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eCommerce Basics
In order to accept credit cards, debit cards and electronic checks through your web site, you should be aware of the following eCommerce Basics. 
Typically, what you need to set up eCommerce on your website is a Shopping Cart Program, a Payment Gateway Account, a Secure Socket Layer Certificate and an Internet Merchant Account.
A Shopping Cart Program is the code your website uses to keep track of what your shopper wants to buy and then sends the sales totals to your Payment Gateway. A sample of a popular shopping cart program can be found at eCommerceTemplates.
A Payment Gateway Account is the credit card processor that provides you with a secure bridge between your e-commerce website and your Merchant Account. Authorize.net is an example.
A Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate allows you to process credit card information and other sensitive data on your website by providing data encryption. When you see the lock in the bottom of your browser window, that means the site your are visiting has its own SSL. Verisign and GeoTrust are well known certificate providers, but there are also several other companies that provide "discount" SSL Certificates with lesser "name brand" recognition for a lower price. (Tell me more about SSL Certificates )
An Internet Merchant Account is a type of bank account that allows a business to accept credit cards as a form of payment for online transactions. These accounts manage the flow of money from your customer's individual credit card accounts into your business account. Your current bank may offer this service. Wells Fargo has an online application, but we recommend PayPal's Merchant Account for the price and service. What should YOUR company use to process payments?
- Do you already have a bank account through which you process credit cards? They may have programs in place to make the transition to the internet easy for existing clients. Try calling them first, but be aware, some bank fees are rather high.
- Are you a small to medium-sized company or are you just starting and need to keep your expenses to a minimum but still want to work with a reliable and well-know credit card processing company? Learn more about PayPal's Merchant Services.
- Are you a large company or medium sized company expecting to get bigger in the near future? Do you plan to sell high-priced items through your site? Do you want your entire transaction to be done through seamlessly on your website? Then we recommend contacting your current bank or Wells Fargo plus Authorize.net.
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