Taking payments over the phone

spqr_2

Hi,

I am just starting up and will be selling goods via the internet. To keep start up costs down I have set up a website but it doesn't have a paying checkout cart system.

I will have a page that has my contact details so that customers can call so I can take payments over the phone. Can anybody tell me who I need to contact to sort this out? Will my bank have facilities for this? Will I need a business account?

I also want to have a link to my paypal account so customers can pay to this if they want stating what good they would like. Is this possible? I've e-mailed paypal about this as well.

Cheers all,

spqr

Astaroth

Yes, paypal offer card services.... Nochex is another one to consider as it doesnt have as bad a reputation as paypal and gives you fraud protection. http://www.nochex.co.uk/seller-account/ is their basic service which is most like paypal in operation and is free to setup. They do have a "merchant account" option - not a true merchant account - which allows much more customisation but there is a small setup fee.

Speaking to your bank will tell you what you need but basically it will be a merchant account (often you have to put a security of up to £5,000 in it to protect them/ you against charge backs) and a device for taking payment plus a phone line.... most use a card terminal which you can either buy out right (but if it goes wrong you have to buy a replacement) or rent one. With a merchant account you will pay less per transaction but there will be a monthly fee irrespective of how much you have used it.

helen_vasey

setting up paypal to tie in with your website should be quite straightforward, but for anything else you normally need a merchant bank account , linked to a business account, this can cost quite a few £100s to set up and you will need an immaculate credit record for them even to consider you, try the chip and pin solutions website and also adelante,( who we have set up an account with) for more information. also you will need to upgrade your paypal account to a business one, linked to a business bank account which can take a few weeks. a business bank account is always a good idea as when customers pay by cheque, it looks much more professional to pay a company name, rather than an individual.

Slinky

I use a company called Optimal for my merchant account. I have a 'virtual' terminal, basically I key card details taken over the phone into their website. They charged me £75 setup cost although it's supposed to be £200 (try negotiating, worked for me) plus £20 per month. I get charged 2.99% plus 20p per transaction. They retain 10% of my monthly revenue for 7 months as a build up of funds against charge backs, but after 7 months they start recrediting you for your 10%s from 7 months earlier.

My business is a ltd company but only small and had only been going 12 months when I set up my Optimal account. A friend also has an account with them and she's a sole trader but managed to get an account after only a few months trading.

ukbill69

Paypal payments pro £20 per month 3.4% + 20p, the customer never leaves your site, take payments over email and phone.

Also free untill 31st december.

https://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_wp-pro-overview-outside

garyclay

We have just started taking payments with Paypal pro to supliment other systems.

It was a nightmare to set up due to a massive backlog (6 weeks)

V V Expensive so it might be a waste of time

Will let you know how it goes

RichyRich

Slinky wrote:

I use a company called Optimal for my merchant account. I have a 'virtual' terminal, basically I key card details taken over the phone into their website. They charged me £75 setup cost although it's supposed to be £200 (try negotiating, worked for me) plus £20 per month. I get charged 2.99% plus 20p per transaction. They retain 10% of my monthly revenue for 7 months as a build up of funds against charge backs, but after 7 months they start recrediting you for your 10%s from 7 months earlier.

My business is a ltd company but only small and had only been going 12 months when I set up my Optimal account. A friend also has an account with them and she's a sole trader but managed to get an account after only a few months trading.

I think Barclaycard Merchant Services do a similar thing called ePDQ that it may be worth checking out.

Rich