Cost: No monthly fee. No setup fees. No cancellation fees. Transaction Fees are 1.9% to 2.9% + $0.30 US$.

PayPal as an Additional Payment Option: If you already have a merchant account and you would like to add PayPal to your existing payment solutions, you can use this option.

If you are planning to sell products through eBay, you definitely should have PayPal option. According to eBay, three out of four eBay customers choose to pay by PayPal.

When you use PayPal as your primary processor, make sure that you have at least one more alternative payment solution handy. The reason is many disgruntled former users of PayPal claim that PayPal might freeze your account anytime without any apparent reason. Read http://www.PayPalsucks.com for more information.

However, According to a new report, Merchant losses from fraud on PayPal are now only 0.17% of revenues, vs. 1.8% for online merchants that accept credit cards through merchant accounts. This gives one more reason to use PayPal.

WorldPay

If you are facing problems to get a merchant account due to factor that you are not located in US, WorldPay could be solution for you. WorldPay is a one-stop solution for your merchant account, payment gateway and store front. The payment option comes with fraud protection and risk management applications to safeguard your business. Based in England, WorldPay is a division of Royal Bank of Scotland.

Cost: If you compare with PayPal, WorldPay’s fees are pretty stiff. 50 US$ monthly fee. 400 US$ setup fee. Transaction Fees are 3.25% + $0.40 US$. The charge for multicurrency processing is 5.25% per transaction.

2Checkout

2checkout.com works as an online distribution center. When customer buys a product from your website through 2checkout, you actually make your sale to 2checkout for immediate resale to your customer. Customers are billed by 2checkout not you. 2checkout accepts vendors from virtually all over world. You can also set up recurring billing through 2checkout.

Cost: No monthly fee. 49 US$ setup fee. Transaction Fee: 5.5% + $0.30 US$.

ClickBank

For selling e-books, reports and other similar digital products, ClickBank.com is probably your best option. The great thing about ClickBank is it has over 100 thousand affiliates promoting products available on ClickBank marketplace. By listing your product with ClickBank, you automatically tap into a huge potential market. ClickBank accepts all major credit cards and PayPal.

Cost: 50 US$ set up fee. Depending on percentage of commission you pay to your affiliates, transaction fee varies from 2.5% plus 0.33 US$ to 7.5% plus 1 US$.

There are many other third party processing companies available on Internet. Two of them worth mentioning are http://moneybookers.com and http://www.ikobo.com.

Since fees fluctuate considerably from one solution to another depending on your location, products and other needs, make sure to do a thorough research before signing up with any of mentioned providers.

Where did Customers Go?

Many factors influence where and what a person decides to buy. Although Yellow Pages are no longer an automatic part of loop, many buyers consult both Internet and directory, not relying on either one alone. However, many shoppers only call Yellow Page ads that show a website, even it they don’t intend to visit it. It goes to credibility issue. What’s different? - Buyers are less trusting and more willing to shop around - Availability of Internet Yellow Pages (IYP) - Expanded options and more ways to find them - Aging population uses Yellow Pages differently than young people - Development of unique, narrow niches and specialties - More choices for a "better deal" - Increased immigrants and those from other cultures, unaccustomed to Yellow Page use - Larger cities with multiple directories, rather than one large one - Local search, whereby search engines locate suppliers by zip code, state, city, region

Time for a Reality Check - Can You Find Yourself?

The next time you go online (or have a friend walk you through it), see how you rate in some local searches. Conduct a query in Google (then Yahoo, and MSN). Enter your type of business + Your town (“Pet Stores” + Scottsdale, Arizona).

Does your business show up? How many of your competitors are on that list? How many are ahead of you? That list is what your “missing customers” are likely to see when they’re ready to spend their money. Does that experience motivate you to make a better Local Search showing?

Next, check out whether your business appears in various Internet Yellow Pages (IYP). Work your way down list: http://www.yellowpagesage.com/localsearch.html

Start noticing how visible you are to customers researching their local options online. You really can’t afford to miss boat.