5 alternatives online payment solutions

Source:www.DreamTeamMoney.com

1.) Digital River -
http://www.digitalriver.com
 

Digital River, based in Eden Prairie, Minn., has worked with 40,000 online
stores to build e-commerce functionality, starting with basic shopping cart
features. Understanding that each business has different needs, Digital River
can implement new features as its clients grow, such as multi-currency support
for overseas expansion or integrating "try before you buy" options. Best selling
point: Digital River does not hold sellers' money and will take the hit if a
product needs to be returned.

"Digital River understands that small business owners need that cash
immediately," explains David Heath, CEO of Matrix Games, a computer game company
that has worked with Digital River for three years.

Digital River has no up-front cost and won't charge until the first sale. Then,
its fee is based on performance, beginning at 2.9% plus a $1.00 transaction fee.

"Our cost analysis shows that it would be foolish for us to try alone what
Digital River does," Heath says.

2.) Credit card heaven -
http://www.2Checkout.com

"I knew I had to start accepting credit cards on my online site or my company
wouldn't grow," says Troy Godshall, owner of APlusTemplates.com. "I had poor
credit at the time and knew I wouldn't get a merchant account, but 2Checkout.com
allowed me to accept credit cards without all the paperwork."

2Checkout.com processes credit cards and checks while monitoring for fraud and
ensuring data security. The site has about 50,000 active vendors and signs up
1,500 new clients every month. For each transaction, there's a 5% rolling
reserve for 90 days. Vendors with an existing shopping cart system can integrate
their platform with 2Checkout.com or chose to use 2Checkout's own shopping cart.

2Checkout.com has a one-time setup fee of $49.00 and takes a 5.5% commission
plus $0.45 for each sale. "My product is about $30," says Godshall. "So the
commission isn't bad, considering the headache I avoid, not having to deal with
fraud issues."

3.) AlertPay -
http://www.AlertPay.com

AlertPay founder Firoz Patel saw a problem: PayPal and other payment processing
companies catered well to mainstream merchants, but fell behind when it came to
less serviceable markets.

"We saw this particularly with multi-level marketing," he says. "Some clients
simply need more time and attention when it comes to payments."

In 2004, Patel launched Montreal-based AlertPay to make online payments easier.
AlertPay.com simplifies bank transfers, bank wires, direct deposits and other
payment methods - everything except cash. AlertPay's team of 25 works to ensure
extra security for all transactions. Back-end flagging services alert banks to
security breaches, and automated fraud-tracking tools lock down accounts when
activity is abnormal.

The introductory rate for AlertPay is 2.5% per transaction. But if your company
is off the beaten path and requires more service, be prepared to pay 3.9%.

4.) TrialPay -
http://www.TrialPay.com
 

TrialPay is a particularly unorthodox payment option. It pairs merchants with
advertises to boost sales for both and offer consumers a chance to get products
they're looking at for free.

Here's how it works: Merchants enlisted with TrialPay give away their products
for free when a shopper completes an offer from one of TrialPay's client
advertisers, who then pays the merchant a bounty that equals or exceeds the
product price. The system works best for software and online services vendors
that can offer instantaneous digital delivery.

TrialPay has worked with more than 2,500 merchants. You can see it in action at
WinZip and Skype. Vendors can use TrialPay's shopping cart system or integrate
it with any other existing shopping cart.

"Once you get the set-up done, it's all hands off," says Rick Trefzger, vice
president of sales at Boynton Beach, Fla.-based iS3, which sells StopZilla anti-spyware
software. "TrialPay's reporting is great -- you get a link that tracks each
campaign and TrialPay will track it in real time."

5.) E-junkie -
http://www.E-junkie.com

Tucson-based E-junkie is one of many shopping cart providers, but it
distinguishes itself in the market by automating delivery. The shopping cart is
an integral part of an e-commerce site experience; choosing the right one for
your business takes time and research, but will make purchasing an easier
experience for the customer.

E-junkie particularly well-suited for do-it-yourself artists and creative
freelancers. For tangible goods, its system can automatically determine what
size and shape packaging works best for each product in a vendor's inventory.
For digital products, it streamlines file storage and instantaneous delivery.
Prices vary depending on the services selected, but start at $5 per month for 10
products.