertPay is 2.5% per transaction. But if your company is
off the beaten path and requires more service, be prepared to pay
3.9%.
2Checkout
2checkout.com
http://www.2checkout.com/
2Checkout.com processes credit cards and checks while monitoring for
fraud and ensuring data security. The site has about 50,000 active
vendors and signs up 1,500 new clients every month. For each
transaction, there's a 5% rolling reserve for 90 days. 2Checkout.com
has a one-time setup fee of $49.00 and takes a 5.5% commission plus
$0.45 for each sale.
Digital River
digitalriver.com
http://corporate.digitalriver.com
Digital River is based in Eden Prairie, MN, and has worked with
40,000 online stores to build e-commerce functionality, starting
with basic shopping cart features. Best selling point: Digital River
does not hold sellers' money and will take the hit if a product
needs to be returned.
Digital River has no up-front cost and won't charge until the first
sale. Then, its fee is based on performance, beginning at 2.9% plus
a $1.00 transaction fee.
E-junkie
E-junkie.com
http://www.e-junkie.com/
E-junkie is one of many shopping cart providers, but it
distinguishes itself in the market by automating delivery. E-junkie
particularly well-suited for do-it-yourself artists and creative
freelancers. For tangible goods, its system can automatically
determine what size and shape packaging works best for each product
in a vendor's inventory. For digital products, it streamlines file
storage and instantaneous delivery. Prices vary depending on the
services selected, but start at $5 per month for 10 products.
TrialPay
TrialPay.com
http://www.trialpay.com/
TrialPay pairs merchants with advertisers to boost sales for both
and offer consumers a chance to get products for free. Merchants
enrolled with TrialPay give away their products for free when a
shopper completes an offer from one of TrialPay's client
advertisers, who then pays the merchant a bounty that equals or
exceeds the product price. The system works best for software and
online services vendors that can offer instantaneous digital
delivery. You can see the system in action at WinZip and Skype.
Vendors can use TrialPay's shopping cart system or integrate it with
any other existing shopping cart.
The Coming of DVD to iPod Technology
by Stan Colcombe
Why DVD?
"Why not?" That might be a better question. It's just that
DVD is the latest technology craze. Since the original storage disks, technology has reached new heights almost every decade -
and the decades are definitely getting "shorter." Think of
the release of BetaMax tapes, VHS tapes, audio cassette tapes, audio cds, laser discs,
video cds, mini discs and other data storage accessories. The DVD
is just the latest one. With Dolby Stereo sound and high end picture
image, viewers and listeners can be assured of the best quality possible
in movies and music from their iPods.
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