Ecommerce Merchant Accounts

Ecommerce or electronic commerce at first meant the facilitation of commercial transactions like sending purchase orders, sales invoices and other documents electronically. Through time, it began to include other activities such as the selling and buying of goods and services through the Internet, and it became known as “web commerce.”

If you are a businessman wanting to develop your enterprise into a higher level, you may be thinking of selling through the web. Ecommerce enables you to put up a site where you can display what you’ll be selling, with all the marketing strategies, and compete with huge companies nation and worldwide. Selling on the Internet makes your store accessible 24 hours a day, not to ignore the customers’ speed and convenience of shopping at home.

Your customers will pay you through your merchant account, your online payment processor that can also be opened in banks. The primary requirements in opening a merchant account are a business checking account, a physical street address and a corporation name statement from a local county courthouse.

A merchant account will process the payment from your customers to your own bank account. It will also enable you to accept credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, and other forms of electronic payment. In the processing, the transactions are entered into electronic networks that facilitate the transfer of funds from the customers’ to your account. You will be charged a discount rate that varies and depends on the amount and method of transaction and business type. There is also an additional charge called a transaction fee. After three to twelve months of processing with less than one percent in charge back issues, the merchant may apply for an increase to his monthly maximum limit of $10,000.

Having a merchant account that enables you to receive any kind of payment is vital to any online business. In this regard, you need to carefully choose where to open and entrust your money. Bear in mind that it should be fast, easy, secure and affordable, has the lowest rates, no hidden fees, accepts payments in any currency and has best customer service and support.