Merchant accounts allow you to accept electronic payment and credit cards. Without a merchant account there would be no e-commerce. You can use whatever you would like as long as it's compatible with Shopify. My preferred merchant account is Google Checkout. It isn't completely available to everyone yet, only people in the USA and the UK. For everyone else I would just recommend by starting with PayPal.
Reasons I like Google Checkout:
- All credit card transactions are free to process until the end of 2007.
- Accept all major credit cards.
- Only pay fees when you make money.
- It's credit card based as opposed to PayPal where your account has credit in it.
- SSL isn't so necessary because all the security is run through Google Checkout.
- Once processing fees do come back into play, they are only 2% per transaction plus $0.20 per transaction. (Almost a full 1% lower than PayPal)
- Creates a whole lot more security like PayPal. Once you sign up for Google Checkout to pay all you do is login to your account and you don't have to type in any address or credit card info because Google Checkout already knows that information.
- It's Google.
- Shopify ready for it.
- http://checkout.google.com/sell/
Reasons I like PayPal:
- Everyone has it.
- If you have the right account all major credit cards are accepted.
- Only pay fees when you make money.
- PayPal has been around for a long time.
- Shopify ready for it.
- http://www.paypal.com
I'm sure I've missed few things, but I recommend that you sign up for Google Checkout and sign up for PayPal is you can't use Google Checkout.
Getting PayPal and/or Google Checkout Working with Shopify
This video focuses in on getting your PayPal and/or Google Checkout working with Shopify.
Be patient, the video is of higher quality so it make take a little time to load.
Online Videos by Veoh.com
