Hello people.

I have finally decided now is the time for my hosting business. I am currently planning in detail, and all that is left is the billing part/bit.

I live in the uk (where i will register the company), so i need the billing company to support the UK.

Can anyone recommend a company which does not charge a % fee, but instead charges a flat fee per transaction. I mean, my plans will be cheap, so wouldn't it be better to pay a percentage fee instead?

Any help will be very very appreciated.

I am sorry if i am asking the same question again and again. Its just that my search on the BB resulted in nothing usefull.

every single company charges a % per transaction. Thats how credit cards work. The get charged a percentage, thus they have to charge you.

Visa/Mastercard/etc all charge a % of every transactions.

hostcharge.com is in the UK I believe.

your gonna have to pay a transaction percentage, its just how things work. I suggest you get a real merchant account if you want to get the lowest price on percentages.

or, check out hostcharge.com


Jim

Originally posted by xnet
hostcharge.com is in the UK I believe.

No actually we're in Canada.

Regards,
Asher.

Originally posted by xnet
every single company charges a % per transaction. Thats how credit cards work. The get charged a percentage, thus they have to charge you.

Visa/Mastercard/etc all charge a % of every transactions.


Thanks.

Well, does anyone know of the cheapest one?

Regards.

becoming your own merchant is the cheapest way in the end - but it costs a little more at the beginning then 2checkout.com or Revecom or Hostcharge.

First you have to be 18, and normally have to get a US biz license... but since you're in the UK - that might make it hard. I'd call up your bank and see what type of merchant services they offer.

Originally posted by xnet
becoming your own merchant is the cheapest way in the end - but it costs a little more at the beginning then 2checkout.com or Revecom or Hostcharge.

First you have to be 18, and normally have to get a US biz license... but since you're in the UK - that might make it hard. I'd call up your bank and see what type of merchant services they offer.

Well, here in the uk, banks charge us both the arm and the leg! The fact is, as I don't have millions to spend, everything will be done cheaply. That is, I intend to use the free banking service offered by the Abbey National Bank. It only allows 10 free deposits before it charges me. So, I was thinking of a payment solution that gives out one cheque a month.

Merchant service is too expensive for me to use. I mean, a few months down the line if we are growing, then I might be able to afford it, but untill then....

Thank you anyway, you have just helped me fill the "few months down the line" section in my business plan.

Regards.

Hi,

I've heard that sfcommerce.com is good, except that they only accept MasterCard and Visa. Their discount rate is 2.75%, which is quite low compared to 2checkout.com or revecom.

Later
Joe

Originally posted by joethong
Hi,

I've heard that sfcommerce.com is good, except that they only accept MasterCard and Visa. Their discount rate is 2.75%, which is quite low compared to 2checkout.com or revecom.

Later
Joe

Has anyone heard of sfcommerce.com and if so, what was their experience. I cannot find anything about charges on their website. Only buttons to apply for the service. Stupid if you don't know about the prices!

Thanks.
Regards.

their setup fee is 299.99$ and their statement fee is around $10-20

Originally posted by ^Kyo
their setup fee is 299.99$ and their statement fee is around $10-20

You've GOT TO JOKING! and people actually join with them? 299.99 is a rip off. I might as well pay my own bank for a merchant account!

Thanks for the info though (i will stay well away form them!)
Regards.
Abbas.

Yeah that is pricy :)

Regards, Asher.

Abbas,
This is the latest pricing I have got some months ago for sfcommerce. Please contact them to confirm it.

Hereunder is the Price Structure for overseas clients (European, Middle East and Asian Merchants):

4.1.1 The initial set-up fee shall be: ₤99.

4.1.2 The percentage amount shall be 4.0 % per approved transaction for Credit Cards (including VISA and MasterCard branded debit cards)

4.1.3 The set charge shall be ₤.30 per approved transaction for credit cards and ₤.50 for UK Non-Visa/MasterCard debit cards.

4.1.5.1 The amount shall be ₤40.00 for each wire transfer received from SF.

4.1.5.2 There is currently no charge for electronic fund transfers (EFT) for British Pounds or Euros deposited in UK or Republic of Ireland bank accounts.

4.1.6 The monthly administrative fees shall be ₤15.00.


Hope that helps.

I could have been wrong on that 299.99 as it can obviously be seen. That pricing was given to one of my clients 2+ months ago. Sorry if it was inacurate.

Regards,
ASher.

Hi,

Yep 299 is the setup fee. Request for more information from them.

In my opinion, 299 USD is not expensive at all if you are serious about getting a good credit card transaction gateway. Planetpayment.com charges 500USD for setup but they don't receive good feedback. Before Cybercash is acquired by Verisign, they are charging 500USD for setup too.

And BTW the billing statement of your customers will reveal your business (DBA) name instead of something like XXBill Inc, which is more professional in my opinion.

Anyway, if you want to avoid setup costs, you could checkout 2checkout.com or revecom.com. 2checkout.com is good.
Except that both charge a higher discount rate and per transaction fee. If you intend to sell a lot online, I'd recommend getting one with high setup and low transaction fees, it would save you more in the long run.

Since you're in the UK, you might want to check out www.worldpay.com

Later
Joe

Althrough Sfcommerce setup its $299, they take it from your first reconciliation, so you don't have to pay it up-front.
I use it with no problem so far. The only bad thing is they do not support recurring billing, which its a pain to charge manually to all your customers, specially when you have more than 500 :P
It take me more than 5 days to do it.

oh right thanks.

Well, i need to have one that supports recurring billing, as I want to concentrate on building my client base, NOT typing in orders. I think I will see what UK banks charge to the small business people. I might be able to get a discount cos I bank with them....

Thanks for all your help guys.

Regards.