E-Commerce Merchant Account Set-Up

Setting up an eCommerce merchant account (here is our solution) is pretty similar to establishing a manual credit card processing service, with a few notable exceptions. You will need the following:

• A functioning website. This requirement is self-explanatory and does not require a comment.


• A SSL Certificate. You need the SSL to ensure that the information that your customers provide is handled in a secure way and it is protected from identity thieves.


• A shopping cart. This is the service that collects your customers' purchase details and payment information. It integrates into your website which is usually done by the person who builds the website. There are a great number of shopping carts out there, some of which you can get for free. It can also be built by your developer. Each choice has its pluses and minuses and the decision on which one to select should be made on a case-by-case basis.


• An eCommerce payment gateway. A payment gateway is the service that connects your shopping cart with your credit card merchant processor and transmits the payment information. It usually is offered by your internet credit card payment processing provider. It serves the exact same purpose that a physical terminal does, and it performs the same range of functions.


• An internet merchant account. This is the service that will enable you to accept credit card transactions and other electronic forms of payment. It links all previously mentioned components into an inter-related system and is your connection with your merchant services provider and the Credit Card Processing Networks of Visa and MasterCard. There are many providers out there and you should have no problem locating them. It will be a good idea to request several proposals and compare the terms before you make your decision.

I have not talked about pricing here, as it has been discussed in great detail in other credit card processing articles. I would like to remind you, however, that you should always evaluate the whole merchant account processing pricing proposal and not just the single rate or fee that usually gets advertised.