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Thanks for the info. Happy to hear you found something you are comfortable with. That sounds like a pretty good program, but there many others worthy of consideration, some even better:

How about no startup fees?
Free software, no equipment or anything else to buy or lease? Zero start up costs.
Zero long term contract (Hint: This is NOT so for First Data)
Ideal for small volume and start-ups.
Low rates, no batch header fees, no annual fees, no bill back fees, etc. etc.
Apply 100% online, nobody will hassle you in person or on the phone.
Fortune 500 company, not brand X processing

*http://www.MerchantServices-help.com/quickbooks.htm*l

AMSPCS
amspcs@juno.com
www.MerchantServices-help.com

These are all good things to, i will not deny that, I wasn't trying to offend or state i knew more than i do. I am a new company trying to start up a business and was just sharing what i learn as i go. So if i Offended either one of you, then I am sorry.

Dear Intechspecial,

Well, yes and no.

Yes, Paypal is a way to accept credit cards IF for credit or whatever other reason you can't qualify for a real merchant account, or as a temporary startup mode if you are a brand new start up and can't justify the expense (equipment, shopping cart, secure gateway etc.) of a real merchant account.

No, Paypal is not a permanent substitute for a real merchant account for an ongoing vibrant business for two important reasons: (a) in the long run it is much more expensive and (b) it will cost you tons of lost business
from the potential customers who are savvy to the hassles and security risks involved with the compromised security of Paypal.

There are no setup fees for standard Paypal. For premium it costs $30 per month. As noted above, the reala cost of Paypal in the form of lost business is significant--there are millions of folks out there who wouldn't transmit their personal data via PP under any circumsances.

Yes, we are a traditional merchant services provider. Still, for many years we recommended Paypal to
the merchant types noted above. No more. We have removed their recommendation page from our site
due to an overwhelming and unacceptable number of complaints from merchants and customers alike about Paypal. Google checkout is a better alternative these days...not by much, but better. The same caveots apply: Good TEMPORARY solution for BRAND NEW busiesses. Frankly, sending cash via carrier pigeon is a better altenative than Paypal these days in our opinion.

AMSPCS
amspcs@juno.com
www.MerchantServices-help.com

Whatever service you decide to use, make sure you take extra care to read all the options and fine print. Many merchant service providers are wolves in sheep's clothing. What you will pay monthly and per transaction is relative to how you make sales. Swiped transactions are less expensive than keyed in transactions and so on.

Just make sure that you have read every single piece of fine print before you apply. If you apply and they accept you, they will charge you the set-up fee immediately and will start charging the monthly fees right away!

Since this is a forum for business professionals to share information and experiences, i felt it was acceptable to share my point of view.

AMSPCS, I apologize if my post offended you since you're in the business, but my experience with acquiring merchant services was less than pleasant. Perhaps if I knew about you and your company, I may have had a different point view. I also agree with you that a merchant needs to read everything and do a great deal of research in order to ensure they are making the right decision, which is why i suggested it in my post to begin with. But when a merchant has done all the research they are able to do and are unclear about details, they will most likely contact their sales representative to have their questions answered. Expecting a sales representative to clarify the terms of their service is not naive nor is it lazy; its what should be expected.

I'm sorry you found it necessary to name call and demean my professional ability without knowing anything about me and the work i do in order to defend your industry, but it was uncalled for. Furthermore, attacking people sharing experiences with other business professionals is not really the best way to project honor in your industry.

I have used Paypal in a business I started last year for the very reasons you mentioned - no start-up cost, quick.

Recently, I added a monthly payment option for customers and received tremendous negative feedback from customers. Everyone HATES PayPal and it is obtrusive to create monthly subscription payment options for customers; they are required to create a PayPal account.

I "saved" a monthly fee but lost customers.

Barry,

I do not use Paypal for my M&A business - all my clients pay cash. I use it for our trade associations www.apmaa.com. We process membership fees through it. We have a very low number of transactions so the monthly fee of a true merchant account processing has always been an issue.