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Thread: New to this.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
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    Sputnik's World
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    82

    New to this.

    So I'm working on a web page right now, where the plan is to sell videos and picture sets. My husband and I were originally considering clips4sale, however, they changed the minimum payout from $50 to $150, so we have been looking at other options.

    The problem that I'm running into, is I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for. Getting the business license and bank account will be nothing to take care of and it seems it will be necessary.

    However, after that, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at. I know some places are like clips4sale that deal in digital downloads and there are merchant accounts. I'm not sure what a payment gateway is, although I know it's something to do with merchant accounts.

    So here is what I'm hoping I can find/get:

    1. Something adult content friendly. (The site falls in a gray area as there is no nudity, but it's still considered adult content.)
    2. Something that takes new sites with no history.
    3. Something that allows for low volume, as who knows if the site will ever take off.
    4. Setup fee of $50 or less.
    5. No, or very low monthly fee (like less than $10 a month). Percentage of sales is acceptable for a monthly fee.
    6. 10% or less per transaction fee. Can be a higher, depending on the other details. (Example, clips4sale takes 40%, but they host all the files, deal with the transactions, returns and so on and there are no additional fees beyond the 40%.)
    7. Minimum payout in the $50 range with no, or minimal charges for payout.
    8. We are Canadian, so it would need to be something we could use here.

    I don't mind having to get a business bank account, business license, ssl certificate, or finding a shopping cart script. Although something that's geared towards digital downloads that doesn't require some or all of that, works as well.

    So here are my questions:

    1. Do I really need a merchant account, or are there other sites like clips4sale that deal in digital downloads?
    2. If I need a merchant account, where should I begin my search for one, and what sorts of things should I be looking for? (Pitfalls, necessities, so on.)
    3. If my expectations aren't realistic, what would be? At the moment, I'm treating the venture more like a hobby than a business as it may never make any money. Should it make money, I'm more than willing to invest more in getting the job done.

    Any suggestions on where I should look to learn more, or providers that might fit with what I want/need?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    International
    Posts
    103

    reply

    1 - No you do not need a merchant account.

    Easiest way to implement is through PayPal which has 'buy now' buttons and has options for digital downloads. PayPal doesn't have monthly fees and charges a small commission... perfect for start ups and easy to keep records and manage sales.

    Good Luck!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Sputnik's World
    Posts
    82
    Quote Originally Posted by websitedesign View Post
    1 - No you do not need a merchant account.

    Easiest way to implement is through PayPal which has 'buy now' buttons and has options for digital downloads. PayPal doesn't have monthly fees and charges a small commission... perfect for start ups and easy to keep records and manage sales.

    Good Luck!
    Paypal does not allow adult content for digital goods. I did actually check them first.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    International
    Posts
    103
    Sorry didn't catch the bit about adult content... haven't researched this industry before and not sure if Google checkout would allow it.

    I'm sure there's an easy payment option. Maybe try searching and visiting other adult sites and investigating what they use for payment....

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Sputnik's World
    Posts
    82
    Google checkout doesn't allow adult content either. As for CCBill, it seems to only do recurring payments, although I have mailed them to double check on that. Since I'm not looking to set up subscriptions, but just allow the purchase and download of video clips and picture sets that doesn't look like it will work.

    I'm still looking, but that's why I posted here, to see if anyone else knew more than I did, or could point me to places where I could learn more as I'm rather lost.

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