Small Small Business Ecommerce Merchant Account

Are you a small-small business? Then you need a small business ecommerce merchant account that will fit your company.

But first things first. Who you calling small-small? =)

That term, small-small business or SSB, is a relatively new one that describes a business with one to five employees.

So, are you an SSB?

If so, I'm going to make a few assumptions about you and your business:

• You haven't been in business long, less than 3 years in most cases
• You operate on a tight budget
• Your business fills a small niche, that is, a tightly focused specialty
• You are the backbone of our economy

Not you? Hey, I'm making assumptions. You know what that makes me! ;-)

If that is you, there are several things to remember when it comes to finding a small business ecommerce merchant account.

Think Small (for now)

It's great to be optimistic, and certainly a well-run business will grow in the right niche, but when considering a small business ecommerce merchant account, be realistic about your sales volume.

Don't overestimate your monthly transactions or average ticket size. That doesn't do you any good and it's liable to cost in the long run. No inexpensive merchant account there!

This is the number one mistake SSBs make.

If you don't think you will make more than 50 transactions per month, seriously consider whether you need a small business ecommerce merchant account of your own yet.

It's easy to upgrade at some future point.

In the meantime, consider a third-party alternative, such as PayPal for hard goods and/or Clickbank for egoods.

Third-party processors don't sell you a merchant account. Instead, they process your customers payments using their merchant account, then charge you a fee for the service.

Think Simple (for now)

If you are an SSB, you are pretty much your own technical support. Nothing wrong with that, but if you aren't comfortable with coding, a third-party processor may be the way to go.

In most cases, you will simply add a link to the third-party processor's secure site where the transaction is completed. Most will allow you to customize that landing page with your logo so your customer will feel more comfortable with the transaction.

Be Ready (and beware)

Determined to get a small business ecommerce merchant account of your own? That's certainly the best option if you want complete control over payment processing.

But understand, if you are going to process credit cards on your site with your own merchant account, you will have to meet monthly minimums. And you will face a monthly gateway fee in addition to possible start-up fees.

And most importantly, watch closely to ensure you are getting a fair deal from a reputable merchant account provider like Charge.com and aren't getting locked in to a long-term contract with hefty termination fees.

For more on merchant account fees, click here.

---

| Homepage | Small Small Business Ecommerce Merchant Account |

---