Finding an Inexpensive Foreign Merchant Account

The foreign merchant account industry varies greatly from nation to nation.

The reason?

Different financial industries with wildly varying requirements from banks and sales agents.

The two most searched for markets outside the US are Canada and the UK.

There are, of course, as many different situations as there are nations on this ridiculously carved-up planet (and it is ridiculous, isn't it? But I digress).

Here's the bottom line: It's outside the scope of this site to offer suggestions for inexpensive alternatives for every flavor of nationality out there.

As I've said elsewhere on the site, if you are just starting out and want to test the waters, Paypal is a very good third-party processor to consider.

Currencies in about 55 nations are supported. I can only assume the list will continue to grow.

On the other hand, if you have assessed your business and feel a merchant account is necessary, there are options, of course.

In the past, the best you could hope for was a local bank. That is still a viable option, and I always recommend inquiring with a local bank during your merchant account shopping.

The reason U.S. banks won't support foreign merchants is understandable: The risk is greater on several levels. Chief among the concerns is the very real difficulty a U.S.-based bank will have enforcing legal remedies against merchants under different nationalities.

As a result, U.S. banks would require very large reserves (essentially security deposits against funds in your account), large setup costs, and high fees. That is, if they would even take on the risk. Almost no U.S. banks will.

There are Independent Sales Organizations that are willing to shoulder greater risk and do cater to international merchants, offering merchant accounts to individuals living in any nation. Durango Merchant Services is one popular example.

The catch, of course, is the higher fees and other expensive obligations, so consider carefully before making a decision.

Beyond that, here are the best options I can offer for a foreign merchant account:

• Canadian merchant accounts
• UK merchant accounts
• International merchant accounts

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