Ebay and taking credit cards? no paypal

[taonola]

Paypal doesnt like the items I am selling. Can I just take credit cards instead? Can you take credit cards on a stealth account?

Should I use Payflow, Authorize.net or CyberSource

[phaz0rz]

If Paypal doesn't like the stuff you're selling it's very unlikely you'll be approved for a merchant account. Are you familiar with the application process (all the info you would have to provide)?

To answer your question, yes, you can accept direct CC payments through a stealth account. Getting a merchant account is the hard part.

[taonola]

THanks man, I am not familiar with the application process.

WHat is the hard part about getting one? Is it getting your items approved?

Can you fib a bit about your items?

[phaz0rz]

You can fib to an extent, but certain categories are restricted by Visa/MC so if the merchant account provider sees anything like that you'll be declined flat-out. Kratom would be an example of something US providers will not process payments for, because they aren't allowed.

When I applied I had to give:
- My SSN so they could run my credit, and my businesses' EIN for tax reporting
- A 6 month sales history from Paypal showing my sales volume (this is necessary so they can determine what kind of rates they will give you)
- Several supplier invoices
- A bank statement for my business checking account
- A clear return/refund policy which has to be publicly accessible for your customers

+ a few other documents. It's been a while since I applied. Paypal is a walk in the park compared to real CC processors.

[phaz0rz]

Merchant Account Application Requirements - Cayan

Long story short, merchant accounts are considered a line of credit issued to a business, so they're hard to get.

[taonola]

Thanks man, I see our competitors take CREDIT cards only. So it feels like I must have to do that.

THanks for your help

[phaz0rz]

No problem.

I was declined by Wells Fargo and referred to/approved by TSYS because they have "lesser underwriting standards". Something to consider.

[taonola]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

You can fib to an extent, but certain categories are restricted by Visa/MC so if the merchant account provider sees anything like that you'll be declined flat-out. Kratom would be an example of something US providers will not process payments for, because they aren't allowed.

When I applied I had to give:
- My SSN so they could run my credit, and my businesses' EIN for tax reporting
- A 6 month sales history from Paypal showing my sales volume (this is necessary so they can determine what kind of rates they will give you)
- Several supplier invoices
- A bank statement for my business checking account
- A clear return/refund policy which has to be publicly accessible for your customers

+ a few other documents. It's been a while since I applied. Paypal is a walk in the park compared to real CC processors.

Can one merchant account = 10 stealth eBay accounts?

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by taonola

Can one merchant account = 10 stealth eBay accounts?

Only if you have ten different payment gateways linked to that merchant account.

When you link a merchant account to eBay you get an API key from your payment gateway and put it into eBay. You only get one API key.

[dallis]

Not to mention that a merchant account will often bring in only a tiny fraction of the sales revenue PP will... I don't give out my CC online, and a lot of other people feel the same way.

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by dallis

Not to mention that a merchant account will often bring in only a tiny fraction of the sales revenue PP will... I don't give out my CC online, and a lot of other people feel the same way.

I'm all too familiar with that attitude, but haven't you already given your CC and/or bank info to Paypal?

Full disclosure OP - Most buyers will think they're giving their CC number directly to some stranger on eBay, and they won't buy. They would rather have all their details stored on a Paypal server where they can be hacked.

[GreenBean]

Ya’ll have to love the ignorance of a prospective buyer.

[dallis]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

I'm all too familiar with that attitude, but haven't you already given your CC and/or bank info to Paypal?

Full disclosure OP - Most buyers will think they're giving their CC number directly to some stranger on eBay, and they won't buy. They would rather have all their details stored on a Paypal server where they can be hacked.

I have to give my CC number out to everybody who uses a merchant account.

I only have to give it out once to PP.

Also, if I give my CC number out to 50 vendors, it's submitted to a server 50 times, and maybe a server less secure than PP's, so it's 50 times more likely to be hacked than the one time I give it out to PP.

I think it's a matter of math, the more times you submit the number, the greater the odds of being hacked.

[ebaystealth1974]

Use a VCC if your provider offers it. Reduces the odds of being hacked.

[dallis]

True enough, but far easier not to give a CC out to everyone who has a merchant account because they couldn't live by PP's rules.

Very few items can only be found at one place.

Most legit vendors take everything, PP, CC, ApplePay, AZ payments, etc.

Merchant account only is a hot warning.

[phaz0rz]

Hot warning of what? It's 20x harder to get a merchant account compared to a PP account.

I don't think most understand how merchant accounts work online. I can accept all of the payment methods you mentioned through my merchant account. Buyers aren't giving me their CC number - they're giving it to a payment processor. The ONLY time I see a buyer's CC # is if they start a chargeback against me, because in that case my merchant account provider has to turn over the buyer's info. Whether you're paying through a merchant account or PP, you're sending your CC details through an https connection to a secure payment processor.

I'm biased because I use one. I get offended when people who have no experience with merchant accounts start talking about them like they're some kind of huge security flaw. In most cases a merchant using a merchant account has nothing to do with them "not playing by Paypal's rules." For many it means they're legitimate enough to not have to rely on Paypal.

[phaz0rz]

When you go into a gas station and the Indian-American owners don't accept Paypal because it's cheaper for them to use a real merchant account, do you guys leave instead of swiping your debit card?

[dallis]

Hot warning to me.

A number of years ago I had a merchant account and it was active and ready to able to accept payments long after I was bankrupt, completely underwater, and entirely out of business.

I could have been taking payments on that merchant account long after every other method of accepting payment had been shut down due to insolvency.

It's personal, based on my own experiences, no reason to be offended.