posted on October 24, 2001 07:35:34 AM new
Does anybody accepts cerdit cards other than Bilpoint? I have a mercahnt account and thinking to accept credit card payments by mail order. Do you take any precautions to avoid chargebacks?
Thanks
posted on October 24, 2001 07:54:10 AM new
Chargebacks are a major risk you must take if you want to take credit cards. Whether it be from Billpoint, Paypal, or swipe terminal. You basically take the same precaution in all cases - which is to know your buyer as much as you can, and limit your liability as much as you can.
For a swipe terminal, you should make sure your provider supports AVS (Address Verification) and use it every time.
posted on October 24, 2001 09:56:17 AM new
I accept both paypal and billpoint, but also offer strait visa/mc processing thru my company merchant account. Few people take me up on it from eBay but the ones that do are very appreciative.
A partner of mine does the same thing and asks each buyer who pays via her merchant account to sign a 'invoice' that she faxes to them. I don't want to add this step to my own business but know that it's certainly much safer than my own process.
I've not had any charge backs to date but have had a few situations where someone wrote to ask what a charge was because they didn't remember my company name and questioned the charge on their bill. After resending the receipt they haven't disputed the charges. I now make it a practice to send two emails after payment -- one is the receipt and a second one explains the charge will appear on next month's bill as My Company Name... The fact that the email is separate from the inovice makes it more memorable and I've received no more questions about bills.
posted on October 24, 2001 10:41:43 AM new
If you want to accept credit cards without a merchant account, I suggest looking into ProPay. Big advantage over ccnow or 2checkout is that your e-mail address will show on the buyer's CC statement. This makes chargebacks less likely from buyer confusion. You can also appear more professional by having an e-mail like [email protected] If the first part is long enough, your @mycompany.com will be trimmed off the CC statement.
posted on October 24, 2001 10:47:42 AM new
I agree. ProPay is the one of the only one's that will let you actually put in the information and charge the card so you can use it in conjunction with anything. Also, you can send them a secure link invoice to input the information themselves and they don't have to be signed up with ProPay, just you. It has worked very well for me and alot of other people who just can't push enough product to make up for all the fees associated with a merchant account. It also makes you look very professional.
Many Many people use this in conjunction with shopping carts on their website stores.
http://www.ezinkjetstore.com
posted on October 24, 2001 11:07:12 AM new
The advantage of having your own merchant account is that YOU deal with the customer and YOU decide whether or not to allow the charge. If there is a complaint, the customer talks to YOU. If there is a charge back, the credit card company first notifies YOU. With a third-party service, THEY decide whether the card is valid. THEY decide how much (or how little) information to give you and if there is a problem, THEY decide whether or not to fight it. If it's easier for them to just take the money away from you, then that is what they will do.
Billpoint allows someone to use a credit card in New York while giving a name and address is Chicago to the seller. Seller doesn't even know that the name and address on the card doesnt match. This wouldnt happen with a real merchant account. At least Paypal sends the seller the cardholder's address. But despite all the lies about "protection," the minute a third-party gets in the middle, both buyer and seller may be giving up significant rights. The only possible exception may be C2it.
