The two most common ways to accept credit card payments online are either by opening your own merchant account, or using one of many third-party services available. There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Most banks offering merchant accounts require set-up fees. These fees vary from bank to bank, and can be very expensive. In addition, you are required to pay monthly maintenance fees once account is established.

Using services of a third-party processor enables you to accept all major credit cards online without a merchant account. There are no monthly fees, and many third-party processors offer free set up.

For those just starting out, third-party processors are, by far, easiest and cheapest route. You can be up and running within 48 hours, taking orders and accepting credit cards.

There are numerous companies online willing to accept credit cards on your behalf and, like banks, their fees and services can vary drastically. Two of most popular third-party processors available are ClickBank and PayPal. Both are easy to apply to and offer similar features.

The advantage of PayPal is instant deposits into your account and no signup fees. ClickBank holds your funds for 30 days and requires a one-time $50 sign-up fee. The biggest advantage of ClickBank though, is its affiliate tracking feature. It allows you to implement your own affiliate program, an valuable feature to many marketers.

Affiliate programs are perhaps most powerful promotional tool you could ever use. You recruit people to promote your product for you by offering them a commission on sales. You decide how much, but higher commission, more motivated they'll be to promote your product, and that means more sales for you. It also means you only pay for performance. No more wasted advertising dollars!

For Internet merchants, there isn't much choice but to accept credit cards. Applying for an account is fast and easy, and almost everyone is approved within 48 hours. There's really no excuse to not start your own business. The obsticles have been removed. The only thing that stands between you and financial freedom is yourself.

To open an account with ClickBank go to: http://www.clickbank.net/r/?fxdude

To open a free account with PayPal go to: http://www.paypal.com/refer/pal=fxdude@msn.com

Copyright (c) 2002 eMoney Enterprises ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

If you have a little money to spend on advertising, you will get better results much faster. Just be careful where you spend your advertising dollars. Buying direct hits to your website may sound like a good option, and it will definitely get you traffic, but it's not targeted and will result in few, if any, sales.

Some people try using email lists purchased from a list broker. Unless you're sure list you're mailing to is 100% opt-in, don't take risk. Make no mistake about it, this is spamming and it can get you into big trouble.

So what does work? Ezines. Ezine advertising is generally accepted as best way to advertise on Internet. Right now there are thousands of ezines that will accept outside advertising, many of them for free. While a vast majority of ezines only have a small subscriber list, if you advertise in enough of them it is possible to get your ads out to thousands, if not millions of people.

You can also take out solo ads with some of larger Ezines. This has advantage of direct mail, but without spamming. Because subscribers have opted-in to list, they're much more receptive to your ad. Remember to keep a log of which ads you placed in which ezines, so you can track effectiveness of your ads.

Getting word out about your product or website isn't difficult when you know where to advertise effectively. Find some ezines related to what you're selling and place some ads. With right ad, your website will get all traffic you could want.

Copyright (c) 2002 eMoney Enterprises ALL RIGHTS RESERVED