TomD Told me the other day he is using this forum as a method of gauging his company against the competition. I think 2checkout is absolutely excellent and I am very happy with them.

I understand their problems associated with rapid expansion, and trust they are being ironed out.

I was once told by one of their staff that they implement new services if enough of their clients ask, so I am starting a 2checkout.com wish list.

At present I only have 1 item. Here it is :

I woudl like the option of giving my recurring signups a x week or x month free trial preiod.

At present this has to be done by refunding their first month, which doesn't give the clients much of an incentive to sign up.

My wish list in no particular order:

1. Slightly lower processing fees (e.g. 4 or 5% instead of 5.5%)
2. Better browser compatibility
3. Ability to add your own notes to recurring customers
4. Ability to edit email addresses of recurring customers, and send out mailings to them

I personally don't think that a free trial would be realistic, and they do have a 30 day money back guarantee anyway!

Heres my wish list
1. As avara said, lower processing fees.. 5.5% is quiet a lot when compared with the competition
2. Ability to specify custom fields on CC page
3. Ability to charge recurring customers for extra stuff (like some people go over bandwith and instead of asking them to process their CC again, it would be better if a seller could just charge them directly)
4. A better looking control panel, this is definately needed, the way everything is laid out (especially payments stuff) confused me a lot untill Kristin cleared everything
5. Ability to have our own name in the CC processed statements instead of the usual 2checkout.com Inc, I dont know if this is possible but it would really be a plus point
6. Something on the lines to store our account balance permanently instead of transferring it to our bank a/c, something like paypal.. and if you could issue debit cards (like paypal does for business a/c's) to international customers to withdraw the amount, it would really ease the hassle of wiring the money to our bank a/c's

Thats it i guess, if I get more ideas I will post 'em here :D

Before we start getting inundated with more requests for lower discount fees I'll just insert that it will NOT (no way , uhuh, no-how) happen.

OUR fee for non-guaranteed sales (e.g. internationally issued credit cards) is 4% which (if our rate to you was 4%) would mean absolutely no money in the kitty for any other stuff (like my paycheck).

More than happy to keep an eye on the other suggestions, however! :) :) :)

I don't care much about the transaction fees.

All I want is for you to make it cheaper for us international customers to receive payments from you.

Debit card is no use coz it will be a US debit card and if we used it in another country, we will get further transaction fees.

What we NEED is a cheque in our currency or for you to transfer our payment to our PayPal accounts.

I know that you are in direct competition with each other, but it wouldn't do any harm in helping each other out. You provide them with more custom, and they provide you with a service that most international clients would love you to be able to do.

Aside from that, why does it cost you $35 to do a wire transfer but it only costs $1.50 with PayPal? Thats a hell of a difference.

I do not know if it has it or not, but Custom Fields to accept our customer's Domain Name, etc.

Actually it costs you $36 to receive funds via wire if the transfer amount is under $100 USD.

If the amount of the transfer (which you determine) is $1200 the fee is $ .00.

A full sliding scale is out there on the site so that each customer can determine what charge is cost-effective for their business.

Locutus,
There arent any major fees to use US debit cards, but 2checkout can issue international debit cards like Mastercard maestro.

Kristin,
Is it possible to issue international debit cards like paypal has?

Actually that is one of TomD's pending assignments. We're looking very hard at issuing debit card as part of the international payment solution.

The problem is, to get a US debit card, you have to have a US account. Check the PayPal website :(

According to their website, they don't offer debit cards to international customers.

kdach: Thats fine if your earnings are over $1200, but for new companies, that simply is not realistic. Infact, more than likely, the $36 will take away most of the profit for a new company. In this sense, PayPal is great coz they only charge us $1.50, even if we only want to withdraw $25

Originally posted by VarunShoor
Heres my wish list
and if you could issue debit cards (like paypal does for business a/c's) to international customers to withdraw the amount, it would really ease the hassle of wiring the money to our bank a/c's


The debit card is a great idea! I am in the USA and I use my paypal debit card to pay for all my online needs, such as hosting and advertising. It really is amazingly useful.

So, Tom, how about it?

Incidentally, the reason I asked for the free trial period as opposed to refunding one month, is because IMHO people are far more likely to sign up if they think they are not going to be billed for a month or so, as opposed to signing up now, paying now, and we'll give you the first payment back. This is more work for us and for 2CO, and it means the customer has to trust us to keep our word a little bit more than if it was just a simple "trial period, pay your first installment in one month" type thing.

Originally posted by VarunShoor
Heres my wish list
1. As avara said, lower processing fees.. 5.5% is quiet a lot when compared with the competition


On this note, I think the fees are more than fair. For some of my other sites I use clickbank, and they charge 7.5% and $1 per transaction. So 5.5% and 35 cents (?) seems quite fair as far as I am concerned.

Why do I use Clickbank? Because of their fantastic, amazing, incredible, affiliate tracking system!! Now, if 2CO were to introduce one of their own, I think they would clean up!

A decent percentage of my sales come from clickbank affiliates (the hoplinks), and I would be losing too much if I moved my site away from them.

But if 2CO introduced such a thing, I would certainly use them instead.

Originally posted by kdach
Actually that is one of TomD's pending assignments. We're looking very hard at issuing debit card as part of the international payment solution.


Woohooooo!!!

Not just for the international members though, we need it in the USA too!

Then all we need is that affiliate thing!

yup 2checkout Debit Cards would be one of the best options for us, we could litterally have our funds managed in real time.

TomD, please take this thing seriously and keep us updated on it :D

Ability to have our own name in the CC processed statements instead of the usual 2checkout.com Inc, I dont know if this is possible but it would really be a plus point
Then it wouldn't be 3rd party anymore. Defeats the whole purpose.

jeez, the amount of times you wished you stayed in the US :(

Locutus,
Agreed :D ... staying in US has a lot of benefits, I too wish i stayed in US :(

netsolutions,
Not really, third party doesnt just mean that their name appears on the CC statement, third party means that they process the payments on behalf of sellers and send us the payment after that..

Not really, third party doesnt just mean that their name appears on the CC statement, third party means that they process the payments on behalf of sellers and send us the payment after that..
I know what 3rd partry means I'm just saying that if our name appeard on the statement then it would be our own merchant account and it wouldn't be 3rd party.

We've been looking at the international customer "discrimination" issue for quite a few months now.

We do understand that we truly live and work in a global environment. Unfortunately, there isn't any parity in the costs associated with processing fees on a national versus international basis.

A very large portion of our customer base is now international. Possibly because (funding issues aside) we do not ask for any other credentials or criteria from our international clients than we do from our national clients.

We are looking at everything to minimize the costs. Some processors have beat us to finding solutions that work best for them, some are behind.

Bug TomD as often as you'd like, though. He's our man-about-town when it comes to pursuing the cost-effectiveness of solutions for all of our vendors.:D

Kristin,
Thats completely true, the very reason I went with you was because of the hassle free signup, If 2checkout can come with a debit card solution then it would really really ease the task for everyone, this is one thing that will benefit every 2checkout seller. :)

Oh, you also need better credit card verification system.

When I tried your demo system, I was accidently charged for using it, but I've been refunded so that's ok. The problem was that my billing address and my shipping address as well as my personal details (Do you really think my real name is Locutus Of Borg? lol) were complete bollocks, yet my card was still verified and processed.

That REALLY worries me :(

Originally posted by Locutus
That REALLY worries me :(

Worries me too, especially with orders from Vanatu and what not

How do you think I feel?

Definitely going to pull that order.

We dish out pretty hefty fees for the authorization gateway - it is a very large part of the fees we have to pass along to our customers each and every transaction.

Name and address verification is (supposedly) an integral part of that verification process. We add other processes on top of that but any information indicating that *we* aren't getting what we're paying on behalf of our clients is definitely not going to make me sleep any better.

Thanks for the info! *sigh*

I think an easier way to bill existing clients for extras would be good...

Originally posted by netsolutions

I know what 3rd partry means I'm just saying that if our name appeard on the statement then it would be our own merchant account and it wouldn't be 3rd party.

I think if they offered this it would inevitably involve more costs for 2CO, and they would, of course, have to pass them on to us.

Even if it didn't cost them any more "real" money, I am sure it would cost them "man hours".

Currently, you can only pass a few parameters from our site (like price) to their form. There needs to be a way to pass more parameters.

Well, when a client signs up with us, they have to complete a cc transaction on 2checkout's server.
Then, woudln't it be wonderful it they would come back on our site?

But _no_; first, 2checkout displays some page to 'Notify the vendor'.
Well, many clients seem to think that they can go to bed when they reach this page, therefore we are NOT notified.

:mad: -but- I like everything else, basically, so: :cool:

Yes, If this could be done then it would be great! :D

1. An international Debit Card
2. An additional text field to be passed back so that we can put the domain in there


rgds

Yeah...
The domain and user name requested would be nice

3 Things I would like are:

1) Multiple Currencies
2) Free wire transfer (prob not gonna happen)
3) Some reference to your company on the CC statement
even if its just:

2Checkout Inc FOR <comapny name>

Originally posted by cyansmoker
Well, when a client signs up with us, they have to complete a cc transaction on 2checkout's server.
Then, woudln't it be wonderful it they would come back on our site?

But _no_; first, 2checkout displays some page to 'Notify the vendor'.
Well, many clients seem to think that they can go to bed when they reach this page, therefore we are NOT notified.

:mad: -but- I like everything else, basically, so: :cool:
You can send a request to tech support to be coded to be passed back automatcially without the click, I assume some day this will be put into the panel so you can do it automatically in the future.

It would be nice to be able to put the interface into test mode for testing a new version of cart software installed on your own site - without disabling the existing production cart.

Perhaps an account on a different server (or virtualhost) would be better than disabling the production account for testing.

-t

Hi, this is a great thread and i have to say even though i haven't had any offers yet 2checkout seem BRILLIANT - once again i am an international customer.

The only thing that i am slightly off about is that if the cheque is sent to me it would be in $US. Being in the UK and having spoken to all my banks they would generally charge a £10 fee ($15ish) to negotiate and basically cash a US cheque.

My payments are expected to not really exceed $100/month so i would really only be taking $85 (though this is not 2checkouts fault its UK banks that charge the $15ish)

Other than that 2checkout really rocks

my implementation lets users fill in user/domain etc on my server then that is emailed to our accoutns dept. then you are forwarded to 2checkout billing (see the site in sig)

All the best keep up the greaet work 2checkout!!

Just been to see my bank and, well, because I stay in the UK also, 2checkout and Revecom are just not viable solutions anymore.

It costs me around £10 to cash a $US cheque. Thats not too bad (or maybe it is) but what has totally put me off now though is the fact that not only will it take 1 or 2 weeks for them to send me the cheque, when you cash the cheque at your bank, your bank has to send the cheque back to the US bank, then the money gets transferred, therefore it will take another 1 or 2 weeks on top of that.

To top it all off, the US bank may even charge you as well for having to convert the funds, around another £10!!!!!

"French Connection UK" that for a laugh!!! (US ppl probably won't understand this term).

Worldpay is looking more and more attractive now. £150 year, but better than paying all the cheque fees :(

lol French Conn.

Well i have paid in a US cheque for a webdesign contract we had. It all went through within a week i had the money in my account. i used nat west. They charged me about £10. they say longer to cover themselves. really its within a week. barclays will give you the money before they negotiate the cheque... ahh isnt that nice :)

Even so, £10 a cheque.


2Checkout/Revecom:
If you're only making around $200 a month, thats $30 off that per month on cheques (2 cheques per month).

That leaves $170. Now take 5.5% off that (I'll leave out the 45 cents but you know where I'm coming from).

That leaves about $160.

Worldpay:
$200 month minus $18 for the fee (£150/12) leaves $182.

$182 - 4.5% leaves about $174.

That comes to roughly the same revenue per month, but with Worldpay, you also get the following:

Internet trading account - Setup in 48hrs
Process Debit Cards Online - 50p (70 cents) transaction fee.
Your own virtual terminal - Process credit cards/debit cards yourself!! This service is worth the annual fee alone.
Weekly remittance of payment - Only 35p
They also offer as a special, first 6 months waived, next 6 months £20 per month fraud protection. They protect you upto £250 per transaction. Not necessary, but good if you want to protect yourself from chargebacks etc.

I'm really tempted to sign up just for the virtual terminal alone. The advantages are obvious when you are able to enter the card details yourself. Plus it supports all debit cards.

Sorry, got a bit carried away :D

If anyone has any comments on Worldpay, please let me know as I'm looking to sign up by the end of this week. Thanks.

Locutus,
You cannot compare worldpay with 2checkout or even revecom.

Worldpay provides you with your own merchant a/c, 2checkout and revecom are third party processors. I agree the fees etc are low but then you have to purchase your own secure certificate, pay monthly fees that average $40~, pay for setup fees that are like $300~ (compare that to the $49 2c charges).

Locutus,
You cannot compare worldpay with 2checkout or even revecom.

Worldpay provides you with your own merchant a/c, 2checkout and revecom are third party processors. I agree the fees etc are low but then you have to purchase your own secure certificate, pay monthly fees that average $40~, pay for setup fees that are like $300~ (compare that to the $49 2c charges).

You don't need a secure certificate. You don't need to pay monthly fees either, only the £145 per year as I stay in the UK. The setup fee is a once off £50.

Plus taking into account you get your own merchant account, all for the same price it would cost me if I went the 2checkout/revecom route (Remember, I stay in the UK, not US, so I have to pay $15 x 2 transaction fee per month to cash the cheques), which one would you go for? I can't say for other countries as it looks really expensive, but for us in the UK, its really cheap.

Originally posted by kdach
Actually that is one of TomD's pending assignments. We're looking very hard at issuing debit card as part of the international payment solution.

When you'll have debit cards - be sure I'll sign with you :)

Now only solution for me is to open bank account in US and have debit card there, but for doing this I must travel to US, or hire somebody to do it for me, which is also quite expensive.

Originally posted by Locutus

"French Connection UK" that for a laugh!!! (US ppl probably won't understand this term).

Worldpay is looking more and more attractive now. £150 year, but better than paying all the cheque fees :(

I've tried to pay one firm through worldpay and was unable to do it, when I asked them - they just replied that it was rejected by their bank, and they never know why. Next day I've paid to other firm and my card was working.
So I think worldpay have problem with receiving payments.

Originally posted by Locutus
The problem is, to get a US debit card, you have to have a US account. Check the PayPal website :(

According to their website, they don't offer debit cards to international customers.


As far as I know it is not difficult at all to make a US account. You just need to visit US for long enough time :) Or ask somebody who knows how and whom you trus to make this account for you.

As far as I know it is not difficult at all to make a US account. You just need to visit US for long enough time Or ask somebody who knows how and whom you trus to make this account for you.


Yeah thats true but if somehow 2checkout can come with a debit card solution :erm:

The most important thing is the ability to use a single account with multiple sites or setup additional accounts without additional setup fees. You can already do this with revecom. I run several sites and I do not have to pay a setup fee for each site.

Originally posted by The Laughing Cow

The only thing that i am slightly off about is that if the cheque is sent to me it would be in $US. Being in the UK and having spoken to all my banks they would generally charge a £10 fee ($15ish) to negotiate and basically cash a US cheque.


MwAhAhA
I work for HSBC Bank PLC and therefore get currency conversion free :P

can you convert me for free hehe :D


I do have an HSBC account lol