Online payments ?

[skeggysteve]

As PH is much better than Google in finding answers......

I'm the early stages of setting up a website that will take online payments for time critical information.

I know Paypal send an email when you receive a payment but is there anything else out there.

I need a system that:

1. Is cheap - not keen on Worldpays £200 set up/£30 per month/% fees.

2. Will send email asap that a payment is received.

3. Is very customer friendly.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[imfinlay]

Check out the PayPal IPN - fairly decent API, and if you use oscommerce there's a supported plugin for it.

[TheKeyboardDemon]

Google offer a similar service to Paypal now, I'm not too sure how it works in terms of setting up as a trader though. Try looking at Google Checkout for more information. HTH

[stuartbuckell]

Google Checkout is excellent, their API is top notch.

You also have Protx who offer a £20 a month service no extra charges - http://www.protx.com

SECpay http://www.secpay.com

Worldpay aren't very competitive anyone IMHO. (For startups..)

You have Nochex (UK based Paypal alternative)... bit amature however.

Also you could consider your own banks merchant account.. HSBC offer one for £20 a month, same as Barclays PDQ, and Lloyds use Protx.

Depends how many transactions you're looking to do. Small amounts of big ones, lots of small ones.

[Dave_ST220]

Been using Pay Pal & NOCHEX to great effect.

[skeggysteve]

Many thanks for all the suggestions - how did I did I forget about Google Checkout - I'll have a look at all of them.

Has anyone any experience of any of then with regards to how quick they let you know that someone has paid, thats the, very, important bit for my application?

Cheers,

Steve

[TheKeyboardDemon]

I bought my G25 from Dabs using Google, as I recall Google sent me a receipt which was immediate, I placed the order at 8:45pm and then I received a 2nd email from Google the next day to say Dabs have dispatched my order, this was sent at 6:44pm.

Suggesting that Dabs got the order, processed the payment, picked, packed and dispatched the order before letting Google know the item has been collected for delivery, all within 22 hours of my order being placed.

I bet the biggest delays in the chain would have been staff not coming in to work till 8/9am and then waiting for the courier collection, so Google checkout would have been quite quick as it's Google who have to clear funds and Dabs are guaranteed the sum once it has been accepted by Google.

[Dave_ST220]

I looked into accepting Google too-their rules are just plain silly-if you have any other type of payment method on your site you MUST have a Google checkout button right next to it(they won't let you have seperate pages for Google checkout). eg, you have a nice page with 20 products each with an "add to basket" button that is going through Pay Pal, by each one of these you now must stick a bloody great(you are not allowed to resize) Google check out button. A task that was so simple with Pay Pal is a PITA with Google checkout................

btw, NOCHEX & Pay Pal both send you an email as soon as the purchase is made.

Edited by Dave_ST220 on Thursday 16th August 09:28

[LeeME3]

Sorry to hijack slightly, but this is a problem I am working through at the moment also...

Doesn't paypal require the 'shopper'/'customer' to have a paypal account which means they've got to do that before checking out if they don't already have one?

[Cosmonaute]

Not any more.

[seandudding]

I use protx on all of my sites, and have found them to be very good.

[simbax]

I've setup 2 websites with Google Checkout. They haven't been live long enough to be able to report on its effectiveness. The biggest advantage of course is that they are offering free transaction processing in 2007 and then next year you can reduce your transaction costs (although low) by spending on adwords. Paypal offer some good options now. Protx and Worldpay are more expensive. Worldpay are updating their system soon so hopefully we'll see it driven forward. I much better integration can be achieved with Protx but it is definitely one of the more costly options.

[skeggysteve]

Google looked the best option but they won't accept my type of business.

To be fair they were very helpful, answered emails very quickly and have said that when the site is up they will look at it and review.

So it looks like Paypal is the only, cheap/free, starter option.

Steve

[Work-Shy-Wanabe]

Protx and Streamline combo is hard to beat.