# Basic Questions about Online Credit Card Transactions



## tuan (Nov 11, 2006)

Sorry for such a stupid question but I'm a total beginner with the whole ecommerce thing. Can you guys tell how one prints out a customer's receipt that you include when you ship your product out to your customer? Is such a software independent from or part of your service that your credit card merchant provides? 

Also if you sign up with a credit card merchant so you take visa/mastercard payments and you also want to accept Paypal, how do both work together? If the customer clicks on Paypal is the interface going to be different than clicking on the visa/mastercard option?


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## 'cia (Aug 18, 2006)

PayPal accepts Visa & MasterCard transactions from everyone, including people who do not have a verified PayPal account. When an order has been accepted, there is a link on the details page that will enable you to print a packing slip (invoice) to include with your shipment. You can even print USPS click-n-ship labels (the cost of the postage/label is deducted from your Paypal account. 

An advantage in using PayPal is that if your sales volume is not significant, you will only pay per transaction in lieu of the monthly fees and per transaction charges you accrue with a traditional merchant account.


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## tuan (Nov 11, 2006)

'cia said:


> PayPal accepts Visa & MasterCard transactions from everyone, including people who do not have a verified PayPal account. When an order has been accepted, there is a link on the details page that will enable you to print a packing slip (invoice) to include with your shipment. You can even print USPS click-n-ship labels (the cost of the postage/label is deducted from your Paypal account.
> 
> An advantage in using PayPal is that if your sales volume is not significant, you will only pay per transaction in lieu of the monthly fees and per transaction charges you accrue with a traditional merchant account.


Thanks 'cia, I didn't know that Paypal did all that, I have to look more into that. So you're saying that I don't have to sign up with any of these fancy credit card merchants, just having a Paypal account is enough to do online credit card/paypal transactions for my business? Or I do have to sign up for a separate ecommerce service with Paypal?


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## 'cia (Aug 18, 2006)

Sign up with PayPal's merchant services. Even their basic plan "website payment standard" will allow you to accept credit cards, debit cards and paypal payments from clients provided you have a bank account and website. If you do not sell to clients face to face and you don't personally process credit card transactions, you won't need a terminal @$20.00 per month. Let PayPal handle the headaches. That said, to protect yourself, always require a valid email address, phone # and verified mailing address from your customers.


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## tuan (Nov 11, 2006)

'cia said:


> Sign up with PayPal's merchant services. Even their basic plan "website payment standard" will allow you to accept credit cards, debit cards and paypal payments from clients provided you have a bank account and website. If you do not sell to clients face to face and you don't personally process credit card transactions, you won't need a terminal @$20.00 per month. Let PayPal handle the headaches. That said, to protect yourself, always require a valid email address, phone # and verified mailing address from your customers.


Thanks for the input 'cia!


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## tuan (Nov 11, 2006)

I hope that validating the customers' email addresses, phone and etc is a standard feature of all credit card merchants.


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## rattle rocker (Jan 3, 2007)

I have a website in which the public can purchase merchandise via the shopping cart and paypal. However we are also selling wholesale, in which it;s not set up online to do. A customer has asked to pay with a credit card. Can I accept it somehow through my paypal account, or do I have to sign up to get the virtual terminal?


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## SomeSailor (Jun 29, 2007)

Once you've been stiffed by a couple of stolen credit cards... or deadbeat buyers, you'll see waht the difference is between a 'real' merchant acct and what PayPal offers. I got tired of paying their ransom a few years back and do everything through e-onlinedata and authorize.net. I don't regret it at all.

You'd be surprised how many people out there won't deal with PayPal or eBay.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

tuan said:


> Sorry for such a stupid question but I'm a total beginner with the whole ecommerce thing. Can you guys tell how one prints out a customer's receipt that you include when you ship your product out to your customer? Is such a software independent from or part of your service that your credit card merchant provides?
> 
> Also if you sign up with a credit card merchant so you take visa/mastercard payments and you also want to accept Paypal, how do both work together? If the customer clicks on Paypal is the interface going to be different than clicking on the visa/mastercard option?


Can you explain what type of business you're in? Selling printing services or selling your own line of t-shirts?

That will help me answer your question better


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