When it comes to making quick and secure payments online, PayPal has ruled the roost for years. Whether you’re shopping on eBay or a major chain outlet or wanting to send money to a friend, PayPal can meet all of your needs and with a free account. Even so, the Internet is filled with horror stories of people who have had their PayPal accounts frozen, limited or hacked. For eCommerce websites, having a payment processor unavailable is disastrous. That’s why it’s good to have options.
Most major retailers, both online and off, give customers several options for payment. The more convenient you make the checkout process for consumers, the greater your odds of making a sale. But where do you turn when you want to add a payment option, but you aren’t quite ready for the hefty fees involved with traditional merchant accounts?
2Checkout
Headquartered in Columbus, OH, 2Checkout is a popular alternative to PayPal that has been around since the year 2000. 2Checkout provides turnkey eCommerce solutions to small and large businesses alike. There are no term contracts with 2Checkout and you’ll never need to purchase software or equipment to take advantage of their services. 2Checkout features include:
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Supports recurring billing
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Automated purchase order notification
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Works with existing shopping carts
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Financial reporting
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Fraud prevention
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Affiliate tracking
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Accepts credit cards, PayPal and checks
2Checkout requires a $49 one time signup fee, but does not charge monthly or statement fees.
Moneybookers
Moneybookers is an internationally friendly PayPal alternative that is currently in the process of rebranding themselves under the name Skrill. Moneybookers per-sale fees are lower than PayPal and their merchant services offer the following:
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Fraud protection
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Address verifications and SSN checks at no cost
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Instant payment notifications
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No minimum commitments
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International support
There are no fees associated with account signup with Moneybookers and you will never be charged monthly or statement fees.
Google Checkout
Google Checkout is an easy to implement PayPal alternative that takes shoppers from your web store directly to Google’s servers for a hassle-free, secure checkout. Google Checkout’s features include:
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Works with traditional online or mobile eCommerce websites
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Fraud prevention
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Innovative advertising program
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Competitive pricing
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Easy to integrate into any website
Google Checkout signup is free and you will never incur monthly fees.
Your payment processor needs to be as reliable as the product or service you’re selling on your eCommerce website. Just like you lose money when your web hosting company goes offline and takes your website with it, so do you also when customers are unable to checkout quickly and securely from your eCommerce shop. Giving your customers options means giving yourself a bigger advantage to make a sale.